My Favorite Ed Harris Performances
 

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This Hollywood icon has been working since the 1970's bringing substance and intensity to every performance, even though he has very rarely been the star of the film. He always makes his presence known in every role, serving the story and never preventing a co-star from shining. His work has earned him five Golden Globe nominations, four Oscar nominations, and three Emmy nominations. These are my favorite performances of the severely underrated Ed Harris:

Wanted to let you know that there are a couple of films of his that I know I want on this list, but I'm going to have to re-watch them to decide exactly where they will place on my countdown, so this list is going to take a little more time than I usually take, so feel free to comment on what films you'd like to see come up,

I thought he was very good in Pollock (2000) about the abstract painter Jackson Pollock. He even looked the part. It was hard to watch though. Harris also directed.

Pollack was a hard watch, but a very good movie.

Re: My Favorite Ed Harris Performances
 

One of my favorite character actors, if not the favorite. Easily Top 3. He elevates anything he's in. The Rock is a great example of this, where he took what could've been a two-dimensional villain role and turned it into a more nuanced and complex character. Maybe more complex than any other character on the film.

As for overall favorite performances... Apollo 13 was a great one. The Truman Show, A History of Violence.

So glad to see someone mention A History of Violence...Harris was absolutely bone-chilling in that movie.

Glengarry Glen Ross, An Eye For An Eye, Absolute Power, The Hours and A Beautiful Mind stick out to me.

The Right Stuff
Knightriders
The Abyss
Under Fire
A Flash of Green
Creepshow

Re: My Favorite Ed Harris Performances
 

I'm sure Apollo 13 (1995) will be on the list! :)

I agree. But I've also seen him in a couple of films where they evidently expected that his acting prowess would elevate a poorly written character, but it didn't. In those roles he really seemed awkward. Either that, or he was miscast. I wish I could remember the films, but I'm blanking out.

Definitely. Not everybody bats 1000% :laugh: I think the last weak one where I saw him in was Geostorm, which I hated. But when i saw he was in, I thought, "Oh, he's gonna save this"... and then he didn't

STAND DOWN, CAPTAIN!!!:fire:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4pobX0ZnXI

25.

Man, Mother!

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Harris made the most of an underwritten role in this psychological thriller as an unwanted guest in the home of a famous poet (Jarvier Bardem) and his pregnant wife (Jennifer Lawrence).

24.

Rear Admiral Chester Cain, Top Gun: Maverick

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Even though he only had about five minutes of screentime, Harris still made an impression as the creepy commanding officer of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise), who decides to ground maverick after 30 years in the air, the move that kicks off the entire movie.

I hope Coma is on the list.

23.

Lyle, The Lost Daughter

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Harris made another small role a standout element of the film playing a lonely innkeeper trying to connect with one his guests, a vacationing schoolteacher (Oscar winner Olivia Colman) whose past is catching up to her present.

Re: My Favorite Ed Harris Performances
 

Besides all the fine films that have already been mentioned, I'd also suggest Sweet Dreams (1985) as a fine Ed Harris performance. Also Nixon (1995) as E. Howard Hunt.

I've actually never seen Nixon, but Sweet Dreams will definitely be on this list.

Nixon had 4 Oscar nominations, might be worth watching...especially if you ever do an Anthony Hopkins favorite performances.

I sorta wanna see Nixon and got scared when I went to the IMDB and saw how long it was.

Re: My Favorite Ed Harris Performances
 

You would really miss out on something special not seeing Nixon. One of my favorite Oliver Stone movies and features a breathtakingly brilliant performance by Anthony Hopkins. Trust me, those 3 hours will feel like nothing.

I don't know, most Oliver Stone films are longer than they need to be and I can't think of one where I wasn't checking my watch.

I can't promise you'll love Nixon, but it's not so much about the politics...it's much more focused on the personalities. It's very much and actor's movie. I think you'd be surprised at how much you'd like it. It's a lot better than JFK and not at all the same type of movie. I didn't care for JFK myself.

I loved JFK, so your argument for me watching this movie is getting weaker.

Ha, silly me:p Can I ask what Oliver Stone movie you were meaning?

Wow, you're not letting this go, are you? OK, off the top of my mind, I'm talking about Born on the Fourth of July, Any Given Sunday, Natural Born Killers, and World Trade Center, all films that I found myself checking my watch at some point.

