The world lost one of its greatest actors and human beings with the passing of Robert Duvall in February 2026, leaving generations of fans with a legacy and body of work that includes some of the greatest films of all time. One of the first to come to mind upon hearing of the Academy Award-winning actor’s death was The Godfather Part II, specifically a scene that is both haunting and heartbreaking upon looking back.

No, it’s the fraying of once strong familial bond shard by adoptive brothers Tom Hagen and Michael Corleone. Instead, it’s the flashback in the final moments of the Best Picture Winner showing the Corleone brothers sitting at the family dining table before Don Corleone’s birthday party. While it’s always been a haunting scene, it’s even more so now, considering a specific detail following Duvall’s death.

Each Of The Corleone Brothers Leave The Table In The Order Of Their Respective Actors’ Deaths

In the final moments of The Godfather Part II, after Michael has ordered the death of his only living brother, Fredo, he has a moment of reflection and looks back on a birthday party held for his father just after the events of Pearl Harbor. It’s an all-time great scene that shows how far Michael has come from his days of being an idealistic college student eager to fight in World War II, but that’s necessarily the haunting part of it.

If you watch the clip, you’ll notice that Fredo Corleone, Sonny Corleone, and Tom Hagen all leave the table in the order that their respective actors passed away in real life. John Cazale, who played Fredo (the first to get up), died in 1978 after appearing in only five movies, all of which were nominated for Best Picture. James Caan, who famously played Sonny, passed away in 2022 after a legendary on-screen career. Finally, Tom Hagen, played by Robert Duvall, gets up from his chair, leaving Michael alone. It’s just so haunting watching this scene knowing what would come.

I’ve Always Felt This Scene Was Heartbreaking, Now It’s Haunting

This scene at the end of The Godfather Part II has always been heartbreaking for a number of reasons, including Michael’s transformation and the return of two characters who didn’t survive the saga. I’ve always seen it as a reminder of how things were, how the power has shaped and changed Michael’s personality, and how the promise of a better tomorrow for the Corleone family was never fulfilled, or at least how the Don imagined it.

However, with the death of James Caan and, more recently, Robert Duvall, it now serves as a haunting reminder of our mortality. Was the order a coincidence, or was this fate tipping its hat more than 50 years ago for what would come in the months, years, and decades that followed? Regardless, it remains one of the movie’s best scenes.

If you haven’t done so in a while, I cannot recommend it enough to go back and watch The Godfather Part II.

It feels like we’re losing Hollywood greats far too often and far too quickly. We just said goodbye to the great Catherine O’Hara, and now we’ve lost an absolute titan of Hollywood with the passing of Robert Duvall at the age of 95. He worked with numerous people over his career and made many great films, with dozens saying their goodbyes, including one of the last stars to work with Duvall, Adam Sandler.

Robert Duvall’s final two films were released in 2022. One was The Pale Blue Eye with Christian Bale, the other was the basketball drama Hustle for Netflix starring Adam Sandler. Sandler took to Instagram to remember the late actor as somebody he loved, and encouraged his fans to watch Duvall’s great films whenever they had the chance. Sandler wrote…

Sander’s post includes a collection of Robert Duvall images from his many classic films, and ends with a shot of the two of them sitting together in the film they were in together, Hustle, available with a Netflix subscription. Sandler was one of the last actors to work alongside Duvall professionally, which is likely something the comedian will cherish. He clearly loved the time he spent with Duvall based on these words.

Hustle was one of Sander’s growing number of dramatic roles, and while it wasn’t the sort of thing that put anybody in an awards season conversation, it maybe should have been because it’s a strong Sandler performance, and one that fans should absolutely watch. The movie saw him as a basketball talent scout. Robert Duvall played the owner of the team that Sander’s character worked for. Duvall’s performance was a small one, but he and Sandler worked remarkably well together. It sounds like they were equally good off-screen as a duo.

To say that Robert Duvall’s films were legendary might honestly be selling the actor short. From The Godfather to Apocalypse Now to M*A*S*H, the man was part of some of the most important movies ever made. He was nominated for seven Academy Awards over his career, winning Best Actor in 1984 for Tender Mercies.

If there is a silver lining to losing great performers its that we’ll always have the work after they’re gone. Fan can wat ch all of Duvall’s great films but maybe also give some of his smaller performances, like Hustle a watch, you might be surprised.

Robert Duvall, an Academy Award-winning actor who spent decades recognized as one of the great performers of his generation, with a filmography filled with classic movies, has died. He was 95 years old.

The news has been confirmed by Duvall's wife Luciana Duvall, who posted on her husband's Facebook page to share the update with his fans. The personal message reflects on the actor's remarkable legacy on both the big screen and the small screen as well as her appreciation of what he meant to her personally. You can read her post below:

The cause of death has not been revealed.

Duvall's career began in the late 1950s, as he made his professional screen debut in a 1959 episode of the anthology drama Armstrong Circle Theatre, but his best known early work is the classic film To Kill A Mockingbird, in which he plays the mysterious and ultimately heroic Boo Radley. While continuing to consistently appear on television (on shows like The Twilight Zone, The Fugitive and The F.B.I.), his big screen work through the 1960s included memorable roles in notable movies including Bullitt with Steve McQueen, Robert Altman's M*A*S*H* and True Grit with John Wayne.

In the 1970s, he memorably connected with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, and the actor worked with the director to make some of the most iconic features of the decade: the first two Godfather movies, in which he played consigliere Tom Hagen, and Apocalypse Now, where he is featured as Lieutenant Colonel Bill "I Love The Smell Of Napalm In The Morning" Kilgore. Both roles earned him Academy Award nominations. The decade also saw him as part of the talented ensemble in Sidney Lumet's razor sharp media satire Network and as the lead in the Marine drama The Great Santini (which earned him his first Best Actor Oscar nomination).

He finally won an Academy Award in 1984 for his leading role in the country music drama Tender Mercies, and that same decade saw him get his first Emmy nomination for 1989's Lonesome Dove (he eventually won two of the prestigious television awards in 2007 for Broken Trail – personally taking the trophy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie and sharing the win for Outstanding Miniseries).

In addition to his work in front of the camera, Duvall was also an experienced director – beginning with the rodeo documentary We're Not The Jet Set in 1974. In 1983, he made his first narrative feature writing and directing the Romani-centric drama Angelo My Love. He wrote, directed and starred in The Apostle in 1997, Assassination Tango in 2002, and Wild Horses in 2015.

Duvall was a consistent screen presence for six straight decades and continued to work with talented filmmakers and co-stars on both the big and small screen. His most recent Academy Award nomination came in 2015 for his work opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the legal drama The Judge, and his notable work since has included director Steve McQueen's drama Widows and the Adam Sandler basketball feature Hustle. His last role was in Scott Cooper's gothic thriller The Pale Blue Eye from 2022 starring Christian Bale.

We here at CinemaBlend extended our condolences to all of Robert Duvall's family, friends, and fans, and reflect on his professional legacy with extreme awe.

Some of the most enduring stars got their starts more than six decades ago, and they are still going strong today. Stars like Harrison Ford, Dame Judi Dench, Jeff Bridges, and even Jodie Foster have been acting their whole lives, and their amazing careers will live on forever. Here is our list of amazing actors who started in the 1960s and are still working today.

Robert Duvall

After cutting his teeth with some television appearances starting in 1959, Robert Duvall made one of the most memorable film debuts of all time as Boo Radley in 1962's To Kill A Mockingbird. Duvall hasn't stopped stealing scenes in the 60+ years since. He's starred in some of the greatest movies ever, like The Godfather, and won an Oscar for Tender Mercies. His most recent credit is The Pale Blue Eye from 2022.

Sally Field

Sally Field is truly America's sweetheart. Her breakout role came on the classic TV show Gidget, and she's starred in some legendary movies and TV shows ever since. With roles in movies as diverse as Smokey and the Bandit, Forrest Gump, and Fried Green Tomatoes, Field has proven she can handle any role she takes on.

Clint Eastwood

There are no bigger legends in Hollywood history than Clint Eastwood. Not much has been said here. His career started in earnest with Spaghetti Westerns, and he's been directing and starring in movies ever since.

Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda is Hollywood royalty as the daughter of Henry Fonda, so it's no surprise that she started her career at a young age. Her first credit goes all the way back to 16960's Tall Story, and she's still starring in movies today, like 2023's 80 for Brady.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman's career really didn't take off on screen until the 1980s (though he had plenty of credits in the '70s, too). He started mostly on stage in the 1960s and kept his focus there until landing a TV gig in 1971 on PBS's The Electric Company. Today, he remains one of America's most beloved stars.

Shirley MacLaine

Shirley MacLaine made her film debut way back in 1955 and by the 1960s was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Her star has never dimmed in the decades since, either, with memorable roles in Downton Abbey and the live-action The Little Mermaid in 2018.

Dustin Hoffman

When you burst onto the scene in a movie like The Graduate, as Dustin Hoffman did in 1967, it's pretty much a guarantee you're going to be a star. In the 60 years since that seminal movie, Hoffman has won countless awards and starred in everything from comedies like Tootsie to dramas like Rain Man, getting nominated for Oscars for both (and winning his second for the latter).

Faye Dunaway

If you look at a list of the best movies of all time, you'll notice Faye Dunaway in the credits of many of them. Starting with Bonnie and Clyde in 1967, right up until the 2020s. She took a small hiatus in the teens, but has been back working regularly since.

Kurt Russell

Kurt Russell's career started when he was just a kid, often starring in Disney projects. It's even Hollywood folklore that Walt Disney's last words were when he scrawled Russell's name on a piece of paper. Though there is no way to know when the note was written. Still, for the better part of seven decades, Kurt Russell has been a Hollywood superstar.

Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren (you know they are important when they get a title like "Dame") started in film in 1966, and that was after having already started acting professionally on stage in the UK. She's never stopped, including starring in the recent hit MobLand on Paramount+

Anthony Hopkins

Sir Anthony Hopkins' first credited film role came in the Shakespeare adaptation The Lion in Winter in 1968 alongside Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn. He's since become one of the most beloved actors of his generation and has won countless awards and accolades.

Jodie Foster

If you look at Jodie Foster's credits, you might think she started in the 1970s as a teenager, but she was starring in commercials as far back as 1967 when she was just three years old.

Jeff Bridges

When you have a legend for a father like Jeff Bridges with Lloyd Bridges, its not hard to understand how he got his start so young. His amazing career in the decades since can only be credited to his immense talent, charm, and charisma on and off screen. And that's not, like, my opinion, man, it's a fact.

Rita Moreno

Puerto Rican superstar Rita Moreno can do it all. She can act, she can sing, and she can dance, and she's been dancing into our hearts since she first way back in 1950! For those of you counting, that's EIGHT decades of excellence.

Judi Dench

Like Dame Helen Mirren, Dame Judy Dench started in the theater, especially doing Shakespeare plays. Her first professional stage credits date back to 1957, and right up through the 2020s, she's been a favorite of millions. One of the best actors of her generation, it's crazy she's only won one Oscar (for Shakespeare in Love).

Harrison Ford

The first thing you might think of when you think of Harrison Ford is Star Wars or Indiana Jones. It's true that it was those movies in the late '70s and early '80s that made him a superstar, but his career started humbly with roles in movies like A Time for Killing and Luv in 1967.

Sophia Loren

For more than 70 years, Sophia Loren has been a star in Europe and the United States. She started in her native Italy in 1950 before coming Stateside in 1958 when she signed on to star in movies for Paramount. Before long, she was a superstar on both sides of the pond.

Warren Beatty

Like his co-star in Bonnie and Clyde, Faye Dunaway, Warren Beatty has been a star in Hollywood for decades. He's also been discerning in the roles he's taken over the years, so he doesn't have a long list of credits like most of the people on this list. That's not because his star dimmed. He's just particular, and that is something we all strive for.

Barbra Streisand

What can we really say about Barbra Streisand? She's a legendary singer and actor, and she's equally well-known for both. There are few stars as enduring and amazing as "Babs."

Robert Redford

Though he is officially retired now, Robert Redford is still one of the biggest Hollywood stars today (and ever). His career started with early roles on shows like The Twilight Zone, and by the time he hung up his cleats, so to speak, the star of The Natural was one of the biggest stars in the history of the industry.

Blythe Danner

Like many on this list, Blythe Danner started her professional career on Broadway and Off-Broadway in the 1960s. Her first movie credit came in 1972, but by then, she was a seasoned pro. She may be best known as the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow these days, but that is selling her way short, as she's been an award-winning actress for decades.

Al Pacino

Famously, Al Pacino entered the American consciousness in 1972's The Godfather, but he'd been working for a few years at that point, mostly on stage. His film debut was in Me, Natalie, alongside Sopranos cast member Nancy Marchand. He has been widely considered one of the best actors of his generation ever since.

Ellen Burstyn

Though her breakthrough didn't come until 1971 with The Last Picture Show, Ellen Burstyn had been picking up small roles on TV shows for years at that point. She has since gone on to win an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe Award. Not too shabby.

