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Stanley Tucci grew up playing sports but interested in the drama club. Close friends with future actor and director Campbell Scott as a teen, they both got their first break when Scott’s mother arranged for them to appear as soldiers in the play The Queen and the Rebels with her on Broadway in 1982. Since then, Tucci hasn’t looked back.
He’s become an accomplished character actor, always following up a best friend role with that of a father or an antagonist. Tucci has more than 130 acting credits to his name, and he’s done a great job at making sure he truly embodies every single role he plays from the cartoonish to the mellow. In addition to acting, Tucci has also worked as a producer, director, and writer, a true quadruple threat in the industry.
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10 Burlesque (2010)
As Sean
Burlesque
Director Steve Antin
Release Date November 23, 2010
Writers Steve Antin , Susannah Grant , Keith Merryman
Runtime 100 minutes
Burlesque didn’t make a huge splash at the box office when it landed in theaters in 2010. It also didn’t make a huge splash on the award show circuit. The movie was viewed as a formulaic romance by a lot of critics, but one thing that was universally praised by the same people who lambasted the movie was the performance of the cast.
Christina Aguilera and Cher were the stars of the movie, but Stanley Tucci appeared as the right hand of Cher’s Tess. Tess owned her own burlesque club, which was in daner of shutting down, while Sean was her longtime best friend and one of the people who helped keep the club running by being her sounding board, mending costumes, and taking the young women in the show under his wing.
Tucci is a quiet and grounding force in a movie that is otherwise steeped in melodrama. The movie has gone on to become a cult classic that has inspired a stage show adaptation as well as drag show adaptations.
9 Conspiracy (2001)
As Adolf Eichman
Stanley Tucci hasn’t been involved in nearly as many television projects as he has big screen features. Conspiracy is the rare made-for-TV movie on his resume. The movie takes a fictional approach to the 1942 Wannsee Conference in which German Nazi leaders want to make sure other government officials comply with their Final Solution during the Holocaust during World War II. It’s not exactly the subject matter most audiences want to see play out, but it does provide a thoughtful psychological examination of those involved.
The movie’s script is based on the only surviving transcript of the meeting, making the dialogue mostly authentic, but everything else is put together by those working on the film. The scene initially plays out as though the higher ranking officials are looking for input before it’s revealed that sterilzation and murder are what the Nazi regime expects everyone in the room to comply with. It’s an examination of one of the darkest moments in humanity.
Tucci plays the head of the Gestapo, one of the people attending the meeting. It’s Eichman who is responsible for explaining the gas chambers to the other attendees. Critics especially praised by Tucci and Kenneth Branagh for their work after Branagh talked at length about loathing the people they were playing.
Tucci won a Golden Globe for his work.
8 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
As Abraham Erskine
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 superhero movie starring Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, a weak patriotic civilian who becomes the test subject for the military's Super Soldier project. The film was the fifth film in the long-running MCU franchise and also starred Samuel L. Jackson, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, and Sebastian Stan.
Director Joe Johnston
Release Date July 22, 2011
Runtime 124 Minutes
Some might not think that Tucci’s brief sojourn into the Marvel Cinematic Universe deserves to be under his best movies, but it does. Tucci is an old-school character actor and that is exemplified here as he adopts an accent and completely different mannerisms to play Dr. Erskine.
Dr. Erskine, someone who was once forced to work for German scientists during World War II, defects to the United States and uses all of his knowledge to help create the super soldier serum used on Steve Rogers. He is one of the few people who believes that Rogers has what it takes to be Captain American. Unfortunately, he’s killed when his experiment occurs, so his time in the movie really is brief.
Tucci has since reprised the role in voice over work for the animated series Marvel’s What If…? On Disney+ as well.
7 Easy A (2010)
As Dill Penderghast
Inspired by The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Easy A stars Emma Stone as Olive Penderghast, a young high school student who suddenly finds herself in the middle of a rumor mill when a lie she tells her best friend about losing her virginity spirals out of control. Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, and Stanley Tucci are part of the supporting cast.
Director Will Gluck
Release Date September 17, 2010
Writers Bert V. Royal
Runtime 92 minutes
When most audiences think of Easy A, they think of Emma Stone’s seemingly effortless charm and comedic ability in one of her earlier roles. Some of that charm and comedy is aided by the actors who play her family. Tucci appears in the role of her father.
