Star of Hellboy and Sons of Anarchy, Ron Perlman has been on most peoples film and TV radar for quite some time. His existence may have popped up on you out of the blue, infiltrating your psyche behind a wall of make-up and special effects, or he may have become the latest connect-the-dots type puzzle of "Hey, it's that actor who played that guy from that other movie, you know, that dude with the big face. Whats his name!?". His name is Ron, Ron Perlman, and to me he is a God-like Genius. Notching up countless on-screen roles and bringing each one a unique persona to every project, in my opinion there is no one quite like him. Here are 5 reasons why Ron Perlman is the best thing in practically everything he is in; in essence he is a God-like Genius (look at that, just as the title says!).
1. His Face
That chin! I mean, sweet baby Jesus and the orphans - look at it! It deserves its own sitcom! In fact, his whole face looks like it's been chiselled out of granite by Zeus himself. Logic would indicate that those features would make him void of expression and unable to project a multitude of emotions, but not our Ron. He is able to do the quiet, contemplative, world-weary protagonist as easily as the dumb tough guy shtick. When the role calls for it, his gravely voice is tweaked into a softly spoken rasp, his posture becomes ever so slightly bent over and his huge eyebrows are pushed up above his big blue eyes. The obedient Perlman has a likeable droll smile with a kind of jolly "What the hell!? look on his face. He also excels when he portrays the villain. His smile becomes inverted, his powerful frame is upright, commanding and alert, and his already powerful voice is raised a couple of thousand decibels. His eyes lose their size and warmth, and if you look up the word defiant in the dictionary, you will see Ron's mug next to it looking pissed off. In some of his best work he manages to combine the two very seamlessly, balancing out the hard exterior with his big doe eyes and facial expressions, suggesting a vulnerability which lets the viewer inside his character's inner thoughts. What makes it even more impressive is half the time he's on camera, he's got enough prosthetics on his body to cover a small island being stepped on by Godzilla. Need more convincing? Check out the original TV series of Beauty and the Beast and movies such as Star Trek Nemesis, Hellboy and Mutant Chronicles. Well, maybe not so much the last one, but you get my point.