10 Actors Who Ruin Any Film They're In

4. Robert De Niro

It's almost painful to admit this, but for a longer time than anyone wants to accept Robert De Niro has existed for no other reason than to make audiences go "oh, there's Robert De Niro". Undoubtably the greatest actor of his generation and a man who will likely live forever in treasured DVDs, proudly displayed movie posters, and popular quotes and references, De Niro is now a sad shell of his former self sloping around from paycheque to paycheque.

Sometime in the 1990s, between Wag The Dog and Analyze This, both Hollywood and De Niro noticed that he could do comedy as well. There was something about putting an actor so universally adored for his dark and dramatic roles in these slapstick situations that somehow made them 10x funnier. No months of preparation, no personal sacrifice for the method, just turing up on the day and reading your lines to national guffaws.

Since then, De Niro's career has been a procession of bad comedies, evil villains in kids' movies, needless sequels, and ill-advised forays into horror, suspense, romance and nostalgia. Nothing can take away his legacy (thankfully) but the sight of De Niro on screen now serves only to remind us that most of the greats will one day give up on making things that people love, and instead go for the things that will keep them rich. Which is a bit of a bummer when you're trying to enjoy a movie.