Lights, camera, legacy! We're diving into the remarkable first and last film performances of some of Hollywood's most iconic actors. From debut roles to final curtain calls, these performers left an indelible mark on cinema that will be remembered for generations.
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00:00I was respected. I was feared.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for performers that
00:06started and finished their movie careers with notable work.
00:09This list includes their first and last credited roles in feature films.
00:13My time has come, my son. You must heed my words before I'm gone.
00:2110. Chadwick Boseman
00:24The Express, The Ernie Davis Story, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
00:28Ernie, this is Floyd Little. Floyd, this is Ernie Davis.
00:322,386 yards, 360 carries, 6.6 yards a carry.
00:37You're good at math, huh?
00:38From his first film role, Chadwick Boseman showed that he had a knack for playing historical characters.
00:43It's hard to watch his work in The Express and deny his star power.
00:47Heisman trophy all the way. Then the NFL, make some money.
00:53Playing real-life halfback Floyd Little, the actor introduced himself as a engaging presence.
00:58He used this power again to great effect in all kinds of dynamic roles, from biopics to Marvel epics.
01:03Wakanda forever! Wakanda forever!
01:07Keeping his illness secret, Boseman pushed forward to create one of his finest roles in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.
01:12You done got jealous because Mr. Ernie using my version.
01:15What the hell I got to be jealous of you about?
01:17Playing musician Levy Green, he earned multiple accolades and nominations for his fiery and deeply felt performance.
01:24His strong and impressive work adds up to a beautiful legacy.
01:27Death? Death got some style.
01:30Death will kick your ass and make you wish you'd never been born. That's how bad death is.
01:34But you can rule over life. Life ain't nothing.
01:369. Eva Marie Saint
01:38On the waterfront and a winter's tale.
01:41Everybody loved Joey. Little kids to the old rummies.
01:48Did you know him very well?
01:50It did not take long for Eva Marie Saint to make an impact in Hollywood.
01:53Her first film was On the Waterfront, a pivotal release that still echoes through cinematic history.
01:58I feel like I'm just floating. Just floating.
02:04She won an Oscar for her movie debut, proving that she could hold her own beautifully in scenes with Marlon Brando at his most powerful.
02:10This started a prosperous career filled with more classics like North by Northwest.
02:14Before she stopped screen acting, Saint lent her talents to Winter's Tale.
02:18The fantasy gave her an underrated send-off to an incredible catalogue of work.
02:22While it might not be as acclaimed as her previous projects, the story was elevated by her mere presence as Willa.
02:28Life is long. You do see things.
02:31Things that don't always add up to the world we think we know.
02:36I've always held on to that table.
02:40Nothing special. Can't say why.
02:43For me and my gal, and Xanadu.
02:47We'll tear down theatres. We'll murder them.
02:49Listen, I wouldn't be your partner if they booked us into the palace for 51 weeks a year.
02:53If you love Hollywood musicals, you probably love Gene Kelly.
02:56His ability to sing, dance, and act was apparent right from his first movie.
03:01Directed by musical expert Busby Berkley, For Me and My Gal let Kelly perform fantasy routines with Judy Garland.
03:08Our lips were sweeter than julep when you wore a tulip.
03:13The performer never stops in a promising debut that shows off his generational talents.
03:17When he came to the end of his career, the Singin' in the Rain star took a cinematic bow with Xanadu.
03:23Guess what? You won't have a partner.
03:26What?
03:29Xanadu.
03:31Xanadu.
03:33Xanadu.
03:35The project might have received a mixed reception, but it did allow the actor to have fun on screen.
03:40It's now considered something of a cult classic that's enhanced by Kelly's performance.
03:507. James Earl Jones
03:52Dr. Strangelove and Coming to America
03:55Major Kong, is it possible this is some kind of loyalty test?
03:58You know, give the go-code and then recall to see who would actually go.
04:02Ain't nobody ever got the go-code yet.
04:05On both stage and screen, James Earl Jones was a powerful force of nature.
04:09He began a towering career in the Stanley Kubrick film Dr. Strangelove as one of the bomber crew members.
