Top 10 Favorite Acting Performances with a Short Amount of Actual Screen Time
I'm amazed by and drawn to great and iconic acting performances with little actual screen time. Cameos certainly count, as do shorter supporting roles.Here are some I thought of. Please add any that come to mind for you. Requiring an exact notation of screen time seems a bit restrictive, so feel free to simply add an actor and/or the role and film if you'd like.
Colonel Nathan R. Jessup. Probably not a huge surprise, Nicholson was only in three scenes in the film, but his dialogue and powerful acting will stick with many of us for a lifetime.
Blake. "Oh, have I got your attention now?" He completely takes over the screen. Not an easy accomplishment when Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, and Kevin Spacey are also in the scene. It was probably a good idea to have Al Pacino miss this meeting, as that may have been too much screen presence to overcome.
His performance, for a Best Actor win, is pretty short, as he's only in the film for 17 minutes. His performance makes these 17 minutes the creepiest in the film, however.
X. Gives keen insight into JFK conspiracy theories. Powerful performance, albeit short.
Plays himself. I didn't see this guy showing up in the film. Such a great comedic actor that a little screen time goes a long way.
The Joker. He is referred to often while off screen, and Ledger's performance resonated so profoundly that it seems like he was on screen more than the 33 minutes he actually was. For a two and a half hour movie, it works out to roughly 13 minutes per hour, not a lot.
Mark Hanna. An abbreviated and hilarious performance. Gives bad life direction for a young Jordan Belfort, which he takes to a whole other level.
McConaughey, in those few short minutes, made DiCaprio a supporting actor in his own film!
We don't see a lot of Boba Fett, but what we do see sticks. One of my favorite original Star Wars villains.
Absolutely, and thank you for adding. Freeman and Pitt give fine efforts in this terrifying film, along with many others. Yet, when Spacey is on screen, his dialogue and acting completely take over.
For me, I think it's important to note that Pitt may give his finest performance. His subtle nuances are exceptional, and he has the audience rooting for him. Although his featured role here would disqualify that character for inclusion on this list.
The Newcomers
Playing Hannibal Lecter before Anthony Hopkins would play the role, both of their performances have this in common: both are great and short.
The ranglers. Nice.
Les Grossman. In a film with many over-the-top characters, this one takes the cake. Abrasive, yet hilarious.
The Cairo Swordsman. A very short, yet effective role. The swordsman is on screen for only ten seconds (alive or dead) in this iconic and hilarious scene.
Captain Koons. Everyone will remember this short role.
Thunder. An accomplished martial artist, who, like his friend Bruce Lee, gave Hollywood a try. Great job.
Oldman's performance here is outstanding. When first meeting with director Tony Scott to decide whether he would take the project, Oldman asked Scott to explain the character. Scott replied, "He's a pimp. He's white but thinks he's black." That was enough. Oldman replied, "I'll do it."
One of the better Gary Oldman roles, as all Oldman fans would tell you. Terrifying. He is on screen for around 10 minutes here.
Appeared in a creepy and mysterious short scene of the movie as Special Agent Phillip Jeffries.
