Top 5 Most Underrated Actors of 2016
These 10 brilliant actors are underrated due to their unarguably versatile talent; the way they get lost inside their characters and allow the viewer to be engulfed by the story and not the actor. Too many Hollywood icons - highly adored actors (both male & female) - tend to bring the same character from picture to picture while those who seem to put in the most work, get lost in the mix. Actors, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, who fit the bill for this list won't be mentioned because those actors are not "underrated". That being said - all five of these actors are on par with the likes of Leo, however many people may not even recognize some of these names, but they should. We all should.
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Vera Farmiga is an American actress who has received an Academy Award nomination for her role in Up in the Air (2009) and Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in Bates Motel (2013) and When They See Us (2019).
She was born Vera Ann Farmiga, the second of seven children, on August 6, 1973, in Clifton, New Jersey, USA, to Ukrainian parents. She did not speak English until the age of six, and was raised in the Ukrainian Catholic home of her mother, Luba (Spas), a schoolteacher, and her father, Michael Farmiga, a computer systems analyst. Her younger sister is actress Taissa Farmiga, who is 21 years her junior. Young Vera was a shy, nearsighted girl, who played piano and folk danced with a Ukrainian touring company in her teens.
In 1991, she graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School. Farmiga initially dreamed of becoming an optometrist, but she later changed her mind and studied acting at Syracuse University's School of Performing Arts, graduating in 1995. The following year, she began her professional acting career, making her Broadway debut as an understudy in the play "Taking Sides". Her stage credits included performances in "The Tempest", "Good", "The Seagull", and in a well-reviewed off-Broadway production of "Second-Hand Smoke" (1997). That same year, she made her television debut as the female lead, opposite a then-unknown Heath Ledger, in Fox's adventure series Roar (1997).
In 1998, Farmiga made her big screen debut in the drama Return to Paradise (1998), then played the daughters of Christopher Walken in The Opportunists (1999) and Richard Gere in Autumn in New York (2000). She starred as a working-class mother struggling to keep her life and marriage together while hiding her drug addiction in Down to the Bone (2004), for which she was awarded Best Actress from the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Farmiga's acting talent shone in a range of characters, from her role as a senator's daughter in The Manchurian Candidate (2004), the wife of a mobster in Running Scared (2006), a humorous prostitute in Breaking and Entering (2006), and a police psychiatrist in The Departed (2006).
In 2010, Farmiga received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Up in the Air (2009). In 2011, she made her directorial debut with the drama Higher Ground (2011), in which she also appeared in the leading role. Although the film had a limited release, Farmiga's direction and performance received attention at several festivals. In 2013, she began starring in the drama thriller series Bates Motel (2013), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in the first season. In 2019, she received a second Primetime Emmy Award nomination, this time in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie category, for her role in the drama miniseries When They See Us (2019).
Farmiga was formerly married to actor Sebastian Roché, whom she met during production of Roar (1997). The two eloped to the Bahamas after the series ended in 1997. They separated and subsequently divorced in 2004. On September 13, 2008, she married musician Renn Hawkey, with whom she has two children, son Fynn McDonnell (b. 2009) and daughter Gytta Lubov Hawkey (b. 2010). Farmiga lives with her family in Hudson Valley, New York. Her other activities, outside her acting profession, include reading, playing piano, boxing, jujitsu, and spending time with her pet angora goats.Farmiga is most recognized by her role as Norma Bates, from Bates Motel (2013 TV series - still running), where she plays the mother of Norman Bates (based on Psycho, 1960). This is where she caught the attention of the Emmy & Critic's Choice Awards. She was also nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Up in the Air (2009).
Farmiga is another very rare artist who creates art for art's sake. She's liken to a painter who recreates still life as convincing as a photograph. From the smallest subtleties behind her terrified eyes to the stentorian roar behind her anger, there simply is something frighteningly astounding about her craft.
