For more than four decades, John Malkovich has carved out a name for himself as among Hollywood’s most interesting and varied performers. With countless beloved roles across action, comedy, drama, and a host of other genres, the main thing that categorized a Malkovich performance was his intense commitment to his roles and willingness to go the extra mile in his characterization. As a leading man, supporting hero, and sinister villain, this two-time Academy Award nominee has truly proved himself to be a uniquely talented addition to modern cinema.
Part of Malkovich’s appeal was that audiences never knew what they would get from one performance to another. After building up his reputation in movies by acclaimed directors like Steven Spielberg and Wolfgang Petersen, Malkovich confounded all expectations with one of the most uniquely intense performances ever seen in the highly original film Being John Malkovich. As a performer associated with absurd, charismatic, and often disturbing characters, John Malkovich has had an astounding career packed with iconic roles.
10 Burn After Reading (2008)
John Malkovich as Osborne Cox
Burn After Reading 1
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Burn After Reading is a dark comedy thriller directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, and John Malkovich, revolving around a disc containing the memoirs of a CIA agent that inadvertently gets into the hands of two gym employees. Their misguided attempts to profit from their find lead to unforeseen consequences and entanglements with CIA operatives.
Director Ethan Coen , Joel Coen Release Date September 5, 2008 Writers Joel Coen , Ethan Coen Cast George Clooney , Frances McDormand , Brad Pitt , John Malkovich , Tilda Swinton , Richard Jenkins Runtime 96 minutes Budget $37 million Expand
John Malkovich has worked with some of the greatest filmmakers of all time, and to see him paired with the Coen Brothers in Burn After Reading was a match made in heaven. This crime comedy saw Malkovich play Osborne Cox, an embittered alcoholic former CIA analyst who, after being forced to quit his job, decided to write a memoir. However, two dimwitted gym employees (Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt) found his misplaced story and, mistaking it for classified government documents, tried to profit from it.
As a farce of misadventures, miscommunication, and mismanagement, Burn After Reading was a fine addition to the Coens’ impressive catalog of clever thrillers with comedic twists. Malkovich excelled in his role as the only straight man surrounded by “a league of morons,” as everyone around him believed themselves to be part of a high-stakes espionage conspiracy, when in fact, there were never any stakes at all. In typical Coen Brother fashion, Burn After Reading was funny, offbeat, and well-written.
9 In The Line Of Fire (1993)
John Malkovich as Mitch Leary
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In the Line of Fire is a thriller film where a veteran Secret Service agent, Frank Horrigan, played by Clint Eastwood, is haunted by his failure to protect President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Decades later, he is assigned to investigate a mysterious threat on the life of the current US President, while a psychopathic assassin, Mitch Leary, played by John Malkovich, begins to stalk and taunt him.
Director Wolfgang Petersen Release Date July 8, 1993 Studio(s) Castle Rock Entertainment , Apple / Rose , Columbia Pictures Writers Jeff Maguire Cast Clint Eastwood , John Malkovich , Rene Russo , Dylan McDermott , Gary Cole Runtime 128 Minutes Budget 40000000 Main Genre Action Expand
Part of John Malkovich’s appeal was his incredibly varied career, and a prime example of this was his villainous role in the political thriller In the Line of Fire. With Clint Eastwood as Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan, who, as a younger man, failed to stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, 30 years later, a clever assassin named Mitch Leary (Malkovich) gave him another chance to save the life of a sitting president. As a straightforward thriller from director Wolfgang Petersen, In the Line of Fire delivers action, drama, and suspense.
As a disillusioned and obsessed former CIA agent with a desire to kill the president, Malkovich gave a charismatic performance as Mitch Leary, a clever would-be killer also going under the aliases James Carney and Booth. Malkovich played well opposite Eastwood, as both actors have always known how to get the best out of a good script and imbue their characters with depth and complexity. In the Line of Fire was a thrilling game of cat and mouse mixed with psychological torment and one of the most underrated thrillers of the 1990s.
8 Ripley’s Game (2002)
John Malkovich as Tom Ripley
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Ripley’s Game is a 2002 thriller based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel of the same name. Directed by Liliana Cavani, the film stars John Malkovich as Tom Ripley, a wealthy and unscrupulous art dealer who enlists an innocent man, played by Dougray Scott, into a scheme of murder. As events spiral out of control, the film explores themes of deception, morality, and the consequences of criminal behavior.
