Actors Who Have Genuine Talent But Are/Were Dismissed Because of Their Beauty

Charlize.

Lange.

Steve Buscemi

Dors.

Bea Arthur

Beauty on a stick

I always felt Lana Turner was underrated. Then she did Madam X. Damn she was good.

Ava Gardner

Stone when a director actually asked something of her. (Verhoeven, Scorsese, Brooks).

Tyrone Power

Colin Farrell

Gary Cooper

Paul Newman

Jason Statham - but really only for comedy (which is difficult). He's REALLY funny

Some of these people are Oscar winners, so how can you say their careers suffered?

No one suffers because they're good-looking. All these people would have been unemployed if they had been ugly.

Drew Barrymore. In her early years she was a fuck-up but her beauty gave her a lot of chances. She backed it up with her talent, see Poison Ivy, Amy Fisher Story, etc.

Michelle Pfeiffer.

Directors never wanted to hire her for anything other than being eye candy. She had to fight to do films that deglammed her which critics said was a travesty. She won them over in the end.

Tom Hardy, He started as a model but has put in decent work as an actor.

Jeri Ryan on Star Trek Voyager. I thought it was crude to cast a blonde bombshell to boost ratings, but she turned out to be the most interesting character on the show. Decent actress and now back on PICARD. Good for her.

(R15) I remember a quote from Michelle P. when she got cast in the brief TV sitcom Delta House, based on the movie Animal House. She complained to her agent, "They put me in hot pants again!"

Tony Curtis - not until he got craggy and lost the pretty boy aura did he get some meatier roles. That goes for Tyrone Power, more recently Colin Farrell, and Errol Flynn.

Brad Pitt. His acting has always been underrated. He’s really very talented.

Ha!

One I think of is no on both counts!

R13, the question wasn't whether their career suffered, but whether they weren't given enough respect for their acting ability. My response was Paul Newman, who was repeatedly nominated and finally won late in life. He was so ridiculously handsome that many put his success down solely to sex appeal and charisma. It was his willingness to take on seedier characters like the alcoholic lawyer in [italic]the Verdict[/italic] that eventually garnered respect from holdouts. And [italic]Nobody's Fool[/italic] also gained him some new fans for his acting.

Rock Hudson showed he could really act in Giant, The Tarnished Angels and Seconds.

Denise Richards kind of fits this. I’ve liked her in almost everything I’ve seen her in (save the stupid Bond movie) but she never really got a fair shot.

Ann-Margret

R24 What has she been in besides Wild Things and Starship Troopers?

R22 but was there really a time when his acting wasn’t taken seriously? (The Silver Chalise excepted)

He’s also someone who most consider to have given his best performances in his third act, which is very rare for any actor, and makes him a very interesting case.

Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Uma Thurman

(R20) I NEVER liked Brad Pitt until Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He was perfect for it. Then his very funny SAG Awards speech (and Jennifer's reaction) and his bit as Dr. Fauci on SNL. NOW I'm a fan.

Tori Spelling

r22, Paul was considered to be a great actor. He got a ton of Oscar nominations.

Brad Pitt is given too much respect. He's a so-so actor with an Oscar he didn't deserve.

You should feel sorry for the ugly or fat actors who never got a chance, not people who became A list because they were hot

R30 Go back and watch his older performances now that you’re a fan—because he is a very strong actor. A River Runs Through It, Se7en, Meet Joe Black, Seven Years in Tibet, Fight Club, Legends of the Fall, Kalifornia, 12 Monkeys. He’s good in all of them, and they’re all very diverse characters. Even in Troy, he was good among a bunch of performances that were not so great.

^ For sure!

He was bland in Troy and Se7en. And straight-up embarrassing in Seven Years in Tibet and Meet Joe Black. He was hammy in Twelve Monkeys. We wouldn't be talking about him if he were average looking.

99% of SAG is unemployed. Pitt is one of the lucky ones. He gets Oscars while people who went to prestigious drama schools are unemployed

But Pitt has that certain star quality that cannot be trained. I remember first seeing him in Thelma & Louise and being blown away by both his beauty and his charisma.

R26 Drop Dead Gorgeous and Undercover Brother. I also liked her in 30 Rock

[quote] Tom Hardy, He started as a model but has put in decent work as an actor.