The fashion in which she allowed her character, Norma Bates, to virtually mold Norman into becoming the "psycho" he was inevitably going to become could never have been executed with such mesmerizing grandeur by anyone else who could've worked in her stead had she not been chosen for that role. Suddenly, everything about him makes sense - but through her, not him. She is spellbinding in her theatrics, her candor, her manipulations, her codependent behavior, etc. There aren't enough words to describe the bar this woman sets for others in her field. She is the walking essence of why television actors are finally being held in the same esteem as film actors - why film actors feel safe (and taken seriously) on the small screen.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Dylan O'Brien was born in New York City, to Lisa Rhodes, a former actress who also ran an acting school, and Patrick B. O'Brien, a camera operator. His father is of Irish descent and his mother is of English, Spanish, and Italian ancestry. Dylan grew up in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey, before moving with his family to Hermosa Beach, California when he was 12 years old. Before getting bit by the acting bug, Dylan planned to attend film school and become a cinematographer, just like his father. But once he landed the role of Scott's (Tyler Posey) goofy sidekick Stiles on Teen Wolf (2011), he decided to put off school (he was initially under consideration for the role of Scott, but he was more interested in playing Stiles).
Dylan has developed an extensive YouTube following for a series of comic online shorts which he directed, produced and starred in. He made his film debut as one of the stars of the entirely improvised independent feature film High Road (2011), directed by Upright Citizens Brigade. O'Brien's first lead role in a film was playing Dave in the comedy The First Time (2012), opposite Britt Robertson and directed by Jonathan Kasdan. He subsequently had a supporting role, playing tech expert Stuart, in the Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson comedy The Internship (2013), and headlined the fantasy adventure film The Maze Runner (2014), also starring Will Poulter and Kaya Scodelario, as well as its sequel, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) and the final movie, The Death Cure (2018). He landed the role of Stu in the first episode of Weird City (2019) and also got the role of Sam Taylor in the first episode of Amazing stories (2020). He made five other movies in the meantime, Love and Monsters, Flashback, Maximum Truth, Not Okay and The outfit. He also did one short film: All too well, produced by Taylor Swift and stared in the third episode of the third season in The Other Two.He may be choosing teen-movie roles right now, but trust me, this guy is going to accept an Oscar (or two) in his lifetime if he plays his cards right.
Some of those who have taken note might even be so bold as to say that he, alone, has carried Teen Wolf (2011 TV series - still running) as far as it has gotten. Without him, the show might even seem a bit weak or hokey. Dylan's performances range from sarcastic and quick-witted to gut-wrenching displays of pain and anger that set him high above the other actors on the series.
He has played two characters on the show (one innocent and loyal, the other sinister and calculating) that were extraordinarily convincing as if they were two completely separate actors. He is, arguably, the strongest talent of his generation.
We are only seeing the first steps of what will undoubtedly someday be one of the greatest actors of our time.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Billie Piper studied at the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School. She caught the eyes of record producers who were interested in signing a young vocalist when she was the poster girl for the ad campaign of a British pop music magazine, "Smash Hits". She released her first single, "Because We Want To", which debuted at #1 at age 15. Her second single, "Girlfriend", was also a #1 hit. By the time she turned 16, Billie had released 4 singles that all made the top three on the charts. She has been labeled the "Pop Princess" of England, UK.When Billie Piper first appeared as Rose Tyler on the resurgence of Doctor Who (2005 TV series), she instantly captivated critics and fans around the globe with her "average teenage girl" performance. She was not delivering the teenage girl we're all used to seeing in TV and film. She was delivering the teenage girl we have all known from high school, or camp, or a neighbor, a sister, even ourselves. She had no ego, she never seemed to worry about whether or not she was coming across as sexy or dramatic. She simply *became* Rose Tyler - an average girl who was scooped up by the Doctor to go on adventures across space and time. Her reactions to those adventures, and toward the Doctor himself, were raw, gritty, real, and allowed the viewer to feel as if they, too, were along for the ride. Her ability to connect as a real human being, as opposed to an actor playing a role, is unmatched by the majority of her peers.
Fast forward to her role as Brona Croft and Lily on Penny Dreadful (2014 TV series - rumored still running). Now, if these are her only two (three, if you consider the differences in Brona & Lily) roles you've ever seen her perform, not only is your mind perpetually blown, but you're certainly missing out, as there are far more also worth seeing from her credits.
Without leaving Penny Dreadful behind, her performance here must be noted prior to mentioning other works. Billie began her journey on the series as an Irish immigrant working the streets of London as a Lady of the Night (Brona Croft), then returned in the following season as a British/English-speaking, fully empowered would-be bride of Frankenstein's original monster (Lily).