Robert De Niro

When you ask someone who the best actor of the last 60 years is, there is a decent chance Robert De Niro will be the name that comes out of their mouth. For many, many decades, De Niro has been stealing scenes and working his tail off to be the best actor he can be. He's gained weight for roles, dropped weight for others, and gotten completely cut for still others. All the while delivering his trademark charm and skills.

Cher

If you could turn back time and you were taking bets in the 1960s that Cher would still be one of the biggest stars in the world in the 2020s, you would probably get pretty good odds that she wouldn't be. She's proven everyone wrong, winning an Oscar for Moonstruck and continuing to wow audiences with her concerts.

Martin Sheen

It's hard to say just what role Martin Sheen will be best remembered for long after he's gone. Will it be Jeb Bartlett on The West Wing? Captain Benjamin L. Willard in Apocalypse Now? Carl Fox in Wall Street? Robert E. Lee in Gettysburg? What is for sure is that Sheen, who landed his first movie role in 1967, will be remembered fondly by millions of fans.

Vanessa Redgrave

English actress Vanessa Redgrave got her star in period pieces like A Man For All Seasons and Camelot in the 1960s. She parlayed that into a decades-long career that is still going, including a role in Cold Storage in 2025.

Ian McKellen

For modern generations, Ian McKellen is known for his roles as Gandalf the Grey and Magneto, but his career is so, so much more. One of the great Shakespearean actors of the last 60 years, he's been starring on stage and screen since the mid-'60s.

Candice Bergen

Candice Bergen found her biggest fame in the 1990s with Murphy Brown, but her career started way back in 1966 in the Sidney Lumet film The Group. She was a model before that, and has turned in role after beloved role on TV and in films.

Ron Howard

These days, Ron Howard is pretty much sticking just to directing, and he's an ace director to be sure. He famously started his Hollywood career as a kid in the 1950s and became a child star in the '60s as Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. He later starred in Happy Days, before getting behind the camera and becoming one of the great directors of his time.

Goldie Hawn

Goldie Hawn first became a household name in 1968 when she starred in Laugh-In. She's been a star ever since, including starring in a slew of box office hits in the '70s and '80s. There is no question she is one of the funniest actors of her generation, and now she's also the mother to some big stars, too, in Wyatt Russell and Kate Hudson. Not a bad legacy to leave.

Patrick Stewart

Like others on this list, Patrick Stewart will be best known for roles that came in the second half of his career, like Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor X in The X-Men series. Of course, his career is much more than those two roles. It's a career that started in TV in the '60s on British shows like Coronation Street and Civilisation.

There are so many inspiring movies about getting older that show we don’t need to dread the process of aging. Plenty of stars over the age of 50 have shown that eventually hitting retirement can mean fun, adventure, and joy, proving that life isn’t over yet. Compared to the stereotypes of the elderly being frail or forgetful, here are five movies that portray these senior protagonists thoughtfully and originally.

Thelma (2024)

Starring Nebraska’s June Squibb, Thelma's about a 93-year-old woman who gets scammed into sending $10,000 to a stranger pretending to be her grandson. Compared to accepting defeat, she decides with the help of a friend and her grandson to track down the scammer and get her money back.

While you’re quick for your heart to break seeing poor Thelma get taken advantage of, your feelings of pity quickly fade away when you see how well the movie handles aging. As the retired woman felt inspired to see Tom Cruise doing crazy stunts in his movies, she decided to take a risk and not let being in her ‘90s stop her from getting back what was stolen.

We see Thelma ride like the wind on her scooter (with Squibb doing her own stunt work), rolling over beds, and gun-handling. Sure, Thelma may still have challenges as a senior citizen, but the comedy was original and thoughtful for having an elderly main character drive the story without feeling dependent on the younger characters around her.

Thelma is available with your Hulu subscription.

The Intern (2015)

Anne Hathaway and Robert DeNiro really are at their charming best in The Intern. The plot follows an e-commerce fashion company, run by Jules Austin, that takes elderly folk as interns. Compared to the stereotypes of retirees portrayed as frail, out of touch, or grumpy, De Niro’s Ben Whittaker defies those tropes. He’s portrayed as a go-with-the-flow guy who uses his wisdom to impart effective business strategies to Jules and help his young colleagues with their personal problems.

While Ben had old-school methods like wearing a suit to work and carrying a briefcase, he was also interested in learning from those younger than him. For instance, he educated himself on how Facebook worked and the realities of stay-at-home fatherhood. Not to mention, Ben still made retirement look enjoyable; like being willing to go on dates and maintaining an active social life. The Nancy Meyers comedy is a thoughtful and original one showing that getting older doesn’t mean your life story is over. Senior citizens can still be useful to the next generation just as younger generations can teach them in return.

The Intern is available to rent on various streaming platforms.

Secondhand Lions (2003)

When teenage boy Walter got sent to live with his two great-uncles by his mother, little did he know that Hub and Garth had plenty of adventures worthy of an Indiana Jones movie during their youth. But, even though these two men grew to be elderly, they still had spirit in them during their retirement to recklessly fly airplanes, fight teenagers in bars, shoot at traveling salesmen, and more. They treated aging not as an excuse to wither away, but to celebrate life while they still have liveliness in them.

Not only is Secondhand Lions important for Hub and Garth portraying the elderly in thoughtful, original ways, but the lioness herself. That's right, the uncles ordered a tame, retired circus lion that Walter kept as a pet named Jasmine. This lion may have been aging too, but she still had a lot of vibrancy in her when she cared for and protected Walter like her own cub. If goes to show that if there’s still adventure in someone or something’s soul, age won’t stop that spirit from unleashing.

Secondhand Lions is available to watch for free with ads on YouTube.

Cocoon (1985)

Directed by Ron Howard, Cocoon certainly offers a whimsical yet original ode to aging. Before aliens made their way toward a Florida retirement home, the elderly residents felt physically limited or lonely. Then once the aliens put a “life force” into a pool next to the retirement home, the elderly who snuck into the pool began feeling rejuvenated. They could dance like no one’s watching, climb trees, and have more energy than ever. The “life force” woke up the youthful personalities stuck in the residents’ aging bodies.

Even though Cocoon is a sci-fi film, its fantasy themes still hit hard with reality. As the aliens gave the elderly residents a choice to go home with them (where they’ll be immortal), this made them question if they’re ready to chase new adventures or accept the natural order of mortality. The originality and thoughtfulness of the Academy Award-winning flick used aliens as a catalyst for a journey about the fears, hope, and possibilities that come with getting older.

Up (2009)

Compared to other animated movies or shows where old folks are portrayed as a punchline, Up beautifully defied the formula for Pixar and family films in general. The first ten minutes provided a gut-wrenching yet beautiful sequence of a couple who’s known each other since childhood. Carl and Ellie hit many milestones true to life like owning a house, jobs, pregnancy, miscarriage, and Ellie’s death during old age that’s bound to lead you to tears. With animated movies normally designed to make kids laugh, the Academy Award-winning Pixar movie offered audiences a dose of reality that set the stage for Carl’s motivation to have an adventure during his old age.

Because it was Ellie’s dream for her and Carl to have an adventure in Paradise Falls before her passing, Carl strung thousands of balloons to their house to go there. Boy Scout Russell became an accidental stowaway and a storm disrupted plans by blowing everyone away to South America. Through each obstacle, Carl discovered there were opportunities for new adventures motivated by his love for Ellie. Compared to a sidekick or a comic relief, Carl is a complex human being, driving Up's story by providing a refreshingly thoughtful and original take on aging gracefully.

Up is available with your Disney+ subscription.

It can be thrilling to watch a movie that gives you optimism for when you reach old age compared to dreading it. As the mentioned movies prove, showing the elderly in an original way shows getting older does not mean that life withers away. With a youthful spirit and an optimistic view, there’s always room for more experiences and thrills.

Sometimes an actor just explodes on the scene with their first movie. Many of the people on this list have even been nominated and won awards for their first roles. Most, of course, have gone on to have long, successful careers, so let's look back at these actors who absolutely crushed it in their first roles. 

Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years A Slave

It didn't take long for Kenyan native Lupita Nyong'o to make a huge splash in Hollywood. After a little time working on movie sets behind the camera, she studied acting at Yale and landed her seminal role in 12 Years A Slave almost immediately after graduating. The performance speaks for itself, and Nyong'o deservingly took home an Oscar for it. Amazingly, three years later, she won a Tony in her Broadway debut in Eclipsed.

Sean Penn - Taps

Sean Penn has had a long, storied career and while many may assume his breakout role came as the stoner Spicoli in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, but a year before cracking up audiences in that cult classic, he played a very different role as a would-be soldier at a military academy in Taps. Notably, Tom Cruise also made his breakthrough role in the movie alongside Penn. 

Reese Witherspoon - The Man In The Moon

Over the last 4 decades or so, Reese Witherspoon has not only become one of the most acclaimed actresses in Hollywood, but a major force behind the scenes as a producer. It all started for the Nashville native with her debut in The Man In The Moon in 1991. It's always impressive when a newcomer can lead a personal film like this, and Witherspoon showed early how good she is by doing so. 

Natalie Portman - Leon: The Professional

There are a few actors in Hollywood who broke big when they were very young. From the moment you see Natalie Portman on screen in her first role as Mathilda in Leon: The Professional, you know she's going to be big. Yeah, it's an uncomfortable movie to watch for obvious reasons - Portman was just 13 - but seeing how brave she was to take on a complicated role like that, it was clear she was destined for greatness. 

Edward Norton - Primal Fear

Has there ever been a more terrifying and convincing debut performance from an actor than Edward Norton in Primal Fear? It's one of the all-time great grifter films and Norton's performance is the major reason why. He's scary, both in character and in talent. 

Florence Pugh - The Falling

It's hard to believe Florence Pugh made her debut in The Falling in 2014. It seems like the actress has been around forever as she keeps picking amazing roles and crushing the performances, just like her first. 

Kevin Bacon - National Lampoon's Animal House

Every actor in Hollywood is connected to Kevin Bacon, as the game claims, and that's because for more than five decades he's been giving amazing performance and amazing performance. His first movie, the classic comedy National Lampoon's Animal House is certainly no exception as he plays a snobby, snarky, frat boy to perfection. There is nothing he can't do.  

Halle Berry - Jungle Fever

In 2001 Halle Berry became the first African-American woman to win the Best Picture Oscar for Monster's Ball. That was just 10 short years after she made he incredible debut in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever. The former beauty pageant contestant has been one of the most reliably great stars in the years since, starring in some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood including the X-Men, James Bond, John Wick, and much more. 

Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

After finishing seventh in the third season of American Idol, we all knew Jennifer Hudson could sing. When she was cast as Aretha Frankin-like Effie White in Dreamgirls, it didn't surprise anyone. At least, we weren't surprised until we all saw just how her powerful voice was matched by her powerful acting. She took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in her big-screen debut. 

Eddie Murphy - 48 Hrs.

By the time Eddie Murphy starred in 48 Hrs. alongside Nick Nolte in 1982, he was already a bonafide TV star from his time on SNL. Known for his great characters and hilarious lines on SNL, it wasn't clear if he could carry a movie. 48 Hrs. settled that, he definitely could and he's been leading them ever since. 

Marlee Matlin - Children Of A Lesser God

Marlee Matlin has been breaking down barriers since the very beginning of her career. Deaf from the time she was a small child, there must have been many people who told her she could pursue her dreams. Instead, she became not only the deaf actor to win an Oscar in his debut movie, Children Of A Lesser God, but the youngest woman to take home the statue as well. 

Anne Hathaway - The Princess Diaries

From the very beginning, Anne Hathaway has been wowing audiences. Her first movie is still one of her most beloved, The Princess Diaries. She even got to star alongside true film royalty. Julie Andrews. She didn't seem intimidated then, and she never has been since. 

Tim Curry - The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Tim Curry's first movie has become the dictionary definition of a cult classic. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a flop when it was released, but in the decades since, it's become one of the most popular movies of all time with a fanbase that is not just dedicated, but rabid in its love for the movie and for Curry's character, Frank-N-Furter.

Emma Stone - Superbad

Superbad is one of those comedies that very really gets old, especially if you grew up with it as a staple of your DVD rotation. Emma Stone's character Jules is not the kind of character you'd expect to be as funny as she is, which makes Stone pretty much perfect for the role, as she is as effortlessly funny as she is effortlessly beautiful. She's gone on to tackle some characters with incredible depth, but she set the foundation in Superbad. 

Oprah Winfrey - The Color Purple

There is really nothing Oprah Winfrey can't accomplish. She was already on her way to becoming the biggest daytime talk show in history by the time she landed a role in Steven Speilberg's classic The Color Purple. It turns out Winfrey can do a whole more than coax the most out of guests on her talk show, she can act really act, earning an Oscar nomination in her film debut. 

Julie Andrews - Mary Poppins

It's really hard to believe that Julie Andrews didn't make her true film debut until she was nearly 30 years old, when she appeared as the legendary Mary Poppins in the film of the same name. Of course, Andrews was well-established as a stage actor at that point, but still, it was the golden age of Hollywood, you'd think she would have been cast in something well before Mary Poppins. At least we can be grateful she was cast here. 

Alan Rickman - Die Hard

Hans Gruber in Die Hard is, without a doubt, one of the greatest villains of the 1980s. Knowing that it was the film debut of the incredible Alan Rickman makes it all that more impressive. He plays the role with such confidence and panache, that it's almost too much to believe it was his first movie role, but it was. 

