Languish.org

Inspired by the "best gridiron player turned actor" thread. We are talking real mountains of muscle here, not just fit dudes, who exploited such physiques during their movie career.

The requisite is that they must have based their careers in exploiting their physiques. So no Tom Hardy, Hugh Jackman or Mark Wahlberg, which are buff actors but who have a built a body* of work outside of appearing shirtless in movie posters.

*I'm so good at puns, am I not?

(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fak-hdl.buzzfed.com%2Fstatic%2F2015-05%2F22%2F14%2Fimagebuzz%2Fwebdr04%2Fanigif_optimized-25705-1432319404-14.gif&hash=40190ba494ff1178efc757efb32e929080cbf398)

Personally, I'm going with Clarke Duncan. I think he was a fine actor that never got many chances to showcase it (besides Green Mile) because of his hulking physique.

Duncan, easily, though I'm not even entirely sure he belongs on your list--the other guys are mostly known for action movies, and those aren't really what he's known for.  Other than Duncan, probably Stallone.

I'd also say that a lot of these guys, maybe because of their build, are actually under-rated as actors, except Lundgren (who is a really smart guy, but not much of an actor IMO) and maybe Ferrigno (who I've not seen in anything except the old Hulk TV series, where he didn't even get any dialogue).

Why not Arnold? He had some dramatic roles and wasn't too bad at them.

I almost left out Ferrigno because his career was really short and he didn't even speak in his most famous role. But he's probably one of the buffest actors ever so I kinda felt I had to put him in.

Clarke Duncan almost always played bouncers/hitmen/etc... despite not really being a leading action man. His physique really drove his career.

One of the first things I noticed about Sin City 2 was that Dennis Haysbert wasn't nearly as intimidating as Duncan in that role.

Quote from: Martinus on March 25, 2016, 04:42:19 PM
Why not Arnold? He had some dramatic roles and wasn't too bad at them.

Fun fact, I grew up thinking Arnie was a great actor. The man that voiced him in Spanish dubs had a deep, imposing, baritone voice (he also voiced Darth Vader for example) and was a pretty decent actor himself. Imagine my surprise when I bought my Terminator 2 DVD in the mid-90s and I set the English track to hear him talk for the first time; my world was shattered :lol:

Quote from: garbon on March 25, 2016, 04:38:58 PM
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fak-hdl.buzzfed.com%2Fstatic%2F2015-05%2F22%2F14%2Fimagebuzz%2Fwebdr04%2Fanigif_optimized-25705-1432319404-14.gif&hash=40190ba494ff1178efc757efb32e929080cbf398)

Man, you really let yourself go Garbon.

If I had to choose which I liked the most, I would have gone with Dolph Lundren. But as the question is about which is the best, I have to go with Ah-nold.

Quote from: Razgovory on March 25, 2016, 05:12:23 PM
Man, you really let yourself go Garbon.

:lol:

Big, bold and beautiful. :angry:

Well, big anyway.

Arnold, hands down.  He is the archetype.  All others merely followed, even Sly.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on March 25, 2016, 06:26:38 PM
Arnold, hands down.  He is the archetype.  All others merely followed, even Sly.

I got to agree, especially when it's stipulated that muscular actors who can really act don't count.

Vin probably has the highest IQ on the list.

David Prowse -

(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.huffpost.com%2Fgen%2F1454319%2Fthumbs%2Fo-DAVE-PROWSE-570.jpg%3F1&hash=e5b8bd14ec6e3bb0a34b66852a7c473f01c6612f)

Quote from: MadImmortalMan on March 25, 2016, 06:51:25 PM
Vin probably has the highest IQ on the list.

Isn't that Dolph?

Sly is supposed to be highly intelligent too.

Quote from: celedhring on March 25, 2016, 07:01:41 PM
Sly is supposed to be highly intelligent too.

The man gets sold quite a bit short on that front, rather unfairly IMHO.

