12 Great Dramatic Actors Who Excelled In Comedic Roles

Whenever an actor decides to take on a role that seems outside their wheelhouse, audiences are always quick to judge. It’s hard for them to believe a “good guy” actor can play a terrifying villain, or a character actor could shine in a blockbuster. However, to anyone familiar with the craft, it’s no surprise that some of the best performances in cinema can come from an actor proving they contain multitudes.

People particularly like to commend comedians who excel at drama, like Adam Sandler in “Uncut Gems” or Seth Rogen in “Steve Jobs.” But what about when a dramatic actor takes on a comedy? In some ways, this can be an even harder lift. After all, dying is easy. Comedy is hard. We’ve seen certain actors attempt to be funny alongside seasoned comedians, and, well, the results can be a mixed bag. But these performances we’ve assembled here prove that, with the right material and the right approach, certain “serious” actors can prove to be seriously funny. 

Here are 12 great dramatic actors who excelled in comedic roles.

Robert De Niro is arguably the best actor ever, but there was a time when he was not considered a movie star. Sure, he had notched a number of acclaimed roles under his belt, from “The Godfather Part II” to “Raging Bull,” but these weren’t box office gold. It wasn’t until he decided to do an all-out comedy that he found his first major mainstream success: “Midnight Run,” an odd couple action comedy that sees De Niro as Jack Walsh, a bounty hunter hired to retrieve disgraced accountant Jonathan Mardukas (Charles Grodin) and bring him back to Los Angeles to repay a bailout.

In truth, there’s little that Robert De Niro is doing in “Midnight Run” that he wasn’t already famous for. He’s got that smarmy confidence, the unbridled rage, even the more vulnerable edges. However, De Niro wisely retools his cinematic persona with a sillier, fussier energy, especially when juxtaposed to Grodin’s buttoned-up straight man routine. Walsh’s intentions may be to intimidate his captee, but when pressed by Mardukas’ attempts at seeing through to Walsh’s good nature, he simply doubles down. The ridiculous back and forth makes for a unique kind of comedic pairing that is often imitated but rarely duplicated, especially when considering De Niro played with audience expectations at the time. 

“Midnight Run” set the stage for De Niro’s now established run of comedies, from “Analyze This” to “Meet The Parents.”

Whether you recognize him as Voldemort from the “Harry Potter” films or dramatic work like “Schindler’s List” and “The English Patient,” Ralph Fiennes is the classic case of an English thespian turned Hollywood star. However, it was his sharp, gut-busting work in Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” that solidified him as a truly malleable talent, the kind of adept actor who could nail punchlines in “Hail, Caesar!” and “The Menu,” as well as monologues in dramas like “Conclave” and unexpected Paramount+ hit “The Return.” Cinephiles around the world have since embraced Fiennes as a deadpan comedy icon and cinema is all the better for it.

Fiennes is Gustave H., a world-renowned concierge at a famous mountainside resort who is framed for murder. He teams up with his protege, Zero (Tony Revolori), to clear his name in a thrilling adventure that is now regarded as one of Wes Anderson’s greatest films. We would argue part of the alchemy that gained the film its superlative standing is Fiennes himself, whom Anderson had never worked with previously. Despite his novel inclusion, he fits like a glove within the director’s singular tone and aesthetic. Just like Anderson uses perfectly framed cinematography to juxtapose ridiculous scenarios, so too does Fiennes bounce posh wit and proper poise against Gustave’s sexual messiness and complete disregard for authority — other than his own, of course.

“‘This will be the end of your career.'” This is what Jeff Daniels’ agents told him when he insisted he play Harry Dunne in “Dumb and Dumber” (via The Hollywood Reporter). Sure enough, things didn’t pan out that way. Despite two Golden Globe nominations under his belt, nothing boosted Daniels’ career more than the Farrelly Brothers comedy, in which he and Jim Carrey star as two dim-witted besties who travel across the country to return a lovely lady’s briefcase. But little do they know that it’s filled with ransom money for criminals hot on their tail.