Director Liliana Cavani Release Date February 7, 2003 Writers Charles McKeown , Liliana Cavani , Patricia Highsmith Cast John Malkovich , Dougray Scott , Lena Headey , Ray Winstone , Uwe Mansshardt , Hanns Zichler , Paolo Paoloni , Maurizio Lucà Runtime 110 Minutes Main Genre Crime Expand
There have been plenty of adaptations of Patricia Highsmith’s series about the murderous adventures of the anti-hero Tom Ripley, from Matt Damon’s excellent portrayal in The Talented Mr. Ripley to Andrew Scott in the exceptional Netflix series Ripley. However, John Malkovich gave a highly underrated performance in Ripley’s Game, a film that failed at the box office but was praised by critics. The best thing about Ripley’s Game was Malkovich’s performance as the outstanding talents of his co-stars Lena Headey, Dougray Scott, and Ray Winstone.
Malkovich captured the essence of Ripley’s character as he oozed charm and charisma and walked the fine line between heartlessness and genuine sincerity. Ripley’s Game truly brought the titular sociopath to life and told it a thrilling story of blackmail, deceit, and secrecy. Interestingly, this would not be Malkovich’s only appearance in a Highsmith adaptation, as he also appeared in Netflix’s Ripley as Reeves Minot in 2024.
7 Con Air (1997)
John Malkovich as Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom
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Con-Air is a 1990s action crime-thriller starring Nicholas Cage as former U.S. Ranger turned to convict Cameron Poe. Poe, in an act of self-defense and passion, is court-martialed for accidentally killing the man he protected his wife from. Having served his time and achieving Parole, Poe is on his way home with one problem – the transport plane he’s on has been hijacked by several dangerous convicts, led by one of the worst in the United States.
Director Simon West Release Date June 5, 1997 Writers Scott Rosenberg Cast John Cusack , Dave Chappelle , Ving Rhames , John Malkovich , Steve Buscemi , Nicolas Cage Runtime 115 minutes Studio(s) 20th Century Distributor(s) 20th Century Budget $75 million Expand
John Malkovich’s career included many prestigious dramatic roles, but he was also just as comfortable in over-the-top action movies that served as pure popcorn entertainment. Considering this, Malkovich was truly perfect for his role as the main villain in the Nicolas Cage cult classic Con Air, Cyrus the Virus. Malkovich played the psychopathic criminal and serial murderer who masterminded the airplane hijacking in this thrilling action movie produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
Along with Cage’s incredible performance, Malkovich helped make Con Air one of the most enjoyable action movies of the 1990s. Cyrus the Virus was a deranged convict who spent most of his life in prison and was known for murdering eleven inmates, instigating three riots, and consistently escaping custody. As one of the most outrageous action movies ever made, Malkovich gave his all to Con Air and contributed to its major box office success, with the film taking in $234 million globally (via Box Office Mojo.)
6 Empire Of The Sun (1987)
John Malkovich as Basie
As the acting debut of 12-year-old Christian Bale, Empire of the Sun was a coming-of-age film by Steven Spielberg that charted the story of a young boy named Jim becoming a prisoner of war in a Shanghai internment camp operated by the Japanese during WWII. John Malkovich played Basie, an American merchant navy man who oversaw Jim in the camp, whose hustling nature meant he was always looking for a way to exploit his situation. An epic in the truest sense of the word, the Lawrence of Arabia director David Lean was originally attached to this project (via Collider.)
At its core, Empire of the Sun was about how difficult circumstances forced Jim to grow up fast, as his life story was one fraught with difficulties. Empire of the Sun has remained one of Spielberg’s most underrated movies and acted as a definitive moment in the early careers of not just Bale and Malkovich but also a young Ben Stiller. As an emotional and visually striking drama about loss, family, and the horror of war, Empire of the Sun was an astounding success.
5 The Glass Menagerie (1987)
John Malkovich as Tom Wingfield
As a dreamy adaptation of Tennesse Williams’s play, The Glass Menagerie was a powerful showcase of John Malkovich’s dramatic skills. As the final film directed by Paul Newman, Malkovich starred opposite the director’s wife, Joanne Woodward, in this memory play of distorted recollections and lost love. The Glass Menagerie was the story of a son who, along with his timid sister, lived under the crushing expectations of his stifling mother, Amanda, played by Woodward.
With profound intensity, Malkovich captured the compelling pain of Tom Wingfield, whose banal and boring life was categorized by whileing away his days watching movies at the local cinema. With beautiful light and incredible camera work, The Glass Menagerie was filled with heartbreaking monologues as the unfilled expectations of its characters’s lives were brought to the forefront. From the pining for her days as a glamorous Southern belle, the sister’s sad, unrequited love for her sibling’s friend, and the subtext of Tom’s unspoken sexuality, there’s a lot of depth to this powerful adaptation of Williams’ 1944 play.
4 Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
John Malkovich as Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont
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Dangerous Liaisons is a film adaptation of the 18th-century novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. Directed by Stephen Frears, the movie stars Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Michelle Pfeiffer. It explores themes of manipulation, deceit, and seduction within the French aristocracy. As former lovers, the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont scheme to destroy the lives of those around them for their amusement.