Anna Paquin - The Piano

Anna Paquin won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Piano. She was just 11 years old! Anyone who does that deserves a spot on any list like that. She's the second youngest ever to win an Oscar and in the years since she's continued to wow us with her work. 

Jamie Lee Curtis - Halloween

Jamie Lee Curtis basically invented the modern scream queen in horror movies in her debut in Halloween. It's a genre she's only returned to a few times in her long, impressive career, but we're sure glad it's where she got her start. 

Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit

It's a little remarkable how many young girls pop up on a list like this. One of the most recent examples of a teenager just crushing her film debut is Hailee Steinfeld. Not only did she have the pressure of playing a beloved literary character like Mattie Ross in True Grit, but she also had to act alongside legends like Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin. She doesn't just hold her own, either, she steals the movie. She rightly received an Oscar nomination for her work.  

Glenn Close - The World According To Garp

Glenn Close burst on the scene with award-winning performances on Broadway before transitioning to film with her debut on the silver screen in The World According To Garp where she picked up where she left off on the stage, getting nominated for an Oscar. She would earn Oscar nominations (but sadly no wins) for her next two movies as well, The Big Chill and The Natural. 

Robert Duvall - To Kill A Mockingbird

Robert Duvall's career goes all the way back to the 1950s, when he first appeared as Boo Radley in one of the most beloved movies about the American South, To Kill A Mockingbird. He only has a small role, as the character with an outsized effect on the plot who is only seen at the end, but he embodies the character so many kids learn to love when they first read the book in high school. 

John Malkovich - Places In The Heart

There is no question that John Malkovich is one of the finest actors of his generation. He's completely fearless in all the roles he plays and that's true going all the way back to his first role as a blind World War I vet in the Depression-era film Places in the Heart alongside Sally Field, Danny Glover, and Ed Harris. 

Lily Tomlin - Nashville

Though she was already a comedic legend on TV, having appeared on Laugh-In and The Carol Burnett Show, Lily Tomlin showed what range she really had as a gospel singer and mother to two in Nashville. She's continued to show those skills over and over in the decades since. 

Gal Gadot - Fast & Furious

Gal Gadot is best known as Wonder Woman these days, but she made her debut in another giant Hollywood franchise when she appeared in Fast & Furious, the fourth installment of the Fast And Furious series. The ex-Israeli army veteran has impressed fans of the movies in each of her 3 appearances by performing most of her own stunts.  

Kerry Washington - Our Song

Our Song is an underrated movie that is everything great about independent filmmaking. It's an intensely personal story about a unique moment in time for the characters and the audience. Kerry Washington simply blows audiences out of the water with her powerful and heartfelt performance. It's incredible how good she was in her first movie. 

Dustin Hoffman - The Graduate

So, technically Dustin Hoffman had already had a small role in a film before The Graduate (a movie called The Tiger Makes Out). For all intents and purposes, he introduced himself to the world with an Oscar-nominated performance in one of the most iconic movies in Hollywood history, The Graduate. It's a movie people still love talking about and lauding, even nearly 60 years later. 

John Cazale - The Godfather

The incredible and tragic story of actor John Cazale is well-known among movie buffs. Cazale only starred in five movies before he died of cancer at just age 42. All five of those movies won the Oscar for Best Picture The first, his first, was, of course, The Godfather. Though his character, Fredo, would play a larger role in the sequel, he still established himself as one of the greatest of his generation before we all lost him too soon.  

Gabrielle Union - She's All That

Actor Gabrielle Union has definitely made her mark not only on Hollywood but on the world with her stellar performances and her charity work outside of film. HE burst onto the scene in She's All That and she's never slowed down since. 

James Dean - East Of Eden

The great James Dean is one of the biggest "what ifs" in Hollywood history. Though he did have some uncredited roles in a few movies, the young actor starred in just three movies, including his first East Of Eden. For that role, he would receive an Oscar nomination, though he wouldn't live to see it, as he was killed in a car crash before being nominated. A feat that would be repeated the next year with Giant.

Jason Schwartzman - Rushmore

Though Jason Schwartzman comes from a prominent Hollywood family, that didn't guarantee success. Instead, he went out in his first movie role, in Rushmore, and absolutely embodied his character of Max. It's every bit as impressive as anything his mom Talia Shire has done, and that is no small feat. 

Keisha Castle-Hughes - The Whale Rider

When Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for an Oscar at just 12 years old for The Whale Rider, you knew she was one to watch for. She was, at the time, the second-youngest person nominated for an Oscar and not only was the nomination well-deserved, but she's continued to justify the voters' confidence in her with her roles over the last couple of decades. 

Hollywood has a long history with the military. During World War II many actors and directors served and aided in the war effort in different ways. It goes way beyond that, however. Here is a list of actors who have served in the military, either in the US or in other countries. 

Drew Carey

Funnyman Drew Carey is not someone you expect would be a marine, but that's exactly what he was before making it big on television. The Price Is Right host served six years as a field radio operator in the Marine Reserves in his home state of Ohio after dropping out of college. You have to imagine being a radio operator would be a good experience for talking into a microphone, right?

Bea Arthur

During World War II, an entire generation of men were expected to do their part in the war effort. Women, on the other hand, were not expected to join the service. Bea Arthur thought differently and enlisted in the Marines. Of course, the world being what it was at the time, meant she served stateside, doing jobs like typing and later working in the motor pool. 

Jamie Farr

Though he is most famous for playing a corporal in MASH who did all he could to undermine the authority of his superiors, Jamie Farr served with distinction in the 1950s after being drafted in 1957. He was already in show business at the time, so much of his work involved USO shows. 

Mel Brooks

EGOT winner Mel Brooks served in the US Army during World War II and participated in the Battle of the Bulge. He joined almost straight out of high school in 1943 and was sent to Europe at the end of '44. He was honorably discharged in '46 and embarked on one of the most legendary careers of all time. 

Adam Driver

Like many in his generation, Adam Driver was inspired to join the military in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Shortly after the attack, Driver signed up for the Marine Corps. The Star Wars actor is very proud of his service, though it was cut short after he injured himself off-duty and was medically discharged due to his injury. 

Robert Duvall

One of Robert Duvall's most famous roles was as the psychopathic Colonel Kilgore who loved the smell of napalm in the morning in 1978's Apocalypse Now. He probably drew on his experience in the United States Army, where he served for a year in the 1950s, just after the Korean War. 

Don Knotts

Don Knotts might be most famous for goofballs on The Andy Griffith Show and Three's Company, but his time in the army was anything but goofy. Knotts served three years in the army during World War II and earned a slew of medals for his service in the Pacific theater. After the war, he embarked on what would become a legendary career in Hollywood. 

Morgan Freeman

It took a long time for Morgan Freeman to get famous, but once he did, he's been an ever-present voice in everyone's head. After high school Freeman enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he served for four years in the 1950s. After leaving the service, he moved to LA and got into acting, though it would really be another couple of decades of hard work before he found fame. 

Paul Newman

Few actors define "movie star" like Paul Newman. As one of the biggest stars of his generation, he is beloved for all of his roles over the years. Before heading to Hollywood, Newman served in the Navy during the Second World War, mostly on the aircraft carrier Bunker Hill. 

Richard Pryor

Comedy legend Richard Pryor made his business to ruffle feathers whenever and wherever he could. That includes during the two years he served in the army in the late 1950s. According to The New Yorker, he spent much of those two years incarcerated in a military jail after he and other soldiers stabbed a white soldier for a racial incident. 

Rob Riggle

Comedian Rob Riggle is one of the most dedicated Marines in Hollywood history. He joined in 1990 and served overseas multiple times throughout his 23-year career, including his time in the reserves. While most stints in the military were only a few years for the people on this list, Riggle served well enough and long enough to retire as a lieutenant colonel.

Jennifer Marshall

Jennifer Marshall might not be a household name yet, but fans of Stranger Things, know her as Max's mom Susan. Before becoming an actress, Marshall served five years in the Navy, including on the USS Theodore Roosevelt during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Jimmy Stewart

Jimmy Stewart was already one of the biggest stars in the world, having won an Oscar for The Philadelphia Story before he joined the army after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Unlike some actors like Ronald Reagan, Stewart was in the thick of the fighting as a member of the Army Air Force and was well-decorated for it, including winning the Distinguished Flying Cross. He remained in the reserves until well after the war, retiring in 1968 with the rank of brigadier general. 

Ice-T

Ice-T is not only an actor but one of the pioneers of hip-hop. He first got interested in music in the late '70s, while serving in the army. His time in the army wasn't exactly filled with glory, however. He was charged with theft while serving and eventually was found in dereliction of duty as a result. He cut his time short because he was already a single father and was honorably discharged in 1979. 

Gal Gadot

In Israel, most citizens are required to serve in the Israeli Defense Force and Gal Gadot was no different when she was drafted at age 20. She served her mandatory two years in the army as a combat fitness instructor. She was famously part of a Maxim Magazine spread of female Israeli soldiers during her time in the service before trying her hand at acting and landing her breakthrough role in Fast & Furious. 

Bob Ross

Famous for his calm demeanor and his big hair (a hairstyle he came to hate), Bob Ross doesn't seem like the military type. For most people, Ross is all about vegging out and destressing while watching him paint like magic on TV. Before all that though, he was a master sergeant in the Air Force. 

Robin Quivers

Robin Quivers is most famous for being Howard Stern's sidekick on his notorious radio show and co-starring with him in Private Parts, but long before she became a key part of Stern's team, she was an officer in the Air Force. She joined after college in 1975 and eventually rose to the rank of captain before leaving the military and starting her radio career. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Like a few actors, Arnold Schwarzenegger's time in the army was somewhat undistinguished. He, of course, served in his native Austria, which required one year of service from all young men. During his time, he was already a rising star in the bodybuilding world and he even went AWOL to compete. After he was discharged, he entered his first Mr. Universe competition, placing second, and the rest is history. 

Sean Connery

Though he just missed World War II, Sean Connery joined the Royal Navy in 1946 at just age 16. No, he didn't serve on a submarine, and the James Bond star wasn't a spy. His time in the service was somewhat short-lived as he was discharged for a medical issue less than three years later. He remained proud of his service for the rest of his life, however. 

Caitlin Bassett

Quantum Leap star Caitlin Bassett is a rarity in Hollywood, a female combat veteran. Bassett served for seven years in the army, including three overseas deployments to Afghanistan before being honorably discharged in 2017 and embarking on her acting career. 

Gene Hackman

Hollywood legend Gene Hackman enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1947 at just age 16. He served for almost five years as a radio operator, including for a year in China. After he was honorably discharged, he went to college and finally at age 30 started acting. it was a long road, but Hackman couldn't have imagined the success he'd find as one of the most beloved actors of his generation. 

Tom Selleck

Tom Selleck served for six years in the California Army National Guard during the height of the Vietnam War. By serving in the National Guard, it meant he didn't end up going overseas to fight, but that should diminish his service. The Blue Bloods star began his career with bit parts on TV shows and in commercials while serving, though it was years before he famously had to turn down the role of Indiana Jones. 

Marlene Dietrich

Though she never formally served in the armed services, we could not make this list without Marlene Dietrich's fascinating story. The German-born actress renounced her German citizenship in 1939 when World War II began and she worked vigorously for the USO during the war years, supporting American GIs. Later in the war, she was recruited by the OSS to record songs used for propaganda against German soldiers. After the war, Dietrich was awarded the Medal Of Freedom for her service. 

Gregory Gadson

Battleship star Gregory Gadson is more famous for his service than his acting, which is unique on this list. Gadson is a West Point graduate who was injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2007. He lost both legs but learned to walk again using cutting-edge prosthetics and later, incorporating his injury into his character in Battleship. 

James Doohan

Star Trek legend James Doohan served bravely with the Canadian army during World War II and participated in the Normandy invasion on D-Day in 1944. He collected a number of medals for bravery during his time in the war and was even shot six times in the battle on Juno Beach on that fateful day. He later flew planes during the war as well. 

Charles Bronson

One of Charles Bronson's most beloved roles is that of an officer in one of the best war movies ever, The Great Escape. Though he was Polish in the movie, he served in the US Army Air Force during World War II as a gunner on a bomber. He served with distinction, flying on 25 missions in the Pacific during the war and earning a Purple Heart. 

Kris Kristofferson

As a singer-songwriter and actor, Kris Kristofferson has usually been connected to the counterculture, but it wasn't always that way. Kristofferson grew up an army brat and despite being a Rhodes scholar in college, he was pressured by his proud military family to join the service. He was commissioned as an officer and served in Germany after completing Ranger training. He left the army in '65 and moved to Nashville, and the rest is history.

Mark Valley

Fox's Human Target was a short-lived, underrated TV show with an all-star that included  Chi McBride, Jackie Earle Haley, Indira Varma, and Janet Montgomery. It was led by Mark Valley, who played Christopher Chance, based on a DC comic character from a book also called Human Target. Valley himself is a graduate of West Point who saw combat in the first Gulf War.  

