Bob Hoskins
He’s most famous, probably, as the “hero” of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but that broad slapstick style is only a small piece of his skill set. He’s impressively brutal as the gang boss in The Long Good Friday, and displays a more recognizably human domestic sort in Mermaids and Last Orders.
I am going to ruffle some feathers, as I did with Michael Gambon, because I am including here a nod to Hoskin’s best role, in the original BBC production of Pennies From Heaven, later made into a disquieting showcase remake in an American version starring Steve Martin (himself an interesting case, who, at my present clip, I will maybe get around to by 2017.)
Hoskin’s version was in fact a mini-series (like Gambon’s The Singing Detective), but I am allowing it, in part because there was a theatrical cut that showed throughout Europe, but more so because it’s an awesome piece of work that should be seen and publicized. So sue me.
Ten best roles
10) Twentyfourseven 9) The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne 8) Mermaids 7) Last Orders 6) Mrs. Henderson Presents 5) Felicia’s Journey 4) The Long Good Friday 3) Mona Lisa 2) Who Framed Roger Rabbit 1) Pennies From Heaven
Percentile rating: 97.59 (for purists, if I disallow Pennies From Heaven, and replace it with The Favor, the Watch, and the Very Big Fish, he drops to 96.03, still pretty impressive. But it ain’t going to happen.)
June 6th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Long Good Friday was great, the rest was an open sewer of lovable cockney crap. Much like Carmen Miranda, or similar to her anyway