After thinking about some actors, I've realized that many of them haven't been the "only star" or "headlining" actor before the movie title. Can you name famous actors who haven't gotten their name "headlined" in big bold letters on a movie poster, or listed before the movie title at the start of a film? This is easy to research if you seek their movie trailers and/or movie posters.


1. Jennifer Connelly. She hasn't been headlined as the sole star in any of her movies since Phenomena or even Labyrinth (i'm guessing that the hype was around Bowie anyway). She's always starring alongside someone else. I would like to see a movie with her where she's the sole focus.


2. Brad Pitt. I'm only bringing him up here because I thought of this topic long ago before he had made Troy and Jesse James. He's surprisingly only headlined Jesse James, Troy, Seven Years in Tibet, and Johnny Suede. All of his other films are with other famous actors.

3. John Goodman. I think his only headlining film is King Ralph.

4. Chris Tucker. It's either Jackie Chan or Charlie Sheen with him.

Brad Pitt definitely came first in my mind.

Also that Piratey elf guy.

Him?

Was there any other headliner on Matinee?

Steve Buscemi.

Jennifer Connelly headlined Dark Water a few years ago.

While Brad Pitt tends to act with fellow stars, he almost always gets top billing.

Morgan Freeman is one of those actors who's been around forever but never gets top billing. Do you know he's never had a single on-screen kiss in his film career?

Actresses rarely get solo top billing with the exception of Jodie Foster.

Christopher Walken? Other than the Prophecy series and King of New York, I'm drawing a blank on his headlining roles.

He may not be the most rare in terms of number of headlining roles, but rather in the percentage of roles being headlining.

Along with Matinee, add The Babe.


I would add Gary Oldman to the list.

Owen Wilson
Chris Cooper

The Dead Zone

The Minus Man

Trees Lounge (granted, he had to make it himself, but it is his movie)

Actually, he was not a headliner on the original poster. That was one of the movies I looked at before posting.

Paul Giamatti (except for American Splendor and Sideways, and I guess Lady In The Water)

That's a good example. He shared top billing with other actors on Sideways and Lady in the Water, and possibly on American Splendor (I can't really tell from IMDB's poster image), yet he has gone beyond being merely a character actor.

I have a hard time believing that Morgan Freeman has never been kissed on screen. Wasn't he just in Feast of Love, where everyone hooked up in some way?

There are quite a few actresses who get solo top billing beyond Jodie Foster: Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde 1 and 2 & Sweet Home Alabama), Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich, Sleeping with the Enemy), Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart, Lara Croft movies), Nicole Kidman (Dogville, The Others), Renee Zelweger (A Price Above Rubies), Sandra Bullock (Premonition, Murder By Numbers, 28 Days). There's probably some I'm missing.

Not to nitpick, people, but the headline does say RARELY headlined a film by themselves. Almost any established actor has had at least one film they've carried on their own, but this is about those that rarely have the opportunity. I don't think anyone can name one established actor that has never had his own headlined film.

Ok I'll play-

Gary Sinise (1 or 2)
Don Cheadle had like 1 headline
Ernest Borgnine
Does Booger qualify? He's been in a good amount of films...
Brian Cox

Gene Hackman

well, if we're only talking about major releases, then I'd say Orlando Bloom.

The French Connection

^^^ true, Roy Scheider wasn't really a "established" yet.

He was probably the headliner in Behind Enemy Lines. Gene Hackman was in it too, but Owen had a more major role.

Hackman has had a bunch even besides The French Connection movies....Hoosiers, The Conversation, Mississippi Burning, the Poseidon Adventure...he was a frequent headliner in the 70s and 80s, although not as much lately.

Andre Braugher - Might not be the best example, but Braugher hasn't (from my short memory) headlined much/if anything by himself. Great actor, and he was bloody good in Homicide: Life on the Street, but movie wise, he's always been down the headlining list.

Alec Baldwin -He's a relatively well known and established actor, but he really hasn't headlined a film by himself. That really doesn't matter much, though. He's frickin' hilarious on 30 Rock, and even through he gets the "and Alec Baldwin" billing on the show, he's the star of it, IMO.

Well, I feel like I could argue that Poseidon Adventure was an ensemble movie with quite a few stars and Mississippi Burning shared billing with William Defoe. I will agree with the others listed.

I guess the keyword for me was "rarely." The man has 100 acting credits listed in IMDB, with probably five or six being headliners. To me 5-6% is rare.