History LargeHam / Actors

--->'''Jake:''' Oh, please, don't kill us! Please, please don't kill us! You know I love you, baby. I wouldn't leave ya. It wasn't my fault!
--->'''Mystery Woman:''' You miserable slug! You think you can talk your way out of this? You betrayed me.
--->'''Jake:''' No, I didn't! Honest! I ran out of gas! I, I had a flat tire! I didn't have enough money for cab fare! My tux didn't come back from the cleaners! An old friend came in from out of town! Someone stole my car! THERE WAS AN EARTHQUAKE! A TERRIBLE FLOOD! LOCUSTS! '''''IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD!'''''

* He earns his OneSceneWonder credentials in [[spoiler:TheStinger of ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'']].

* To complete Irons' hammy villains, [[Franchise/DieHard Simon Peter Gruber]] (he had to honor being cast as Creator/AlanRickman's brother...) and [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Scar]] ("That was today? Oh, I feel simply ''awful!''").

* Michael C. Hall truly hams it up in ''Film/{{Gamer}}.'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulcPQya3z7o Just take a look at his dance number!!!]]

* Since Creator/AlanRickman was mentioned in ''Film/HarryPotter'', this page can't be complete without mentioning [[Franchise/DieHard Hans Gruber]] and [[Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves the Sheriff of Nottingham]].
** Gruber's actually something of an anti-Ham; until the end of the movie, he was viewed as much more restrained than the typical action movie bad guy.

** His performance as an elderly Elvis in ''Bubba Ho-Tep'' is a slightly subdued version.

* ''Film/TheTenCommandments'' is hardly kosher with all the ham Heston slings around.

* Count Olaf from the movie version of Lemony Snicket's ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' was a MasterOfDisguise, but also a LargeHam - not just because Carrey played him that way, but because within the story itself Olaf is supposed to be a LargeHam. There's also this [[HilariousOuttakes outtake]]: "But enough of recent history, let's go back in a TIME machine! ''[high voice]'' ''TIIIME machine, TIIIME machine''..."
** Actually if you read the books, Count Olaf doesn't actually become a proper ham until the books that came out after the film. Beforehand, his evil was more withheld.

* With ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'', Jim gets moments of ham -- Creator/AndyKaufman, after all, loved creating and inhabiting LargeHam personas such as [[LoungeLizard Tony Clifton]] and the [[{{Heel}} Intergender Wrestling Champion of the World]], so the role(s) requires someone who understands the art of going over the top. This actually bled into real life, as he approached the role via MethodActing for the entirety of the shoot and was mentally spent afterwards.

* With ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'', Jim gets moments of ham -- Creator/AndyKaufman, after all, loved creating and inhabiting LargeHam personas such as [[LoungeLizard Tony Clifton]] and the [[{{Heel}} Intergender Wrestling Champion of the World]], so the role(s) requires someone who understands the art of going over the top.

* The superhero hamminess came back with an interest in ''Film/{{Birdman}}''. Both [[AdamWesting the actor famous for a superhero]] and [[TalkingToThemself the superhero split personality]].

* Also in ''Film/TheHustler'', "You owe me MONEY!"

* John Lithgow in nearly everything he's done since the '90s, including his role in ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' as Dick Solomon:

--> '''Alejandro (in the sequel)''': [[AC: No-one]] leaves my ''tequila worm'' dangling in the wind!

** Even better, try to watch him and Creator/MerylStreep outmug each other.

** And he's visibly trying not to giggle. And apparently that was the best take.

'''Wadsworth:''' I'M NOT SHOUTING!" ''(pause)'' All right I am! I'm SHOUTING, I'M SHOUTING, I'M SHOUT--

** There's also his "Malkoviching", [[PunctuatedForEmphasis the art of strenuously over enunciating every word]], as WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick and [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]] pointed out in their ''Film/Dune1984'' riff.

* [[Film/TalladegaNightsTheBalladOfRickyBobby Help me Jesus! Help me Jewish God! Help me Allah! Help me Tom Cruise!]]