Quote from: Peter Wiggin on March 25, 2016, 06:50:44 PM
I got to agree, especially when it's stipulated that muscular actors who can really act don't count.

But Sly is an excellent actor, and surprisingly versatile. He best showcased it in Oscar and even in First Blood, which is really a psychological thriller than an action flick.

Quote from: Drakken on March 25, 2016, 07:20:54 PM

Quote from: Peter Wiggin on March 25, 2016, 06:50:44 PM
I got to agree, especially when it's stipulated that muscular actors who can really act don't count.

But Sly is an excellent actor, and surprisingly versatile. He best showcased it in Oscar and even in First Blood, which is really a psychological thriller than an action flick.

Yeah, just cast a vote for him and am stunned it's the only one.

Quote from: Drakken on March 25, 2016, 07:20:54 PM

Quote from: Peter Wiggin on March 25, 2016, 06:50:44 PM
I got to agree, especially when it's stipulated that muscular actors who can really act don't count.

But Sly is an excellent actor, and surprisingly versatile. He best showcased it in Oscar and even in First Blood, which is really a psychological thriller than an action flick.

I think Copland was his best.

Dolph is awesome in so many ways but he's not a great actor. Voted Stallone, but I don't feel he really belongs on the list.

Quote from: 11B4V on March 25, 2016, 07:32:50 PM
I think Copland was his best.

Copland was arguably his best acting since the original Rocky;  but as his career winds down, he's definitely been demonstrating substantially more range (the final Rambo, Creed) almost to the point of making you ask, "Where the hell has THIS Stallone been all this time?"

Either Arnold Schwarzenegger or Stallone.  The trouble with Arnold is that the Chinese translation contains seven characters, and most Chinese names have only 2-4 characters.  In Chinese custom, the translated name usually only contains the last name.  In his case, Schwarzenegger is already five characters long.  Somehow the powers that be insist that his first name be added to an already long, 5-character name. 

Stallone's name is only 3 characters long in Chinese, but it is a really good translation - Si Tai Long.  Si is a real Chinese surname.  Tai is the name of the most mighty mountain in ancient China.  Long is dragon.  It is a very powerful sounding name and also easy to remember. 

I have to go with the governor of California though.  That's just awesome. 

Quote from: Monoriu on March 25, 2016, 08:21:17 PM
Stallone's name is only 3 characters long in Chinese, but it is a really good translation - Si Tai Long.  Si is a real Chinese surname.  Tai is the name of the most mighty mountain in ancient China.  Long is dragon.  It is a very powerful sounding name and also easy to remember. 

That is not a really good translation. His name doesn't mean Mountain-dragon, it means the first private area when you enter a restroom. Stall One. (Actually it's Italian for stallion, so you should be using something horsey).

Quote from: celedhring on March 25, 2016, 07:01:41 PM
Isn't that Dolph?

Sly is supposed to be highly intelligent too.

Dolph went to MIT or some such, didn't he?

E:  Oh.  "Just" a Fulbright Scholarship to MIT, didn't actually go there. 

You have to admit Arnold took what little he was given and made an incredible life out of it. I can't think of anyone more driven.

Quote from: 11B4V on March 25, 2016, 07:32:50 PM

Quote from: Drakken on March 25, 2016, 07:20:54 PM

Quote from: Peter Wiggin on March 25, 2016, 06:50:44 PM
I got to agree, especially when it's stipulated that muscular actors who can really act don't count.

But Sly is an excellent actor, and surprisingly versatile. He best showcased it in Oscar and even in First Blood, which is really a psychological thriller than an action flick.

I think Copland was his best.

I agree, but still don't think he was actually good.  He's just not an actor.  A star, maybe, but no actor.  Think of what  Philip Seymour Hoffman could have done with Stallone's role in Copland.

Dolph is a god. Anyone voting for anyone else is either trolling this poll or an idiot.

Not only is he powerful and beautiful, he is very smart, a master chemist and mixologist. Some thugs also broke into his house, realized who they were playing, and took their dishonest asses straight up out of there before Dolph educated them on honesty.

