4. Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello has never really taken much of a shot at acting, usually showing up to lampoon himself. And there’s no question the man can sell a joke. When David Letterman underwent heart surgery, he was the first guest host during the talk show comedian’s recovery. It’s a memorable episode – if only because it introduced the late, hilarious Mitch Hedberg to a larger audience – and Costello acquits himself well.
He also showed up on The Larry Sanders Show as himself, who within the show once sold Jeffrey Tambor‘s co-host a lemon of a car.
But even in his early music videos as an angry young man, he could barely lip synch properly. Later, his brief appearances in films like 200 Cigarettes, the long forgotten Americathon, Spice World and that episode of Frasier in which he annoys Niles and his brother with songs at their beloved coffee shop, it always seems Costello is too in on the joke. Much like his music, he can rarely perform without a knowing smirk.
3. Ian Dury
Ian Dury was a cheeky little bastard. His proto-punk had more sneer and attitude than The Sex Pistols with just a twist of Noel Coward. His short stature easily made him the underdog of the era, standing up to the rest of them like the a tiny Looney Tunes cartoon dog always up for a fight with Chester the bulldog. And there’s no question he held his own. With the Blockheads, Dury’s music was an eccentric, intelligent spin on the punk scene.
Then he tried to act. You’ve seen him in films, even if you don’t realize it. He’s the pawn shop clerk brutally shot down by Armand Assante in Judge Dredd; he’s in the silly Rutger Hauer sci fi flick Split Second; he also had small parts in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, Pirates and Hearts of Fire.
His acting career never evolved terribly far, most likely because he wasn’t very good. But he’s a fun footnote in film history. Perhaps given more time he may have developed into something more serious, however, he sadly passed away at 57 in 2000.
Discussion about this post