Jake McLaughlin

One of the more interesting stories on this list belongs to Quantico star Jake McLaughlin. McLaughlin joined the army after high school and served in the Iraq war, seeing combat in the earliest days of the invasion. After getting out, he worked a few odd jobs before landing a role in In the Valley of Elah. From there, he's never looked back, landing roles in multiple TV shows and movies. 

Jesse Ventura

While Jesse Ventura, star of the wrestling squared circle and movies like Predator, never saw combat in Vietnam, he did have an impressive service career. He completed BUD/S school, which is SEAL training, and served as part of an Underwater Demolition Team, the predecessors to the SEALs. Later he would become a politician and a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. 

J.W. Cortés

Fans of the Fox Batman prequel show Gotham will recognize J.W. Cortés as Detective Carlos Alvarez, who works with Jim Gordon in the Gotham PD. Cortés served for 13 years in the Marine Corps, including during Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Remi Adeleke

2023's Plane is somewhat under-appreciated because it's a great action flick. Part of what makes it great is the breakout performance from Remi Adeleke. Adeleke plays part of a private military unit charged with rescuing passengers in a disabled plane stuck in the Philippines. Adeleke plays the part well because, well, he's a former SEAL in real life. 

I identify as Christian, but I’m not the kind of guy who blasts gospel music (I’d much rather blast Slayer. It sounds better). I also like country music, but I’m not the kind of person where that’s all I listen to. (Why would I when MF DOOM’s–rest his soul–music exists?) 

So, I’m Christian, and I like country music. Join the club, right? However, a club I think I belong to that a lot of Americans might not belong to is that I’m a huge fan of the 1983 movie, Tender Mercies, which marries country music and Christianity so well that I’m surprised it’s not shown in Sunday schools across America. 

The movie, which is about a recovering alcoholic country singer who has given up on life until he falls in love with a widow, is a beautiful movie, and one that I want to share with you all in the year of our Lord (which is every year, I guess). 

It Makes Country Music Feel Both Small, But Also Massive At The Same Time 

I mentioned up top that I like country music, but I like the old stuff. Like, Slim Whitman, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings...you know, the classics. I loved Walk the Line (we reviwed it well, too), and was also a huge fan of its parody film, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (again, so were we). In every way, I love movies that settle upon parts of the country that I am very far removed from. 

As a New Jersian, I do hear country music every so often, but on my side of the world, country music seems VERY small. When we ranked the best music movies of all time, I didn’t stop and think, wait. Where’s…Tender Mercies? And I helped with that list! 

That said, there’s a certain portion of the country where country music is it. This film shows that. It takes place in Texas, and the people in the area might love many things, but the two things that are certain are Jesus, and country music. 

Robert Duvall (who won the Best Actor Oscar for this performance) is our protagonist, and he’s a – what else? – alcoholic who desperately needs saving. He finds his angel in a woman named Rosa Lee (Tess Harper), who runs the roadside motel that Duvall’s character, Mac Sledge, finds himself in one night. What follows is a quiet romance that leads Mac to give up alcohol, and find his passion for music again (he gave it up for reasons unknown).

Due to circumstances which involve his ex-wife, Dixie (Betty Buckley), who is also a country singer, Mac learns to open up about himself and go back to country music. 

The plot takes its time, but we learn so much about these people’s lives, as well as get a glimpse into how country music might seem small if you’re an outsider looking in, but is literally people’s whole lives, and massive at the same time, which this excellent movie portrays. 

It Also Doesn’t Bang You Over The Head With Its Overall Message About Faith And Redemption 

No offense if you like them, but I am really not a fan of super preachy movies. I’ve tried stuff like God’s Not Dead (which SNL once spoofed), and suffered through The Passion of the Christ. But, when it comes to films like Heaven is for Real, Fireproof, or I Still Believe, I know I’m going to spend a vast majority of its runtime rolling my eyes, so I don’t even bother, because I don’t want to watch a film that is aimed at Christians. 

Yes, as I mentioned, I am Christian, but I don’t like being seen as a demographic. That said, I still desire to see movies about faith. Like, I loved Silence (which didn’t make our list of the best Scorsese movies, but I think it should have), as well as his adaptation of The Last Temptation of Christ. I like Kevin Smith’s Dogma, and I’m definitely not against seeing Christianity in my movies. I just have trouble with a film that seems sanctimonious or, I don’t know, judgy. 

Thankfully, Tender Mercies is anything but. I’m not going to spoil it, but Mac goes through every parent’s worst fear, and he struggles to understand it, as any parent would. Yet, earlier in the movie, he gets baptized when he gets married, and it makes him question his life, and the choices he’s made in the past. 

This is a movie that is all about faith and redemption, but it’s also subtle, and it’s definitely not judgy, which I certainly appreciate.  

The Music Is Genuinely Beautiful 

Robert Duvall sings in this movie. His voice isn’t perfect, but it’s genuine and true. Plus, it’s the kind of twangy country music that I adore. Very rural, and devoid of all pretentiousness. Just straight from the heart, and soulful. 

Not only that, but all of the music plays a part in the story itself. Like, there’s an utterly beautiful scene where Mac encounters his daughter, Sue Anne (Ellen Barkin) and she asks him if he remembers singing the song “On the Wings of a Dove” to her when she was younger. He tells her that he doesn’t, since he’s not emotionally in a place to open himself up to her yet, and when she leaves, he watches her from the window and sings that very song to her.

In that way, the music is an integral part of the plot, and it’s all truly beautiful, just like country music itself if you actually listen to the lyrics. Just gorgeous, gorgeous stuff. 

The Characters And Setting Are Incredibly Intimate 

There really aren’t a lot of characters in this movie. There’s Mac, as I mentioned earlier. There’s his new wife, Rosa Lee, and his old wife, Dixie. Then, there’s Mac’s daughter, Sue Anne, as well as the son of his new wife, Sonny (played by Allan Hubbard). 

There’s also Paul Gleason, a character actor who was everywhere in the ‘80s, as a reporter, but honestly, the cast is incredibly small and intimate, which works in this movie’s favor.

Also intimate is the setting itself. The story takes place in Texas, but it’s so barren that it seems both empty but also like it’s collected these specific people to help Mac out on his journey. I love that about this movie, because the location seems lonely in itself, just like Mac, and it’s only when he starts to open up that it feels like there is actual life in this town. 

Honestly, this is a hidden gem of a movie. Even though I like Terms of Endearment, which won Best Picture at the 1984 Academy Awards, I would have picked Tender Mercies to be the victor. It actually hit me on a much deeper level.  

It Is A Simple Movie With Big Ideas 

On the surface, this doesn’t seem like a particularly deep movie. An alcoholic musician who falls in love with a woman? Isn’t that basically the plot to the most recent version of A Star is Born? However, Tender Mercies is more than just its plot. 

The film really is all about loneliness and how you might be searching for something and not even realize it. In some Christian movies (and even some quasi-Christian flicks, like a few of the Tyler Perry movies), it’s quite obvious that they’re searching for Jesus, and the big pay-off is (you guessed it) they find Jesus! 

Tender Mercies never goes that route, and I’m happy that it doesn’t. Mac isn’t searching for anything, really. He’s adrift in the beginning of the movie, and by the end of it, he’s hurting. And confused. 

There’s hope in his life, and he clings to it, but it’s not like just because he was baptized, and found happiness, that he’ll always be happy. Especially in the face of a tragedy. I think a lot of people (especially Christians) can relate to that message. It’s a big idea in a small movie, and deeply relatable. 

So, I implore you to watch this film. You might just find your next favorite movie. 

Of all the mysteries of life, one that continues to confound us is what, exactly, lies beyond our planet. After thousands of years of peering into outer space as far as we could, we began to look for those answers in a very concrete way by sending people to the stars, and our movies have reflected our desire to know more, meaning that a number of humanity’s biggest and brightest stars have played space-faring individuals on screen. Here for you now are 32 famous actors who’ve played astronauts.

Sandra Bullock (Gravity)

Let’s start with one of the more harrowing views of space travel, Gravity, which garnered a number of Academy Award wins after its 2013 release. Sandra Bullock stars as Dr. Ryan Stone, who’s on her first space mission in order to help upgrade a telescope. But, things very quickly go wrong when she’s doing a spacewalk, and debris from a recently deactivated satellite hits the shuttle and leaves her stranded with many of her crew dead, Ryan floating through space, and desperate to find a way back to earth all on her own.

Brad Pitt (Ad Astra)

A space trip that doesn’t go too much better involves Brad Pitt’s Roy McBride in 2019’s Ad Astra. When Roy is tasked with traveling to Mars to see if the crew of a mission that was searching for other intelligent life, which was led 29 years earlier by his father, is still alive, he’s unwittingly thrust into a situation that’s far more dangerous than even standard space travel is known to be.

Ryan Reynolds (Life)

Noted comedic actor and big-screen superhero talent Ryan Reynolds has also donned a space suit for the very much not comedic Life, a 2017 ode to terror in space. After a probe returns to the International Space Station with soil samples from Mars, what is at first a dormant cell quickly turns into, well, life, and begins to cause a lot of horrific trouble for Reynolds’ engineer and the rest of the crew.

Halle Berry (Moonfall)

If you’re starting to sense a theme here, that outer space is dangerous, congratulations, because you really are paying attention. In the sci-fi disaster epic, Moonfall, Halle Berry’s NASA deputy director has to investigate when the moon begins to leave its orbit and come closer to Earth, threatening all of civilization. When she digs deeper into the mystery, however, she finds a government cover-up that goes back many decades and is forced to head back into space with a small crew to take care of the growing problem herself.

Michael Peña (A Million Miles Away)

Considering the incredible number of films we have where those who head into space are prominent characters, there are actually relatively few based on the lives of real people. A Million Miles Away stars Michael Peña as José M. Hernández, a Mexican-American engineer who served as a migrant worker when he was a child and went on to become an astronaut who worked aboard the International Space Station.

Viola Davis (Solaris)

There are many sci-fi films of the mind-trip variety and Solaris is no different. Viola Davis portrays one of the last surviving members of a space station crew orbiting the titular alien world, who must then try to help George Clooney’s visiting psychologist understand the truly strange phenomena that led to the death or disappearance of most of the crew. If you enjoy a twisty ending that leaves you with lots of questions, you’ll enjoy this one.

Mark Wahlberg (Planet Of The Apes)

You know this story; you love this story. Planet of the Apes saw Mark Wahlberg take over the role of an astronaut who crashes on a foreign planet, only to find that apes are now the dominant species, while humans are mostly without speech and used as slave labor. 

Chris Evans (Sunshine)

And here we have yet another space movie where a mission does not quite go as planned. Sunshine features stars like Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh and a pre-Captain America Chris Evans as the crew of a ship that’s been tasked with traveling to our dying sun to deliver a bomb in the hopes of reigniting it so that our planet can avoid another catastrophic ice age.

Adam Driver (65)

Ever wonder what Earth was like about 65 million years ago when dinosaurs still ruled the land? Well, that’s what alien astronaut Mills (Adam Driver) accidentally finds out when his ship is struck by a large field of asteroids and crashes on our planet, leading him to have to protect the only other survivor as they flee many dangerous beasts in an attempt to get to a faraway escape pod so they can return home.

Sigourney Weaver (Alien)

It’s possible we’d have far fewer of these “if it can go wrong on a space mission it will” science fiction films without what many consider one of the best horror movies of all time, Alien. The classic stars Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, one of a seven-person crew who unknowingly stumble upon the ultra-dangerous xenomorphs that would go on to become legendary in sci-fi horror, which quickly leads to pretty much nothing but increasingly bad times on their doomed mission.

Tom Hanks (Apollo 13)

We’ve hit upon another story based on some real-life adventures! In Apollo 13, Tom Hanks stars as Commander Jim Lovell who, along with Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise (Bill Paxton), board their 1970 mission to the moon in order to become the third American crew to land there. However, trouble starts almost immediately.

Natalie Portman (Lucy In The Sky)

While not completely a true life story, 2019’s Lucy in the Sky is billed as being “loosely inspired” by the life of NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak. The plot concerns Natalie Portman’s Lucy, who has just returned from her first space mission, which had such a huge impact on her that she no longer feels connected to her family or life here. As she pushes herself to return on the next mission, she undergoes a mental breakdown that sends her life into a tailspin.

Glen Powell (Hidden Figures)

While the amazing biopic, Hidden Figures, focuses on three Black women (Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) who worked as NASA mathematicians during the height of the Space Race in the 1960s, we do still get an astronaut in this film. Twisters star Glen Powell plays John Glenn, who became the first American in orbit in 1962.

Robert Pattinson (High Life)

You’d think a movie called High Life would finally focus on some good times in space, but…nahhhhh. Robert Pattinson is a member of a crew of convicts on death row who’ve been sent to retrieve energy from a black hole, with the experiments of their commander leading to a child being born on board while crew members spiral out of control.

Tom Cruise (Oblivion)

Tom Cruise’s 2013 film, Oblivion, features him in a twisty plot that involves a post-apocalyptic Earth, evil A.I., even more evil aliens, and his character trying to figure out exactly what’s going on with his assigned mission. This is a good one that people hardly ever talk about.

