In some families, the girls resemble their dad, the boys their mom. It’s Jane Fonda who inherited her father Henry’s flinty screen persona. Peter, softer and seemingly less driven, had a high old time and, after achieving dopester icon status in The Wild Angels and Easy Rider, relaxed into a semi-retirement from meaningful screen roles. His work as Ulee the beekeeper in Victor Nunez’s 1997 family drama earned him a Golden Globe, a New York Film Critics Circle award and an Oscar nomination. It also reminded audiences of what a precise and principled actor Peter Fonda could be. Just like dad.
The essence of a Hollywood star is that he can make hits out of crappy movies; his very presence lures the customers. Playing guys named Gator McKlusky and Shamus McCoy in indifferent action comedies, Reynolds sustained top-star status throughout the ’70s because men found him funny and likable, women sexy and self-depreciating. People almost forgot the 1972 Deliverance, where he also proved he could act in strong dramatic films. After a four-year run heading the sitcom Evening Shade, Reynolds, now 60, was cast as Jack Horner in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 film Boogie Nights; he lent the role of the porno director just the right mixture of class and crass. The part snagged him a slew of critics’ prizes and an Oscar nomination — scrolls that could go in the display case with his six People’s Choice Awards.
As we prepare for the Game of Thrones finale, we recognize Joffrey and nine other baddies who showed us that terrible, horrible things can come in small packages
