Top 10 Big Screen Performances by Small Screen Actors

1.

John Mahoney

Say Anything (1989)

I do not know anyone who loves this performance as much as I do. I think it is one of the 10 best performances of the 1980s. John Mahoney, who almost everyone knows as the dad from Frasier, shows that he is not just a funny face. Although Say Anything is filled with laughs, it also has a huge heart. The main characters are the ones that the audience relates to, but the emotional core of the film is Diane’s relationship with her father. Mahoney delivers a deeply complex and natural performance that takes the film to another level. It may not seem like much at first glance, but with multiple viewings, it is hard to deny the impact that his performance has on the film. This is the gold standard of what a sitcom character actor can do with the right material.