Remember the good ol’ days when the Batman franchise was populated by thespians like Chris O’Donnell and Pat Hingle? Since a lot of what we do here is pull up random stats to support vague notions (at least that’s what I do) I thought it might make an interesting to filler to collect some basic info cataloging the acting chops of The Dark Knight’s illustrious cast.¬† Talent like this (also on display in Iron Man) continues to reinforce an impression I’m feeling more and more this summer. The boringest parts of an action movie are often the action sequences. The special effects kick in, and part of my brain switches off. That’s why the seamless CGI-light effects of The Dark Knight have me especially jazzed for the emotional connective tissue that holds the action muscle together.
- Christian Bale – 8 wins & 15 noms
- Heath Ledger – 1 Oscar nom. Another 13 wins & 28 noms
- Aaron Eckhart – 1 Golden Globe nom. Another 2 wins & 3 noms
- Michael Caine – 2 Oscar wins. Another 25 wins & 36 noms
- Maggie Gyllenhaal – 2 Golden Globes noms. Another 13 wins & 14 noms
- Gary Oldman – 1 Primetime Emmy nom. Another 9 wins & 15 noms
- Morgan Freeman – 1 Oscar win. Another 32 wins & 27 noms
- Cillian Murphy – 1 Golden Globe nom. Another 2 wins & 20 noms
- Eric Roberts – 1 Oscar nom. Another 2 wins & 4 noms
[cut-n-paste source: IMDb Yeah, I know. Boring late-night ride on the Gotham City EL, next stop Geek Street, right? How about some eye-candy after the cut?]
I’m a huge Oldman fan too. It saddens me that he no longer commands interesting lead performances. Other wonderful turns by him include those in Romeo is Bleeding, True Romance, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, and Dracula.
Dan I think that picture looks exactly like Christian Bale. It’s the one that populates my dreams.
Now then, while I completely agree that the talent level has amped up in recent outings of (some) super hero films, I feel sorry about your use of Pat Hingle as the anti-talent example. Pat Hingle has been a fixture on TV and movies since the 1960s and is going strong at 84 even today. He is a reliable, journeyman actor, and I never once questioned the quality of his work when I’d see him onscreen, big or small. Pat always struck me as an actor who made choices in his career that didn’t always land him in the high profile, award attention productions, but that he always had that potential.
Hold Pat Hingle’s work up to his peers like Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine if you will, but please don’t pale this man’s record of work with people like Aaron Eckhart and Eric Roberts.
Yeah it’s shameful. SID AND NANCY, PRICK UP YOUR EARS, STATE OF GRACE, THE CONTENDER all should have reaped him nods, not to mention my favorite over the top bad guy of all time: THE PROFESSIONAL.
Bale is also underrepresented, as he was the Best Actor of the Year in 2000 for AMERICAN PSYCHO and should have been nominated last year for either RESCUE DAWN or 3:10 TO YUMA. Perhaps his potential work in Herzog’s THE PIANO TUNER could do it for him, if and when that happens.
Gary Oldman should have at least four Oscar nominations… it’s a shame the Academy refuses to recognize him.
Sorry guys, but that is BALE for a fact, he’s just buffed up for DARK KNIGHT and next year’s TERMINATOR SALVATION.*
Nice by-the-numbers Ryan…wait, you spoiled a certain cameo for DARK KNIGHT? 🙂
*=Teaser I believe is booked in front of TDK, and hey its cool that Bale is getting a reported $12+ million payday for his several years of kicking ass acting-wise the old school way….making people and assholes take fuckin notice of him. Too bad SALVATION was fucked as a movie the day that McG signed on as director. Oh well…
Yeah Ryan, what’s the deal with posting your own photo on Bale’s body?
I would just like to say that that photo does not look like Christian Bale. At all.