BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.

Subject: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Little Hawk
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 11:29 PM

Which actor or actress had the greatest film debut? Who absolutely nailed it in their very first feature film role in a way that was just unforgettable?

Well, there have been quite a number of people who did that.

I guess my personal favorite would be Kathleen Turner in the movie "Body Heat" in 1981. UnforGETable!!!

Here's Roger Ebert's review:

"Body Heat"

Now it's your turn to pick one...

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Peace
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 11:31 PM

These two, IMO.

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Little Hawk
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 11:39 PM

Hmm. Well, then I guess I'd have to nominate Mickey Mouse as well, for "The Sorcerer's Apprentice".

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 11:46 PM

Lauren Bacall in "To Have and Have Not".

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: bobad
Date: 24 Feb 07 - 11:51 PM

Didn't Mickey debut in Steamboat Willie . in 1928?

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Little Hawk
Date: 25 Feb 07 - 12:07 AM

Couldn't agree more about Lauren Bacall!

Yeah, you're probably right about Mickey, bobad.

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: John O'L
Date: 25 Feb 07 - 12:29 AM

Sally Field in Sybil, and I haven't known her to do a poor performance since.

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: michaelr
Date: 25 Feb 07 - 01:25 AM

Anthony Hopkins in "The Lion in Winter". May also have been Timothy Dalton's debut.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: mrdux
Date: 25 Feb 07 - 01:51 AM

Natalie Portman in "The Professional." (at least that was her feature film debut). And another vote for Bacall.

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Jeremiah McCaw
Date: 25 Feb 07 - 04:12 AM

Probably not his first film, but Nicol Williamson in "The Reckoning".

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: GUEST,ib48
Date: 25 Feb 07 - 11:51 AM

the chicken in animal farm

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 25 Feb 07 - 02:47 PM

Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider. Although technically his fist role was a cameo in the original little Shop of Horrors. If Leonardo Di Caprio's debut was in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (can't think of a movie he was in before that..anyone know?), then that was a great debut.

Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: mrdux
Date: 26 Feb 07 - 01:30 AM

Actually, Nicholson's film debut was in The Cry Baby Killer (1958) -- he played the lead juvenile delinquent.

DiCaprio was in 3 films before Gilbert Grape: Critters 3 (1991; Poison Ivy (1992); and This Boy's Life (1993).

(info courtesy of IMDB)

michael

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 26 Feb 07 - 03:39 AM

Didn't know about Cry Baby Killer. I have This Boy's Life on video, which is excellent, but thought Grape came out earlier. After seeing your post, I went to Google and saw that grape and This Boy's Life came out in the same year.....so, never mind my earlier post. This boy needs to do his research.

Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Wesley S
Date: 26 Feb 07 - 09:10 AM

Peter O'Toole in Laurence of Arabia.

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 26 Feb 07 - 10:27 AM

Even though it was a small role, Robert DuVall's first role was as Boo Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird. He even spawned a rock group of that name.

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: mrdux
Date: 26 Feb 07 - 01:58 PM

. . . and as I think about it, Orson Welles' feature film debut was in Citizen Kane. Not a bad place to start.

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 12:28 AM

Harrison Ford was first noticed in film in American Graffiti.

Matthew Broderick first appeard in one of my favorite light romances, Max Dugan Returns.

Sophia Loren's first credited role in an American film was Boy On A Dophin.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: fat B****rd
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 02:45 PM

Steve McQueen in "Somebody Up There LIkes Me"

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: bubblyrat
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 03:30 PM

I thought Steve McQueen"s debut was in " The Blob " ??
Anyway, I have always been impressed with Michael Caine in " Zulu"--I think (I"M not sure ) that that film was his debut, and his performance,under the circumstances ( he was required to speak with an upper-class accent throughout ) was pretty impressive. At the other end of the scale, I think the WORST debut was Horst Bucholz in The Magnificent Seven . Discuss !!.

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 03:45 PM

McQueen had a bit part in "Somebody Up There Likes Me". I've seen it, and I would not consider it to be outstanding. I think the original question was "greatest" film debut of all time.

I'm in agreement that Peter O'Toole in "Lawrence of Arabia" would qualify.   The other films mentioned were good, but that was a classic.

As for Kathleen Turner, it was a hot debut - but can you name another decent film that she was in, or what her last film was?

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Little Hawk
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 04:13 PM

Kathleen Turner was in at least one other really good movie: "Romancing The Stone". And its sequel "Jewel of the Nile" was not bad either, although not as good as the first one. She was then cast in a number of movies during the 80's that I wasn't much interested in for whatever reason (subject matter, I suppose). "Prizzi's Honor" got good reviews, but I've never seen it. She did the voice for the ultra-slinky Jessica Rabbit in the Roger Rabbit movie. Some people think "The War of the Roses" was a good one. I didn't care for it.

