Actors Everyone Loves No Matter How Many Bad Movies They Have

Why are movie stars so beloved by audiences? "Easy," you're probably thinking, "Because they make good movies!" Well, not so fast there. Sure, it's rare that an actor can become famous despite never starring in a good movie (though Steven Seagal comes darn close, as his list of good movies stops with "Under Siege" and "Executive Decision"). And it's also true that you need to star in something people like in order to earn their goodwill, trust, and yes, even affection.

But as this list proves, there are a lot of famous actors who have made a metric ton of bad movies — and nobody seems to care. Despite having filmographies with more rotten tomatoes than a two-week-old salad bar, these actors are still adored and trusted by their audience. Heck, many of them have starred in more bad movies than good ones, yet still have a fanbase that would willingly take a bullet for them (or at least buy a ticket to go see them). 

What gives? Who knows? Maybe it's good looks, talent, charisma, charm, the unquenchable injustice of the universe, or simply the fact they might have conceivably sold their souls to Satan. Whatever the reason, everyone loves these actors, no matter how many bad movies they have.

Morgan Freeman literally played God in 2003's "Bruce Almighty," but many of his cinematic selections have been less than sacred. Still, even "Bruce Almighty" got bad reviews, so maybe this is just down to cranky movie critics? Alas, there's no defending the five-time Academy Award nominee and one-time winner — for Best Supporting Actor for  "Million Dollar Baby" — making movies like "Guilty By Association," "The Nutcracker and The Four Realms," (one of Disney's biggest live-action box office failures), "Ben Hur" (the 2016 remake nobody asked for), "Transcendence," and well, we could go on.

Playing Red in "The Shawshank Redemption" forgives many sins, but Freeman has trouble saying "no." He has acted in or narrated multiple projects every single year of this century, plus plenty more in the last century too. We suspect the untold truth of Morgan Freeman is that after spending decades working as a struggling actor, he's still inclined to take every opportunity he can get. While it seems like Freeman has been around for as long as most moviegoers can remember, he didn't get his first big break until 1988's "Street Smart," when he was already 50 years old. He was nominated for his first Oscar, and was off to the races ever since. Since becoming a star, Freeman's choices haven't always been sweet, but his dulcet baritone and avuncular presence elevates any movie he's in. Yes, even "Evan Almighty."

In an esteemed acting career with seven Academy Award nominations and two wins (Best Supporting Actor for both "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "The Cider House Rules"), Michael Caine's most beloved role may be playing opposite Kermit The Frog in "A Muppet Christmas Carol." But hey, that's show biz for you. Besides portraying one of the best versions of Ebeneezer Scrooge, we think of Caine either as the suave Cockney leading man of "Alfie" and "Get Carter" in his early films, or a grandfatherly presence in Christopher Nolan movies. Caine would probably prefer this, as the dude has made a ton of junk during his seven decades in cinema.

Sure, every actor has some clunkers, as not every film can be a hit. But some of Caine's choices defy easy justification, like "Jaws: The Revenge," widely considered to be one of the worst movies ever made, where he did battle with a roaring rubber shark. Or "On Deadly Ground," where he did battle with a wooden Steven Seagal. Oh, and who can forget he played a gnome in "Gnomeo and Juliet?" (Caine probably wishes you would). Caine has openly admitted to taking certain roles only for the money, but selling fake Rolexes would have been better for his reputation. 

Liam Neeson earned his rep as the Academy Award-nominated Oskar Schindler from "Schindler's List", but parlayed that into the "skilled old dude out for revenge" he has played ad infinitum since "Taken" in 2007. With his signature Irish brogue, Neeson made himself famous as one of the rare movie stars known by their voice alone (there is a reason he was cast as Aslan in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe"). Every moviegoer wishes they had Neeson as a mentor, like Bruce Wayne in "Batman Begins" or Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace." 

But Neeson has also been in movies undeserving of his talents, granting his gravitas (or trying to) to such films as "Battleship," "Clash of the Titans," and "A Million Ways To Die In the West." Neeson's career has always been a mixed bag, as for every "Rob Roy," there's a "Ruby Cairo," and for every "Darkman," there's "The Haunting." But even in movies like "The A-Team," Neeson always seemed to care. Ever since he found his niche as "a man with a certain set of skills," however, he's been more or less phoning it in. In Neeson's defense, while his vengeful loner act has become a straight-to-POV parody, it's what the audience wants, as some of his biggest solo box office hits came after "Taken."

When Gary Oldman was nominated for his first Academy Award for Best Actor for "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" in 2012, it felt like a long time coming. When Oldman won his first (and so far only) Oscar for "Darkest Hour" in 2018, the response was almost "what took so long?" Oldman is without a doubt one of our finest living actors, able to convincingly play real people as varied as Sid Vicious, Winston Churchill, and Harry S. Truman, or make-believe roles like Commissioner Gordon, Count Dracula, Sirius Black, and Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg. Seriously, ask yourself, who else could have pulled off all of these roles and made them look easy? Don't waste your time because there isn't anyone.