It’s rare, especially in teen comedies, to see such supportive parents on film. Tucci’s Dill, however, is always there for Stone’s Olive and ready to talk, even if he doesn’t always quite know what’s going on in her life. The character has an easy sense of humor that translates to a fun dynamic between Oliver and him. It also means he gets some great delivery on otherwise simple lines like, “who told you?” when Oliver’s younger brother makes a comment about being adopted.
Though Tucci wasn’t specifically recognized for his work, the movie did receive a slew of award show nominations following its release.
6 The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
As Nigel Kipling
Based on Lauren Weisberger's novel, The Devil Wears Prada stars Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs, an aspiring journalist who, after landing a job with top New York fashion designer Miranda Priestly, gets drawn deeper and deeper into the cutthroat world of the fashion industry. Meryl Streep stars alongside Hathaway as Miranda Priestly, with a further cast that includes Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, and Simon Baker.
Director David Frankel
Release Date June 30, 2006
Writers Aline Brosh McKenna , Lauren Weisberger
Runtime 109 Minutes
...Tucci’s highest-grossing movie he appeared in until Captain America was released.
Inspired by the novel of the same name, The Devil Wears Prada holds a pop culture crown for movies of the early 2000s. It’s a comedy without the focus being solely on romance. It’s also a fantastic showcase for the talent of the actors in it. In addition to Tucci, Anne Hathaway is the lead while Meryl Streep is her boss and the movie’s antagonist for much of the story. Emily Blunt plays Hathaway’s coworker who is seemingly dying to curry favor with those who outrank her in the Runaway Magazine office.
The movie follows a young woman (Hathaway) who is hired as an assistant to the head of a fashion magazine right out of school. While she knows nothing about fashion, she desires a more serious job in journalism, and she decides to endure the office hostility in order to use the connections it offers to find a job better suited to her.
Tucci appears as Nigel, the magazine’s art director. He is one of the few friendly faces in the office as he realizes that the young woman is in over her head and helps her dress for the job she has and learn a few tricks of the trade. If this was a Cinderella story, he would be like her fairy godmother. It’s a role very similar to the one Tucci would play in Burlesque a few years later.
Since it’s premiere, the movie has had a huge impact on pop culture, ushering in several movies and television shows that have tried to create the magic of the dynamic between the cast. It also happened to be Tucci’s highest-grossing movie he appeared in until Captain America was released.
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5 Murder One (1995-1996)
As Richard Cross
Murder One was a unique legal drama and crime procedural for its time in the sense that it wasn’t a straight-up procedural. When it debuted in 1995, the series focused on one murder case for the entire season as the overall arc of the show, while other cases could be solved in a more episodic format.
When Tucci appeared on the show in the first season, he was a main cast member, but almost an entirely new cast was brought in for the new cases in season 2. Tucci starred as the first suspect in the murder of the woman at the center of the storyline. His character isn’t the one on trial, but it’s a very different role than the ones he’s become known for. Richard Cross is a morally ambiguous man who is involved with a lot of nonprofit causes. While he’s still charming in the role, that moral ambiguity isn’t something so many of his later characters have.
Tucci was nominated for an Emmy for his role and won a Satellite Award.
4 Spotlight (2015)
As Mitchell Garabedian
Based on a true story, Spotlight is a drama film that tells the story of reporters who are privy to terrible details about goings on within the Roman Catholic Church. When several allegations are levied against the church, the Boston Globe sends out a team of reporters to investigate John Geoghan, who was accused of molesting several children. Believing there is a cover-up, the team goes to incredible lengths to find the truth and prove the guilt and complicity of both John and the church.
Director Tom McCarthy
Release Date November 25, 2015
Writers Josh Singer , Tom McCarthy
Runtime 128minutes
While Spotlight features a mostly fictional story, it is inspired by real events. It chronicles the early 2000s investigative efforts of the Boston Globe’s “spotlight” team into the cover-up of sexual abuse by employees of the Catholic Church. The spotlight team, at the time, was the longest-running team of investigative journalists. They tackled stories that would require months or years of work and ran their stories in multiple parts with follow-ups completed by the journalists involved.