Jodie Foster (Contact)

Based on the 1985 novel by Carl Sagan, Contact stars Academy Award winner Jodie Foster as a scientist who specializes in the search for extraterrestrial life, and finds a big clue toward that goal when she locates a radio signal that appears to be sent from a distant star, and is eventually chosen as the person to make first contact with the alien race behind the signal. Contact is an amazing film that is a must-see for sci-fi and space movie lovers.

Colin Farrell (Voyagers)

This movie is a real (space) trip. Voyagers stars Colin Farrell as the leader of a crew of very young adults who were bred away from humanity and had some of their hormones and emotions suppressed in the hope of keeping them manageable. But, when two of the crew realize what’s been done to them and convince everyone to stop taking the chemical, well, the proceedings get extremely emotional and tension doesn't let up for quite some time.

Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar)

By now, it’s probably pretty clear that our idea of space travel and exploration is mainly one of danger, especially from the unknown, and Christopher Nolan’s wildly successful Interstellar is certainly another addition to the film canon that shows us that. In it, Matthew McConaughey plays a former NASA test pilot who’s chosen to lead a mission through a wormhole that is hoped to lead to at least one habitable planet for humanity, which is dealing with a global famine that’s threatening an extinction event. 

Idris Elba (Prometheus)

Those Alien xenomorphs just won’t leave us alone, will they? In Prometheus, we get their origin story as a crew following an ancient star map searches for the beginnings of humanity, but instead finds…you know, a secret plot and lots of terror. Idris Elba portrays Janek, the heroic captain of the doomed spaceship.

Adam Sandler (Spaceman)

If you’ve ever gotten the sense that space travel can be kind of lonely, Adam Sandler’s Spaceman turns that idea up to 11. His astronaut is six months into a solo mission that sees him missing his wife and the unborn child he left behind, when he realizes he has a stowaway: an alien creature who can communicate telepathically with him, and seeks to understand humans while helping alleviate the astronaut’s loneliness.

Ryan Gosling (First Man)

This biographical drama sees Ryan Gosling play Neil Armstrong, who became the first man to walk on the moon in 1969. The story follows Armstrong, his wife Janet (Claire Foy), and other astronauts and NASA figures as they prepare for the famed Apollo 11 mission that led to Armstrong making history.

Angela Bassett (Supernova)

Even two-time Oscar nominee Angela Bassett has taken a turn at playing a space explorer whose time there does not go as planned. When she and her crew answer a distress call from thousands of light years away during their deep space mission, things go from bad to worse at, well, the speed of light.

Matt Damon (The Martian)

Matt Damon famously starred in one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, playing astronaut Mark Watney, who’s forced to survive on Mars alone after being accidentally left behind when he’s presumed dead by the rest of his crew as they’re forced to evacuate. 

Bruce Willis (Armageddon)

Possibly the best non-traditional astronaut movie ever made, Armageddon stars good guy Bruce Willis as an oil driller recruited to go into space with a team of his mean so that they drill into a massive asteroid, implant a nuke in it and blow it up in the hope of stopping it from destroying the planet and human civilization as we know it. I got excited just writing that!

Laurence Fishburne (Event Horizon)

In space, no one can hear you scream. Unless you’re on a spaceship with other people that’s destined to run into loads of trouble, then, you know, all of those people will probably be able to hear you. There’s lots of screaming in 1997’s Event Horizon, which stars Laurence Fishburne as the captain of a rescue ship that goes to answer a distress call sent by a ship that disappeared several years prior. There’s a vivisection in this one. I’m starting to think we should just leave space alone.

Robert Duvall (Deep Impact)

You must remember Deep Impact, as it was released about two months before the more popular Armageddon, but featured a comet being on a collision course with our precious homeworld. Robert Duvall plays the pilot for the crew that’s dispatched to (you guessed it) drill into the comet and nuke it to smithereens. The mission does not go off without a hitch, and that’s why they call this a disaster movie.

Ethan Hawke (Gattaca)

In a society where most babies are created with genetic altering to make sure they have only the best traits of each parent, a man (Ethan Hawke) who was born without that practice poses as a man who was altered so that he can reach his dream of becoming an astronaut without all of the discrimination that people like him suffer in a society where people are expected to be “perfect” to have the best opportunities in life.

Sam Rockwell (Moon)

Ok, so maybe being in space, in general, isn’t always terrible. But it definitely seems like being alone in space for an extended period could be a bad sign for your future. Such is the case with Moon, where Sam Rockwell plays the lone human operating a mining facility on the titular celestial body, who comes to a startling revelation as he nears the end of his three-year work term.

Clint Eastwood (Space Cowboys)

Clint Eastwood has portrayed a number of (basically) good guys, so it makes complete sense that he would have stepped into the shoes of an Air Force pilot who retired long ago, but ends up leading a mission of other retired pilots to fix an old Soviet communications satellite that’s in danger of crashing to Earth.

Liv Tyler (Space Station 76)

As you’ve likely noticed, there are not a lot of comedies among this bunch, but Space Station 76 is definitely one of them. This “retro-futuristic” parody stars Liv Tyler as the newly arrived station’s co-pilot, who soon comes to realize that the apparently utopian lives of those on board are hiding some very real problems.

Alan Rickman (Galaxy Quest)

Here is another comedy that’s been a cult hit pretty much since its release in 1999. Galaxy Quest focuses on the cast of a fictional Star Trek-like series who are pulled into a hilariously real war between alien races, when the kind, gentle aliens have seen their show and believe it’s a documentary.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Cloverfield Paradox)

The Cloverfield franchise grew with this 2018 entry, which stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as an engineer aboard an orbiting space station where the plan is to test a particle accelerator in the hope of using it to provide the planet with infinite energy. You know what happens, right? Things don’t go as planned.

Many of our finest actors have pretended to travel in space for our entertainment, and this list gives you a number of amazing options should you decide to launch an astronaut movie binge session.

The original The Twilight Zone has had one of the most enduring legacies in entertainment. Though it only ran for five seasons (156 episodes, some of which are among the best TV shows ever), its influence and reach are remarkable. Three further series have been created over the years, including Jordan Peele’s short-lived reboot, and one ill-fated movie. 

Its influence has also been felt in the huge number of stars appearing on the show early in their careers. Some were established actors who found great fame later, and some were just starting. Here is a quick list of actors who found huge fame after appearing on The Twilight Zone.

William Shatner

Star Trek legend William Shatner appeared in two episodes of The Twilight Zone before landing his gig as captain of the Enterprise. His first episode, "Nick of Time," came in Season 2, but his most remembered is "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" in Season 5. Both are considered among the best episodes of the show. 

Charles Bronson

Future action movie legend Charles Bronson took the slow road to fame. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s he, like so many actors, grabbed gigs wherever he could on film and TV. One included a spot on an episode in Season 3 called "Two." In the episode, Bronson plays one of the last two people on earth who finds love with the only other one. 

Carol Burnett

The Season 3 episode "Cavender Is Coming" is not a well-thought-of episode of the show, but it is notable for starring a true legend. Carol Burnett, in a very early role for her, plays a down-on-her-luck woman who is helped by an angel to get her out of her doldrums. While it does provide Burnett with an opportunity to show off her comedic chops, in the end, comedy doesn't really work in The Twilight Zone. 

Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds appeared on one episode of The Twilight Zone very early in his career, playing a satirized version of Marlon Brando in an episode in Season 4 called "The Bard." The episode focuses on William Shakespeare, who arrives in the present day to help write a TV show but is horrified by the Reynolds' character's acting style.  

Dennis Hopper

Watching the Season 4 episode "He's Alive" is a wild experience in the present day. There is no other episode in the series that is so prescient today. The episode stars Dennis Hopper as a Neo-Nazi in America who has a run-in with Hitler himself. It proves just how edgy the show was, especially for its day. 

Cloris Leachman

Season 3's "It's A Good Life" is one of the most enduring episodes of the whole series. It stars Cloris Leachman as the mother of a boy with the devastating power of conjuring whatever he wants who often uses it for ill. 

Donald Pleasence

Donald Pleasence was most famous in the mid '60s through '70s, most notably for his role in The Great Escape and for his oft-forgotten turn as James Bond's #1 enemy, Blofeld in You Only Live Twice. But, in the '70s and '80s, he was most famous, of course, for his role as Dr. Loomis in the Halloween franchise. Before those roles, he starred in the Season 3 episode "The Changing of the Guard."

Robert Redford

Robert Redford is one of the biggest movie stars of all time, but like many actors, he got his start in television. In addition to a lot of credits in the early '60s on other big shows, Redford starred in one episode of The Twilight Zone in 1962. The episode, "Nothing in the Dark," aired during Season 3. 

Sally Kellerman

In truly a "blink or you'll miss her" moment, Sally Kellerman appeared in the episode "Miniature" in The Twilight Zone's fourth season. In an uncredited role, the Back to School star plays an office worker who is seen just at the very beginning. Interestingly, her M*A*S*H co-star Robert Duvall also appears in the episode.  

Burgess Meredith

For a generation of movie fans, Burgess Meredith will always be Mick from Rocky, but the actor had an accomplished career outside of that series, including starring in four different episodes of The Twilight Zone. His first is in one of the most beloved episodes of the whole series, "Time Enough At Last" in the first season. Later he starred in "Mr. Dingle, the Strong" and "The Obsolete Man" in Season 2, and "Printer's Devil" in Season 4.

Don Rickles

Don Rickles is best known for his no-holds-barred insult comedy. A true legend of Hollywood. He also strung together quite the acting resume when he wasn't making fun of his peers. That career included one episode of The Twilight Zone in Season 2, "Mr. Dingle, the Strong," alongside Burgess Meredith. 

Ron Howard

It's hard to imagine there was ever a time that Ron Howard wasn't famous. He first found fame when he was just six years old on The Andy Griffin Show, but even before that, he appeared on a Season 1 episode of The Twilight Zone called "Walking Distance." 

Robert Duvall

Before making one of the most impressive movie debuts ever as Boo Radley in 1962's To Kill A Mockingbird, Robert Duvall appeared on a handful of TV shows. One, of course, was The Twilight Zone, in an episode called "Minature," in Season 4. 

Ann Jillian had a long career in Hollywood before she retired in 2000 to devote herself to raising her son. Her career started in the early '60s when she was a kid. In Season 4 of The Twilight Zone, she starred as an orphan who refused to speak, or so thought the aunt and uncle raising her. It's a classic, creepy episode called simply "Mute."

George Takei

Star Trek legend George Takei is best known as the senior helmsman of the Enterprise, but years before that, he starred in the Season 5 episode "The Encounter." In it, Takei's character and his neighbor end up in a very unfortunate, but seemingly inevitable, situation that only the show can provide. 

John Astin

It was a different show where John Astin was "creepy and kooky," when he starred as Gomez Addams in the original Addams' Family. A couple of years before that though, he starred in a Season 2 episode called "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim." The show co-starred the great Montgomery Clift, as well. 

Buddy Ebsen

Buddy Ebsen had a very interesting career. He was famously cast as the Tin Man in The Wizard Of Oz but had to leave the production due to a serious medical reaction to the silver paint for the costume that landed him in the hospital (the production also used asbestos for snow). He then left for World War II and when he returned to Hollywood after, didn't find a ton of success. He starred in a Season 2 episode of The Twilight Zone called "The Prime Mover" in 1961, just before landing the role he would become world famous for, Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies. 

Elizabeth Montgomery

The first episode of Season 3, "Two," stars Charles Bronson as one of the two, and Elizabeth Montgomery as the other. Her star had just begun to rise as she was nominated for an Emmy around the same time for a one-episode turn in The Untouchables, but it was in 1964 when she landed the role of the one and only Samantha on Bewitched that made her part of television history.  

Lee Marvin

Tough guy Lee Marvin was already starting to make a name for himself when he appeared in two episodes ("The Grave" in Season 2 and "Steel" in Season 5). Marvin was still a few years away from the superstardom he found in the late '60s with movies like The Dirty Dozen, Cat Ballou, and Point Blank. 

Leonard Nimoy

Before Star Trek, Leonard Nimoy appeared in an episode of The Twilight Zone as a soldier on a Pacific island in World War II. The episode, "A Quality of Mercy," aired in December of 1961, in the show's third season. Nimoy would continue to guest spot on TV shows for another five years before landing his iconic role as Spock. 

Dean Stockwell

When Dean Stockwell died in 2021, he had been in show business for more than 70 years. It's an astonishing feat, and as you'd expect, he had a whole slew of acting roles, including the Season 3 episode of The Twilight Zone titled "A Quality of Mercy," alongside Leonard Nimoy. 

Jack Klugman

Future Odd Couple star Jack Klugman was as close as an actor could be to being a regular on The Twilight Zone. In total, he appeared in four episodes of the show. First, he starred in "A Passage for Trumpet" in Season 1, followed by "A Game of Pool" in Season 2, alongside the great Jonathan Winters. In Season 4, Klugman appeared in "Death Ship," and finally, in the Season 5 episode, "In Praise of Pip."

Julie Newmar

Before finding her greatest fame as Catwoman in the first two seasons of the '60s Batman series, Julie Newmar starred in the Season 4 episode, "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville." In the episode, Newmar doesn't have cat ears, but she does have devil horns, as she plays Satan trying to get the protagonist played by Albert Salmi (who played Danny's father in Caddyshack) to make a deal with the devil. 