* His entire screen time of maybe 15 minutes at most, as fictional author and would-be director Eric Jonrosh, in the Epic Mini Series parody, ''Series/TheSpoilsOfBabylon'', is nothing but this.

* From Creator/RogerEbert's review of ''Film/TheTimeMachine2002'': "[Guy] Pearce, as the hero, makes the mistake of trying to give a good and realistic performance. Irons at least knows what kind of movie he's in, and hams it up accordingly."

** He was pretty low-key as Michael Corleone in ''Film/TheGodfather'' Parts I and II, back in the early 70s, but years later in Part III he went full ham, especially in the scene during the thunderstorm where Michael is having a diabetic attack.

* Creator/RobertDeNiro as Max Cady in ''Film/CapeFear''. His Captain Shakespeare of the movie adaptation of ''Film/{{Stardust}}'' belongs here as well -- that cancan REEKS of ham (and you can just tell he loves every second of it).

* Creator/JeremyIrons in ''Film/DungeonsAndDragons'', possibly a result of [[HamAndCheese being the only actor in the movie who realized how silly the whole thing was]] - and [[MoneyDearBoy just going with it]].

* ''Film/DungeonsAndDragons'':

** Also, Joan Cusack as the nanny in ''[[Film/TheAddamsFamily Addams Family Values]]''. ''Don't I deserve love... '''and jewellery'''?

--->'''Jake:''' Oh, please, don't kill us! Please, please don't kill us! You know I love you baby. I wouldn't leave ya. It wasn't my fault!

** "[[https://youtu.be/AQEniXsGS54?t=3m1s Oh yeah!]] You put your right foot in, you take your right foot out, you do the hokey-pokey and you FUCKING WORK IT ALL OUT!"

* Think about this: it's very likely that Curry was such a large ham, he was too hammy to be the voice of ComicBook/TheJoker in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. According to Creator/BruceTimm, it was more about Curry getting throat problems from doing the voice. In other words, he was so hammy it physically hurt him.

[[folder:Samuel L Jackson]]

** Yes, and it's a big thick ham steak, wrapped in bacon and stuffed into a suckling pig with a can of Spam in its mouth. Served on a plate of porkchops.

** Also, the only Sci Fi original movies that are even close to bearable are the ones with Bruce Campbell in them, specifically for this reason.

* Creator/GeoffreyRush, [[http://thedissolve.com/news/4609-geoffrey-rush-goes-for-final-quarter-of-egot-by-st/ singled out]] by Creator/NathanRabin as a "shameless ham", who won an Oscar for [[Film/{{Shine}} "a real-life person who was essentially a collection of hammy tics and actorly mannerisms"]] and an Emmy for "in a bit of egregious scenery-chewing, he played not only the famous acting chameleon Creator/PeterSellers, but also, in fantasy sequences, a number of people in Sellers' life". A large portion of the ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' folder [[Largeham/LiveActionFilms here]] is highlighting how carried away Rush gets playing Captain Barbossa.
* John Lithgow in nearly everything he's done since the 90s, including his role in ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' as Dick Solomon:

* As well as a helping of finest FakeRussian ham in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3''. "I'm escaping to THE '''ONE PLACE''' THAT HASN'T BEEN CORRUPTED BY CAPITALISM... ''SPAAACE!''"

* Creator/NicolasCage [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOCF0BLf-BM has became infamous for this.]] Even distributors make sure to promote his movies with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIxqEHzq0Xo "Nic Cage freakout clip"]].

-->"Look, I'm just a biochemist. Most of the time, I work in a little glass jar and lead a very uneventful life. I drive a Volvo, a beige one. But what I'm dealing with here is one of the most deadly substances the earth has ever known, so what say you cut me some ''(deep voiced)'' FRIGGIN' SLACK?!"

* [[Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas The Grinch]]. And given Jim's wearing tons of make-up, yellow contact lenses and dentures, it's simply a feat that his overacting surpasses any physical pain!

* And he's the Lord Wizard in ''Literature/TheWorstWitch''. He even gets a very 1980's MTV-style [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUhuPn8_d0Q music video.]] That lasts ''ten'' minutes.

* As well as a helping of finest FakeRussian ham in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3''. "I am going to the one place uncorrupted by capitalism... SPAAACE!"