Daniels had starred in a few comedies before “Dumb and Dumber,” but none of them saw the actor truly let loose. Well, when you work alongside Jim freakin’ Carrey, you don’t have a choice. Daniels was one of the few actors who could keep up with Carrey during screen tests, in part because he had the sensibility to let Carrey go off while playing his similarly silly but more kindhearted tagalong. This dynamic is what makes Harry and Lloyd feel like genuine friends; they care about each other, but they still have their differences. Carrey fought for Daniels to be cast and, though he may not have been paid as much as Carrey, he became just as big of a household name. Sometimes, you need to be a great actor before you can be a great comedian.

Sometimes, an actor is so good in a comedy that it makes you wish they did more comedy … even when they’ve done plenty of it! Rachel McAdams has never been a capital-C comedian, but she has done plenty of comedy: “Mean Girls,” “The Family Stone,” and even “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” as recently as 2020. It’s a solid resume, yet McAdams’ best comedic performance was a real revelation in 2018’s “Game Night.”

McAdams co-stars as Annie, a competitive gamer (board games, trivia, etc.) alongside her husband, Max (Jason Bateman), whose skills are put to the test in a whole new way when a murder mystery party turns into a real kidnapping. Initially, Max and Annie are none the wiser, so their cocky showmanship winds up getting them into deep trouble with real mobsters. Once they realize the truth, they have no choice but to finish the job. It’s the type of fish-out-of-water role we’ve never really seen McAdams play, which makes it all the more exciting to witness her blossom into a brazen comic lead. Watching her likable but otherwise white-bread personality persevere amidst real danger makes for several standout moments, from her attempting to remove a bullet in Max’s arm to her mistaking an informant “mole” for a literal facial mole.

Ryan Gosling has long been a versatile actor, breaking through with dramas like “The Notebook” and “Blue Valentine” alongside comedies like “Lars and the Real Girl” and “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” Despite this, Gosling was typically more lauded for his dramatic work than his comedic work, that is until Shane Black’s “The Nice Guys” proved Gosling was a legitimate comic talent. Opposite hardened fixer Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe, who also gives a similarly uncharacteristic comedic performance), Gosling’s Holland March is a private investigator who begins looking into the death of an amateur adult film actress before being thrown into a much larger conspiracy.

Most of Gosling’s comedic work prior to “Nice Guys” came down to looking fine and spitting wisecracks. In this film, he’s a lovable loser out of his depth, an uncoordinated private eye who has a knack for screwing things up and taking a beating. Yet, like a cute puppy dog, you can’t help but love him. Gosling is working in multiple modes here — everyman action hero, single dad, pratfall comic — and he nails all of them simultaneously, especially the physical comedy. His chiseled bod is somehow far lankier and bumbling in motion. In many ways, the actor’s goofy, pitiable work laid the groundwork for his Oscar-nominated work as Ken in “Barbie,” but we’re still over here waiting for a “Nice Guys” sequel! 

In the 90s, Alan Rickman was best-known for villains like Hans Gruber in “Die Hard” and the Sheriff of Nottingham in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” Snape had yet to grace the silver screen, yet Rickman was still known for gravitas. Imagine our surprise to see Rickman’s willingness to send it all up as disgraced thespian Alexander Dane, a.k.a. Dr. Lazarus on the fictional hit sci-fi series “Galaxy Quest,” whose eyerolls at his own ridiculous catchphrase — “By Grabthar’s Hammer, by the Suns Of Warvan, you shall be avenged!” — could move mountains.

It’s hard to overstate the sheer lightning in a bottle that is Rickman in “Galaxy Quest.” It’s one thing to play a parody of Spock, which is funny on its own. But Dean Parisot’s film also portrays the dedicated “Star Trek” fandom so positively that it was voted the seventh best film of the franchise by fans in 2013 (via The Hollywood Reporter). 