Quote from: grumbler on March 25, 2016, 11:14:39 PM

Quote from: 11B4V on March 25, 2016, 07:32:50 PM

Quote from: Drakken on March 25, 2016, 07:20:54 PM

Quote from: Peter Wiggin on March 25, 2016, 06:50:44 PM
I got to agree, especially when it's stipulated that muscular actors who can really act don't count.

But Sly is an excellent actor, and surprisingly versatile. He best showcased it in Oscar and even in First Blood, which is really a psychological thriller than an action flick.

What a great actor he was.

I think Copland was his best.

I agree, but still don't think he was actually good.  He's just not an actor.  A star, maybe, but no actor.  Think of what  Philip Seymour Hoffman could have done with Stallone's role in Copland.

Quote from: 11B4V on March 26, 2016, 12:42:22 AM

Quote from: grumbler on March 25, 2016, 11:14:39 PM

Quote from: 11B4V on March 25, 2016, 07:32:50 PM

Quote from: Drakken on March 25, 2016, 07:20:54 PM

Quote from: Peter Wiggin on March 25, 2016, 06:50:44 PM
I got to agree, especially when it's stipulated that muscular actors who can really act don't count.

But Sly is an excellent actor, and surprisingly versatile. He best showcased it in Oscar and even in First Blood, which is really a psychological thriller than an action flick.

What a great actor he was.

I think Copland was his best.

I agree, but still don't think he was actually good.  He's just not an actor.  A star, maybe, but no actor.  Think of what  Philip Seymour Hoffman could have done with Stallone's role in Copland.

Steve Reeves, since nobody mentioned him and he was actually arguably the very first musclebound actor to be famous.

Schwarzenegger

Quote from: Duque de Bragança on March 26, 2016, 05:09:55 AM
Steve Reeves, since nobody mentioned him and he was actually arguably the very first musclebound actor to be famous.

He was so bad his voice was dubbed in most of his films  :lol:

I cut him out because to my knowledge he never made a Hollywood film, besides some jobs as an extra. Probably I shouldn't have, you're right that he was the first and he was very famous in Europe. Dunno about the US.

However, one could claim that the first famous muscular actor was Johnny Weissmuller, although he definitely would look pudgy by today's muscleman standards (or compared to Reeves).

What about Victor Mature, then?

Quote from: The Larch on March 26, 2016, 08:52:33 AM
What about Victor Mature, then?

Weissmuller came before, and he was fitter than Mature. Mature was a terrible actor anyway.

But yeah, he could've been added to the poll. I just wanted to keep it at 10 items.

Surprised to see Ahnuld sweeping this, by the way. He's certainly the most popular, but Stallone and Duncan are imho easily better actors. I also rate The Rock quite a bit, too. He had some decent roles early in his career, before he went full Hollywood blockbuster.

Stallone had a very good part in "Copland".

I voted Carl Weathers, because he was in "Arrested Development".  :sleep:

Drake Tungsten.

Quote from: celedhring on March 26, 2016, 09:32:02 AM
Surprised to see Ahnuld sweeping this, by the way. He's certainly the most popular, but Stallone and Duncan are imho easily better actors. I also rate The Rock quite a bit, too. He had some decent roles early in his career, before he went full Hollywood blockbuster.

I voted for The Rock, he's a pretty good comedic actor IMO, but as you say he's quite pidgeon holed as a hulking action star, which I guess is the most lucrative career path for him.

Quote from: Norgy on March 26, 2016, 10:17:40 AM


I voted Carl Weathers, because he was in "Arrested Development".  :sleep:

Weather's was good towards the end run of In the Heat of the Night.

Quote from: Duque de Bragança on March 26, 2016, 05:09:55 AM
Steve Reeves, since nobody mentioned him and he was actually arguably the very first musclebound actor to be famous.

Not abysmal enough.

