Ozzy Osbourne Played More Fantasy Creatures Than You Probably Thought

Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne is, in some ways, a fantasy character in his own right. The worlds of heavy metal (which Osbourne helped pioneer as the frontman of Black Sabbath) and fantasy have always been linked, and as a vocalist, Osbourne is no stranger to the fantasy realm of wizards and monsters within Sabbath's lyrical universe and his own solo work. But as an entertainment legend, Osbourne has also dabbled in acting as characters apart from his own infamous stage persona from time to time, and if you look back at his body of work, you're likely to see more fantasy creatures than you would have guessed among his stable of characters.

It's safe to say that His Royal Ozness will be remembered for his contributions to heavy metal and hard rock, plus his stint as a reality TV star on MTV, but Osbourne fans might be interested to dig into his filmography and check out some of his entertaining performances as various fantasy creatures as well.

Head over to Ozzy Osbourne's IMDb page and look at his actor credits, and you will see a large number of cameo appearances and music videos. But look closer and you will see a surprising proportion of fantasy characters in various films and television shows, depending on how you define "fantasy." King Thrash in "Trolls 2: World Tour" would certainly qualify, and if talking animals are enough for your fantasy certification, he also plays Fawn in both "Gnomeo and Juliet" and its follow-up, "Sherlock Gnomes." He plays Vicar in the animated holiday TV movie "Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind," which almost certainly contains a few fantasy elements, and if you really want to stretch things to a point, you might even include his cameo as himself in the Adam Sandler comedy "Little Nicky," where he bites off the head of Nicky's (Sandler) brother Adrian (Rhys Ifans) while the latter is in bat form.

In an episode of the animated sitcom "Fish Hooks," one with the very fantasy-friendly title "Legend of the Earth Troll," Osbourne voices, you guessed it, the Earth Troll. And if you're familiar with the 2001 musical "Moulin Rouge!" you might remember that the distinctively screamed vocals of The Green Fairy were provided by Osbourne.

Despite not being known primarily for acting, it seems that Ozzy Osbourne and fantasy characters go hand-in-hand. Or perhaps that should be, claw-in-amulet, or something similarly fantastical.