But as good as Oldman is at disappearing into roles, he has made lots of movies he probably wished would just disappear. Sad to say, but when you look at every Gary Oldman movie ranked worst to best, a case could be made that he has made more bad movies than good ones. "Killers Anonymous," "Sin," "The Unborn," "Red Riding Hood" — you have to wade through a lot of bad movies in Oldman's oeuvre before you get to anything even remotely good. Yet to Oldman's considerable credit, he never phones in a performance (or if he does, he does a darn fine job of disguising it), as even in his bad movies, he's always the best part.

Michael Keaton returned to one of his most beloved roles in "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," delivering one of the 15 best performances of 2024 while spooking up $450 million worldwide. Pretty darn impressive considering it has been almost 40 years since he last donned the black-and-white pinstriped suit. Somehow we doubt he'd get the same response for returning as Mr. Malby from "Post Grad," Harry Berg from "The Squeeze," Peter McCabe from "Desperate Measures," or the title snowman from "Jack Frost." In fact, except for Tim Burton movies like "Batman" and the first "Beetlejuice," plus a few notable exceptions — "The Paper," "Clean and Sober," "Mr. Mom," and "Night Shift" — most of Keaton's movies during the peak of his career ranged from mediocre ("Multiplicity") to downright dreadful ("White Noise"). 

While Keaton has acting talent to spare, he clearly lacks in the wise choices department, as his oeuvre is riddled with films rated "rotten." Surprisingly, Keaton's later career work has been the most impressive, with rare star turns in back-to-back best picture winners ("Birdman" and "Spotlight"), plus standout performances in "The Founder" and "Knox Goes Away." Sure, "Dumbo" and "The Protégé" were big-time duds, but at least the former was a Disney payday. Alas, his return to one of his signature roles — Batman in 2023's "The Flash"— resulted in one of the biggest bombs of his career. But hey, even if many of Michael Keaton's movies are bad, he never is.

With more than 10 billion dollars in career box office earnings, Harrison Ford is a franchise on his own. Arguably no actor ever had a better run than Ford did between "Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back" and "What Lies Beneath," as his name above the title (and it was almost always above the title) practically guaranteed a box office hit. "The Fugitive," Air Force One," and "Patriot Games," among others, practically made Harrison Ford "America's Dad," as you knew he'd always save the day no matter what brand of terrorist threatened his family.

Even financial misfires like "The Mosquito Coast" and "Frantic" were solid films, while critical duds like "Six Days, Seven Nights" and "Regarding Henry" still made money. And of course there were minor roles like Han Solo in the "Star Wars" movies and Dr. Henry Jones Jr. in the "Indiana Jones" series. Even so, there's no denying that for 20-plus years Ford's filmography has been pretty bleak, littered with titles like "Hollywood Homicide," "Morning Glory," and "Paranoia." Not even his return to legacy roles has turned things around. "Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" made millions, but fans were underwhelmed, while "Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny" flat-out tanked. Despite the duds, Ford has graduated from "America's Dad" to "Our Beloved Curmudgeon," so his legacy is secure.

Believe it or not, Kurt Russell has never really been a big "butts-in-seats" box office draw. Yes, his global career earnings top seven billion, which is impressive to be sure, but largely come from supporting roles in three "Fast and The Furious" movies, his performance as Ego in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," and his brief cameo as Elvis in "Forrest Gump." Sure, Russell was great in those movies (he's great in everything), but they would have made millions regardless. Take those away and his highest-grossing above-the-title starring role is 1991's "Backdraft," and even that was an ensemble also starring Robert De Niro. In fact, the only movie where he was paid $20 million, 1998's "Soldier," failed to make back even his paycheck (let alone a profit) at the box office.

We hate to say it, but Russell is more of a reliable leading man and value-add supporting actor than he is a bankable box office draw. So why is he considered a beloved legend? Because he is absolutely freaking awesome, that's why. Who cares if "Big Trouble In Little China" bombed, "Escape From New York" underperformed, or "Tombstone" took years to earn its reputation as one of the most iconic Westerns of the '90s? We don't care how much those movies made, only how much they made us feel. Thus, we're willing to forgive and forget Russell's less-than-stellar cinematic choices, like "3000 Miles To Graceland," "Winter People," and "Poseidon."

Sylvester Stallone is a case study in what '80s and '90s excess can do to a promising creative's career. Sure, it buys you multi-million dollar mansions in Beverly Hills and Palm Beach, but with so many horrible movies, you have to wonder if it was really even worth it (admittedly, those mansions are totally worth it). Stallone burst onto the scene with 1976's "Rocky," a career-defining role which was as big a hit at the box office as it was on the awards circuit, winning best picture, and scoring Stallone nominations for best actor and best original screenplay.

Stallone launched his movie career in the Orson Welles mold, starring in, writing, and eventually directing his own work. Problem was, moviegoers weren't into him until he reinvented himself from artist to action hero. The shift started with the somber "First Blood" in 1982, and went into overdrive with 1986's double-dose of testosterone-drenched mega-hits "Rocky IV" and "Rambo: First Blood Part II." While those were hardly cinematic masterpieces, what followed was way worse, including "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot," "Assassins," "Cobra," and even a few later Rocky and Rambo movies too. 

