How do you make a name for yourself when the general public keep mistaking you for other people? That's been a challenge for Michael Sheen his whole career. To this day, there are those that mistake him as part of the Estevez line, perhaps a distant cousin of Two And A Half Men namesake Charlie Sheen. There are even more who, thanks to his predilection for biopics, recognise him for a dozen different faces other than his own. Many of Sheen's biggest roles have seen him playing real-life figures - from Tony Blair to Carry On star Kenneth Williams - which means that, whilst people have seen him loads of films and TV dramas, they don't actually recognise his face. He's been busy hiding behind other, far more famous identities. Which is a shame, because Sheen is an actor with far more to offer than simple mimicry and an unfortunate name connection to Tiger Blood. Beginning on the stage before making the transition to film and television work, Michael Sheen might be one of the most gifted and diverse performers on the scene, managing to excel at anything he turns his hand to. Well, almost anything. This weekend sees the release of Far From The Madding Crowd, a new adaptation of Thomas Hardy's classic novel, with another inimitably British lead role for the actor. His horizons have gotten considerably broader otherwise, sometimes for good... sometimes, less so. Here are five awesome Michael Sheen performances, and five that sucked.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