I have never understood his physical appeal. He always looks dirty and trashy even when wearing evening clothes.

Marilyn Monroe owns this thread. She had enormous talent but so many people only saw her beauty and sex appeal.

Vivian Vance!

Lena Dunham.

Margot Robbie

Margot Robbie has already had 2 Oscar nominations. She gets more credit than she deserves because she's good-looking. If she weren't she'd be working at a grocery store in Australia

R26 Drop Dead Gorgeous.

It also works often in reverse ...the expectations of beautiful actors is so low that when they give even a halfway decent performance it’s considered a “revelation.” Farrah Fawcett definitely fits into that category — she was never “great” in anything.

R16 beauty? Beast, rather

I don’t agree with OP. Just like Marilyn, Farrah was a dismal actress when she started off. Farrah’s break with Charlie’s Angels was as jiggly as Marylin’s with All About Eve. Of course, they were both deliciously wonderful in both productions because the roles fit them like a glove, but they were still at that point - horrible actresses.

Enter Lee Strasberg, et al.

When you’re the top pun-up girl or starlet, you can afford the best. And you can turn down more of the same bad jiggly shit.

Armie Hammer

R1 & 2 Oscar winners- and Kange has long been recognized as major acting talent. And most people, including Olivier regarded Monroe as magic in front of a camera- just screwed up.

Moi.

Charlize Theron is a great choice. So stunningly beautiful that it's hard to believe she'd ever want to look unglamorous, yet she's done it many times and always turned in excellent work.

Denise Richards has a genuine flair for comedy and has been woefully underused. Now, was she right to play a scientist in that Bond movie? No, but it's not her fault that she's been miscast before.

Megan Fox surprised me in Jennifer's Body. She was very funny, willing to look awful, and even showed some depth. I wonder if she has something like that in her again.

Brooke Shields really surprised me when I saw her on Friends back in the 90's. She was hysterically funny and I've been fortunate enough to see her on stage a few times, too. She's a pretty good musical comedy gal.

I guess I'm just happy when beautiful people show us that they don't take themselves too seriously.

Farrah had a small role in Logan’s Run playing a distraught person in shock. For the few moments she was onscreen, she was very convincing.

I think r45 is correct

Denise Richards? Megan Fox? Now you're just naming people who are ONLY famous because they're attractive

R47, Farrah and Marilyn improved over time because they were willing to learn. Her role as a down-on-her-luck hillbilly in Bus Stop was proof she didn't waste her time at The Actors Studio.

*Marilyn's role as a down-on-her-luck hillbilly. . .

Their beauty is what got them jobs to begin with.

R14 In what world is Drew Barrymore beautiful?

If I wasn't already Gay that heifer would make me explore my options.

[quote] [R47], Farrah and Marilyn improved over time because they were willing to learn. Her role as a down-on-her-luck hillbilly in Bus Stop was proof she didn't waste her time at The Actors Studio.

Exactly my point

Brad Pitt

Joan Crawford

Angelina Jolie

Jared Leto

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Sylvester Stallone

Vin Diesel

Joey Laurence

John Travolta, seriously

Portia de Rossi is, I think, absolutely beautiful and also surprised me at how funny she is

John Travolta is a very talented actor, he's just a natural. Other than that it seems he makes some pretty bad choices.

Brad Pitt is not a talented actor. Plan B has turned out some good projects. He seems like a decent guy, all Hwood things considered.

R58, whether you think she's attractive now is a matter of opinion, but she was certainly considered a sex symbol in the 90s

Long after the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. craze, it seems to me the most talented of the bunch was actually Jennifer Aniston, but she was also the prettiest so... Monica was very one-note but it worked, somehow. Within the limits of the show - it is extremely dated now and looks like garbage, creativity-wise (apart from one or two episodes).

Not during the 1990's that I lived in.

r22 Newman in "The Verdict" is perfection. Henry Fonda's sentimental "On Golden Pond" aside.

Drew Barrymore is very cute and attractive, and likeable. She knows her limits as an actress, and that's fine. I'm usually happy to watch anything she's in.

Marilyn Monroe was a very good singer, for one. That's completely overlooked even though she recorded well over a dozen songs, some of which have become iconic.

for pretty boys, I will say that I am always surprised by what a good actor Chris Evans is (granted, I have only seen him in a few things but he was great in Snowpiercer).

Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the best actors of his generation and usually dismissed as a pretty boy.

Marilyn's singing wasn't overlooked. She was given the chance to star in musicals despite her average pipes.

r72, the reason Gyllenhaal is overlooked is because most of his movies have flopped, not because people think he isn't talented

Colin Farrell is an excellent actor, I wish there were more films to see him in. Or more films that I'd want to watch.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers was breathtakingly beautiful and was a great actor. Good enough that I could concentrate on whatever movie I was watching him in despite how beautiful he was.

Paul Walker. I would have loved to see him in meaty roles.

R69 Newman was nominated for Te Verdict in 83 (he lost to Kingsley. Fonda won the year before, when Newman was nominated for Absence of Malice.

Michelle Pfeiffer has always been excellent in everything I've seen her in (latest to date, as Ruth Madoff in that film with DeNiro). When I was younger I didn't realise how good she was because I would only focus on her physical perfection. She is really an actress I started paying attention to with Chéri, some ten years ago!

Spot Bruce Willis as an extra in The Verdict.

I was a Farrah convert after her performance in Extremities! Phenomenal!

Dorothy

On Golden Pond was awful.

I'm very glad now that I've never seen On Golden Pond. Come to think of it, the trailer might have been boring.

R76 Jonathan Rhys Meyers didn't fail because he was beautiful, it was because he was always drunk or high and a pain. The stories about working with him are legendary.

[quote] Marilyn Monroe was a very good singer, for one.

You do realize that many sections of her musical numbers were dubbed in, right?

Did you really think the soprano coloratura schtick she did on “Diamonds...” was her voice?

R67 Lisa Kudrow is far and away the most talented "friend". Comedy, drama, writing, producing. In every facet.

Gene Tierney

R86: Yes, Marni Nixon was credited for the beginning "nos" of Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend, but the rest was Marilyn. Nixon did not dub for Marilyn in River Of No Return. Marilyn sang all her songs in that movie. She could certainly hit high notes (see link).

I cannot think of Rhys Meyers as a great actor: I will grant you he had real promise when young, but he blew it by the time of "the Tudors," where he shouted all his lines.

And Lana Turner is an absolutely awful actress. She never even had promise as an actress. Even her best performance--as Cora in "The Postman Always Rings twice"--is ridiculously "actress-y." However, she is always compulsively watchable.

Another example of her own singing from the same film:

Farrah was good in a couple TV movies, but I'm sure Tatum would agree that she had two characters: 1) victim; and 2) sociopath.

She sounds okay at best in those clips

From what I remember, Greta Scacchi turned her back on Hollywood after Presumed Innocent and The Player, etc. when she was being pigeonholed as the ice queen/femme fatale. I assume Sharon Stone slid into that niche.

She went to the UK and started doing Merchant/Ivory and other period stuff, usually with plain makeup. Great performance in War & Peace.

Not sure if this example fits exactly, as I don’t know that she was thought of as a great beauty, (though she was quite attractive) but I recall reading that Ginger Rogers was supposed to have given an incredible screen test for Queen Elizabeth - head and shoulders above the rest.

TPTB couldn't fathom audiences accepting her as the British monarch, so gave the role to the more appropriate choice - Bette Davis.

Most of these are terrible examples. Hardly any of these people were dismissed.

Jude Law works but he doesn't get the roles that serve his talent. I saw a clip from Susan Sarandon's "Inside the Actors Studio" and she commented that Law is a better actor than he needs to be - essentially that he could very well have coasted on his looks.

Jude Law was dismissed because he's box office poison, not because he's goodlooking

Michelle Pfeiffer should have had a better career than she's had. Yes, she's worked and has attained three Oscar nominations but after playing Catwoman in Batman Returns, her career cooled. I know she took time off after marrying David E. Kelly and raising kids. She would have occasional box office hits (Dangerous Minds, What Lies Beneath, that frau movie with Robert Redford) but her career never sustained the momentum of the late '80s/early '90s. I thought when she had a comeback and received great reviews for Hairspray and Stardust she was going to have another long, hot streak, but it never really happened. I think she's very versatile (just look at her three performances from 1988 in Married to the Mob, Tequila Sunrise and Dangerous Liaisons for proof).