Director Stephen Frears Release Date December 21, 1988 Writers Christopher Hampton , Choderlos de Laclos Cast Glenn Close , John Malkovich , Michelle Pfeiffer , Swoosie Kurtz , Keanu Reeves , Mildred Natwick Runtime 119 minutes Main Genre Drama Expand
Based on the 1782 French novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Dangerous Liaisons was a romantic period drama of scheming love affairs as a manipulative ex-lover’s bet on the adulterous corruption of a recently married woman. With powerful performances from Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Michelle Pfeiffer, Dangerous Liaisons was categorized by pure wit and an immediacy rarely seen in period dramas of this kind. With everyone involved firing on all cylinders, director Stephen Frears truly got the best out of an extraordinarily talented cast.
In
Friends
Season 4, Episode 12, “The One with the Embryos,” while playing a quiz about how well the characters know one another, it’s revealed Rachel Green falsely claimed
Dangerous Liaisons
was her favorite movie, but her actual favorite movie was
Weekend at Bernie’s
.
However, it was John Malkovich as Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont, the deceitful ladiesman at the heart of the scheme, who truly stole the show. With a level of charm and charisma far exceeding anything he had previously showcased, Malkovich was truly believable as the darkly sinister assistant to revenge. Dangerous Liaisons had everything going for it and was a must-watch film for lovers of romantic period dramas.
3 Of Mice And Men (1992)
John Malkovich as Lennie Small
John Steinbeck’s extraordinary novella of two wayward ranch workers during the Great Depression received a fantastic adaptation in 1992. With John Malkovich as Lennie Small and Gary Sinise as his quick-witted best friend, George Milton, this story of aspiration, companionship, and innate human struggles was a beautiful deconstruction of the American Dream and the desire to find a place of belonging. As a heartfelt, well-acted, and faithful adaptation of its source material, Of Mice and Men captured the essence of Steinbeck’s timeless story.
While the entire cast deserved praise, Malkovich was particularly effective as Lenny, whose heart-wrenching portrayal of a good-intentioned intellectually disabled man became all the more harrowing considering the story’s tragic ending. Malkovich showcased the depth of emotion he was capable of emitting as Lenny’s pure-hearted intentions were brought to the forefront only to be stripped away as his brute strength unintentionally led to the death of a young woman. Of Mice and Men was a powerful story about how, despite their best intentions, working-class people have little power to gain meaningful freedom and rise out of poverty.
2 Death Of A Salesman (1985)
John Malkovich as Biff Loman
The 1985 adaptation of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman was an incredible made-for-TV movie that was as good as any theatrical release. With Dustin Hoffman in one of his greatest roles as the troubled traveling salesman Willy Loman, this surreal adaptation breathed new life into this 1949 Pulitzer Prize-winning play. As a deconstruction of Willy’s fractured relationships, in particular with his son Biff (John Malkovich), Death of a Salesman got the very heart of the death of the American Dream and the sad regret that those who feel they never lived up to their potential must endure.
Malkovich perfectly captured the longing of Biff’s character as, unlike his father, he longed to dig deeper into the frustrations of everyday living and was one of the few characters in Death of a Salesman to achieve some semblance of personal growth. Death of a Salesman saw Biff becoming disillusioned from heartbreaking fantasies of his father, and Malkovich’s performance highlighted the complexity of familial relationships. Malkovich’s rich and layered performance helped make Death of a Salesman a truly effective adaptation.
1 Being John Malkovich (1999)
John Malkovich as John Malkovich
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Being John Malkovich is a 1999 surreal comedy that tells the story of puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), who discovers a portal that leads directly into the mind of real-life actor John Malkovich. Directed by Spike Jonze and featuring an all-star cast that includes Cameron Diaz and Catherine Keener, the film explores themes of identity, obsession, and the blurred lines between reality and fiction.
Director Spike Jonze Release Date October 29, 1999 Cast John Cusack , John Malkovich , Cameron Diaz , Catherine Keener Runtime 113 Mins Expand
As one of the most astoundingly original movies ever made, it will come as no surprise that John Malkovich’s greatest performance was when he played himself in the highly unusual and eccentric film Being John Malkovich. With Spike Jonze directing a script by Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich was a highly creative story that got right to the heart of its themes around identity, loneliness, and self-fulfillment. As the story of a puppeteer finding a portal into the mind of John Malkovich, this was a highly metanarrative that consistently surprised viewers with its inventiveness.
Being John Malkovich was the prime example that a movie could truly be about anything, and the only constraints were the limitations of actors, writers, and directors’ own creativity. Malkovich committed entirely to the premise of this film as it delved into the depths of his own psychology and deconstructed the very nature of selfhood. John Malkovich will forever be associated with this movie, and more so than any other role, it was the performance that turned him into a household name.
Sources: Box Office Mojo, Collider