10 Brilliant TV Actors Who Have Failed At Becoming Movie Stars
2. Dominic West
Somewhat ironically, well-educated former Eton College student Dominic West (former alumni include 19 British Prime Ministers, members of the Royal Family, George Orwell and Tom Hiddleston amongst others) is arguably still best known for playing troubled Baltimore detective Jimmy McNulty in The Wire. Since then he has failed to make much of an impact on the big screen despite widespread critical acclaim for his work in television.
Since the conclusion of The Wire in 2008, West has established a reputation as one of the finest talents the small screen has to offer, scoring Golden Globe nominations for both The Hour and The Affair, winning a BAFTA for 2012 television film Appropriate Adult and landing a nomination for Burton & Taylor. However, from a big-screen point of view the 45 year-old actor is still looking for a vehicle that can suitably showcase his undoubted capabilities.
It almost seems as though he has a different agent for filtering movie offers; how else could you explain how an actor that has done such consistently brilliant work on television signed on to be wasted by supporting roles in Hannibal Rising, 300, Punisher: War Zone, Centurion and John Carter? Perhaps West should stick to the small screen, as the medium clearly brings out the best in him. Oh, and you must never forget that he played a photographer in Spice World.