James Coburn

By 1963, when James Coburn starred in the Season 5 episode "The Old Man In The Cave," the actor was already well on his way to fame. Earlier that year he had starred in the legendary World War II movie The Great Escape, and by the next year, he was one of Hollywood's most famous stars. 

Ted Knight

Judge Smails in Caddyshack and Ted Baxter in The Mary Tyler Moore Show will forever be the roles that the great Ted Knight will be remembered for. It took him quite a while to find big fame in Hollywood and along the way he had a lot of voice-over work and small TV roles, including an uncredited role in "The Lonely" from Season 1. At first, he's hard to spot, but once he delivers one of his few lines, viewers will immediately know it's Knight from his distinct voice. 

Peter Falk

When you think of Peter Falk you probably think of one of two roles, that of the titular detective in Colombo or as the grandfather in The Princess Bride. Those are only two roles in a storied career, however. Before ever landing his role as TV's most famous bumbling detective (all due respect to Monk), Falk starred in an episode in Season 3 called "The Mirror" where he weirdly played a Fidel Castro-like dictator in an unnamed Central American country. 

Richard Kiel

"To Serve Man" in Season 3 of The Twilight Zone is one of the most famous episodes of the series. Starring as the unspeaking, imposing alien is the one and only Richard Kiel. It's a perfect role for the actor who would become most famous for playing one of the all-time great henchmen in the James Bond movies, Jaws. 

Telly Savalas

"Who loves you, baby?" It's one of the most iconic catchphrases in TV history, made famous by Telly Savalas in Kojak. A decade before he starred as the super cool TV detective, he played a gruff stepfather who gets into a fight with his stepdaughter's baby doll in the Season 5 episode "Living Doll." 

Jonathan Winters

Jonathan Winters was most renowned for his comedy work. In addition to many comedy albums, his appearances in movies like It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and on TV shows like Mork & Mindy made him very famous. On The Twilight Zone, he played a more serious role of a legendary pool shark called down from heaven to prove another player's mettle in "A Game Of Pool" from Season 3. 

Martin Landau

When Martin Landau won an Oscar in 1994 for his role in Ed Wood, he'd been in the business for decades. His big breakout came as part of the cast of the original Mission: Impossible TV show in the late '60s. Before that, he starred in two episodes of The Twilight Zone, "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" from Season 1 and "The Jeopardy Room" from Season 5. 

Roddy McDowall

Roddy McDowall is most famous for playing Cornelius in The Planet of the Apes series, appearing in three of the original movies. He also starred in "People Are Alike All Over" from the first season of The Twilight Zone.

Sydney Pollack

Sydney Pollack is one of the best directors in Hollywood history, known for films like Tootsie, Out of Africa, and Michael Clayton. It makes perfect sense that in an early acting role, he played a director in the Season 2 episode, "The Trouble with Templeton."

This is a list that could go on and on, especially when you add in already established stars like Buster Keaton who also appeared in episodes, but for now, we'll leave it here with these big names who starred in The Twilight Zone early in their career. 

Since making his debut with 2009’s Crazy Horse, which earned Jeff Bridges a Best Actor Oscar, Scott Cooper has managed to put together some of the best casts for his various directorial efforts like Out of the Furnace, Black Mass, Hostiles, and Antlers. Well, with the debut of the 2023 Netflix release of The Pale Blue Eye, that tradition looks to continue a little while longer.

The new mystery thriller, which centers on Christian Bale’s detective, August Landor, as he attempts to solve a murder at 1830s West Point, features multiple mainstays of the Harry Potter movies, superb character actors, and the star of one of the biggest TV shows of the 1990s. Here is where you’ve seen The Pale Blue Eye cast before.

Christian Bale (Augustus Landor)

Leading off the cast of The Pale Blue Eye is Christian Bale, who takes on the role of the film’s protagonist, Augustus Landor, a detective tasked with solving the murder of a West Point cadet, per Netflix's Tudum website.

This is Bale’s third movie directed by Scott Cooper, as the actor-director duo previously paired up for Out of the Furnace and Hostiles. Bale was most recently seen in Thor: Love and Thunder, in which he portrayed central antagonist, Gorr the God Butcher. However, Bale is best known for a different comic character thanks to his portrayal of Bruce Wayne and Batman in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, another director whom he has worked with a considerable amount throughout his career.

Harry Melling (Edgar Allan Poe)

Harry Melling shows up in The Pale Blue Eye as a young Edgar Allan Poe, who helps Augustus Landor in his investigation after the renowned detective is summoned to the military academy.

Melling, who first came to fame with his portrayal of Dudley Dursley in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (he would go on to appear in four more Wizarding World movies), has become something of a hot commodity the past few years with a series of memorable film and TV appearances. This includes shows like The Queen’s Gambit and His Dark Materials, as well as a string of movies that includes The Old Guard, The Devil All the Time, and The Tragedy of Macbeth. 

Toby Jones (Dr. Daniel Marquis) 

Stepping in as West Point doctor Daniel Marquis in The Pale Blue Eye is veteran actor Toby Jones, who brings the mysterious figure to life.

Over the course of his career, Jones has appeared in multiple billion-dollar franchises including the Marvel Cinematic Universe (he played Arnim Zola in the first two Captain America movies), the Hunger Games movies, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and various Harry Potter titles, in which he voiced Dobby the house elf. But he’s also appeared in multiple decorated dramas like the Truman Capote movie Infamous, Frost/Nixon, My Week with Marilyn, and much more. He’s next set to appear in the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. 

Gillian Anderson (Mrs. Marquis) 

Taking on the role of Julia Marquis, the matriarch of the Marquis family and wife of Daniel, is Gillian Anderson.

Prior to joining the Pale Blue Eye cast, Anderson earned a Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy (her second of each) for her depiction of former United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on The Crown Season 4. Best known for her portrayal of Dana Scully on The X-Files throughout the ‘90s, Anderson has gone on to appear on shows like The Fall, Hannibal, and Sex Education. 

Lucy Boynton (Lea Marquis) 

Lucy Boynton appears in The Pale Blue Eye as Lea Marquis, the daughter of Daniel and Julia who always seems to catch the eye of Cadet Poe.

Ever since making her feature film debut as a young Beatrix Potter in Miss Potter, Boynton has gone on to appear in movies like Sing Street, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Murder on the Orient Express, and Bohemian Rhapsody. During that same stretch of time, Boynton has popped up on TV shows like The Politician, Modern Love, and multiple others. 

Harry Lawtey (Artemus Marquis)

Next up is Harry Lawtey, who shows up in The Pale Blue Eye as Artemus Marquis, a cadet at West Point.

Over the course of the past decade, Lawtey has mostly found work on the small screen, with major roles on shows like Industry, The Letter for the King, and Marcella, though he has appeared in two movies: City of Tiny Lights and Benediction. Lawtey will likely become a bigger player in the coming years thanks to his casting in Joker: Folie à Deux alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. 

Timothy Spall (Colonel Thayer)

Taking on the role of West Point authority figure Colonel Thayer in The Pale Blue Eye is Timothy Spall, yet another Harry Potter alum to appear in the new Netflix movie.

Outside of playing the villainous Peter Pettigrew in all but the first two Harry Potter movies, Spall is probably best known for his six collaborations with director Mike Leigh, with the most recent being 2014’s Mr. Turner. Spall has also earned praise for roles in movies such as The King’s Speech, The Damned United, Enchanted, The Last Samurai, and dozens upon dozens of other productions.

Robert Duvall (Pepe)

Taking on the role of occult expert Pepe in The Pale Blue Eye is Academy Award-winning actor and Hollywood legend Robert Duvall.

If you pull up a list of the best movies of all time, you’ll also find memorable performances by Duvall, including titles like The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Network, and To Kill a Mockingbird. But that is just a fraction of a fraction of Duvall’s work from throughout his career, as he has also given commanding performances on TV events like Lonesome Dove, The Man Who Captured Eichmann, and Broken Trail, to name just a few. Duvall previously worked with director Scott Cooper on Crazy Horse. 

Simon McBurney (Captain Hitchcock) 

Simon McBurney shows up in The Pale Blue Eye as Captain Hitchcock, an official at West Point.

Yet another member of the Pale Blue Eye cast to have also appeared in a Harry Potter movie (he voiced Kreacher the house elf in the penultimate chapter), McBurney has also appeared in movies like Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, The Manchurian Candidate, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and The Theory of Everything. His more recent TV credits include The Casual Vacancy, Carnival Row, and The Loudest Voice. 

Charlotte Gainsbourg (Patsy) 

And then there is Charlotte Gainsbourg, who appears in The Pale Blue Eye as Patsy, a local barmaid in the nearby village.

Over the course of her career, the actress and singer has appeared in movies like I’m Not There, The Science of Sleep, Happily Ever After, and a handful of films directed by Lars von Trier, including Antichrist, Melancholia, and Nymphomaniac, to name only a few. 

The Pale Blue Eye is currently available to stream for anyone with a Netflix subscription. If you want even more to watch after completing Scott Cooper’s new thriller, there are plenty of great movies on Netflix worth checking out.

 Stream The Pale Blue Eye on Netflix. 

Adam Sandler’s not taking a break after Hubie Halloween. The famous actor/comedian is already filming his next big movie for Netflix, and he won’t be alone. This feature is adding some pretty huge names to its cast.

The Sandman's new movie is called Hustle (not to be confused with Anne Hathaway’s The Hustle), and it's about a washed-up basketball scout who discovers an incredible street basketball player in China, lifting his hopes that he could make it back in the NBA. Netflix has taken to social media to announce Hustle's all-star cast. Check it out:

While these aren't the typical actors Adam Sandler works with, it’s still a killer cast that should help raise the profile of the movie a bit. Hustle is being directed by Jeremiah Zagar, written by Taylor Materne and Oscar nominee Will Fetters, and produced under Adam Sandler’s banner, Happy Madison Productions, as well as Lebron James’ and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Entertainment.

After Netflix acquired Hustle from Legendary, the company pitched it to Adam Sandler, who came on after Will Fetters cleaned up the script and Jeremiah Zagar signed on as the director. As you might already know, Adam Sandler and Netflix have a strong working relationship together. This will be Adam Sandler and Lebron James' first time working together, although Uncut Gems did see Sandler starring opposite Kevin Garnett, another NBA all-star.

It’s hard to say if Hustle will lean more toward drama, like Uncut Gems, or if it’ll be a solid mix between comedy and drama. It certainly doesn’t look like his latest goofball comedy Hubie Halloween. Considering the dramatic cast, I’m betting Adam Sandler will play the comedy part, while Robert Duvall, Queen Latifah, and Ben Foster will lean into the dramatic roles they’ve been known for.

Queen Latifah has primarily been working on a variety of TV series, with the latest being the mini-series Hollywood. For Robert Duvall’s part, this will be his latest movie since 2018’s Widows. Ben Foster had recently been seen in the movies Galveston and Leave No Trace.

One thing you might have noticed from the photos above is Adam Sandler suddenly rocking a full beard. He’s had facial hair before, of course, but this beard takes it up a notch. We reported earlier this month that Adam Sandler admitted no one liked his beard very much, but he was doing it for an upcoming role. Well, now we know the beard is for his role in Hustle.

There’s no word yet on when Hustle will be available on Netflix. Considering they’re just getting started filming now, it’s likely not going to land anytime soon. For more updates on Hustle, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

Remember the big-budget 1998 summer blockbuster about a comet on a collision course with Earth? It had an ensemble cast made up of seasoned actors and Hollywood newcomers? If you're thinking Armageddon, I'm afraid I have some bad news. I'm referring to the cosmic disaster movie that came out a few months earlier. You know, Deep Impact starring the likes of Morgan Freeman, Jon Favreau, and Téa Leoni, to name just a few.

It's hard to believe that it will be 22 years this summer since Mimi Leder and Paramount Pictures went toe-to-toe with Michael Bay and Touchstone Pictures to see who could produce the most epic, end of the world disaster movie of 1998. With all that time passing, some of us are probably wondering what Elijah Wood, Robert Duvall, and Kurtwood Smith have been up as of late, so let's not wast any more time and see what these actors and actresses have been up to since Deep Impact first hit theaters nearly a quarter century ago.

Morgan Freeman (Tom Beck)

Morgan Freeman plays United States President Tom Beck who is secretly working with other world leaders to develop underground shelters after scientists determine that the Wolf-Biederman comet's collision with the planet would be an extinction-level event. In the more than 20 years since the film's release, Freeman has gone on to become one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood, appearing in a great number of successful franchises like Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. The Academy Award-winning actor is next slated to appear in The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, the highly anticipated Coming 2 America, and The Comeback Trail, where he will star alongside Rober De Niro and Tommy Lee Jones.

Jon Favreau (Gus Partenza)

Long before he was kick-starting billion-dollar franchises and creating Star Wars properties, Jon Favreau had a small role in Deep Impact, where he played Gus Partenza, the medical officer of the Messiah spacecraft that attempts to destroy the comet before it can wipe out all life on Earth. Luckily, Favreau has had more success at life than his ill-fated character. The actor/writer/director/producer is probably one of the busiest names in Hollywood with The Mandalorian preparing for Season 2 on Disney+, The Chef Show on Netflix, and sequel to The Jungle Book in the works.

