Actors so good, it grieves you they're crazy and don't/rarely work anymore

OP, you left out the most obvious choice, you little homosexual boy.

Nic Cage is on this list.

I wish all the crazy marxists would stop working on Hollywood. Or at least gave away all their millions. Put your money where your filthy mouths are.

The supremely talented Nick Stahl lost about ten years of a promising career and life to meth addiction.

Now he's fallen off the map to most, relegated to direct-to-streaming B/C-movie horror that nobody ever watches. It's really a shame. At least he's ostensibly well and recovered now, though, that's the more important thing.

Debra Winger. Love her to death and she can be absolutely astonishing onscreen, but clearly she has some sort of problem, as she should be doing A-list projects and hasn't in about thirty years.

Tom Hulce

Ooh, good ones, R4 and R6!

I'd never seen Nick Stahl before, and came across him on a Terminator marathon a few years ago. Looked him up and wondered why he wasn't in more high-profile roles. Now I get it.

Excellent thread idea, OP!

I nominate Amanda Peterson - quit Hollywood after a few roles, moved back home and got hooked on meth (allegedly). Died a few years ago while I was hoping for a comeback. She was too smart to play the game but my guess is a picked up coke habit quickly derailed in Greeley CO.

Oh, and who's the "obvious choice", R1? Who'd I miss? Real question.

I'd thought about doing a DL thread about this a good while back, and only remembered today because I just saw Robert Blake in an episode of [italic]Wagon Train,[/italic] and he was scary good. In fact, I've never seen Blake, Moriarty, or Carson give a bad performance, even when the script/project was dogshit.

Adrien Brody

John Hanna

Dominic Dunne

It's interesting that OP mentioned Robert Blake because I just watched "In Cold Blood" the other day and it's mind-boggling to me that he and Scott Wilson did not both get Oscar nominations. They both gave incredible performances.

Noel Fisher. He was understandably lionised for his role as Mickey in US Shameless and seemed sure to be primed for a massive career. But he turns 39 this month and really has not done much but a bit of TV since Shameless ended after its 11th season.

R9, the certifiable Faye Dunaway, whose assistant claimed she called him a “little homosexual boy” in a lawsuit against her.

Was I lying, R13?

Joan Collins

Linda Evans

Kathleen Beller

It is a pity that the brilliant Sarah Polley no longer acts. However, she writes and directs fantastic films of her own, so she isn’t lost to the world.

Yes, indeed, R11.

sn: Scott Wilson is one of my very favorite actors. From [italic]The Gypsy Moths,[/italic] to [italic]In the Heat of the Night,[/italic]to [italic]In Cold Blood,[/italic] to [italic]CSI,[/italic] to a heartfelt performance in a one-off [italic]Law & Order[/italic] episode, he is one of those actors who, if I see him pop up on my screen I have to sit down and watch.

And, yes, it is staggering that neither he nor Blake was nominated for Oscars. Just Like Donald Sutherland for Ordinary People, and Roscoe Lee Browne for [italic]The Liberation of L.B. Jones.[/italic]

It seems a thankless thing to be a very talented actor, these days. You won't get rewarded or applauded, or even well-remembered by many beyond (said with love) a passel of deranged messageboard gays.

Daniel Day Lewis

Sean Young?

Aryan Vaid

Glenn Scarpelli.

Dawson

Yes, R20, no question.

And the late Margot Kidder, as well.

Not sure if I’ve blocked some here advertently because they’re buttholes or inadvertently because of my fat, stupid thumbs, but 24 posts and no Shelley Duvall??

And Shelley Long

Kate Nelligan

Barbara Harris

Poor thing went floop shooby on stage (during a performance of The Apple Tree?) and never quite made it back.

I believe Bette Midler gave her a chance as one of the strippers in her TV version of Gypsy because she always admired her talent, but had to fire her because of ‘the demons’ rearing their ugly little heads.