** He was saving it for his very last line. "Maker SPIT on you! I... DESERVED... moooore..."

** Few people know this, but his jaw actually has its own SAG card...its a separate entity all its own.

* His entire screen time of maybe 15 minutes at most, as fictional author and would be director Eric Jonrosh, in the Epic Mini Series parody, ''Series/TheSpoilsOfBabylon'', is nothing but this.

--> "This is what happens when you FUCK A STRANGER IN The ASS! Do you see what happens Larry? DO YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS '''WHEN YOU FUCK A STRANGER IN. THE. ASS!'''"

* He's mostly subdued in ''Film/{{Fallen}}''... until Azazel possesses him, complete with singing "[[Music/TheRollingStones Time Is on my Side]]"

* [=LaMonte=] T Montgomery in ''WesternAnimation/BeeMovie''. He even puts on an over-the top act when the main character's best friend stings him on the behind.

* The late, truly great Creator/JonathanHarris, who ''built'' his reputation on hamming it up. Who is he you ask? You know him best as Dr. Smith from ''Series/LostInSpace'' and that's really all you need to know. Although you should also know him pretty well as Manny, the praying mantis, in Pixar's ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife''. I dare you, no really, ''I. DARE. YOU.'' to come up with a ''better'' actor who has taken the LargeHam and honed it, perfected it, nay! taken it to ''the pinnacle'' of the art form! Seriously, he was such a master of it because he could take any role and imbue it with such over-the-topness, ''without making it silly'', until it was unforgettable. You love him and you know it.

* [[Film/TheThreeMusketeers1973 "YOU have deCIEVED ME!"]]

** "You ready to blow? Well, I'm a mushroom-cloud-laying motherfucker, motherfucker! Everytime my fingers touch brain, I'm Superfly TNT! I'm the [[Literature/TheGunsOfNavarone Guns of the Navarone]]! IN FACT, what the FUCK am I doing in the back?! YOU the motherfucker should be on brain detail! We're fucking switching. I'm cleaning the windows, and YOU picking up this nigga's skull!"

* He does an admirable job in the ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' as [[OneSceneWonder Dogberry]]....in fact, he's also a ham of great distinction in much of his work.

[[folder:ChristopherLloyd]]

** In ''Film/TheDeparted'', he is playing probably his most hammy role ever. ''Especially'' the now famous "I smell a rat" scene. Within the course of the scene, he does all of the following: a SpitTake onto an elaborate drawing of a swarm of rats, ''setting part of said drawing on fire'' only to put it back out in a few seconds, making some truly ''bizarre'' facial expressions, tiptoeing around like a cartoon character, and finally, dramatically ''sniffing'' Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio's character. Oh, and later in the movie, he whips a giant purple dildo out of his pants and starts shaking it in Creator/MattDamon's face.

* Things calmed down for a couple of years, until ''Film/TheFifthElement'', where weapons dealer Zorg somehow became a used car salesman channeling Ross Perot. He then hit another high point in ''Film/AirForceOne'', where castmates appear to be genuinely afraid. Whether this was just good acting or fear that he was about to go into cardiac arrest is unknown. He even managed to ham it up in two episodes of ''Series/{{Friends}}'', though this appears to have been the end of the ham ... for now.

** As the Devil in ''Film/TheDevilsAdvocate'', Pacino would only take the part if he got to do a ten minute rant in the film's climax. Upon hearing that, the producers must have looked at each other, shrugged, and said; "Do whatever the hell you want, Al!" Cue Satan Breaking The Fourth Wall as he dips a finger into holy water, boiling it.

** ''Film/AndJusticeForAll'' - Al ends the movie with an epic bit of courtroom haminess: "My client, the Honorable Henry T. Flemming should GO RIGHT TO FUCKING JAIL!!! THE SON OF A BITCH IS GUILTY!" (lots of ranting then follows)

* [[Film/TheBigLebowski Let me tell you something, pendejo. You pull any of your crazy shit with us, you flash a piece out on the lanes, I'll take it away from you, stick it up your ass and pull the fucking trigger 'til it goes "click."]]