R99 it was her choices too. She stopped taking chances after the early 90s. Which is a shame.

I also loved her in Frankie & Johnny.

r100 agreed. She's great in that movie. Interesting how she and Al Pacino teamed up again after Scarface. They really do have great chemistry.

r71 MM was a terrible singer. Diamonds is almost laughable as an iconic song, but it was like a Madonna hit, it's about everything else besides the main vocals.

Hugh Grant. Really a good actor but underrated as a light comedy leading man, something at which he, admittedly, excels over anyone in the last 25 years. I've liked him in everything I've ever seen him in. If you haven't seen his work in Extreme Measures, check him out. He could've been a great Hitchcock hero.

James Marsden

[quote] She had to fight to do films that deglammed her which critics said was a travesty. She won them over in the end.

Let's not go overboard here. Pfeiffer played roles that were relatively deglammed and by Hollywood standards. She still looked like a very beautiful movie star in those movies.

Whoever cast her as the frumpy, disappointed in love, lonely waitress in "Frankie and Johnny" should be shot. The role was meant for someone like Kathy Bates who played it on the stage.

Nicholas Hoult. He’s a revelation on The Great (now on Hulu). He’s got the Emmy locked up.

It's hard to separate a beautiful actor from his/her beauty, because it is blown up on the screen. We react to that unless they are jarringly awful, eg, have a terrible speaking voice. Young Marlon Brando comes to mind. When there is a close-up of his face, you just melt because his beauty, and your critical abilities are lost.

Sophia Loren and Rita Moreno, who early enough in (but not at the beginning of) their careers proved to be wonderful actresses, started off with some pretty blatant dismissals as pin-up girls with vampy bit parts, particularly due to their ethnicity.

Halle Berry started off as a very visible and publicized ex-beauty queen who was only given model-ly parts until Queenie and Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. And of course later she made history.

R39 - "Marilyn Monroe owns this thread. She had enormous talent but so many people only saw her beauty and sex appeal."

In fairness, it was Monroe herself who used that to break in - then she got hoist with her own petard and couldn't shake it. Like many clinical narcissists, she craved adoration and attention and did what she had to do to get it, but then found it backfiring on her. I always thought she had a lot in common with Diana in that respect . . . could not really get it sustainably in personal relationships and depended on the public for it, almost like an addiction.

r108 - You could put Kim Basinger in that category, as well.

R109 = one of DL's many armchair psychiatrists.

R86 What part of Diamonds are a girl's best friends is in soprano coloratura?

Singing high notes is not the only thing required of a singer, sometimes it's not even required at all. But I can see why this particular technical feat would impress some.

R103 My favourite performance from Hugh Grant is, by far, A Very English Scandal. Dark, uncomfortable... he goes to depths I would never have suspected of him as an actor. His best work IMO. He might get the recognition for that role because he was "playing gay", but that's not why. It's so much more complicated, and he conveys it all... My god, the darkness. The script is great as well.

Deborah Harry (can we include singers?)

I only know Marsden from Westworld but he was so good in that.

R39, it is said that Marilyn Monroe was steered by more talented actors in at least four of her films, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, as well some of her live song performances for U.S. soldiers.

Though I'm not anti-Monroe, I don't find it that hard to believe. She always needed a lot of help and supervision, all kind of special treatment that other stars did not require.

R111 - One of DL's many armchair posters who never read about Monroe's early life, the many memoirs detailing her emotional issues, her clinically insane Mum, her years in foster care, and how she was married off at 16 to her first husband in order to keep her from going back into the "system" as she aged out of "child foster care" category.

Right - her issues really stemmed from this one DL poster - no one else EVER talked or wrote about them.

Maybe, R111, you should pick up one of the many sad tomes written about Monroe, dead at 36, and some of the similarities between her and Diana - also dead at 36. You'll find that many writers have pipped me to the post in such an assessment of both women.

"[R86] What part of Diamonds are a girl's best friends is in soprano coloratura?"

I'd like to know that, too. Because she didn't sound one bit like Beverly Sills, Kathleen Battle, Lily Pons, Adelina Patti, or Roberta Peters . . .

Perhaps R86 meant "tessitura", which refers to the upper reaches of a particular piece or vocal range or role?