Michael Pitt

R28 - Barbara Harris is dead; that tends to cut down the opportunities for work

All my cuntiness aside - you are right: she was brilliant on stage & screen, and (voluntarily) disappeared

Isn’t Blake dead?

It pains me that James Woods turned out to be an unemployable asshole. He was so good in the early days. Most of the MAGA nutjobs were Z-level talents, but Woods had real talent.

[quote] Poor thing went floop shooby on stage (during a performance of The Apple Tree?) and never quite made it back.

R28 Any links to this? Sounds fascinating

R29 that reminds me: dreamy Ryan Donowho.

Best remembered nowadays for being the poor little meow meow of 'The O.C.' (Johnny Harper) in its egregious third season, kissing Emile Hirsch in that one weird boring movie about !ncest, and drumming in his friend Michael Pitt's street band and busking on the subway.

In little-known films he could be excellent, though. He has the ever-vanishing ability to convey a lot with a little on screen, if that makes sense. Checking his IMDB, he worked steadily for about a decade from the mid-2000s to mid-10s, then dropped off for the most part, except for a small role in 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D' and one random direct-to-streaming film last year.

He's only 43 and doesn't seem to have a family (though I haven't stalked enough to know), so idk what he does with his time--maybe music still? Or activism? He seems a crunchy granola type.

Here’s an excerpt from an interview with Robert Klein, R33.

[quote]He recalls the performance of "The Apple Tree" when Harris had a nervous breakdown on stage, just one night after winning her Tony Award. Despite her fragility, he says, he enjoyed a good friendship with her and admired her talent. "We would go to the botanical gardens together," he recalled of lazy days they spent together as they geared up for that night's show. "But Barbara was delicate," he noted.

More on Barbara Harris—

R36 / R35 Thanks for that info and follow up. I don't google that which was originated by others, but your information is appreciated.

We should have seen lots more of Upen Patel.

Linda Hamilton

Always kind of thought Michael Esper would do more in film & TV. Apparently he mostly only does stage now.

Malayali actor Bala - so thick set and beautiful. Where has he gone?

Bala's butt.

Carol Kane was as crazy off screen as she was on screen. Sweet woman but out of her mind, in a very pleasant way.

The equally alliterative Candy Clark was also nuts. Being married to Marjoe didn't help.

Betty Buckley

Marjoe Gortner was quite a colourful character. But please, I had to look him up. Tell us you are old without telling us you are old, dear. 👍❤️😀

Lecy Goranson

R43 Candy Clark is incredible in my guilty-pleasure favourite independent gay movie DOG TAGS (2008).

She hasn’t all that much to do playing the ageing single mother of a sexually-curious and conflicted young soldier about to join the !raq War, yet she brings such memorable and understated gravitas and warmth and humour and substance. She stands out in the cast, looking like a skilled veteran actress next to clueless amateurs.

Sean Young was NEVER a good actress.

Shawar Ali

Judy Davis

[quote]Lisa Nicole Carson.

She's supposed to have a role in the Ally McBeal reboot since the series focuses on her character's daughter. Hopefully that will work out for her. She was so talented.

Amanda Bynes was actually funny in She's the Man. She always came across as if she had a real sense of humor. Glad she's doing better and miss her acting career. She'd be an actually talented Kaley Cuoco.

The dad from Gilmore Girls who was in the movie Testosterone retired from acting, joined a cult and turned into some kind of right wing Republican.

I liked Courtney Love's acting career for the time she had it. The more she stuck with it, the better she got. I guess she just didn't have the drive.

I'll add Lark Voohries to the list. She was everywhere for a while after Saved by the Bell then mental illness struck. I was happy they gave her a couple of appearances in the reboot after her appearance on (ugh) Doctor Oz. When she explained she could read lines just fine if they're written down but has trouble speaking otherwise I felt for her. Glad it worked out. She did just fine on the show and she also seemed to be the only one who had spoken with Dustin Diamond before his death.

[quote] I liked Courtney Love's acting career for the time she had it. The more she stuck with it, the better she got. I guess she just didn't have the drive.

