Actors who play really great repuke assholes in the movie but...

[LynneSin]

..are known liberals/progressives in real life

Top on this list: James Cromwell. He's played some sick repuke-style assholes in the movie including: Space Cowboys, The General's Daughter and my personal favorite - LA Confidential.

Who else is on this list?

[Nye Bevan]

1. Richard Dreyfuss

Played Bob Rumson, the evil repuke opponent of Michael Douglas in "The American President" (a great movie).

But he is a good Dem in real life:

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/conventions/articles/2004/07/27/dreyfuss_blasts_bush_urges_florida_delegates_to_help_kerry/

[MrBenchley]

4. He also did a great portrayal of Alexander Haig

in "The Day Reagan Was Shot."

There's a priceless moment when he's mulling over a nuclear stike on the Soviet Union, and somebody tells him, "Push the button, Al...no, the speaker phone, Al!"

[HughBeaumont]

2. Don't forget "People vs Larry Flynt" -

Cromwell played grand bastard Chuck Keating to the hilt. Keating, what a piece of work THAT guy was. Porn is horrid and immoral, but bankrupting the country and swindling retiree dollars is more or less OK.

[terrya]

3. James Brolin in "The Reagans"

Brolin was absolutely superb as Ronald Reagan in "The Reagans" (with another great performance, Judy Davis, playing Nancy Reagan). But I believe that James Brolin is one of us...his wife certainly is. :-)

[XNASA]

5. Gotta go with Alan Rickman

Despicable in "Bob Roberts"....

But a lefty at heart.

[terrya]

6. And of course, Tim Robbins himself.

I forgot about "Bob Roberts".

[XNASA]

10. How could you?

:cry:

[terrya]

11. I know...my bad.

It's an absolutely fantastic movie. It completely slipped my mind with LynneSin's post.

[LynneSin]

7. Hell in that case you should toss in Tim Robbins

he was absolutely amazing as the folk-singing neo-con repuke in Bob Roberts. Almost like a Rick Santorum except I don't think Rick Santorum can sing

[Pithlet]

15. No one can do despicable like Alan Rickman

He's incredibly talented. One of my all time favorite actors.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

21. And don't forget Snape!

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

22. Carroll O'Connor and Ed Asner

[RubyDuby in GA]

8. Alan Alda - in The Avaitor and on The West Wing

[Richardo]

9. Paul Newman as Sidney Mussburger in "Hudsucker Proxy"

"Suresure - we need a sap."

[Dukkha]

12. the late great Carroll O'Connor

played the quintessential right wing bigot Archie Bunker but was himself a great liberal

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4211207,00.html

"During our voyage, I also discovered that O' Connor, who was with Nancy, his wife since 1951, was nothing like his alter ego, being introverted, intellectual and liberal. 'I never heard Archie's kind of talk in my own family,' he said. 'My father was in partnership with two Jews, and there were black families in our circle of friends."

[charlie]

13. Jack Nicholson

Col Nathan Jessup.

[Allenberg]

14. Robert DeNiro

Meet the Parents/Fockers

[mr blur]

16. Martin Sheen in "Dead Zone"

willing to do anything for power.

[Spider Jerusalem]

17. Alec Baldwin in "Glengarry Glen Ross".

"You see this watch? You see this watch? That watch costs more than your car. I made $970,000 last year. How much you make? You see pal, that's who I am, and you're nothing."

[Blue_Tires]

18. Tim Robbins in 'Arlington Road'

VERY creepy


Michael J. Fox in Family Ties

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

20. And "Bob Roberts". n/y

[Blue_Tires]

19. i don't know how liberal Geroge C. Scott was

but he played a BUNCH of RW roles: Patton, Inherit the Wind, The Hustler, Dr. Strangelove, etc.

[Felix Mala]

24. His favorite role was Clarence Darrow.

What kind of self-respecting, right wing nutjob would brag about how much he enjoyed playing Clarence Darrow?

[Felix Mala]

23. People, people, people... Are you forgetting Gen. Buck Turgidson?

George C. Scott in his greatest role...

"Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed, but I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops, uh, depending on the breaks."

[Zomby Woof]

25. Gene Hackman

Who played Little Bill in "Unforgiven".

[Richardo]

26. ...and racist cop Popeye Doyle in "French Connection"

Still one of the best movies ever.

[Blue_Tires]

28. 'what's my name??'

"doyle"

'what's my name??'

'MISTER doyle!!'

[Blue_Tires]

29. Robert Duvall in M*A*S*H*

[LaPera]

27. Tim Robbin's as "Bob Robert's". Nothing or anyone else even comes close!!

[Blue_Tires]

30. Gregory Peck in 'the boys from brazil'

if you want to look at how many (liberal) actors have played nazis on screen, this discussion gets a lot longer

[Flaxbee]

31. you beat me to it - was just going to list Peck as Dr. Mengele...

yikes.

Boys from Brazil was great - loved watching Peck and Laurence Olivier together.

[CBHagman]

32. Conrad Veidt was anti-Nazi.

We all know Conrad Veidt as Major Strasser in Casablanca, but it would be a mistake to confuse the actor with the role. Veidt was famously opposed to the Nazis and eventually left Germany, became a British citizen, and was a donor to British war relief.

I don't know anything else about Veidt's politics than that, but he's like many who fled Europe and wound up playing villains, frequently Nazis, on screen.

[NewJeffCT]

33. not an asshole in a movie, but Robert Redford as Bob Woodward

Bob Woodward is pretty far right, but Redford is noted as a liberal and portrayed Woodward in All the President's Men.

[Twillig]

34. Burt Lancaster

As the coup plotting General Mattoon Scott in Seven Days in May.

[Blue_Tires]

35. Jason Robards in 'Philadelphia'