10 Actors Who Are Certifiably Insane

Cinema is a crazy business, and as a result, it's none too surprising that it attracts a lot of crazy people. To be fair, who's to know whether these people were mental before showing up at Hollywood's doorstep, or if the nature of the industry turned them that way, but one thing's for sure, they're all as mad as mad can be. At least in Hollywood these people will be paid for their insanity and endeavour to entertain us, whereas in the general public, the would be rounded up and sectioned, so it all works out for the best really. After exploring cinema's collection of crazy directors last week, I think it's time to turn towards actors, the stereotypically more ego-driven part of the filmmaking equation. Either through their questionable on-set antics or their chequered personal lives, and regardless of how much they might play up to their image, here are 10 actors who, without question, are certifiably insane...

10. Crispin Glover

002 Crispin Glover is best known to audiences for his appearances as Marty McFly's father George in the first Back to the Future film, though he has built something of a name for himself ever since as one of the all-time Kings of Weird. His appearance on David Letterman in 1987 made him almost as famous as for his film work; he came to the interview dressed in a wig and platform shoes as a character from the film Rubin and Ed, which wouldn't be released until around 4 years later. Clover kicked up into the air near Letterman's face at one point, causing the host to famously walk off his own show. Though his subsequent appearances on Letterman were perfectly normal, there's no doubting the guy's eccentricity (if we're being polite); in 2005, he self-funded an independent film called What Is It? in which all of the major parts aside from Clover's were played by people with Down's Syndrome. The film has never been officially released, though Glover does tour the film around the US from time to time. Pretty much every film role he gets these days is of the token weirdo; indeed, as he gets older, he's looking to settle into the "crazy old man" typecasting he's been destined for his whole career.
 
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Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.