** He also played Egghead in the 60's ''Series/Batman1966'' series, delivering a fine meal of ham and eggs.

* Listen up you primitive screwheads! Creator/BruceCampbell is a LARGEHAM! He starts off as a DeadpanSnarker, top-of-the-line. You can find this in lines like "Groovy". That's right, then this sweet actor from Royal Oak, Michigan gets 110 bucks worth of ham. He's got a hyperactive jawline, walnut brown eyes and a hair ham trigger. So when shopping for ham, [[Franchise/EvilDead Shop Smart. Shop S-Mart. GOT THAT?]]

** Most of his covers in ''Series/BurnNotice'' are usually of the annoying American variety or high class suit and tie coupled with a heavy serving of ham.

--> "I'm GORGEOUS!"

** ''Film/Bombshell2019'' has Lithgow as Roger Ailes, who not only was a [[FatBastard really large]] ham, but as full of himself as possible.
* Creator/VictoriaPedretti, due to her background in theater, her expressive facial features, and her high energy, can devour scenery as well as a 20-year veteran. Either of her characters in the ''Haunting'' series are prime examples.

* Creator/VictoriaPendretti, due to her background in theater, her expressive facial features, and her high energy, can devour scenery as well as a 20-year veteran. Either of her characters in the ''Haunting'' series are prime examples.

* ''Film/FlushedAway'' had him as villain Toad, and it is a thing of beauty.

** ''Film/JumanjiWelcomeToTheJungle'' downright has "Smoldering Intensity" as one of his character's traits.

** There's also his "Malkoviching", [[PunctuatedForEmphasis the art of strenuously over enunciating every word]], as WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick and [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]] pointed out in their ''Film/{{Dune}}'' riff.

* As Elrond in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'': "[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing Evil was allowed to enduuuuuuuuh]]."

* ''Film/{{Caligula}}'': "I have existed from the morning of the world and I shall exist until the last star falls from the night! Although I have taken the form of Gaius Caligula, I am all men as I am no man and therefore I am a Ham!"

* The scene in ''Film/X2XMenUnited'' where a drugged Magneto talks to Xavier.

** [[Film/{{Batman}} This town needs an enema!]]

* ''Film/LiarLiar'', source of a previous page image (long story short: Creator/JimCarrey's character suddenly CannotTellALie; he tests it by trying to say a blue pen is red. HilarityEnsues.) has such gems as: "I HOLD ''MYSELF'' IN CONTEMPT! WHY SHOULD ''YOU'' BE ANY DIFFERENT?!" and this [[HilariousOuttakes outtake]]:

* His very debut was as a henchman in ''Film/LicenceToKill'', not a main Bond villain like the ones in a folder below, but still requiring some ham ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5rUWO1ZUQA "Don't worry, we gave her a nice ''honeymooooon''!"]])

* Watch Creator/TimCurry having far too much fun playing evil wizard Trymon in ''Discworld/TheColourOfMagic''.

** [[Film/SleepyHollow1999 Constable Crane!!!]] [[Film/SleepyHollow This is a song that we have heard from you more than once!]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdR4sA0MwEw A cameo appearance that is memorable.]]

* '''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings YOU]]''' '''[[YouShallNotPass SHALL NOT PASS]]!!'''

* "[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Nobody tosses a dwarf!]]"

* As Elrond in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'': "Evil was allowed to enduuuuuuuuh."

** [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings A great]] [[strike:EYYYE]] [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings HAM. LLLLID LESS. Wrrreaaathed in FLLLAAAMMME.]]
** [[Film/SleepyHollow Constable Crane!!!]] [[Film/SleepyHollow This is a song that we have heard from you more than once!]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdR4sA0MwEw A cameo appearance that is memorable.]]

* ''Film/LiarLiar'', source of the page image (long story short: Creator/JimCarrey's character suddenly CannotTellALie; he tests it by trying to say a blue pen is red. HilarityEnsues.) has such gems as: "I HOLD ''MYSELF'' IN CONTEMPT! WHY SHOULD ''YOU'' BE ANY DIFFERENT?!" and this [[HilariousOuttakes outtake]]: