The worst final roles for actors before they died?

[Fat Spanish Waiter]

I thought the Raul Julia thing was him basically doing some stuff for his kids to see while he was still able to act? Same with the two Addams Family movies.

[Craig H]

First thing that came to mind was Paul Newman in Cars.

[Johnny Sorrow]

First thing that came to mind was Paul Newman in Cars.

But he's great in Cars.

[Ryan]

Raul Julia's last work is apparently something called Down Came a Blackbird.

[Big Fresh]

 

Since Raul Julia was already mentioned, Orson Welles in that Transformers cartoon.

Transformers: The Movie is great. And the Street Fighter movie sucked, but man did Raul Julia give it all he had. 

 

 

That's an interesting point. The topic didn't say "worst movies", it said "worst roles". And Raul was damn good as Bison. Even though everything around him was utter dogshit.

 

And I vote Big McLargehuge gets the banhammer for that Transformers comment.

 

Bah weep gragnah weep nini bong!

[Big Fresh]

Unicron: I have summoned you here for a purpose.

Megatron: Nobody summons Megatron.

Unicron: Then it pleases me to be the first.

 

God damn. I gotta watch that again tonight.

[Victator]

When my nephew was four he sobbed uncontrollably when Prime died. He hugged me and said he was sad. I asked he was sad about Megatron and Star Scream. He said they were bad guys and deserved to die. That kid is ice cold. Transformers was both a great series finale and pilot at the same. Even if the last season never quite met its potential. 

[Brian Fowler]

Somebody insulted Transformers the Movie.  Several people defended it.  Several people are correct.  That movie FUCKING RULES.  (For the record, I have it scored 5/5 on Rotten Tomatoes...)

[JRV]

I was just thinking about Raul Julia this morning, and here is this thread popping up on the front page right after I log in.

 

Creepy. And kooky.

[Ellsworth Toohey]

Transformers: The Movie was technically the last movie Orson Welles worked on, but the obscure indie movie Someone to Love was released a year after Transformers in 1987.

 

It's a fairly pretentious film about a heartbroken movie director who films people at a party who offer their views on love and romance, with Welles offering his views on the subject, but it's a better sendoff than Transformers.

 

(And I like Transformers, so don't lump me in with the guys who ripped on it)

[RIPPA]

I think Raul Julia as M. Bison in Street Fighter may be the right answer despite the amount of retro love that Street Fighter gets.

We talked about this on the last board - I think in the Slumming Actor thread - where the story behind why Julia did Street Fighter makes me never ever want to put him in this category.

[Matt D]

 

no I'm 36

 

to this day the greatest experience I've ever had in a movie theater was seeing Transformers: The Movie as a kid

 

If you're a member of GenX, Transformers: The Movie was truly a seminal experience.

 

If you're in a room full of guys ages 34-42, I'm pretty sure you can ask, "Remember when Optimus Prime died?" and not only would every one know what you're talking about, they'd remember when and where they watched the movie for the first time.

 

And then there'd be a reenactment with one guy jumping up and going "ONE SHALL STAND! ONE SHALL FALL!" and so on.

[Matt D]

 

First thing that came to mind was Paul Newman in Cars.

But he's great in Cars.

 

Some days I feel bad for Johnny. We have to frustrate him each and every day but there's probably nowhere on the internet that he'd be frustrated less.

 

"Why can't you squares just LIKE stuff?" 

 

At least we like some things Johnny. At least we like some things.

[Cristobal]

The term used is "the worst final role". The role of M. Bison in the Street Fighter movie was, like every other role in that movie, incredibly stupid. That the performance is remembered fondly is a testament to the depth of Juliá's talent as an actor that he single-handedly elevated the movie whenever he was on screen. Take Juliá out of that role and replace it with generic action movie villain #9 and the entire movie would be forgotten.

[humanhorrorfilm]

 

I think Raul Julia as M. Bison in Street Fighter may be the right answer despite the amount of retro love that Street Fighter gets.

We talked about this on the last board - I think in the Slumming Actor thread - where the story behind why Julia did Street Fighter makes me never ever want to put him in this category.

 

 

 

What story is this?  I'd really be curious.

[J.T.]

I think his kids were huge fans of the game so he took the role so that his children could see him dressed up as the iconic M.Bison.  He took the role knowing that he had terminal stomach cancer and knew he was going to die soon, but he died from a stroke before succumbing to cancer.

 

I say it was the worst role because Street Fighter is such a horrible movie and not because of Raul's performance which is actually pretty fucking spectacular; far better than that movie deserved.

[Elsalvajeloco]

Was it his kids or grandkids? I was actually looking at a list last week with the exact same subject matter and it said that it was actually for his grandkids.

[Control]

Excluding voice work, Sean Connery ended his career with THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. And apparently turned down the role of Gandalf (despite being offered a cut of the revenue) because he didn't understand the story.

 

Other fun Connery trivia (via IMDB): "Connery stated in an interview that he was taking martial arts lessons and in the process angered the instructor who in turn broke his wrist. Connery stayed with the wrist broken for a number of years thinking it was only a minor pain... the instructor was Steven Seagal."

[Gonzalez]

 

First thing that came to mind was Paul Newman in Cars.

But he's great in Cars.

 

The original Cars is an extremely underrated Pixar movie.

[elizium]

The term used is "the worst final role". The role of M. Bison in the Street Fighter movie was, like every other role in that movie, incredibly stupid. That the performance is remembered fondly is a testament to the depth of Juliá's talent as an actor that he single-handedly elevated the movie whenever he was on screen. Take Juliá out of that role and replace it with generic action movie villain #9 and the entire movie would be forgotten.

 

Well, not completely forgotten.

 

 

Transformers was both a great series finale and pilot at the same. Even if the last season never quite met its potential. 

 

The last season (not counting the aborted Headmasters season) was actually my favourite. The stories seemed bigger and I loved the down on their luck Decepticons trying to survive and Rodimus trying to live up to Optimus' legacy. The main problem was that they rushed Optimus' return, I know why they did it, but that really should have waited at least a year.

[Death From Above]

Thank Christ Connery wasn't in the LoTR films.

 

Of course I actually *like* those movies so I'm probably some sort of nerd worthy of scorn or something.

[Cristobal]

Are you going to argue that you're NOT some sort of nerd worthy of scorn?

[Death From Above]

It's DVDVR so I suppose any of us trying to pull that stunt would be on rather thin ice yeah.

[piranesi]

 

 

Other fun Connery trivia (via IMDB): "Connery stated in an interview that he was taking martial arts lessons and in the process angered the instructor who in turn broke his wrist. Connery stayed with the wrist broken for a number of years thinking it was only a minor pain... the instructor was Steven Seagal."

 

Breaking an old man's wrist on purpose is the Steven Seagaliest thing.

 

[seagal]I AM THE LEGEND KILLAH!!!![/seagal]

[JMFabiano]

 

Transformers was both a great series finale and pilot at the same. Even if the last season never quite met its potential. 

 

The last season (not counting the aborted Headmasters season) was actually my favourite. The stories seemed bigger and I loved the down on their luck Decepticons trying to survive and Rodimus trying to live up to Optimus' legacy. The main problem was that they rushed Optimus' return, I know why they did it, but that really should have waited at least a year.

 

In some ways, it could have been TF's version of the Super Powers Team season of the Superfriends, with the more serious (almost darker, at times) stories.  I chalk up the lack of respect to the frequent animation errors of that season.  Also wonder if kids at the time were put off by the new characters and by things being too "futuristic"?  (IMO, the first two series of Transformers toys were the best of G1 because of their mostly realistic alt modes)