Easy Come Easy Gaughin

Eric Idle

Speaking of renaissance men. He’s not really a film actor, as such, he’s a very funny member of probably the greatest comedy troupe of all time, a troupe which managed to produce a hilarious TV series along with a couple of the funniest films of all time. But the very nature of what he and his Python cohorts did well (rapidfire gags and non-sequitars and multiple characters, often requiring cast members to play two or more parts in the same scene) seems antithetical to the sort of complex character-building necessary to play the lead in films.

And dear God, has he been in some bad ones, as his best 10 will reveal. It’s no great criticism that he doesn’t score very highly on this list, because he’s been such a comedic success in other areas.

Ten best roles

10) Dudley Do-Right 9) Nuns On the Run 8) Missing Pieces 7) Casper 6) And Now For Something Completely Different 5) Splitting Heirs 4) Mr Toad’s Wild Ride 3) Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life 2) The Adventures of Baron Munchausen 1) Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Percentile score

74.69

Ice Cube

Ice Cube has spent his whole career, first in music, and more often in recent years in film, quietly outshining his colleagues with a higher celebrity profile. But while many people were looking away, he’s accumulated a filmography that would be the envy of many of his peers.

He’s versatile as an actor as well. His ten best roles are roughly split between straight comedy, straight drama, and pure action films. And with his latest move into family comedies, he’s got as wide a demographic fanbase as anybody currently working. And he directs!

In the late 80’s, David Byrne was widely tauted as a renaissance man; Ice Cube could be the closest current thing to Byrne’s earlier takeover of multiple entertainment arenas, and at this point his total body of artistic achievement is likely to outshine Byrne’s.

Ten best roles

10) Anaconda 9) Torque 8) Barbershop 2: Back in Business 7) First Sunday 6) The Glass Shield 5) Dangerous Ground 4) Friday 3) Barbershop 2) Three Kings 1) Boyz n th Hood

Percentile rating

88.69