It is her time as Lily that has scorched her name into all of the minds of those who are paying attention. We all knew she was a force to be reckoned with, as her natural abilities were beyond expectation - nearly leading to shock. But it was in her scene facing Frankenstein's monster (Season 2, Episode 8), when we were first moved by her pain and her rage, surging poetically from beneath her small frame, as she sharply began cutting slices from our guts - as witnesses of possibly one of the greatest performances ever to grace the small screen. During this interaction, she allowed her character, Lily, to (for one tiny, brief moment) slip back into her original character's Irish accent. Clearly, this was intentional, as Billie Piper was born and raised English - although if this was not privy information, you might have believed she'd lost her hook.
Among other recommended works are Mansfield Park (2007 TV movie) and Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2007 TV series). Billie Piper has no limits and seems to find herself crawling quickly and creepily toward mastery. May we all keep our eyes fixated on her as she draws us into every character she creates.- Known to audiences worldwide as spitfire advertising executive "Pete Campbell" on Matthew Weiner's Golden Globe, Emmy, and SAG Award-winning drama series Mad Men (2007), Vincent Kartheiser has actually been acting since he was a teen. Starting with Untamed Heart (1993), alongside Marisa Tomei, Kartheiser accumulated an impressive number of credits during his youth, inclusive of Little Big League (1994), Iron Will (1994), The Indian in the Cupboard (1995), and Alaska (1996). He has since appeared in the likes of Another Day in Paradise (1998) with James Woods and Melanie Griffith; Crime + Punishment in Suburbia (2000); and most recently, the sci-fi thriller In Time (2011), which reunited him with his Alpha Dog (2006) co-star, Justin Timberlake.
During his Mad Men (2007) hiatus, Kartheiser filmed the indie, Beach Pillows (2014), and performed the lead role in "Death of the Novel", which brought him back to his stage roots, that originated at the renown Guthrie theatre.
Kartheiser previously starred on Joss Whedon's Angel (1999), and has guest-starred in numerous other series, including ER (1994), BBC America's Money (2010), and The Cleveland Show (2009). He's also lent his voice to the big screen's Rango (2011) and will next lead the cast of FOX's High School USA! (2013).
A native of Minneapolis, MN, Kartheiser was named after Vincent van Gogh and grew up surrounded by his works.Those of us who remember Pete Campbell, from Mad Men (2007 TV series), may not have recognized Kartheiser's talent because we were all completely sold on his character.
You might begin by watching his interviews and certainly other films on which he's worked, and soon you'll begin to wonder if he was actually the maddest man on that beloved series. His imagination carries him in ways that most of us aren't capable of comprehending. He has admitted to not having watched television during his entire childhood. Perhaps this has something to do with his natural ability to make-believe his way through the industry without needing tabloids in order to get noticed. This is someone who creates art for art's sake.
Take note, casting agents. He is certainly an unexpected chameleon who can play charming, evil, genius, innocent, etc. in ways that will leave any director or screenwriter feeling completely and totally satisfied. - Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Evan Peters was born in 1987 in St. Louis, Missouri to Phil and Julie Peters. When his father's job was transferred, the family moved to Grand Blanc, Michigan. There, Evan began taking acting classes and at age 15, he moved with his mother to Los Angeles in hopes of pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. His breakthrough role came when he was cast as the controversial Tate Langdon in American Horror Story (2011).From One Tree Hill to American Horror Story to X-Men, Peters has proven time and time again that he is limitless and cannot be pinned down to one single genre.
In American Horror Story, alone, he needed to play five extremely different characters that ranged from kind, oblivious, and submissive to astute, domineering, and powerful. Not only that, but he needed to *sell* these characters well enough to cause the audience to root for him or be terrified of him while still maintaining the ability to win them back over, if needed.
He is a loveable 'face' (in pro-wrestling terms) and a glorious heel. Fun to love and fun to fear. He also has a reputation of enchanting professionalism amongst his directors and peers.
Peters has a range that far exceeds a great number of popular Hollywood icons and I have a suspicion that we haven't even seen the best of him, yet. Evan Peters may be the dark horse to become his generation's Gary Oldman. Only time will tell, but the fact certainly remains that he was destined for the kind of subtle greatness that could keep him in business until he decides to retire, the kind of greatness that will undoubtedly leave a permanent mark on the silver screen for generations to come.