Marylin Monroe owns this thread. After seeing the obscure "Don't Bother to Knock" and "The Misfits" I realized what a talent we lost.

R85 - I loved Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Vikings. He does TV very well.

I want to add Chris Pine. I have loved him in everything I have seen him in.

Diana Ross ( with the exception of Mahogany and The Wiz"

You loved him in everything you saw him in BECAUSE he's attractive. You wouldn't care about him if he weighed 300 pounds.

r72, totally agree with your choice of Chris Evans. Not only did he make playing Captain America appear effortless, he's also been terrific in under-heralded movies such as Puncture (2011) and Gifted (2017).

R118: I love how you think you're mentioning things about Marilyn's life as if no one has heard her life story before. I love how you think reading Marilyn biographies makes you an expert on her mental condition.

There are hundreds of MM books. The Marilyn Monroe Encyclopedia (published in 1999) counted 300+ books in English alone. Over 20 years later, the count is probably close to 400. I have read maybe 30 of them.

Unlike you, however, I'm not presumptuous enough to diagnose what type of mental illness she had, based on reading those books. Many of those biographers cannot agree on details or flat out contradict each other. Some say she was bipolar. Some say she was schizophrenic. Some say she was BPD or NPD. Pure conjecture from authors who never knew her. Yes, she had many insecurities — low self-esteem, self-doubt, and performance anxiety among them. She also had health issues (endometriosis, chronic insomnia). Like many successful entertainers, she could be self-absorbed and [italic]narcissistic[/italic].

But you declare that she's a [italic]clinical narcissist[/italic], the she actually had NPD. LOL! How easy for you to say that from your armchair. And even on the unlikely chance you have psychiatric training, it's still laughable you'd say that because you never even met the patient. Here's one pertinent fact you conveniently ignore: the psychiatrists who treated Marilyn for years never diagnosed her with a mental disorder. But you know more than them? Sure, Jan.

But you declare that she's a clinical narcissist, *that* she actually had NPD.

Chris Evans. He is quite good as a dramatic actor.

I need to be more specific:

The psychiatrists who treated Marilyn for years never diagnosed her with a [bold]personality[/bold] disorder.

I can easily believe Marilyn could have had an anxiety disorder. Those are common enough. Assuming she had a Cluster B personality disorder like NPD is a huge stretch.

Garrett Hedlund is a good actor. I think people just forget about him because he is such a pretty boy.

People forget about him because he's bland as hell

Dismissed? Hardly. But I will admit I am fugly as fuck.

R111, still laughing at R118 - Marilyn's craving for the love of the public is documented in all those books you've pretended to read.

Her inability to function in an intimate relationship because of her craving for constant adoration (sound familiar) is also well documented.

It really wasn't too much of a stretch to use the word clinical, as it was abundantly clear that the woman was so fucking disturbed she could barely get to work on time, forcing people on set to wait for her for hours. SHE REEKED OF CLINICAL NARICISSISM.

And, she also exhibited the narcissist's propensity for fantasies so powerful she couldn't tell them from reality - you know, like JFK was going to leave Jackie for her and marry her?! Instead of which he passed her on like an hors d'oeuvre to his baby brother?!

Like, she was really the illegitimate daughter of Clark Gable? A fantasy she never quite let go of? The woman was batshit crazy. Ask Tony Curtis and Bill Wilder.

And this is a gossip site, not "Psychology Today".

I stand by my "armchair" analysis. You don't like it? Go fuck yourself. And you're blocked.

R133: Oooh, I'm blocked, how very traumatic! LQTM.

You are a very melodramatic boor. Block away, BITCH. Like many thin-skinned fuckwits, you can dish it out but can't take it. How typical that you retreat to your basement.

Plus, you cherry-picked from tabloid authors relying on thirdhand hearsay about her to fit your sad narrative. Congratulations on being an unobjective, ill informed troll here. You have plenty of company!