22.

Coach Jones, Radio

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Harris is quietly effective as a football coach who helps to encourage a mentally challenged player (Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr).

21.

Jack Walsh, Swing Shift

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Harris brought the sensitive and sexy to this thankless role as a guy who joins the Navy right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor who returns from the war to learn his wife (Goldie Hawn) is having an affair with a musician (Kurt Russell).

20.

Miles Roby, Empire Falls

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Harris was memorable in this HBO miniseries as a restaurant owner at the center of the decaying industry occurring in his small town. Harris held his own with a powerhouse all-star cast including Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Aiden Quinn, William Fichtner, Robin Wright, and Helen Hunt

19.

Tom, Milk Money

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Harris was cast purely for his hunk appeal in this romantic comedy playing a widower who falls in love with a prostitute (Melanie Griffith) even though he doesn't know she's a prostitute.

18.

Sheriff Alan Pangborn, Needful Things

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In this thriller based on a Stephen King novel, Harris plays a level-headed, small town sheriff who finds his town being methodically destroyed by a mysterious shopkeeper (Max Von Sydow)

Re: My Favorite Ed Harris Performances
 

I've always liked Ed Harris. Kinda like George C. Scott. They don't get mentioned, but they're always good.


I have "Glengary Glen Ross" on VHS, and after only seeing it in my late teens, I thought I'd watch it again. Boy, what a letdown! My memory was "great cast, good writing", but I didn't like the writing at all this time (probably because I've seen so many movies since), but I really liked Ed Harris, despite alan arkin being nothing more than his echo. Lots of characters, but he seemed to be my main focus.


"Jackknife" left an impression on me, in regards to his acting. Might have been the first movie of his I saw, because I was about 17 when I rented it out, just picking it up because De Niro was in it, and came away liking Ed Harris' acting more, despite his character not being very likable.

I am planning on watching Jackknife before completing this list.

17.

Mack McCann, An Eye for An Eye

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Harris brings some real meat to this seemingly thankless role as a contractor whose teenage stepdaughter is brutally raped and murdered. The psychopath who committed the crime (Keifer Sutherand) is brought to justice but gets off on a technicality. This enrages Mack's wife, Karen (Sally Field) to the point where she initiates a plan to bring the guy to justice, but leaves Mack out of the process.

Re: My Favorite Ed Harris Performances
 

So far I haven't seen any of these Ed Harris movies. If you ever do Favorite Rhonda Fleming movies then I'll be able to comment.

Don't hold your breath waiting for a favorite Rhonda Fleming films list...I can't even name a Rhonda Fleming movie.

I was joking of course, but I do like her, she wasn't in many great films but had a good screen presences.

16.

Luke Harrison, Stepmom

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Harris makes the most of an often hard to sympathize with character. Luke is a divorced contractor and father of two who has just begun a relationship with a glamorous fashion photographer (Julia Roberts) that becomes hopelessly complicated when Luke's ex-wife (Susan Sarandon) learns she is dying.

This is funny because I had the exact opposite experience...

I went to see Glengarry Glen Ross when it was released in the early 90's at the movie theater with a friend. All I could think was; this was my friend's pick - he always wanted to see something artsy or intellectual or avante garde! ;)

Despite the cast, I pretty much didn't like it (and I don't think I'd even heard of Kevin Spacey before that).

Jump ahead 20-some years and I caught it on TV... I couldn't pull myself away. I kept thinking, "Why did I dislike this? It's freaking awesome!!!" ;)

Re: My Favorite Ed Harris Performances
 

Love Ed Harris, reminds me of my all time favourite actor Gene Hackman in a sense that he looks like a real man, balding, always looked his age, but with an enormous presence.

Re: My Favorite Ed Harris Performances
 

This is quite unusual with ordinary folks, much less Hollywood types: Ed Harris has been married to Amy Madigan for 39 years.

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15.

Dave Moss, Glengarry Glen Ross

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Harris gets credit for not fading into the wallpaper working with the powerhouse ensemble cast crafted for this spectacular film version of David Mamet's play about a group of salesmen who have been put on notice by corporate to improve their sales or pink slips are going to start going out. Things get tense for the salesman when a primary set of leads considered guaranteed sales mysteriously disappear.

Re: My Favorite Ed Harris Performances
 

Kinda expected this one to be higher, to be honest.

