Top 10 Bruce Campbell Performances

Playing a ‘50s movie style newspaper man, quick with a quip or a cigarette, Bruce Campbell brings life to an otherwise forgettable background character in this Coen brothers screwball comedy. Playing the sidekick to Jennifer Jason Leigh’s star writer, Smitty seems happy to have a job and serves as a calming influence – for the most part - to his hot-tempered colleagues. We just wish there was more of Smitty to go around.

The self-proclaimed King of Thieves with a heart of gold, he became so popular that despite decisions to no longer feature him in “Xena” after the second season, fans demanded and were rewarded with Autolycus’ return. Equally sarcastic and heroic, it seemed like the character was created just forBruce. In both “Hercules” and “Xena”, Bruce seems to be capable of wearing any goofy get up or uttering any strange line and yet he was still taken seriously as a comedic character.

When fans found out there was going to be a sequel to “Escape from New York,” they began salivating for its release. That was until they actually saw the film, with its cheesy acting and goofy sequences that did not live up to the original. But there was one scene that combined the creepiness and over the top nature of the first film and it also happens to be Bruce Campbell at his scariest. Here, he plays a plastic surgeon that uses the bodies of the living against their will to provide his patients and himself with a new appearance. You would have been forgiven if you didn’t realize who it was on first sight.

Bruce Campbell’s professional career since the ‘80s has mostly been as an actor. What some people don’t realize though is that for many years he’s made a second career out of being himself. Whether that entails writing autobiographies or making appearances, it is clear that Bruce has made a lot of money playing him. So it seemed like a natural progression to combine directing, producing and playing himself, and that is what happened in this movie. Playing a B movie star brought in by a small town to rid it of a supernatural menace, Campbell seamlessly combines fear, disbelief, false bravado and heroism in this comedy horror.

Bruce Campbell and director Sam Raimi were childhood friends who remain close to this day, so when it came time for Raimi to bring Spider-Man to life, it made sense for him to give his friend a new spotlight in the series. After he played a wrestling ring announcer in the first film and a snooty usher in the second, fans of the series began to keep their eyes peeled for the next cameo. In the third film, Bruce’s comedic timing made a scene that could have bombed for many fans. It’s just a shame he hasn’t been featured in the new series of films.

With a voice that smooth and expressive it seems criminal that Bruce has not been sought out for more voice-over work. Playing a boastful and arrogant mayor may not have been a huge stretch for the actor, but not being able to rely on his pliable facial features and physical comedy may have been. Ultimately serving as the computer animated comedy’s main antagonist, Bruce’s voice allowed him to be amusing the entire time that we root against him.

When a show runs for one season in an unenviable Friday night time slot before being cancelled, it is likely that it will fade away into obscurity. This show however had one major thing going for it: the ravenous fans of Mr. Campbell. So instead, the titular cocksure cowboy is fondly remembered by devotees of the sci-fi western. If this show hadn’t been given one of the worst timeslots of the week, who knows how long it would’ve run and how many more people would’ve discovered its talented star.

With characters like Elvis Presley, who is now living in a nursing home after faking his death, and his African-American friend, who believes he is JFK, both of whom end up fighting an Egyptian Mummy, it’s not surprising this comedy horror needs a special actor to make it happen. Luckily for all of us, the filmmakers made the smart decision to cast Bruce, an actor who seems capable of making the truly ludicrous work. This film and its star, despite the ridiculous premise, deserve far more credit than they received on its release. Pulling off the comedy as well as the physicality of a man of far greater years than him, Mr. Campbell did the nearly impossible and succeeded.

Yet again bringing his skills to the small screen, Bruce’s co-starring role in this long-running series certainly earned the man a legion of new fans and helped cement his already loyal following. Bringing his trademark humor and timing to the espionage world, there is little question that the show would have paled in comparison without him. A character strong enough to warrant his own TV movie spin off, it’s safe to say that fans couldn’t get enough of this former Navy Seal.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Charles ‘Charlie’ Travis
“Congo” (1995)
- Ivan
“Alien Apocalypse” (2005)
- Brian
“McHale’s Navy” (1997)
- Carl Greig
“Icebreaker” (2000)
- William Cole
“Man with the Screaming Brain” (2005)

There is no other role that could ever eclipse this one for Bruce as it was playing Ash that gave him the chance to be a professional actor. This reluctant horror hero has some of the best one-liners in cinema history, such as [“This is my boomstick!” “Good. Bad. I’m the guy with the gun,” [and “First you wanna kill me, now you want to kiss me,”] among many others. Starring in the first original three films, including a notable “Bad Ash” performance in “Army of Darkness,” and later cameo-ing in the closing credits of the 21st century reboot and uttering just one word, we knew there was no question the man would still be working onscreen to this day.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite Bruce Campbell performance? For more acting Top10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.