14 Actors Who Became Absolute Legends With Just One Movie

9. John Neville - Baron Munchausen (The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen)

One of the peculiar things about modern acting is the way that people assume you've disappeared if you decide to work in theatre in between making films. No matter how successful a theatrical play may be, it will never have the global audience of a mass-market feature film, and so choosing theatre over the silver screen can often be taken as an act of self-inflicted obscurity. John Neville is one such actor who favoured the stage over the screen, something which is both understandable and a great pity. Neville was a highly respected British theatre actor, with his mellifluous delivery lending him comparisons to Sir John Gielgud. Having played opposite Richard Burton in Othello (alternating the parts of Othello and Iago), he emigrated to Canada in 1972, becoming artistic director of several theatre companies. A big Monty Python fan, he agreed to take the part after Gilliam lost his battle to get Peter O'Toole to play the lead. It was the first film he'd appeared in since 1970. Baron Munchausen is one of Gilliam's most underrated films, which has gained cult status over the years following its initial commercial failure. For all its grand scale and amazing supporting cast (including Robin Williams and Eric Idle), Neville's central performance is its jewel in the crown, with his unique delivery and gleeful attitude somehow providing an anchor for all the whimsy and mayhem around him. While he had little interest in pursuing a film career, one wishes he had worked a little more, that he might have brought this kind of presence to other films. What He Did Next: Neville continued to make small appearances in films like Spider and The Fifth Element, as well as a recurring role on The X-Files. His main focus, however, continued to be theatre, for which he was awarded the Order of Canada in 2006. He died in 2011 aged 86.