Court really impressed me in her roles for both 'The People vs. Larry Flynt' and also '200 Cigarettes'. Only light comedic/romantic roles, but still she carried them off with the kind of aplomb and ease and sharpness and natural believability you'd never anticipate a messy junky rockstar to have. It's like she can just snap into professional onscreen mode with no problem.

[quote] Amanda Bynes was actually funny in She's the Man. She always came across as if she had a real sense of humor. Glad she's doing better and miss her acting career.

Amanda is a brilliant pick. She was a gifted comedienne, touted rightly as the millennial Carol Burnett. She really could do it all.

Still, it's hard to see how showbusiness could ever be a good environment for her, knowing what she likely went through as a child and how that has affected her health. I'm pleased she's found a better life and a way back to living well.

Lindsay Wagner

This actor from "Big Brother" (2007).

Amanda Bynes!! What a loss. I watch" She's the Man " whenever it's on . Also, Victoria Rowell. Wonder how she supports herself. She hasn't been in anything in almost 2 decades

Am an opera viewer and enthusiast, so it grieves me that many of my favourite star singers & actors are unknowns outside of the dwindling fanbase.

But then again, the gatekeepy side of me thinks it’s better that way.

Theresa Russell

Randy Quaid went completely nuts. Isn't he hiding out in Canada somewhere?

Criterion is releasing on March 28, 2023 the 1979 film “Chilly Scenes of Winter.” It was originally in theaters under the title “Head Over Heels.” The film was directed by Joan Micklin Silver and stars John Heard as a man in love with a woman who does not love him equally. That woman is played by the superb Mary Beth Hurt. She is my listed actor/actress for a response to this topic.

I love Lisa Nicole Carson too.

Add Emily Lloyd to the list.

Michael Moriarty. Seriously missed.

I suggest the obvious....

Oh. "Actors so good."

Never mind.

Russell Crowe

James Woods is sorely missed on "Family Guy." Ever since he got booted, they've been trying to write in another good antagonist but nothing seems to click.

Oh well. We'll always have their "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" musical number.

Bikram Saluja. Of course, he has that wealthy wife, so he doesn't have to work anymore.

Mel Gibson Azealia Banks

R10 Tits, do you mean UK actor John Hannah? is he a cuckoo?

Nick Stahl was in a great recent horror film called Hunter, Hunter. It stars fellow 90s dreamboat Devon Sawa and I highly recommend it.

R69 Nick Stahl is one of a small exclusive cohort of performers about whom DL has never had a negative word to say afaik. Even in the depths of his depravity and misfortune and shame, everyone here agreed that he seemed a nice sweet if lost soul and that they felt sad for him and were cheering on his recovery. We didn't even get any customary digs in at him for tradition's sake. Refreshing.

Some of these answers are insane. Sean Young? Really? She was nice looking window dressing.

Eva Green is my pick. Adrien Brody is another good one. Judy Davis too.

Adrien Brody does get work. He isn’t leading man material due to that face.

R72 Brody not knowing he was getting cut as the lead of Malick's 'The Thin Red Line' is one of the funniest things in film to me

Samantha Morton.

Paz de la Huerta.

Cezanne Khan.

There was some gossip that Adrian Brody likes really skinny women and collects "anorexia porn."

R77 I’ve heard that also about Jack Nicholson - not the anorexia porn part but - that would explain the attraction to Flynn Boyle .

Robert Blake has left us.

R74, Samantha Morton is not crazy, she is getting work and she has been great in her recent performances

Pauly Shore.

Just saw him on ABC giving a shout out to Brendan Fraser and Asian guy on their Oscar nomination

R81 Pauly & Brendan’s ‘Encino Man’ really does hearken to a happier and simpler time. What I’d give to go back to that..

colty

R77 ana p0rn isn’t just being into ‘skinny’ women, it’s fet!shing and enabling girls who are deliberately self-harming and slow-suic!ding.

It’s also highly suss, because ana-mia women tend to have bodies that lose all healthy feminine adult definition, coming to resemble young boys.

Men who are into this are dangerous predators.

R51, that's good to know.

And what you posted...:

[quote]I'll add Lark Voohries to the list. She was everywhere for a while after Saved by the Bell then mental illness struck. I was happy they gave her a couple of appearances in the reboot after her appearance on (ugh) Doctor Oz. [bold]When she explained she could read lines just fine if they're written down but has trouble speaking otherwise I felt for her.[/bold] Glad it worked out. She did just fine on the show

...Reminds me of Senator John Fetterman. And I desperately want this to happen for him, as well.

Damn, R60, I just remembered I had HUUUGE crush on John Heard back in the day. He was another actor who never gave a bad performance I've ever seen.

But he was a huge ass[hole], and couldn't live forever.

[quote]Linda Hamilton

Omg it was so thrilling to see her back in the Last Terminator movie, in shape and looking old. Shame it tanked it wasn't a bad move.

Shelley Duvall ☹️

R65, I put him in my "Performers you've always enjoyed who went crazy far out wingnut" category.

Adam Baldwin, Arlo Guthrie, and the late Ron Silver. None had the excuse of mental illness. Baldwin imo is a really, really good actor, and I confess to NOT switching channels when he pops up. And "City of New Orleans" will be on my playlists forever. Silver I wrote off the second time I saw him on FoxNews.

But R71, are Eva Green and Adrien Brody crazy/mentally ill, though?

That is the main focus of my OP.

Debra Winger

Tom Hulce? Let's put it this way. He would have been perfect for The Whale.

R89 No, I think I misread your post. I thought it said "it's crazy they don't work anymore."

I change my answer to Big Faye now. What a fucking star she was!

Ugh, R84 reminds me of an old L&O:SVU with the execrable Dean Cain as a manipulative surgeon who only likes his women Auschwitz-thin.

R93 it works financially for Eugenia (at great cost), but I don't know about anyone else. There are so many creeps on Eugenia's streams who watch slavishly and shell out actual money to watch her struggle to do basic things like move objects or bend over.

I think people that unwell and disordered and in need of help should be sexually off-limits, like the profoundly disabled.

R87 Shelley Duvall was never a great actress.

Debra Winger came quite a bit closer to that but still her whole “retirement “ and that documentary made her very overrated in that regard.

Still I give her credit/am surprised she found some relatively low key guy to marry and they’ve been together what 30 years? And living the hipster like in the Catskills. So she must have mellowed out and gotten her act together on some level bc she has a more stable personal life now than 99 percent of those in this business.

Michael Cera

R96 nah, I think Cera had a ceiling and an expiration date that he passed before he went away.

He was at his funniest and most watchable early on, before he was in any major movies.

Kirstie Alley. She started out well. Great looks, intriguing smokey voice, solid comedic and dramatic actress. And then, came then...

Mickey Rourke

Shelley Hack!!!

Sorry I wasn't clear enough in my OP, R92! I totally see how you got that impression.

R94, that is disgusting. I've only seen her when DL brings her up, and she is SUCH a danger to young girls and boys.

For years I've had the same suspicion about Brad Pitt. The longer he dates someone, the thinner they get.

R12 Fisher has a very needy wife who apparently has to be babysat 24/7. Her constant presence on set while he is filming is a nuisance I'm sure show runners have heard about. It's sad. He has no kids with her, can't understand why he's been with her for his entire adult life. Oh well, it's his to live how he wishes, but I think it hurts his career.

r74, Samantha was excellent in "Harlots" and amazing in "The Serpent Queen", which came out last year.

[quote] Always kind of thought Michael Esper would do more in film & TV. Apparently he mostly only does stage now.

I always like him too whenever I see him pop up on a show or movie. I don’t think he has a reputation for being crazy or difficult. I think he’s just another NY based actor who gets guest character roles on TV whenever he can.

Monique

Mimi Rogers

Esper is not at all crazy, not even a tad. He's very particular about his choices, and often chooses to just not work.