ShareThisIs Frank Langella the best Richard Nixon ever?
The actor's turn as the disgraced ex-president in Ron Howard's compelling "Frost/Nixon" definitely belongs in the argument. While Langella takes some getting used to -- mostly because he more closely resembles another president, Ronald Reagan -- his nuanced performance makes Nixon come alive as a gloomy but somewhat sympathetic figure, as his last competitive fires are extinguished during a historic series of post-resignation interviews with celebrity host David Frost.
Anthony Hopkins is probably the most famous Nixon in recent years, earning an Oscar nomination as the president in Oliver Stone's acclaimed "Nixon." But he was upstaged by Joan Allen, whose Pat Nixon was the movie's knockout performance. Character actor Philip Baker Hall is a lesser-known but strong choice for best Nixon performance of all time. His 90-minute monologue in Robert Altman's "Secret Honor" (1984) crafted the ex-president as a complicated soul, at a time when most actors and comics were portraying Nixon as a caricature.
As of this year, at least 47 actors have played Nixon in movies and on television -- more than have played Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan combined. Here are a few more awards for outstanding work in the field of acting like Nixon:
Best animated Nixon
The actor: Billy West
The TV show: "Futurama"
(1999 to present)
Believe it or not, there's a lot of competition in this category, including Rich Little in "Bebe's Kids" and Harry Shearer in "The Simpsons." Veteran voice actor West gets the prize as the disembodied Richard Nixon head in a glass jar on "Futurama." The talented West has also voiced Stimpy in "Ren and Stimpy," Zim in "Invader Zim" and several of the Warner Bros. characters in "Space Jam."
Best Nixon impersonation
The actor: Rich Little
The TV movies: "A Christmas Carol" (1978), "The Presidents" (2004)
Readers sent dozens of e-mails supporting Nixon impersonator David Frye when he was left off a recent San Francisco Chronicle list of best presidential and vice-presidential impersonators of all time. Voice actor Joe Alaskey also does a great Nixon. But we're going with Little, who combines the exaggerated voice and physical mannerisms of Nixon to near-perfection. Little is also the only impersonator mentioned who has performed his Nixon in front of the president, who gave him a lukewarm reception.
Richard Nixon lifetime achievement award
The actor: Richard M. Dixon
The movies: "Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story," "Tail Gunner Joe," "Where the Buffalo Roam"
Dixon, formerly known as James LaRoe, turned his strong resemblance to the president into a career, appearing as Nixon in at least nine movies from 1971 and 1984, plus numerous spots on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," "The Mike Douglas Show" and "The Merv Griffin Show," among other TV programs.
Most hilarious Nixon
The actor: Dan Hedaya
The movie: "Dick" (1999)
Hedaya showed us his potential as Nick on "Cheers" and as Alicia Silverstone's father in "Clueless," but his turn as Nixon in this underrated reimagining of the Watergate scandal was pure comic gold. Hedaya eats marijuana-laced cookies, dotes over his loser dog and says funny stuff like, "I've got a way with young people ... they trust me."
Best portrayal of Richard Nixon by Ronald Reagan
The actor: Ronald Reagan
The movie: "Horror House on Highway Five" (2005)
OK, it wasn't that Ronald Reagan. "Horror House on Highway Five" was way better than anything President Ronald Reagan appeared in during his television and film career. According to IMDb.com, this Ronald Reagan appeared in only one movie, which was about a vanload of kids who get picked off by a serial killer in a Nixon mask.
Best use of Richard Nixon in an awesome Patrick Swayze movie
The actor: James LeGros
The movie: "Point Break" (1991)
Swayze has never been more perfect in a movie than "Point Break," and remember that this is the guy who made "Road House," "Youngblood," "Dirty Dancing," "Red Dawn" and "Steel Dawn" in one five-year acting period. But he did make one mistake. As Bodhi, the leader of the ex-president bank robbers, he took the Reagan mask and let character actor (and Brad Pitt look-alike) James LeGros wear Nixon. LeGros made the most of the role, and we're still talking about him today.
(E-mail Peter Hartlaub at phartlaub(at)sfchronicle.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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