Despite stealing the show from Robert De Niro in "Cop Land," it wasn't until he returned to play the Italian Stallion in "Rocky Balboa" and "Creed" (which scored him an Oscar nod) that reminded audiences just how good Stallone can be — and why we love him so much.

Maybe it's just his down-to-earth, approachable nature, but Jeff Bridges seems like a movie star who takes his craft seriously, but not himself. Or maybe we're just a bunch of hopeless "achievers" (i.e. the most ardent fans of "The Big Lebowski"). Whatever the reason, we're not too proud to admit that the dude abides in our hearts. But we're also not so naive as to ignore that Bridges has been in a lot of bad movies.

Where do we begin? How about near the beginning, with 1976's "King Kong" remake, which belongs at the back of the line of King Kong movies ranked worst to best. Or "8 Million Ways To Die," which is an accurate title, as sitting through this movie is torture. Maybe we can just chalk it up to youthful indiscretion? Maybe not, as some of his worst work has come as an established actor in films like "Blown Away," "Simpatico," and "Stick It." Heck, three of his worst movies ever — "R.I.P.D.," "The Giver," and "Seventh Son" — came after he won the Academy Award for best actor in 2010 for "Crazy Heart," and was nominated the next year for "True Grit." Sure, art is subjective, but not even The Dude would say "That's just, like, your opinion, man," when it comes to rating Jeff Bridges' worst films.

Any "greatest film actor ever" list has Al Pacino near the top, and for good reason. Pacino has been nominated for the Academy Award nine times, though it was his eighth nomination — a hammy performance in 1993's "Scent of A Woman" — that finally won. While his filmography includes contenders for a list of the "greatest movies ever made," he has some serious finalists for "worst film ever" too.

What would the hungry young actor of "The Godfather," "The Godfather Part II," and "Dog Day Afternoon" think knowing that in four decades he'd be simping for Adam Sandler in drag in "Jack and Jill"? How would the star of crime classics like "Serpico" and "Heat" sleep at night knowing he'd one day star in "Hangman" and "Righteous Kill"? And let's not forget, Pacino thought making "Gigli" was a good idea too.

All of Pacino's 1970s New Hollywood contemporaries also "sold out" for big Hollywood paydays, but only he seems to be in on the joke. Can you imagine Robert De Niro (who has been in plenty of clunkers too) doing a dance for Dunkin Donuts? Doubt it. Meanwhile, there's Pacino, who would probably just shrug his shoulders and say "What can you do?" about justifying his worst work. So maybe that's what we love most about him: he's one of the best actors ever, but acts like someone who feels lucky to be doing it. Still, "Gigli," Al? Really?

It's estimated that Jennifer Aniston, along with the rest of the cast of "Friends," makes about $20 million in royalties every single year. She never has to work another second and will still earn more from 10 seasons of work than most people will make in their entire lives. Her role as Rachel Green in "Friends" has also earned the lifelong affection and goodwill of viewers who will continue to love her no matter how many bad movies she stars in. And trust us, there's a lot.

Before "Friends," there was 1993's horror-comedy hybrid, "Leprechaun," which despite its subject matter, earned little green at the box office. She started to launch a movie career during "Friends" to mixed results, with roles in less-than-stellar movies like "Picture Perfect," "Rock Star," and "Along Came Polly." Thankfully she peppered these performances with roles in cult classics like "Office Space" and "The Iron Giant," but nothing really hit. 

Her post-"Friends" work has included starring in a string of films that range from the forgettable ("Derailed") to "why did this get made?" ("Rumor Has It...") to "please, no" ("Just Go With It"). For some of the actors on the list, the lure of a paycheck has led to bad decisions. But given Aniston's financial situation, we're not sure why she thought movies like "Love Happens" were a good idea. Either way, she can rest assured her fanbase will still love her.

"Box office poison" is one of the worst things you can be called in a business built on bankability. Robert Downey Jr. knows a thing or two about that. As a blockbuster star who used to be box office poison, Downey has actually spent most of his career making duds, turkeys, and flat-out bombs. First up, there's 1988's "Johnny Be Good," which holds the distinction of being Downey's worst-rated movie ever. On the bright side, when your worst movie is one of your first, you can only go up, right? Not really. As bad as "Johnny Be Good" was, its got stiff competition from other Downey duds like "Friends and Lovers," "Air America," "Gothika," "In Dreams," and more. The list goes on ... and on.

Despite his enormous talent, Downey's decades of failure (as well as his drug problems and prison sentence) threatened to permanently derail his career. However, that all turned around when he donned the red-and-gold armor of Iron Man to become the poster child for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Multiple billion-dollar grosses and an Academy Award later (best supporting actor for "Oppenheimer"), and it appears that Downey can do no wrong. Well, except for "Dolittle." That was very, very wrong. But not enough to derail Robert Downey Jr., who remains an actor we love, no matter how many bad movies he has.