2. Leslie Nielsen TIE: Prom Night & Creepshow
Leslie Nielsen put a fart joke on his gravestone. Thats just how dedicated the man was to his comedy, which is why he will be forever remembered as a comedic legend. But there was a time when he did not dedicate himself to fart jokes and insisting that his name wasnt Shirley. He played dramatic roles too and his performance in both Prom Night and Creepshow are so well done that its hilarious in thinking that this funny man can be so damn creepy and serious. His role in the horribly lit Prom Night is a straightforward father role to Jamie Lee Curtiss main character. However hes a stern and caring father who needs to be strong when his family suffers a tragedy introduced at the beginning of the film. He remains as such for the entire movie and it reflects well on him that he can play the kind of father who you might have a hard time getting along with because hes so introverted but you also know cares deeply about you. On the other side of that coin is Richard Vickers, a psychopath who drowns his wife and her lover in the third segment of the fantastic Creepshow. Usually in tales of a marital affair, the audience is supposed to sympathize with the one who is betrayed. There is no mistaking in Richard Vickers that he is a seedy sociopath who is willing to do anything to get what he wants. His plan to drown his wife and her lover isnt even as simple as strangulation in a bathtub; the segment largely focuses on his execution of bringing her lover out to the beach where he buries him up to his neck in the sand close enough so that when the tide comes in he cant escape. Youll want to see him get his comeuppance by the end of the segment, then youll want to watch Airplane to remind yourself that Nielsen is still an awesome guy.