Tucci doesn’t play one of the journalists. Instead, he plays a lawyer who represents a victim of sexual abuse and passes along information to the spotlight team about the possibility of a larger-scale coverup existing. Over the course of the movie, the team finds evidence that more than 80 members of the church were alleged abusers and those who outranked them new about their actions.
Spotlight was praised for its commitment to historical accuracy despite being a fictional story. The cast was also universally praised, winning several ensemble awards from film festivals and critics.
Spotlight was nominated for six Oscars, winning two, three Golden Globes, and seven Satellite Awards, winning four.
3 The Hunger Games Franchise (2012-2015)
As Caesar Flickerman
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is a multi-movie franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. The films are based on the young adult dystopian book series by author Suzanne Collins. The first film was released in 2012, followed by Catching Fire in 2013, Mockingjay Part 1 in 2014, and Mockingjay Part 2 in 2015. In 2023, the fifth film in the series was released, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Created by Suzanne Collins
...he appears perfectly at home in the glitz and glamour that the oppressive regime presents to the public.
For someone who has such a long and storied career as Tucci, it might be surprising to see one of his best movies is a young adult franchise inspired by a trilogy of YA novels. The dystopian Hunger Games movies are a highlight in his film resume because of how effortlessly he appears to play the character of Caesar.
The movies follow the journey of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) after she volunteers to take her sister’s place in a televised survival game and accidentally becomes the leader of a revolution. Tucci’s Caesar is a larger-than-life personality who interviews the participants in the Hunger Games and is a pawn of the Capitol government. Innuendo rolls off his tongue while he appears perfectly at home in the glitz and glamour that the oppressive regime presents to the public.
Tucci’s character heavily contrasts the fear and uncertainty that Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) face in the first movie as well as the cynicism of the tributes in the second movie. His character work throughout his career made him the perfect choice for the role.
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2 The Lovely Bones (2009)
As George Harvey
After her murder, fourteen-year-old Susie Salmon watches over her family, friends, and killer from the "In-Between." Her family and community grieve her death and try to find justice for Susie. Meanwhile, Susie struggles to move on to the afterlife while lacking closure in both her life and her murder.
Release Date December 11, 2009
Runtime 135 minutes
Based on the novel by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones follows the final moments of a 14-year-old girl’s (Saoirse Ronan) life as she is murdered by a neighbor before her spirit decides to watch over her family instead of moving on to the afterlife. Tucci plays the neighbor responsible for her death in one of his darker roles.
Tucci has played the villains of movies a handful of times in his career, and it’s impressive to see him turn from his usual charming and effervescent characters to darker and colder work. Tucci has proven himself as a true character actor time and again, and The Lovely Bones is a great example of that work.
Tucci told the Wall Street Journal he studied the writings of criminal profiler John E. Douglas (whose work was the basis for the series Mindhunter) to prepare for the role. He ended up being nominated for a BAFTA, an Oscar, and a Golden Globe for his work.
1 Big Night (1996)
As Secondo
Big Night is a drama film that follows the story of two Italian brothers, Primo and Secondo, who own a struggling restaurant in New Jersey. The brothers decide to put all their hopes into one special evening, where they will prepare a feast of a lifetime in an effort to save their business from financial ruin.
Director Campbell Scott , Stanley Tucci
Release Date September 20, 1996
Writers Joseph Tropiano , Stanley Tucci
Runtime 107 Minutes
Big Night was a true labor of love for Tucci, who grew up in an Italian-American family.
Stanley Tucci drew on his own knowledge of Italian-American families when he starred in Big Night with Tony Shalhoub. The duo played a pair of Italian immigrant brothers struggling to maintain their restaurant as they usually disagree on everything. They’re offered positions at their uncle’s restaurant back in Italy and jobs working for an American competitor, but they refuse, wanting to have something of their own.
The movie showcases amazing food and stellar performances from both actors. Tucci, however, wasn’t just responsible for starring in the movie. He made his feature directorial debut with the movie, co-directing with longtime friend Campbell Scott who he went to high school with. He also co-wrote the movie with his cousin Joseph Tropiano and acted as a producer for the movie. Big Night was a true labor of love for Tucci, who grew up in an Italian-American family.
Big Night did well on the film festival circuit, with recognition for the writing, directing, and acting from every festival in which it participated. It was nominated for Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards and won Best Screenplay. It was the first time Stanley Tucci was recognized for his work behind the camera as well as in front of it.
English (US) ·