Robert Duvall (Spurgeon "Fish" Tanner)

Hollywood legend Robert Duvall plays Spurgeon "Fish" Tanner, a veteran pilot who takes lead over the Messiah spacecraft after the mission to destroy the comet becomes an epic failure. Similar to other roles the aging Duvall was taking during this stage of his career, Tanner brings calm to the chaotic scenes set in outer space, even when the crew has to embark upon a suicide mission. Since breaking out onto the scene in To Kill A Mockingbird, Duvall has continued to take on a variety of roles on the silver screen and television sets around the world. The Godfather star last appeared in Steve McQueen's riveting 2018 heist film Widows, but the 89-year-old is currently set to star in the upcoming American sports movie 12 Mighty Orphans.

Téa Leoni (Jenny Lerner)

It's hard to pinpoint exactly who's the main protagonist in this large ensemble cast, but it could easily be Téa Leoni's character Jenny Lerner, an MSNBC reporter who inadvertantly uncovers the existence of the comet, which forces the United States government to make an earlier than announced message. Leoni hasn't starred in a feature film since the 2011 comedy Tower Heist, but she had a starring role in the long-running CBS drama series Madame Secretary, which concluded its six-season run in 2019. The actress is reportedly attached to the animated feature Endangered, which is being produced by Bob Weinstein, according to Express.

Elijah Wood (Leo Biederman)

Before he went on a journey to destroy the Ring, Elijah Wood was featured in the Deep Impact as Leo Biederman, the young teenage astronomer who first discovers the comet headed towards the planet. Shortly after appearing in the disaster film, Elijah Wood earned the role of a lifetime as Frodo Baggins in The Lord Of The Rings. Since then, the actor has been able to take on some more unconventional roles, including his most recent effort, the comedy Come To Daddy, which was released in early 2020.

James Cromwell (Alan Rittenhouse)

James Cromwell plays Secretary of the Treasury Alan Rittenhouse whose own personal controversies leads to reveal of the Wolf-Biederman comet before the government is ready to disclose information to the public. Over the years, Cromwell has continued to lend his talents to a number of feature films, television series, and stage productions that have earned him a number of awards and more nominations for his performances. Cromwell's latest movie, Never Too Late, tells the story of four former prisoners of war who are all residents at the same retirement home.

Mike O'Malley (Mike Perry)

Before he would go on to star in hit television series like Yes, Dear and Glee, Mike O'Malley had a small role in Deep Impact, in which he portrayed Mike Perry, Leo Biederman's teacher. O'Malley would go on to have a great deal of success after Deep Impact (and his run as the host of Nickelodeon's Guts). He is currently slated to appear in the television adaptation of the 2013 dystopian future thriller Snowpiercer.

Blair Underwood (Mark Simon)

Blair Underwood, who would go on to find success both in movies and in television was featured in Deep Impact as Mark Simon, the navigator of the Messiah spaceship before it flies directly into the comet. After making his debut in 1985 hip-hop cult classic Krush Groove, Underwood would go on to make a name for himself in shows like L.A. Law and City Of Angels as well as feature film roles in movies such as Rules Of Engagement. Underwood's most recent appearance is in the Netflix original limited series Self Made starring Octavia Spencer s Madam C.J. Walker.

Richard Schiff (Don Biederman)

Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Schiff is probably best known for his portrayal of Toby Ziegler on the long-running political drama The West Wing, but before serving as the White House communications director in the Aaron Sorkin-created series, Schiff had a small role in Deep Impact, where he played Leo Biederman's father, Don. Schiff has gone on to find continued success on a number of television shows, including The Good Doctor, where he plays Dr. Aaron Glassman.

Leelee Sobieski (Sarah Hotchner)

Leelee Sobieski was still just a young teenager when she was cast as Sarah Hotchner, Leo Biederman's girlfriend in Deep Impact. Much of her time in the movie is spent trying to escape the destruction that is to come after the Biederman-Wolf comet is split into two smaller portions still on a collision course with the planet. Sobieski would have a relatively successful film and television career in the late 1990s and 2000s, but she hasn't acted professionally since 2012, when she gave up Hollywood to raise a family.

Dougray Scott (Eric Vennekor)

Dougray Scott, mostly known as the actor who missed out on starring as Wolverine in X-Men after production of Mission: Impossible 2 took longer than expected, had a minor role in Deep Impact, in which he played Eric Vennekor, a coworker of Jenny Lerner. While Scott missed out on starring in a Marvel Comics movie, he was able to enter the D.C. Comics world with his portrayal of leader of the Crows, Jacob Kane, in the CW series Batwoman, which was recently picked up for a second season. After all these years, it's hard to not feel bad for the guy who was so close to becoming an international superstar before Hugh Jackman was cast in his place.

Kurtwood Smith (Otis "Mitch" Hefter)

And then there is Kurtwood Smith, who played NASA worker Otis "Mitch" Hefter in the 1998 planetary disaster movie. Like pretty much everyone else not named Robert Duvall, Morgan Freeman, Elijah Wood, or Téa Leoni, Smith was relegated to small role in Deep Impact. Later that year, the former villain from Robocop would get the role of a lifetime as Red Forman on That '70s Show, which ran until 2006. Smith is currently featured on the NBC comedy Perfect Harmony, but there's no word as to whether the show will be picked up for a second season.

Well, those are just 12 members of the insanely stacked cast of the 1998 disaster film Deep Impact. And before we go, here's a little piece of trivia for all the Veronica Mars fans out there… Jason Dohring, who played Logan in all three of the original seasons, the movie, and the fourth season that premiered on Hulu in 2019, has a small cameo as one of Leo Biederman's classmates in Deep Impact. I'll save you some time and leave a link to the hilarious clip here.

The Academy Awards are right upon us. With a slew of great films and even better performances coming from this year's nominees, there will most certainly be a lot of excitement in the air come Oscar night. While we have to wait until Sunday to find out who will take home the statues, the stats for who Americans believe to be the most "likeable" have just come. The following ranks were determined by combining the actors' and actress' "Q Score," an industry-wide measurement that ranks celebrities according to their familiarity and popularity. Have a look below to see for yourself who from this year;s nominees ranked in the top 10... and no, Tom Hanks was not nominated this year so he did not make the list.

10. Emma Stone, Birdman (61 Familiarity / 18 Q Score)

9. J.K. Simmons, Whiplash (18 Familiarity / 18 Q Score)

8. Edward Norton, Birdman (54 Familiarity / 21 Q Score)

7. Michael Keaton, Birdman (79 Familiarity / 21 Q Score)

6. Reese Witherspoon, Wild (78 Familiarity / 22 Q Score)

5. Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game (30 Familiarity / 22 Q Score)

4. Steve Carell, Foxcatcher (64 Familiarity / 24 Q Score)

3. Bradley Cooper, American Sniper (58 Familiarity / 27 Q Score)

2. Meryl Streep, Into the Woods (77 Familiarity / 27 Q Score)

1. Robert Duvall, The Judge (85 Familiarity / 31 Q Score)

To clear up any confusion, it is the Q Score listed above that ultimately counts.

As you can see in the above list, courtesy of The Wrap, Emma Stone (who achieved a 61 familiarity and an 18 positive Q Score) tied for 10th place with J.K. Simmons (who had an 18/18). The results are interesting. I personally found Stone's performance in Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) to be excellent, and actually think it directly raised her likeability score (with me, anyway). On the contrary, as much as I loved Simmons' performance in Whiplash (and hope he wins for Supporting Actor), I don't see how it could have made him more likeable to the viewing audience. Maybe his ever-present Farmers Insurance commercials are unexpectedly paying back in dividends?

The biggest shocker comes from Robert Duvall, who landed in the top spot on the list in both familiarity and Q Score. I'm thinking his almost 60-year run in the business helped him land this coveted top slot. Only Meryl Streep, who has almost 20 years less onscreen experience, even comes close to Duvall's insanely high scores. While both Duvall and Streep are extremely likeable, I personally think Steve Carell (mostly due to his role of Michael Scott) is unbeatable as far as his ability to charm audiences. Bradley Cooper is also doing a phenomenal job of carving out an appealing persona thanks to his role in films like American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook and of course American Sniper.

Some notable nominees who made the broader list but I felt should have been higher are Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Laura Dern (Wild), Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher) and Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night)... all whom I find to have achieved top-notch onscreen appeal. What do you think?

To see a full list of the Academy Award nominees, click here. For the complete Q Score list for this year's nominees, go here.

Director David Dobkin is best known for helming raunchy, broad comedies like the smash hit Wedding Crashers and the underrated switcheroo pic The Change-Up. But for his next venture, he's diving into drama—well dramedy anyway—with Warner Bros' The Judge.

Penned by Nick Schenk (Gran Torino) and revised by Bill Dubuque, the film will star Robert Downey Jr. as a successful lawyer who returns home following the unexpected death of his mother. Once there, he discovers his estranged father is suspected of having murdered her, and the two reconnect while trying to clear the family name. Downey had campaigned for Jack Nicholson to play his father in this flick. But once Nicholson said no, producers wrangled another storied heavy hitter in Robert Duvall.

THR reports the latest to join this already impressive cast is Law & Order: Criminal Intent star Vincent D'Onofrio, who has been steadily scoring film roles since the show drew to a close after ten seasons. He's set to play Downey's older brother with whom his character will reconnect while seeking to discover the truth about their mother's death. With this trio, Dobkin's already built a solid base to take the risk of tackling drama.

There's no mention yet as to when The Judge might roll into production. But in the meantime, you can see Downey in Iron Man 3, D'Onofrio in The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, and Duvall in A Night in Old Mexico. Each of which is expected to come out within the next year.

Robert Downey Jr. had a very specific vision of who he wanted to play his father in the upcoming dramedy The Judge. Back in November of last year we learned that the Iron Man star was hoping that Jack Nicholson would be willing to the take the part, which would see him playing the eponymous character. Unfortunately Downey Jr. didn't get his wish, but the project has landed another Oscar winner instead.

The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Robert Duvall is now attached to star in The Judge, which is being directed by David Dobkin. The story, which was originally scripted by Nick Schenk and recently rewritten by Bill Dubuque, follows a hot-shot lawyer (Downey Jr.) who, after a long time away, returns home after the sudden death of his mother. When he arrives, however, he is shocked to learn that his estranged father (Duvall) is suspected of murdering her. While looking for a way to clear the judges name, the two finally are able to connect. The trade says that Warner Bros. did go after Nicholson at Downey Jr.'s behest, but he ultimately turned it down.

At the end of last year Duvall was seen starring alongside Tom Cruise in the Lee Child adaptation Jack Reacher, and THR notes that he recently wrapped on an indie project titled A Night In Old Mexico. Duvall stars alongside Jeremy Irvine, Angie Cepeda, and Luis Tosar, and while it hasn't found a distributor yet presumably it will be going the festival route once its completed.

Road movies are a time-tested (and borderline tired) genre. The travelers may change, but the destination largely stays the same from movie to movie. Casting Robert Duvall in a road-trip movie, however, is going to pique our interest, and pairing him with Jeremy Irvine – of Steven Spielberg’s War Horse -- only helps matters.

The two actors will team for A Night in Old Mexico, the second film from Spanish director Emilio Aragon, who made his feature-length directorial debut with 2010’s Paper Birds. Variety says that the plot of Old Mexico, working off of a Bill Wittliff (Legends of the Fall) screenplay, follows the relationship that develops between a man (Duvall) and his grandson (Irvine). But the trade promises a combination of action, tragedy and romance, so hopefully the scope of the film is larger than what we might normally expect from a road movie.

Which is totally possible. Aragon comes from a creative Spanish family, and has dabbled in acting, composition and directing. He’s a multi-faceted artist who made decent box office with Paper Birds, even collecting a few key awards (including the audience award at the 37th Seattle film fest). The movie begins filming in days, and shooting will run through August. Expect to see it in theaters sometime in 2013. Duvall, in the meantime, can next be seen in the Tom Cruise actioner Jack Reacher, while Irvine plays Pip in Mike Newell’s adaptation of the Dickens classic Great Expectations. That production, due out later this year, also stars Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter, so be on the lookout.

Today is Independence Day here in America, the day we all get together to shoot things into the sky and celebrate the bravery of farmers turned soldiers who kicked an occupying force out of their adopted land. In a sense it's also a day we get together to celebrate a bigger picture, to celebrate soldiers who fought for what they believed in, who did something that most of us will never be able to comprehend.

Like a lot of you, I'll never experience what it's like to risk your life for something you believe in. Most of what I know about the military I learned from movies like Saving Private Ryan. Tom Hanks knew even less about the military than I do now, when he starred in Saving Private Ryan, having neither actually been in the military and not having had the benefit of seeing Saving Private Ryan. Most of us get everything we know about what it's like to be a soldier third hand at best, portrayals from people who often themselves have no idea of their reality, held up as examples to people who know even less. But not always.

