10 Actors Who Stole Movies In A Single Scene
5. J.T. Walsh - Outbreak
If you watch any thriller movie from the 1990s, there's a solid chance that J.T. Walsh will show up and act rings around the main cast with a memorable supporting performance.
The late character actor is surely best remembered for his brief-but-unforgettable turn in Wolfgang Petersen's 1995 disaster film Outbreak.
Walsh appears half-way through the film as the White House Chief of Staff, who briefs the assembled military and political personnel on the dilemma over whether or not to firebomb the town of Cedar Creek in order to contain the deadly Motaba virus.
In a blistering, soul-stirring two-minute monologue, the Chief of Staff urges the officials to only approve the bombing if they truly believe it to be a necessary, last ditch act to save humanity as a whole without any dissenters in the room.
It's a fiery, passionate speech which succinctly surmises the major ethical dilemma of the bombing scenario, and sees Walsh deliver the most persuasive piece of acting in the entire movie.
Even with such a hugely celebrated front-and-center cast, including Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Donald Sutherland, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Kevin Spacey, it's Walsh who leaves the greatest impact. And stranger still, he went uncredited for the part.