The reason you haven't seen her in many movies lately is that she became quite physically ill in the early 90's with an acute form of rhuematoid arthritis, and she has not had much of a movie career since then.

It's sad, because she was known to be extremely athletic and fit earlier in her career, choosing to do her own stunts in the dangerous spots rather than using body doubles.

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 04:19 PM

Well, I don't know if I would call "Romancing the Stone" a "really" good movie, but it wasn't bad.

I agree, her decline is very sad. She had talent, just not many good roles and physical issues on top of that.

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 04:49 PM

Well, it was not her debut (she was terrific in another film I saw her in) but in Little Miss Sunshine ABIGAIL BRESLIN is just perfect---this generation's Margaret O'Brien (anyone remember her her?)   Abigail laughs better and cries less (Margaret never seemed to stop crying in her films).


Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: mrdux
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 05:03 PM

Zulu (1964) was Michael Caine's first substantial role in a major film and it was indeed a pretty fine performance. But his first feature film was A Hill in Korea (US Title: Hell in Korea) in (1956).

Horst Buchholz in Magnificent Seven was . . . inexplicable. A guy named Chico, a Mexican villager with a German accent -- entirely unbelievable, bordering on the downright silly. (Not his fiim debut either. See his filmography here).

michael

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: mrdux
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 05:05 PM

oops. I meant Horst Buchholz' filmography here

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: jaze
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 07:41 PM

But he was really good in Tiger Bay.

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Little Hawk
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 09:15 PM

Other than that, however, the Magnificent Seven was such an absolutely great western that it hardly mattered whether or not Horst Buchholz had a German accent, in my opinion. It was a larger-than-life story, and I think it should be viewed the way one watches one of those spectacular "Easterns" such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Don't fret about whether this or that scene is "realistic"...just enjoy the drama to the fullest.

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: heric
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 09:24 PM

Paul Reubens in The Big Adventure

(nailed it in his first feature film role in an unforgettable way.)

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: mrdux
Date: 27 Feb 07 - 11:25 PM

I liked Tiger Bay when I was a kid -- but mostly because I had a crush on Hayley Mills.

And I agree with LH about the Magnificent Seven: one of my very favorite films, in spite of Horst (who, in the context of this wonderful movie, is really only a minor distraction).

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: GUEST,Mike Miller
Date: 28 Feb 07 - 12:44 AM

Longtime stage actor, Sydney Greenstreet, made his film debut as Casper Gutman in "The Maltese Falcon" and he was electrifying.
John Houseman's first was "The Paper Chase".
Yul Bryner ("The King and I") and Audrey Hepburn ("Roman Holiday") wom Oscars for their first roles. So did that guy in "The Best Years of Our Lives". You know, the navy vet who lost his hands in the war.
And, how about Julie Harris and Brandon DeWilde in "Member of the Wedding".

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Janie
Date: 28 Feb 07 - 06:30 AM

I have never seen Joan Woodward's first feature film, but she won an Oscar for the lead role in her third, "The Three Faces of Eve."

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: robomatic
Date: 28 Feb 07 - 04:30 PM

Ray Liotta's first appearance in "Something Wild" 1986.

Magnificent Seven a good film, but for world class greatness see the Eastern on which it is based: "Shchinin No Samurai".

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: Little Hawk
Date: 28 Feb 07 - 05:20 PM

Yes indeedy.

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: mrdux
Date: 28 Feb 07 - 05:21 PM

Agreed (re: "Shchinin No Samurai").

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: RangerSteve
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 04:30 PM

I was at the doctor's yesterday, and while I was waiting, I picked up a film magazine. They had an article about impressive first debuts, but I forgot most of them. And that's without the help of medication. Anyway, the one that I remember was Julie Andrews in "Mary Poppins". She could (and should) have been in the film version of "My Fair Lady", since she starred in the Broadway stage version, but Hollywood sometimes insists on established stars when they're not necessary. Anyway, I think the role of MP made up for that oversight. (Nothing wrong with Audry Hepburn, but she didn't do her own singing).

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: GUEST,Mike Miller
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 11:24 PM

It is true that Marney Nixon's voice was dubbed for Audrey Hepburn's in "My Fair Lady" but, on a recently televised documentry, I heard an out take of Ms Hepburn doing her own singing of "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" and it was delightful. It's a shame she never got to sing in that film or in "Funny Face" either. I think she may have sung a little when she played in "Sabrina".

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 11:36 PM

Yul Brynner had the 3rd lead in Ports of New Yorl, 1949. He was the villain and he had hair. That's about 5 years before King.

Subject: RE: BS: Greatest film debuts of all time.
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 11:37 PM

That should read 'York.'