R33 sounds like they have NPD based on their own analysis. Can’t handle criticism or different view points? Really? Not that I disagree with MM likely suffering from a Cluster B. In those days a person may have been diagnosed with something like manic depressive disorder, instead of Bipolar, or even Boarderline Personality Disorder, which I think is probably a more accurate description of her behavior. I don’t think she made people wait for hours on the set because she didn’t care. I think it was out of anxiety to be perfect. She seemed to be a woman controlled by fear which gave way to anger, jealousy and resentment. Afraid of not being loved, afraid of getting old, afraid of being seen as a joke, afraid of being alone, afraid of not being able to sleep, afraid of abandonment, afraid of a younger more beautiful woman taking her place (Liz Taylor).....she was a scared and sad individual. Cluster B personalities can be exhausting.

So we'll never know about the coloratura. Guess there wasn't any.

Just for you R136. Sounds like Marilyn..... NOT EVER. 😜

We all know what coloratura is, R137. The question is, where is it in the aforementioned song?

Is this a case of the Dunning-Kruger effect?

In French we call this "Imbécile heureux".

Christina Applegate

R135 - I think you meant R133, not R33 - and I have no problem with different viewpoints, as long as they are expressed with civility, which it wasn't.

Girls, girls! You're BOTH tedious Marilyn Monroe screamers!

Richard Gere

THREAD HIJACKED!

r87 I agree. She's also outstanding in The Comeback.

Taylor Kitsch. Really liked him in Waco and as the conflicted cop in True Detective 2.

Me, obvs.

It’s just my cross to bear.

When is it's been said that Gwyneth Paltrow has original talent. She got in the door because of nepotism. And her Oscar was bought by Harvey. And now we have to suffer with her stupid ass.

Gloria Grahame

^*Ooops - Grahame was meant to go on the other, just "underestimated" dramatic talent thread.

But I'll add Rita Hayworth to this one.

Taylor Kitsch wasn't dismissed because of his looks -- he was hamstrung by them during the era where Hollywood thought he'd be the next Hot White 30Something Action Star (after Sam Worthington and Tom Hardy tried and flopped to do the same). When he's in roles like the ones R147 mentioned, he's really good. A lot of people thought he was snubbed by the Emmys for "Waco."

Errol Flynn

Alright, r128, you win.

R128 is so right though. He was the perfect Steve Rogers, but he was DELICIOUS playing a cocky spoiled frat boy in "Knives Out."

R128 - I haven't ever seen Evans in anything but Marvel films as Steve ("that's America's ass!") Rogers, and I thought his delivery lacking in just those parts although he did all right. So I'm surprised to hear that he can do better.

But I don't much care because that dude is fucking gorgeous.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers had many public meltdowns--usually revolving around planes and airports. The straw that broke the camel's back was his alleged drunken racial tirade against an airline employee. That effectively killed his mainstream career. We can see that's not going to fly nowadays. Why would any studio or production risk casting him and then face social media pressure? The last time I saw one of his movies in a theater was ten years ago. He's now strictly doing on demand stuff and even cable shows aren't casting him anymore.

His beauty got him into show business and he squandered it. He wasn't ever going to be Tom Cruise but he could have had a decent career. Look at Colin Farrell, working steady in big and small projects. But then, Farrell is more talented and I was a huge JRM fan.

R157 - I really enjoyed Jonathan Rhys Meyers in Vikings on the History Channel. Rhys-Myers played a crazy Catholic priest that lived to fuck anything with tits and lead troops into hand-to-hand combat battles.

It is sad his behavior fucked-up his career as I think he is a really good actor.

I'm watching "The Borgias" right now, and I've been really impressed with Holliday Grainger who plays Lucrezia. She is stunningly beautiful--she's like an even prettier version of Michelle Pfeiffer (if that is possible). But she's done very little of note since "The Borgias."

[quote] Diana Ross ( with the exception of Mahogany and The Wiz"

LOL

That leaves only one other film!

R158, not me. JRM gets worse as an actor as time goes on. He really started going off the rails professionally and personally with The Tudors. All that scenery chewing as Henry. He was ridiculous in Vikings. He's a needs a good director to put a boot up his ass. He worked with Todd Haynes, Ang Lee and Woody Allen in the first and better half of his career. The most recent good work I've seen was in the remake of Roots. I haven't bothered to watch any of his VOD movies.

JRM has developed quite a reputation for being really horrid to any costar he thinks might be upstaging him or getting more attention. He's made a lot of enemies over the years.

Sadly, this is one problem poor Bette never had to deal with.