Ranking Timothy Olyphant's Best Roles

Actor Timothy Olyphant has been in the business since 1995. His charmingly devilish grin, wickedly funny sense of humor, and rugged good looks have made him a fixture in film and television, though he's usually cast in one of two roles: villain or lawman. Hollywood has found out about his comedic talents and wit over the years, casting him in roles that play to his strengths. As an actor, Olyphant has turned in a number of noteworthy turns, most notably in the films A Perfect Getaway, The Broken Hearts Club, The Girl Next Door, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Where can I find Timothy Olyphant's finest acting work? So happy you asked:

8/8

Current Season of The Mandalorian (2020)

Olyphant is the only name that comes to mind when you need a sheriff. Favreau may have assumed as much when he cast him in The Mandalorian. Cobb Vanth, played by Olyphant, is the Marshal of Mos Pelgo and, as usual, Olyphant's charisma and cockiness make him the coolest lawman ever. Even though Olyphant uses a blaster instead of a gun, he still acts heroically by challenging anyone who thinks they can outrun him to a duel for the sake of protecting his people. The Marshal, starring Timothy Olyphant, would be a fantastic addition to the Star Wars television canon if such a thing were to become necessary.

It was clear from Scream 2 that the series had staying power and could still be terrifying while also being meta. Although it's not the best of the Scream films, it contains key elements that make it the series' most pivotal sequel. A lot of people will remember Olyphant from his performance as this character. He's never been afraid to turn up the menace and the craziness when the role demands it, and those qualities were fundamental for playing Mickey. At first glance, he could be mistaken for a movie buff with a fixation on sequels, but his true identity as the new Ghostface eventually emerges. Although initially intense, he quickly shifts from quirky to creepy once his true intentions are revealed. Despite being his first major role, Olyphant's performance in this film remains iconic.

Olyphant reprises his role as an antagonist in Live Free or Die Hard, this time taking on the role of cyber-terrorist Thomas Gabriel. Only John McClane (Bruce Willis) stands in the way of his plans to show the government how simple it would be to put the country in danger. Olyphant is clearly having a great time portraying a sleazy, cruel, and frustrated man in this film. He may not be as evil as Alan Rickman (no one is), but his commitment to the "ends justify the means" principle is clear. His protagonist thinks he's the hero, and we sympathize with him because of this all the way to the end, when he meets a rather shocking demise.

A regular chameleon becomes the sheriff of a lawless town in the animated film Rango. Although it's an animated film, this could be Gore Verbinski's masterpiece. Played by Olyphant, "Spirit of the West" is a mysterious figure with echoes of Clint Eastwood's persona. Although his part is brief and consists only of voiceover, Olyphant gives the character the gravitas of Eastwood's voice and leaves an impression crucial to Rango's development. Cowboys weren't new to Olyphant, and they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

Santa Clarita Diet follows the lives of married Santa Clarita real estate agents Sheila (Drew Barrymore) and Joel Hammond (Timothy Olyphant). When Sheila begins to deteriorate into a zombie, everything changes for them. Unlike his many late-night TV appearances, Olyphant is able to relax and fully demonstrate his comedic talents in this series. In one of the best zombie TV shows of all time, he plays the exasperated husband who tries to normalize his wife's condition. He has a great sense of humor, is always up for an adventure, and is devoted to his loved ones. After playing so many lawmen and villains, Olyphant finally got to show what he's made of in a comedic role, and it was refreshing.

Unfortunately, the film Go has been forgotten. Produced by and starring Katie Holmes, Sarah Polley, Taye Diggs, Scott Wolf, Jay Mohr, and Olyphant, this multi-genre film is full of life and features an impressively talented young cast. It veers between being a comedy, a thriller, an action movie, a drug-fueled shindig, and much more. Santa-hatted drug dealer Todd Gaynes is played by Olyphant. His performance leapt right off the screen; he was menacing, charismatic, dangerous, and slimy all at once. Doug Liman told The Ringer that his film Go is his best work because "we're so trained toward short-term rewards that the true success of a movie has to be evaluated in 10 or 20 years after it comes out" From where I'm sitting right now, I couldn't be prouder of how [Go] was received, and I can't think of a better way for it to have been received.

David Milch's Deadwood was a phenomenal and original show that chronicled the history of the town of Deadwood, South Dakota. Olyphant played one of the show's most important roles, Sheriff Seth Bullock, giving him honor, bravery, and morals in a town that lacked them. Not every actor would have been able to recite David Milch's Shakespearean dialogue or work with his improvised approach to acting, but Timothy Olyphant thrived in both and developed a character that is still discussed to this day. Yahoo's Kim Dickens said of the author, "On the other hand, David is there with just this poetry flowing out of him, of insight and knowledge and inspiration." ”

Elmore Leonard's character Marshal Raylan Givens served as the inspiration for the TV series Justified. Olyphant was a natural fit for the part. He's supposed to be a cop, but he breaks the rules when he needs to in order to get the best results for the average citizen. As Givens, Olyphant was superb. In one of the best film and TV adaptations of Elmore Leonard's work, he was confident, funny, charismatic, smart, and dangerous. Thankfully, Justified is returning, so we won't have to wait long to see more of Raylan Givens. All eyes are on Olyphant as he prepares to don the fedora once more and deliver the best performance of his career.