The Leading Man, what does it mean? A leading man to me is the main character of a play or movie that can appeal to both sexes. He is the one the men want to be and the women want to bed. The personality of a leading man can vary; whether it be an ass kicking bad boy with machismo coursing through his veins that saves the girl or a sensitive carefree romantic that... well... gets the girl.
The actors that put on the leading man cap generally possess the following; good looks, charm, masculinity, sensitivity, etc. From today's assortment of hunks like Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp dating all the way back to the golden age of cinema with heartthrobs like James Dean and Marlon Brando; leading men still captivate audiences across the globe with their charm and sex appeal.
However there have been a crop of actors in the past forty years that I feel had all the ingredients needed to blast off towards leading man stardom but have never been given the opportunity to shine. Of course I know there's the possibility these men could have been given that big role that could have made their career but turned it down for various reasons, however I doubt that. So here is my homage to those that highly deserve the honor. I give you my Top 6 Actors that Could Have Been Leading Men but Were Overlooked:
6) Pierre Kirby
I am a huge follower of Brad Jones aka The Cinema Snob, therefore I have heard about Pierre Kirby. Unfortunately if it wasn't for Brad, I would not have known about the myth, the legend that is Pierre Kirby. Kirby only starred in a total of six films all made in the year 1988. All were forgettable cheezy schlockfests filmed in South Pacific Asia. He has never been heard from again and there's a sad rumor that he may not be on this Earth. If Kirby were residing in the States at the time, it is possible that he could have been famous. He certainly possessed sex appeal to attract women and the masculinity that could have put him in the big leagues alongside Schwarzenegger and Stallone as a bonafide action hero -- plus, his real life was apparently just as intriguing as the plots of the movies he acted in, if not moreso.
5) David Naughton
The difference between Pierre Kirby and this lovely piece of acting eye candy is that this man came close to achieving leading man stardom. Anybody who grew up in the 1980s and loved horror movies would know who David Naughton is. At the age of two, An American Werewolf in London scared me so bad that it took me ten years to actually sit down and watch it all the way through without running out of the room. However luckily I was already at the beginning stages of puberty therefore had an eye opening experience watching Naughton running through the woods in the buff! Naughton has been active in the acting field for quite sometime but unfortunately never achieved a status like Ryan O'Neal or Robert Redford.
4) James Remar
The Warriors is the ultimate street gang movie packed with a lot of ass kicking and super sexy guys that could get the women on board. To me The Warriors was to the female crowd that Charlie's Angels was to the male population. Of course I can't talk about this urban masterpiece without speaking of James Remar, who was the most memorable thing about the movie. His character Ajax was a bad ass, balls to the wall psycho who's recklessness ended up costing him his freedom in the end. Remar embodied the role and it is a crying shame that he didn't get the credit that he so deserved. Sure he's had some supportive roles in other mainstream movies like Cotton Club and 48 hrs but there were not as memorable as Ajax. With his rugged good looks and machismo attitude, he could been in the league with Mickey Rourke or Kurt Russell as an irresistible bad boy or action hero.
3) Malcolm McDowell
Speaking of bad boys, this one comes from the other side of the Atlantic. A Clockwork Orange is one of my favorite movies of all time and Malcolm McDowell gives one of the most chilling and captivating performances in film history and him not getting nominated for an Academy Award for it is the biggest mistake the Academy could have made. It baffles me that he wasn't offered more mainstream affair after the success of Kubrick's masterpiece. McDowell had an incredible range playing everything from an average coffee salesman caught in unfortunate events in O' Lucky Man to lighter affair as a dashing con artist in Richard Lester's underrated gem Royal Flash. Fortunately McDowell is back in the spotlight... somewhat but it makes me wonder if this handsome and tremendously talented actor would have rocketed to leading man stardom in his youth.
2) Bruce Campbell
To answer your question yes I am an Evil Dead fanatic as well as a Bruce Campbell fangirl. I have been since I first laid eyes on this handsome hunk back in 1993 when my dad rented Evil Dead 2, my first experience with the glory that is Evil Dead. In fact I remember my dad and I used to watch The Adventures of Brisco County Jr every Friday night back when it was on air. Yeah early teenage hormones mixed with the sight of Mr. Campbell in cowboy garb is enough to make any prepubescent girl swoon.This man needs no introduction for I'm sure all the fanboys... and fangirls are squealing with delight at the sound of Bruce's name. Bruce Campbell is the epitome of an all American super hero. Blessed with humor, charm and stunning good looks; it is a travesty that Bruce never achieved much star power in the mainstream world. He is the modern day answer to the likes of Gary Cooper and Cary Grant. He is so bad ass that my own husband proudly admits to having a man crush on Brucey baby, which is fine by me since I won't have to feel guilty every time I squeal when he makes an appearance on TV. Even though he hasn't exactly achieved star power as a mainstream leading man, I guess I should be grateful that there are plenty of die hard fans out there that know a man when they see one.
1) Michael Palin
I have recently been reintroduced to the genius that is Monty Python's Flying Circus thanks to my husband and have come to the conclusion of one thing; Michael Palin was absolutely the most beautiful man I have ever laid my eyes on! Sure he's still handsome nowadays and he's in the same bandwagon as Sean Connery and Jeremy Irons in older men that you'd still hop in the sack with. Sadly Palin never really received much mainstream welcome after Python's end. It really baffles me because Mr. Palin had high potential for being a desired leading man. He was charming, funny and absolutely gorgeous. The sparkling hazel eyes, the shimmering hair and most notably the most beautiful smile to graze a superb countenance. In my eyes he is the original irresistible English chap that you wanted to take home to meet mum and dad, long before Hugh Grant and Jude Law captivated American women with their English charm. I'd like to think what would have happened if Four Weddings and a Funeral were made fourty years ago and Palin was Charles. Or if Palin were the one that would play the title role of Alfie instead of Michael Caine. Sure Mr. Palin's had some memorable supporting roles later in life such as the sinister Jack Lint in Terry Gilliam's masterpiece Brazil or the stuttering and lovable Ken Pile in A Fish Called Wanda. I guess it's good to know that there are other people out there that feel the same way about this wonderful comic genius.
Well there's my picks for potential leading men from the past. Please feel free to add comments. Maybe even share who you think should be added to this list as well.
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