This list is dedicated to real life fighters who went on to portray imaginary ones. Maybe in the process they brought a little of themselves to these roles, as men who played soldiers in real life who went on to play soldiers in fantasy, they had to know at least a little more about what they were doing than your average Bosom Buddy. These are our favorite movie military men who were played by real life, actual military men.

Henry Fonda is Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. in The Longest Day

At the start of World War II, Henry Fonda famously said, “I don't want to be in a fake war in a studio,” and joined the United States Navy to help in the war effort. First stationed on the USS Satterlee as a Quartermaster 3rd Class, he spent three years in the service, eventually reached the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade in Air Combat Intelligence and earned the Navy Presidential Unit Citation and the Bronze Star. It's hard to imagine that this history of personal heroism didn't help him in his portrayal of Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. in The Longest Day.

While the film starred John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, Richard Burton, Rod Steiger, Red Buttons and many, many more, Fonda's performance is a stand-out largely thanks to the real-life heroism of the character he played. The son of a former president and suffering from arthritis due to injuries sustained in World War I, Roosevelt actually petitioned to take part in the storming of Utah Beach on D-Day and was the only General sent in with the first wave. The Longest Day is one of the few examples of a true hero playing a true hero.

Alec Guiness is General Obi Won Kenobi in Star Wars

Pissed off that his anti-aircraft battery commanders didn't seem interested in actually engaging the enemy during World War II, Alec 'Rambo' Guinness went behind their backs and re-enlisted in the Royal Navy in order to actively kill more Nazis. He briefly worked ferrying soldiers back-and-forth to beach battles all over Europe before his superiors decided this tremendous son of a bitch would best serve the cause by acting in a pro-military Broadway play called Flare Path.

He did that for a few months, to great reviews, before returning to the front lines carrying more soldiers to and fro. It went well for awhile until a hurricane capsized his boat and mangled it against some rocks. No big deal. He just commandeered another one and went back to work. Ever wonder where Obi-Wan Kenobi got his incredible poise and confidence from? Just another adventure for a real life fucking war hero. Honestly, how the hell is Darth Vader (or death) going to scare a man when he's already bested Hitler and a hurricane?

Kirk Douglas is Colonel Dax in Paths Of Glory

In 1941 Kirk Douglas put a growing Broadway career on hold to enlist in the United States Navy at the start of World War II. During his time, he was stationed on a warship in the Pacific where his job was to locate and destroy Japanese submarines. Three years later, he was discharged for injuries he sustained. While Douglas serving his country with bravery and honor, his greatest war film sent him even further into the field of battle, not only on land during World War I, but fighting for the French.

Centered on a battalion of soldiers who break the chain of command when they refuse to go on a suicidal mission, Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory is one of the greatest war films ever made and one of Douglas's greatest roles. With the actor as Colonel Dax, an officer who comes to the defense of the court martialed soldiers, the audience believes that somehow everything will work out in the end because movie stars never lose. The movie only becomes more powerful when he does.

Gene Hackman is Capt. Frank Ramsey in Crimson Tide

An absent father and an alcoholic mother sent teenaged Gene Hackman into juvenile prison for shoplifting. When he got out, the 16-years-old joined the Marines. He served from 1946 – 1949, managing by coincidence to fit his military service into that brief period of relative peace between the end of World War II and the start of the Korean War. Yet the Marines set him on the right path and pushed him into showbiz. While in the Corps Hackman served as a field radio operator. When he was discharged in 1949, Gene used the GI Bill to study journalism and TV production.

Eventually his study earned him work as a radio announcer, and that in turn gave way to a career in acting where he played more than a few great military men along the way to Crimson Tide. There the film is built on Hackman's powerful portrayal of arrogant sub commander Frank Ramsay. Set in his ways and suspicious of anyone who thinks differently, the story pits Ramsay against his second in command, in a battle of military protocol beneath the waves. At stake: global nuclear warfare and an increasingly unhinged Ramsay is only too willing to push the launch button.

Morgan Freeman is Sgt. Maj. John Rawlins in Glory

Ever wonder why it took Morgan Freeman so long to make it in Hollywood? Well, upon graduating high school, he turned down an acting scholarship to join the United States Air Force. For almost four years, he worked as a mechanic, repairing planes and bypassing acting acclaim to be a cog in our country's well-oiled military machine. A man with that much talent, he knows he'll conquer Hollywood eventually, might as well be a true patriot while he's still capable of serving in obscurity. I'd tell you he handled the position with class, sophistication and competence, but what's the point? We're talking about Morgan Freeman here. Everything he does radiates awesomeness.

Just look at Glory. At fifty-two, Freeman's John Rawlins, a ditchdigger turned soldier, may not be as physically imposing as his fellow fighters in the 54th, but that doesn't mean he can't use fiery rhetoric to rally the troops. He's willing to die, but as God as his witness, the rest of the world will know he died standing up and he did it for freedom.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is Dutch in Predator

Before he could start pumping up, Arnold Schwarzenegger had to gear up and join the Austrian Armed Forces. In 1965 military service was compulsory in the country, and 18-year-old Schwarzenegger did his duty, mostly. Even then he was in to bodybuilding and at one point during basic training Arnold went AWOL to participate in a bodybuilding competition. He spent a week in military prison for his escapade.

On screen Arnold's military persona is and always has been that of a dedicated, viciously determined military man. In Predator you might say he plays the ultimate military man, the greatest soldier Earth has ever spawned pitted against the greatest killer the galaxy has ever known. That Arnold who skipped basic training to whip off his shirt and pose probably wouldn't last long against a fully grown Predator, but Dutch is the most unstoppable force America's military might has ever spawned.

R. Lee Ermey is Gny. Sgt. Hartman in Full Metal Jacket

Wanting his war film Full Metal Jacket to have absolute authenticity, Stanley Kubrick decided to hire a soldier to advise him every step of the way. He chose R. Lee Ermey, an eleven year veteran of the Marine Corps., highly decorated for his fourteen month stint in Vietnam and two separate tours in Japan. Numerous injuries had forced Ermey out of active service, but thanks to the GI Bill he'd learned acting in the Philippines and parlayed that experience into a few smaller film roles.

Before principal photography began, Ermey put together some fake drill instructor footage to help with the dialogue. Kubrick was so impressed he hired his advisor on the spot and even gave him full improvisational power. The result remains one of the most brilliant, chilling and fucked-up performances in the history of war movies. Whether threatening to shit down people's neck holes or demanding to see war faces, R. Lee Ermey's Gunnery Sergeant Hartman not only stole every one of his scenes, he became the predominant image of a drill instructor in popular culture. Ruthless but fair, he hates everyone the same, except the honest ones. They're free to come over to his house and fuck his sister.

James Doohan is Commander Montgomery Scott in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

On screen you know James Doohan as Scotty, the ultimate military engineer, the man behind the scenes who makes the mighty Enterprise's weapons fire, and keeps her engines pushing her on through battle at maximum Warp Power. Doohan's real life military service was far more impressive. He is without a doubt, the biggest hero on this list and a genuine badass who risked life and limb to save the world from Nazi aggression.

James joined the Royal Canadian Artillery at the start of World War II and was there on D-Day at the invasion of Normandy. Lieutenant Doohan was a real life, badass hero who stormed Juno Beach and shot two snipers. Then he lead his men through a field of land mines to high ground to take up defensive positions. During the night, James was shot eight-times by friendly fire, his life saved only by a cigarette case which stopped the bullet that impacted with his chest. He lost his middle finger that night, but it didn't stop Doohan from later training as a pilot, where he spent the rest of his military career flying support aircraft for the Canadian Artillery. There he was labeled the “craziest pilot” in the Canadian Air Force, known for risky flying stunts.

George C. Scott is General George S. Patton Jr. in Patton

Unlike many of the actors mentioned in this feature, George C. Scott never served in active duty, as World War II ended in the same year that he enlisted, but his service is still worth noting. With the Marines from 1945 to 1949, Scott was stationed at the 8th and I Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C where he was both a teacher at the Marine Corps Institute and a guard at the Arlington National Cemetery. The experience of the latter weighed heavily on Scott and eventually led to a serious battle with alcoholism, once saying. “You can't look at that many widows in veils and hear that many taps without taking to drink.” You wouldn't know of this opinion about war watching his most iconic performance in Franklin J. Schaffner's Patton.

Playing the title character, Scott's turn as the legendary general is considered by many to be one of the greatest in the history of the genre. The film is truly incredible, from the opening speech against the giant flag backdrop to the brilliant score. Yet Patton has one of the most humbling Hollywood stories attached to it, as Scott refused his Oscar for the film on the grounds that he didn't agree with the idea of competition between actors.

Robert Duvall is Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now

Robert Duvall has so much military heritage that we could probably call him a veteran even if he hadn't served himself. In addition to being born to William Howard Duvall, a career military man who eventually became an admiral in the US Navy, the Oscar winning-actor is also a descendant of famous Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Not to be upstaged, Duvall also spent a two-year stretch in the United States Army achieving the National Defense Service Medal and reaching the rank of Private First Class. He followed that up by putting his stamp, forever, on military popular culture.

“I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” Duvall may have only been featured briefly in Francis Ford Coppola's war epic Apocalypse Now, but his performance is a standout. Playing the surf-loving, Civil War campaign hat-wearing, desensitized Col. Bill Killgore, Duvall was genius as a man clearly off the deep end, but normalized by his surroundings. If only he had gone on to win the Best Support Actor Oscar he was nominated for, I have could made a “smells like victory” pun.

Add to our list by telling us about your favorite movie characters, played by real life soldiers, in the comments section below.

I enjoy the hubbub of Oscar season more than most people, I'll admit, but I don't think I'm alone in looking forward to the annual Vanity Fair Hollywood issue, hitting every February in the thick of Oscar season, with an artfully photographed cover image that is always designed to get attention, whether for allowing Tom Ford to weirdly seduce naked Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley or simply collecting a huge number of talented young actresses. You never quite know that they're going to do from year to year, and with this year's cover, they've both returned to their classic format and done something somewhat unique and bizarre.

In the cover preview that VF posted on their website you can see the full sprawling photo, featuring 15 actors of both genders, and in age ranging from 20-year-old Jennifer Lawrence to 80-year-old Robert Duvall. And though the covers have always featured a bizarre range of A-list stars, up-and-comers and a grab bag of Oscar nominees-- my friend Nathaniel Rogers did a great retrospective of the covers over at The Film Experience if you want to look back-- this year's collection seems especially strange. I guess Olivia Wilde is a reasonable rising star to include, especially if she's willing to wear only half a dress, but how did her Tron: Legacy co-star Garrett Hedlund also sneak in? I love Rashida Jones as much as the next person, but how'd she wind up in there alongside people who mostly do film work? And is Robert Duvall photoshopped in there, or did they really just jam him in a corner like that? According to the behind the scenes tale, the photo is actually from two separate shoots in New York and LA, so there's at least some trickery going on.

So many questions, but as always, the cover has managed to get my attention, which is pretty much its main goal each year. Click on the image below for the high-res version at VF, and join me in speculating the who's and whys in the comments.

Robert Duvall is certainly one of the greatest actors of all time. From his breakout role as Boo Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird, to his most iconic role as Tom Hagen in The Godfather, the actor has spent the last 54 years putting on a clinic. Always the character actor, Duvall has never been known as the star attraction, but that's exactly what he is in Aaron Schneider's Get Low and it may very well win him his second Oscar.

Yahoo! has posted the second theatrical trailer for the film, and if an incredible turn by Duvall isn't enough for you, you have Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek and Lucas Black backing him up to great effect. With such a great cast and memorable performances, however, it's a wonder why they are releasing it in late June instead of November December.

Check out the trailer below or in HD over at Yahoo!

The Oscar-winning drama Crazy Heart arrives on Blu-ray and DVD today courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Good news for all of us who didn't get a chance to catch Jeff Bridges' critically hailed performance, alongside the likes of Robert Duvall and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Crazy Heart tells the story of a hard-living country singer who finds the possibility of redemption and love when he meets a young journalist assigned to do a story on him, and the film features an amazing soundtrack from musicians T-Bone Burnett , Stephen Bruton, and Ryan Bingham.

Fox has sent along an exclusive clip from the special features, where you can see a snippet of actor/producer Robert Duvall -- apparently a UT fan -- talking about what brought him to Crazy Heart. You can check out the full featurette on the Blu-ray, alongside an array of deleted and alternate scenes. Take it away, Mr. Duvall.

This morning I sat in a roundtable interview with the great Terry Gilliam, who spoke with enthusiasm and immense humor about his new film, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. But of course, we also had to ask him about Robert Duvall's recent assertion that he'll be playing Don Quixote in the latest iteration of Gilliam's passion project, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.

"Mr. Blabbermouth Duvall, you mean?" Gilliam joked before confirming that he has asked Duvall to play the legendary Spanish adventurer:

Gilliam also reiterated that Johnny Depp is definitely out-- "He's too busy doing swashing and buckling and Tonto-ing," as Gilliam put it, referring to both the Pirates sequel and the Lone Ranger movie that Depp has committed to. There's still no guarantee that the Don Quixote movie will ever happen, but with Duvall on board (as opposed to the star of the original film, Jean Rochefort) he has a bankable American name that could help the movie get funding. Now, if we can only find a Sancho Panza.