Cue the flaming. Look, everyone knows The Beatles were one of the greatest bands of all time, but everyone also knows that their success had very little to do with Ringo Starr. He barely wrote any of their great songs, his singing was fairly poor, and - as has been well-documented - he wasn't even the best drummer in The Beatles. Not the best drummer, no. But undoubtedly the best actor. He effectively singlehandedly carries The Beatles' films, which are fairly schlocky pseudo-psychedelic messes. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison stumble their way through their lines, but Starr is assured and, at times, actually rather good. He's proven his abilities since, too. Candy and Blindman are cult classics. Zappa's 200 Motels is insane avant-garde brilliance. He was in the smash-hit That'll Be The Day, and even starred in his own Being John Malkovich/My Name Is Bruce-style fourth wall-busting fictional biopic Ringo over 20 years before Spike Jonze's film. Granted, it wasn't very good, but the idea was strong - and the performance wasn't bad, either. his voiceovers in the likes of Thomas The Tank Engine and The Point are fun too. Of course Ringo has appeared in some utter rubbish - Caveman, Son Of Dracula, Give My Regards To Broad Street - but so has pretty much every actor. The fact is, his acting abilities far outweigh his drumming performances.