However, it’s the metatextual incorporation of Rickman’s reputation as a skilled dramatic actor that makes the performance something special. Dane’s disappointment at being pigeonholed with prosthetics is every actor’s nightmare. But when he is forced to lead the Thermians, he realizes the meaning behind his work. The actor in him can’t help but be moved. Suddenly, this biting farce has morphed into something as sincere as anything in Rickman’s career prior.

There are few actors who would be conventional picks for a film as unconventional as “Death Becomes Her,” Robert Zemeckis’ fantastical farce that literally rips a hole through women’s beauty standards. Wisely, Zemeckis cast the film in line with its zaniness and brought in three actors — Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, and Bruce Willis — wildly against type. Most people are quick to point to Willis as the film’s wild card, and yeah, he’s practically unrecognizable. However, Willis did have some experience in comedy with “Moonlighting.” It’s arguably Streep that takes the biggest leap, for she was best known for dramas like “Kramer vs. Kramer,” “Out of Africa,” and “Sophie’s Choice.”

Needless to say, she stepped up to the plate as Madeline Ashton, a fading stage actress whose rivalry with a gorgeous novelist (Hawn) has them both experimenting with a potion of eternal youth that comes with some nasty side effects. Though Streep had done a few quaint comedies throughout her career, none of them required her to be as bawdy as Ashton. Her extreme vanity lends perfectly to the film’s outrageous physical humor, which Streep embraces despite the difficulty she experienced behind the scenes. The actress’ ability to nail ruthless stubbornness would eventually pave the way for her most beloved role: Miranda Priestley in “The Devil Wears Prada,” which transformed Streep into a new kind of icon.

To call “No Hard Feelings” the breakout comedic performance for Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence feels like a bit of a misnomer. After all, the beloved Kentucky-born actress has played roles spanning the comedy spectrum, from tragicomic characters in “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle” to the more deadpan satire of “Don’t Look Up.” However, “No Hard Feelings” represented a unique kind of comedic performance from Lawrence, specifically one of an unfiltered mess in a shaggy raunch-com. Lawrence stars as Maddie, an aimless bartender and gig worker who is secretly hired by two parents to date their sheltered young son, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman), before he goes off to college. Naturally, hijinks ensue.

Lawrence had established a name for herself in tackling emotionally complex characters in everything from genre films to Oscar bait, yet her public persona was anything but serious. From laugh-out-loud interviews to red carpet fails, Lawrence knows how to take a joke in stride, so it only makes sense she can effortlessly slip into a character who is forced to utterly humiliate themself. The actress had never done a sex comedy before “No Hard Feelings,” yet Lawrence is fully committed to each and every bit, including a fight scene in which she beats up a group of teenagers on the beach entirely in the nude. For that alone, Lawrence renewed our faith in the R-rated comedy.

By 1982, Dustin Hoffman had starred in several compelling dramas: “The Graduate,” “Midnight Cowboy,” “All The President’s Men,” “Marathon Man,” and “Kramer vs. Kramer,” just to name a few. By all accounts, he was considered one of the greatest dramatic actors of his generation. Imagine, then, that same actor coming out with a project like “Tootsie,” in which he plays a reviled actor forced to crossdress as a woman in order to get a job. It was a total flip for Hoffman, both literally and figuratively, yet it won him his third BAFTA, his third Golden Globe, and his fifth Oscar nomination.

“Tootsie” is one of cinema’s many complicated contradictions. There’s no denying that it’s a product of its time, an inherently transmisogynist farce that makes countless antiquated jokes at the expense of vulnerable communities. On the other hand, it’s also a hilarious comedy that takes industry misogyny to task, even if it perpetuates part of it. The film’s star shares a similar paradox. Much of “Tootsie” and its problematic nature came from Hoffman himself, who was a primary creative force during the film’s development and production. Despite this, we can’t help but be floored by the actor’s transformation: the physicality, the vocal code-switching, the hair and makeup. It makes sense that the actor gets visibly emotional when discussing his process, as he fully embodies Dorothy Michaels in every aspect. It’s a remarkable performance, even with strings attached.

