Bill Nighy: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

By Dan Woburn / February 5, 2016

It's thanks to Richard Curtis that Bill Nighy broke into the mainstream, after two decades spent languishing on TV, going from prestige drama to prestige drama in the hallowed halls of the Beeb where he was pretty much wasted. He really broke out in Hollywood thanks to Richard Curtis making him the heart and soul of Love Actually, and in turn we've been gifted twelve years of aloof, dry-witted older gents and curt yet well-spoken villains. Unfortunately, there are an alarming amount of instances where the character actor's particular charms appear to be on autopilot and his performances sometimes have the tendency to fall a mite flat. That's not to say that we haven't had our fair share of great Nighy performances; there are a few notable ones that don't make this list, but are deserving of an honourable mention. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, for example, is a fairly breezy movie, elevated by the sincerity with which its cast tackle the material, Nighy especially. That's why it's a shame that there's a number of films where it seems he's turned up just for the paycheck; especially considering the amount of good films out there that could use a phoned-in Bill Nighy performance better than a bad film could. To celebrate his role as Sergeant Wilson in the Dad Army's movie revival, here's a look at five of Nighy's best and five of his worst after the jump!