One thing about Dracula is he’s a bloodsucking fiend from Transylvania who has a thing for the blood of English maidens. Another thing about him is he’s immensely popular and in the public domain, which means anyone with the time and money can put him on the screen and hope to make a few bucks.
With this glut of Draculas, famous actors see opportunity. Such a meaty role is a challenge as attractive as Hamlet, and while many rise to the occasion — Gary Oldman, Frank Langella — others find their efforts buried under the sands of time. Here are a few notable actors who donned the cape, only to have their work be staked through the heart in the murky depths of their CV.
1. Jack Palance
Best known as: Cowboy villain from the sixties. Millennials, ask some Boomers about it.
Second best known as: vigorous old man who did pushups onstage at the Oscars about a million years ago. Millennials, ask some GenXers about it.
In the early 70’s this classic bad boy of Hollywood westerns turned his sights on a more refined villain. The creator of Dark Shadows, a successful but campy vampire soap opera, decided to try his hand at adapting Stoker’s novel for the small screen. Somehow, he became convinced that Palance had the gravitas for the role. But it’s one thing for Dracula to be an ancient creature creeping in the shadows and another for him to *look* like an ancient creature struggling to stay upright. Alas, Palance’s trademark acting style was a menacing hiss and wooden demeanor. And while that worked, somewhat, for Bela Legosi, it falls flat for Palance, who is surprisingly inept here; an all-around failure for the future Oscar winner and geriatric pushup champion of 1992. Watch the trailer here.
In the early 70’s this classic bad boy of Hollywood westerns turned his sights on a more refined villain. The creator of Dark Shadows, a successful but campy vampire soap opera, decided to try his hand at adapting Stoker’s novel for the small screen. Somehow, he became convinced that Palance had the gravitas for the role. But it’s one thing for Dracula to be an ancient creature creeping in the shadows and another for him to *look* like an ancient creature struggling to stay upright. Alas, Palance’s trademark acting style was a menacing hiss and wooden demeanor. And while that worked, somewhat, for Bela Legosi, it falls flat for Palance, who is surprisingly inept here; an all-around failure for the future Oscar winner and geriatric pushup champion of 1992. Watch the trailer here.
2. Denholm Elliot
Best known as: Indiana Jones’s daft sidekick Marcus Brody in the best two of the Spielberg/Lucas mega-series.
3. Raul Julia
Best Known For: Gomez Addams
Regrettably, Raul Julia never played Dracula on-screen. But in the 1970’s, the first golden age of Vampires, a Broadway adaptation featuring sets by Edward Gorey was the toast of New York City. Following Frank Langella’s run in the role, young Raul Julia was cast as his replacement. Handsome, dashing and dangerous, Julia is a surprisingly bold choice, though his performance seems to be, regrettably, not available today.
dreamy.
Regrettably, Raul Julia never played Dracula on-screen. But in the 1970’s, the first golden age of Vampires, a Broadway adaptation featuring sets by Edward Gorey was the toast of New York City. Following Frank Langella’s run in the role, young Raul Julia was cast as his replacement. Handsome, dashing and dangerous, Julia is a surprisingly bold choice, though his performance seems to be, regrettably, not available today.
4. Gerard Butler
I’m going to admit I don’t really know who Gerard Butler is, despite having seen several of his movies. He is like whatever you ate last Tuesday — enjoyable, worth having eaten, and probably coming up next week again, whatever it was.
I’m also giving a quick shout-out to Wes Craven, horror master, for lending his name to Dracula 2000. Because as much as Dracula can be a star-making role, it also has a reputation for being the low point in otherwise stellar careers.
Witness Gerard Butler: Before 300 or Phantom of the Opera, Butler honed his hunky action chops on this half-baked, almost forgettable Dracula revival. Plot: Resurrected from the bowels of a London bank vault, Dracula travels to New Orleans to cavort with with a bevy of eye-candy and Y2K-level CGI to find his new/old lady love. Unfortunately, Butler barely speaks, and much of the action involves Christopher Plummer as an aging, drug-addict Van Helsing staggering around with a stake shooting gatling-style rifle. A solid background movie for a slow day, but not Dracula’s finest hour. You will have to find your own clip, I won’t do that to you.
Witness Gerard Butler: Before 300 or Phantom of the Opera, Butler honed his hunky action chops on this half-baked, almost forgettable Dracula revival. Plot: Resurrected from the bowels of a London bank vault, Dracula travels to New Orleans to cavort with with a bevy of eye-candy and Y2K-level CGI to find his new/old lady love. Unfortunately, Butler barely speaks, and much of the action involves Christopher Plummer as an aging, drug-addict Van Helsing staggering around with a stake shooting gatling-style rifle. A solid background movie for a slow day, but not Dracula’s finest hour. You will have to find your own clip, I won’t do that to you.
5. Willem Dafoe
Does it make any sense that the actor who played Jesus for Martin Scorsese would end up playing a creeped-out actor who goes full method to play a vampire? In 2019, with madness the order of the day, let’s just say yes.
Okay, I hear you: Dafoe is actually playing Max Schreck, the actor who played Count Orlok in the German silent film that was a rip-off of Dracula. I know that’s actually three degrees of separation, but you need to watch this movie. Willem Dafoe is masterfully creepy and cool in this role, and the whole idea is just awesome. Dafoe’s scenes with John Malkovich, who plays a frustrated director trying to talk Schreck out of eating the crew (at least until shooting wraps), are both chilling and hilarious. Totally worth your time.
Okay, I hear you: Dafoe is actually playing Max Schreck, the actor who played Count Orlok in the German silent film that was a rip-off of Dracula. I know that’s actually three degrees of separation, but you need to watch this movie. Willem Dafoe is masterfully creepy and cool in this role, and the whole idea is just awesome. Dafoe’s scenes with John Malkovich, who plays a frustrated director trying to talk Schreck out of eating the crew (at least until shooting wraps), are both chilling and hilarious. Totally worth your time.
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