Harris is an actor I always seem to like in a role, but at the same time, he's someone you can count on being the surprise villain 90% of the time.

14.

Wayne Lomax, Places in the Heart

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Harris made the most of his role in this Oscar winning drama playing the married brother of Edna (Sally Field) who initiates a relationship with a lonely teacher (Harris' real life spouse, Amy Madigan).

13.

Seth Frank, Absolute Power

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Harris held his own with some Hollywood heavyweights playing a police detective assigned to the case when it comes to light that a career criminal (Cint Eastwood) who has evidence that would incriminate the POTUS (Gene Hackman) in a murder and its cover up by his staff.

12.

Howard Hunt, Nixon

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Harris made another thankless shine in this epic look at our 37th president, playing one of the original Watergate burglars. For my money, Harris has the best line in the entire movie.

Re: My Favorite Ed Harris Performances
 

I'm glad you wanted Nixon, I thought you might like it.

It took me four days to do it, but yes, Citizen, I really enjoyed it...thank you for the nudge to watch it.

I should watch Nixon again, and JFK too. It's been a long time since I seen them.

11.

Wayne Tarrance, The Firm

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Harris brought the creepy to this performance playing a federal agent who is pressuring a young hotshot attorney (Tom Cruise) into helping him bring down the firm he works for, who are implicated in the deaths of two other attorneys.

10.

William Walker, Walker

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Harris' performance is the best thing about this pretentious and confusing war epic about the legendary mercenary who accepts an assignment to lead a military troop into Nicaragua and take over the country. This movie was so bizarre, but Harris is so good I had to include it on the list.

9.

Dave, Jacknife

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Harris offers one of his most explosive performances as an alcoholic Vietnam vet who is having trouble adjusting to life back home while trying to remain friends with a fellow vet (Robert De Niro) who is taking the connection they made back in Nam a lot more seriously than Dave is.

He defo was. He was a perfect match opposite Viggo. I think im gonna watch that movie right now :) thanks for remind me of this great movie and performance of Ed :)

8.

Gene Kranz, Apollo 13

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Harris earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his grounded yet vivid performance as the mission control supervisor in charge on ground for the seemingly doomed Apollo 13 passengers.

7.

Carl Fogarty, A History of Violence

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Harris was bone-chilling in this movie as a disfigured wiseguy who arrives in a small town to track down the guy who disfigured him (Viggo Mortensen) who has assumed a new identity and started a brand new life.

6.

Charlie Dick, Sweet Dreams

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Harris lit up the screen here as the sexy, sexist, and often abusive husband of country music legend Patsy Cline (Jessica Lange)

5.

John Glenn, The Right Stuff

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Harris held his own as part of an amazing all-star cast as the emotional heart of the Mercury 7 space team, John Glenn

4.

Jackson Pollack, Pollack

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Ed Harris actually made his film directorial debut and earned himself his first Best actor Oscar nomination in the process playing the alcoholic, issue-laden abstract artist of the 1940's.

3.

Richard Brown, The Hours

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Harris earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for this brilliant and theatrical performance as a gay, suicidal writer dying of AIDS, trying to unravel the relationship with his e-lover and with his BFF and caregiver (Meryl Streep). Harris is absolutely heartbreaking in this movie.

2.

Bud Brigman, The Abyss

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Harris brought real substance to this near flawless melange of action/adventure and the supernatural playing the leader of a team of divers who, while in the midst of a recue mission, has a close encounter of the supernatural kind.



Well, that' # 2...any true Ed Harris film already knows what # 1 is, so I will dispense with honorable mentions and go ahead with my #1 favorite Ed Harris performance:

1.

Christof, The Truman Show

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Harris was robbed of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor of 1998, completely commanding the screen as he never did in this iconic dramatic fantasy playing the creative force behind the life of one Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey), a young man who has no idea that his entire life has been manufactured to be the subject of a 24/7 television show created and directed by Christof. Harris is simultaneously sensitive and bone-chilling in this role of a contemporary Christ figure who knows when to use his immense power and when to use his compassion. I get chills every time he utters the best line in the movie: "Cue the sun."







Hope someone enjoyed the list.

No need to apologize, different strokes, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Sorry, I deleted my post. It didn't seem right to add my comment about one movie, The Truman Show, to a great thread.

I have no problem with that, it's OK.