04:15Jones didn't say much, but his singular voice stood out among a talented cast.
04:19He got to trade lines with the likes of Slim Pickens in a memorable Cold War satire,
04:24along with bringing Darth Vader to life,
04:26the actor built up a steady stream of work in everything from searing dramas to comedies with Eddie Murphy.
04:31Decades after playing King Jaffe in Coming to America, the performer returned for the funny sequel.
04:36I spoiled you, my son. You are not strong or ruthless as I am. You will be assassinated.
04:46It's touching to watch him play opposite Murphy again in an appearance that plenty of fans can appreciate.
04:51The end is near. My funeral should be spectacular.
05:00Let's have it now, while I'm alive.
05:08Number 6, Angela Lansbury. Gaslight and Glass Onion, A Knives Out Mystery.
05:13What's that there?
05:14Never mind about up there. Old floor's been boarded off.
05:19That's the way the monster wanted it.
05:23In her first film role, Angela Lansbury appears in an acclaimed drama.
05:27Gaslight features the actress as the maid Nancy, and she was rewarded for her efforts with an Oscar nomination.
05:32I'm going to a musical. Up in a balloon, boys, up in a balloon.
05:37I've never been to an English musical.
05:39Oh, you don't know what you've missed, sir. Up in a balloon, boys, up in a balloon.
05:46Throughout her career, she kept people guessing in multi-genre parts that went from serious to effortlessly fun.
05:51Her brief appearance in Glass Onion shows that she's willing to make fun of her image and appear with other titans of the entertainment world.
05:58Blanc, I saw you go in the engine room. You're the imposter. We all know it. Case closed. We're done.
06:05I don't understand this at all, so Angie caught me.
06:09It's so enjoyable to watch Lansbury play among us with detective Benoit Blanc, giving us one last chance to laugh with her.
06:25Many know him as Willy Wonka, but some people forget that Gene Wilder got his cinematic start in Bonnie and Clyde.
06:31The role of Eugene showcases his ability to make you laugh and feel for him.
06:35I'm from Wisconsin originally, where the cheese comes from.
06:40Oh, but he just loves Texas now, don't you, Eugene?
06:43He knows how that goes.
06:46In just a few scenes, Wilder makes a significant impression in a groundbreaking film from the era,
06:51even when competing with the likes of Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.
06:55He achieved even more success in the 1970s with Mel Brooks' comedies and a professional partnership with Richard Pryor.
07:01The two talents shared the screen for a fourth outing in 1991, giving audiences a last look at their one-of-a-kind connection.
07:08Abe!
07:09Eddie, this is my best friend Eddie. He'll tell you.
07:12You wanna know anything about Abe? You ask me, because Abe and I are best friends.
07:18Not Abe filming. Big joke on me, right?
07:22Another You still lets Wilder reveal his artistic spark, despite the movie's sour reception.
07:27Hey, what are you doing?
07:30Come on. I don't like when you touch me.
07:32Just keep your hand off.
07:34What's wrong with you?
07:37Number 4. Henry Fonda
07:39The farmer takes a wife, and on Golden Pond.
07:42Bye, Miss Larkins. I hope I ain't seen the last of you, ma'am.
07:45Oh, see you along the big ditch. Our votes call the Emma.
07:48Among the more beloved performers off the screen, Henry Fonda gave his all to a career full of natural performances.
07:54His Hollywood beginning might be lesser known, but it does give a sense of his unique abilities under the direction of Victor Fleming.
07:59I was forgetting I got news.
08:01What?
08:02Come on, sit down.
08:06I added up my books this morning. We made a lot more than I figured we would.
08:09Oh, damn.
08:11Maybe we could get married now.
08:13Fonda's everyman persona helps endear the audience to him no matter the role.
08:17This continued through a long list of dramas, and culminated in his devastating work on Golden Pond.
08:22He starred as the older and stubborn husband that struggles in his family relationships.
08:26The legend won an Oscar for his last role, creating tender moments with his real-life daughter Jane.
08:31Hello, Norman.
08:36Oh, look at you. Look at this little fat girl.