Quote from: celedhring on March 26, 2016, 05:26:48 AM
However, one could claim that the first famous muscular actor was Johnny Weissmuller, although he definitely would look pudgy by today's muscleman standards (or compared to Reeves).

I was wondering why he wasn't on the list.  Also potential options:  Ving Rhames and Bruce Lee.

Bruce Lee was hardly musclebound.  Yes, he was extremely fit, but he was wiry, pretty much the opposite of musclebound.

Quote from: dps on March 27, 2016, 11:58:27 AM
Bruce Lee was hardly musclebound.  Yes, he was extremely fit, but he was wiry, pretty much the opposite of musclebound.

I suppose.  I was thinking more along the lines of getting the parts due to his martial arts background initially.  Van Damme is listed and he was closer to a Lee build than an Ahnold one when he broke onto the scene.  It was only later he added a lot of muscle mass.

Quote from: celedhring on March 25, 2016, 04:43:30 PM
I almost left out Ferrigno because his career was really short and he didn't even speak in his most famous role. But he's probably one of the buffest actors ever so I kinda felt I had to put him in.

Clarke Duncan almost always played bouncers/hitmen/etc... despite not really being a leading action man. His physique really drove his career.

He was great in one of his last roles, on a short-lived spinoff of Bones called The Finder.  Everybody assumed he was the bodyguard because of his size, but he was actually the lead's attorney.  It was a neat gimmick for a show- a PTSD'ed vet who didn't believe in anything supernatural and yet had an unexplained clairvoyant ability to "find" just about anything he was hired to dig up.  Unfortunately for all involved, the lead actor and the episodic writing in general phoned it in to the point that it wasn't renewed for a second season.

Other than that, I'd have to go with Sly Stallone.  His partial paralysis affecting his ability to visibly emote, one wonders what he'd be able to pull off without it.

Based on your definition, I could have voted for any of the first 4, but I went with the current one (The Rock), not the dinosaurs.

I'm not quite sure how to answer, as Arnold was in his prime the epitome of the Hollywood action hero and defined the archetype that all of the others tried to emulate.

However, he's not that great of an *actor* aside from his comedic talent... like, he was laughably bad in End of Days when he tried to act in dramatic parts.

Stallone is actually a surprisingly good actor and IMO should have won Best Actor for Rocky in 1976 (though the guy who won, Peter Finch, also had an amazing performance for Network that year so I don't exactly think Stallone was robbed).

I think I will have to vote for Arnold because he created the genre single-handedly, but Stallone is far and away a more talented actor.

I don't think Stallone is that good; all his characters remind me of Rocky.

Quote from: Peter Wiggin on March 28, 2016, 02:32:08 PM
I don't think Stallone is that good; all his characters remind me of Rocky.

All of Joe Pesci's characters are pretty much the same too yet everyone seems to think he's a great actor. :hmm:

Van Damme, based only on JCVD. I recall reading that he thinks the language barrier kept him from acting well, and after seeing the movie I'm inclined to believe him.

Quote from: Maladict on March 28, 2016, 02:47:32 PM
Van Damme, based only on JCVD. I recall reading that he thinks the language barrier kept him from acting well, and after seeing the movie I'm inclined to believe him.

:yes: That's why Max von Sydow could never put in a great performance in international movies.

Sure. Just let me rephrase.

Quote from: Maladict on March 28, 2016, 02:47:32 PM
I recall reading that he thinks Max von Sydow's language barrier kept him from acting well, and after seeing the movie I'm inclined to believe him.

Quote from: The Brain on March 28, 2016, 03:16:28 PM

Quote from: Maladict on March 28, 2016, 02:47:32 PM
Van Damme, based only on JCVD. I recall reading that he thinks the language barrier kept him from acting well, and after seeing the movie I'm inclined to believe him.

:yes: That's why Max von Sydow could never put in a great performance in international movies.

:mad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVTOag1lQHc

Didn't think JCVD was that great. It was just weird.