You might have missed “Quiz Lady,” a refreshingly mid-budget comedy that premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival before being buried on Hulu. If you did, then you also missed out on Sandra Oh giving the rare comedic performance in a leading role. She plays Jenny, an immature, broke actress who convinces her straight-edge younger sister, Anne (Awkwafina), to compete on her favorite quiz show so they can pay off their mother’s gambling debt. The two wind up on a whirlwind trip to Los Angeles, where the two estranged sisters reconnect and reconcile their difficult childhoods and long-standing differences.

In any other film, Oh would play the straight woman while Awkwafina would be the quirky one. However, director Jessica Yu and casting directors Nicole Abellera Hallman and Jeanne McCarthy wisely chose to cast both women against type, making for a unique comic duo to headline an otherwise standard story. Awkwafina is solid as Anne, however Oh steals the show as Jenny; the character’s hyperactive messiness and total lack of filter are charming and cringey in equal measure thanks to Oh’s strong comic timing. Though best known for otherwise calm and thoughtful roles on shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Killing Eve,” this uniquely light-hearted performance will give you a better appreciation for Oh’s range and is one of the many things that makes “Quiz Lady” the rare streaming movie to be worth your time.

Time for a throwback! After all, actors have been toeing the line between comedy and drama since studios first struck soil. Most people regard Marilyn Monroe as merely a sex symbol, but she was a very talented silver screen actress during the ’50s and ’60s. Her career began with bit parts and cameos in comedies and dramas, most notably “All About Eve.” However, her stunning allure was on full display with a starring role in “Niagara,” a rare Technicolor noir that made Hollywood’s heart skip a beat. That said, Monroe’s striking beauty came first and the actual performance came second to most reviewers and, let’s face it, most audiences.

Any doubts that Monroe could pull her weight as an actress were all but assuaged with “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” a musical comedy in which she and Jane Russell play best friends and showgirls aboard a cruise to France. Monroe’s Lorelai intends to marry a wealthy man when they dock, however a private detective has been paid to spy on her in case she gets frisky. Lorelai may be a quintessential “dumb blonde” of cinema, but Monroe certainly wasn’t one. “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” called for a complete reinvention of Monroe, from her nailing big musical numbers to her boosting a hypnotic radiance with assured confidence, no matter how supposedly vain it might be. Her culminating musical number is the iconic “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,” in which she embraces her love of luxury with crooning convinction.

“Bruce, I am god.” Never have four words more cemented an actor’s status in pop culture than Morgan Freeman’s subtly sweeping declaration in “Bruce Almighty.” The ridiculously underrated comedy follows Bruce (Jim Carrey), a news reporter who is quick to blame everybody but himself, including the ol’ man upstairs. So, when said man shows up and offers him His powers for a week, he winds up getting a taste of his own medicine. It’s the kind of high-concept, mid-budget comedy that allows for unconventional casting choices, such as Freeman, to shine in entirely singular roles. Freeman was so iconic as God that he became the culture’s voice of god, though that wasn’t by accident. 

It’s hard to comedically compete with Jim Carrey, and Freeman isn’t trying to. He portrays a whimsical antidote to Carrey’s over-the-top antics, an all-knowing entity whose wisdom allows Him to stroll through life with a carefree ease. That said, He isn’t left laughless. He has a charming, even sly affect that isn’t afraid to poke fun at His own job (“I did the same thing to Gandhi, he didn’t eat for three weeks.”) or even His own disciples. He takes joy in making Bruce learn his lesson, perhaps because He knows it is but a blip in the grand scheme of the world. It’s a version of God that would make any non-believer think twice.