08:42Up until his final years, this leading man showed that he could make audiences think and cry.
08:48You want to know why I came back so fast?
08:52Look, at the end of our lane, I couldn't remember where the old town road was.
09:02Though only starring in five movies, John Cazale might have had one of the finest careers of any actor.
09:07His first performances was as Fredo in The Godfather.
09:10It's a difficult part to master, full of weakness and mixed emotions.
09:14Is that why you slapped my brother around in public?
09:17Oh, no, that was nothing, Mike.
09:20Now, Moe didn't mean nothing by that.
09:23Sure, he flies off the handle once in a while, but Moe and me were good friends, right, Moe?
09:27Cazale gives every subtle gesture meaning in a part that he'd reprise in the sequel.
09:32How can I help?
09:33Dealing with terminal cancer, the star completed his final role in The Deer Hunter before his death.
09:38The Best Picture winner puts him in a volatile group of friends that's broken apart by the Vietnam War.
09:43All right, you guys, whoever took my boots, I want them back.
09:46While he doesn't have the most screen time,
09:48the performer steals key moments in heartbreaking and compelling scenes.
09:52You tried it, just say it, come on.
09:59Take it easy, Mike.
10:00What the hell was that for?
10:06Any list of major Golden Age actors is incomplete without Burt Lancaster.
10:10In a classic adaptation of a Hemingway story,
10:13the performer reveals a sensitive soul beneath his tough exterior.
10:16Sam, I'm asking you for old times' sake.
10:20There's nothing I can do, Odie.
10:22Come on.
10:23Wait a minute.
10:25You're the one with Sam.
10:27I swiped that stuff myself.
10:29I was living to wear it, just for the night.
10:31He stars with Ava Gardner in a story that puts his strongest assets on full display.
10:35You should have showed me his cards before reaching for the pot.
10:38If it wasn't for the Mara, I'd be forgiving you to works.
10:41He should have turned his cards over.
10:43In what would become trademarks of his career,
10:45Lancaster leaps off the screen with palpable emotions.
10:48He carried that kind of robust artistry with him all the way to his last movie performance.
10:54Up against the wall.
10:55Put your hands up, higher.
11:03As Moonlight Graham in Field of Dreams,
11:05the icon concluded his catalogue on a high note.
11:08He's one of several reasons audiences love the baseball film,
11:11lending his magical presence to one of the drama's most touching moments.
11:15Suddenly old John McGraw points a bony finger in my direction and he says,
11:19right field.
11:20Yes, sir.
11:22I jumped up like I was sitting on a spring.
11:24Grabbed my glove and ran out on the field.
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11:50As one of the most revered stars of his generation,
11:53Marlon Brando took the movie world by storm in the 1950s.
11:56The artist first transitioned into the cinematic world with The Men.
12:00What do you want? What you coming for?
12:02I told you I didn't want you around. I told you I didn't want anything to do with you.
12:05Can't you understand English, you stupid idiot?
12:08Bud darling, please.
12:10Bud darling, please start walking.
12:12Before his bold screen performance in A Streetcar Named Desire,
12:15the actor gave a humanistic performance in a post-war drama.
12:18The empathetic tale about injured veterans signaled his potential as a silver screen icon.
12:23At the end of his career, Brando showed his range once again in a crime thriller.
12:28That's from Bermuda.
12:29He also proved that he can make the most out of a supporting role,
12:32playing opposite Robert De Niro with a clear charisma.
12:35You gotta tell me the magic word.
12:40Alright, I'm gonna do it.
12:42Good, good. Jesus, sweetheart. You're a sweetheart. Bravo. Making sense.
12:48The performer draws you in no matter the material,
12:51always showing the audience his magnetic energy.
12:54I'm gonna tell you something.
12:57For the first time in my life, I'm scared.
13:01I don't know why it is. I was never scared before, but I'm scared now.
13:06Which stellar acting career did we fail to mention?
13:09Let us know in the comments below.
13:11Due to the Nakatomi Corporation's legacy of greed around the globe,
13:15they're about to be taught a lesson in the real use of power.
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