Quote from: Peter Wiggin on March 28, 2016, 02:32:08 PM
I don't think Stallone is that good; all his characters remind me of Rocky.

I'm with you.  Stallone was not a very good actor.  I can't think of a role that wouldn't have worked better with a better actor.

Now, Arnold was the same way, maybe even a bit worse, but he knew his limits (pretty much; End of Days, any one?).

Interestingly, both have won one Golden Globe and have been nominated for another.

Quote from: grumbler on March 28, 2016, 05:04:12 PM
Interestingly, both have won one Golden Globe and have been nominated for another.

Which in the case of Arnold is extremely weird. His "acting" in Stay Hungry is probably one of the worst. He's actually better in any of his 80s actioners than in that. I mean, he was pretty much a non-actor by then, and it completely shows; he's just a dude with a thick accent repeating memorized lines. Now, it was a "best male debut" GG, so there wasn't much competition.

Anyway, Stallone has two acting Oscar noms on top of his GG, so I think he has Arnie beat on that department at the very least.

I will give you this though; Arnie is a much better comedian. We aren't talking Woody Allen here, but he knows how to use his screen persona to get laughs. Stallone's comedic chops are the stuff nightmares are made of.

Voted Arnie but Jason Momoa might be a new addition to the list.

I thought Stallone's comedic acting was funny in Oscar and Demolition Man.

Could Bruce Willis be counted among these actors at his height during Die Hard 2?

Quote from: Solmyr on March 29, 2016, 09:14:40 AM
I thought Stallone's comedic acting was funny in Oscar and Demolition Man.

Demolition Man is an underrated jewel.

Quote from: The Larch on March 29, 2016, 09:40:34 AM

Quote from: Solmyr on March 29, 2016, 09:14:40 AM
I thought Stallone's comedic acting was funny in Oscar and Demolition Man.

Demolition Man is an underrated jewel.

Yes, good stuff. I'll never forget him cussing at the machine so it would give him a bunch of tickets so he could use it as toilet paper. :D

Quote from: lustindarkness on March 29, 2016, 10:01:16 AM

Quote from: The Larch on March 29, 2016, 09:40:34 AM

Quote from: Solmyr on March 29, 2016, 09:14:40 AM
I thought Stallone's comedic acting was funny in Oscar and Demolition Man.

Demolition Man is an underrated jewel.

Yes, good stuff. I'll never forget him cussing at the machine so it would give him a bunch of tickets so he could use it as toilet paper. :D

Sandra Bullock is great too in their scenes together.  :lol:

I see "Demolition Man" and raise you "Stop or my mom will shoot!", "Tango & Cash", "Oscar", "Avenging Angelo", all of which belong in the deepest pit of hell.

What is more, though, is that when Stallone tries to play the whole funny one-liner Arnie business in his actions flicks, it often falls flat. The Expendables flicks are way less funny than they should be, for example.

Incidentally, the writer of "Stop or my mother will shoot!" wrote a bestselling screenwriting manual. Go figure.

The Rock. Have you seen HBO's Ballers?

Quote from: celedhring on March 29, 2016, 10:09:25 AM
I see "Demolition Man" and raise you "Stop or my mom will shoot!", "Tango & Cash", "Oscar", "Avenging Angelo", all of which belong in the deepest pit of hell.

What is more, though, is that when Stallone tries to play the whole funny one-liner Arnie business in his actions flicks, it often falls flat. The Expendables flicks are way less funny than they should be, for example.

The best thing about Demolition Man is the setting, with Stallone playing a straight man of sorts as a fish out of the water in said setting. When the main focus is in him as in those other movies it's more cringeworthy indeed.

Quote from: Solmyr on March 29, 2016, 09:14:40 AM
I thought Stallone's comedic acting was funny in Oscar and Demolition Man.

Demolition Man? Sure. But Oscar, a bad Louis de Funès remake? Come on...

Oscar is a crappy film. As for Stallone's "comedy chops" in it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekD9oKkalTI

 :rolleyes: