10 Actors Who Transitioned From Comedy Stars To Dramatic Darlings

6. Billy Connolly

Shouty, foul-mouthed Scottish comedian, Billy Connolly, stunned critics when he delivered a tender, understated performance as Queen Victoria's much loved servant, John Brown, in the 1997 Brit film Mrs. Brown. The Comic had largely focused on his stand-up and novelty music career up to this point, but had started to build up a film CV with performances in Muppet Treasure Island (1996) and, er, Beverly Hills Ninja (1997) already in the can. After picking up BAFTA and SAG nominations for Mrs. Brown, Connolly continued to turn in solid character performances over the years in indie thriller the Debt Collector (1999), White Oleander (2002), The Last Samurai (2003) and, most recently as a retired opera singer in Quartet (2012). Connolly has remarked on his tendency to get bumped off early on in films. In fact, he claims to be the only character ever to have died in a Muppet movie. Now that's better than any kind of award...