9. Eric Stoltz - Pulp Fiction
As Lance, Vincent Vega's (John Travolta) wiry drug dealer in 1994's Pulp Fiction, Stoltz created a terrific character and delivered a very memorable turn with little screen time. Caught in a frantic phone call from Vincent one night, Lance discovers that the latest stash of heroin he sold to him has caused Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) to overdose. What comes next is a scene of absolutely delirious tension anchored by Stoltz' comedic and unglued performance. In the scene's climax, Lance shows Vincent how to give the unconscious Mia an adrenaline shot to her heart to revive her, by showing him in a harried stabbing motion, ala Hitchcock's Psycho, which generates one of the film's most uncomfortable but biggest laughs. These days Eric Stoltz maintains a career as an actor as well as a director.