The supremely talentedDermot Mulroneyhas long since established himself as one of Hollywood’s most diverse and entertaining performers. With an impressive career spanning over 35 years, the actor appeared in an illustrious array of character-driven films likeWhere the Day Takes YouandStaying Togetherbefore capturing the hearts of audiences across the world in the beloved 1997 romantic comedy classicMy Best Friend’s Wedding.
Mulroney would go on to work with some of cinema’s most dazzling actors like Meryl Streep, Robert Downey Jr., Ewan McGregor, and Jack Nicholson, and is always eager to embrace any genre or character. He has also crafted a decorated small-screen resume, having had prominent parts in shows likeHannaandShameless.Let’s check out just a few of Dermot Mulroney’s best performances so far.
10Insidious: Chapter 3
The 2015 supernatural horror flickInsidious: Chapter 3is a spine-tingling addition to the chilling franchise and serves as a prequel to the first two films and the Lambert Family, centering on teenager Quinn (Stefanie Scott), who initially believes her deceased mother is trying to communicate with her but quickly realizes a sinister spirit is actually targeting her. With the help of her deeply concerned father Sean (Dermot Mulroney), Quinn contacts famed retired demonologist Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) to take on the malevolent force as it becomes more and more violent. Though it garnered lukewarm reviews, the film helps add to theInsidiousuniverse and led to a successful 2018 sequel,Insidious: The Last Key.
9Young Guns
Featuring a star-studded cast of then-up-and-comers including Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, and Kiefer Sutherland, the 1988 Western action filmYoung Gunsis a spellbinding retelling of the life of legendary outlaw Billy the Kid, chronicling his early days as a gunfighter and his participation in the Lincoln County War. Mulroney appears as “Dirty” Steve Stephens, a member of the deputized posse the Regulators who fought in the battle beside Billy and his fellow outlaws. The exciting picture marked one of numerous Westerns Mulroney would appear in (such asSilent TongueandBad Girls), and was a hit with audiences, earning $56 million while receiving an A- CinemaScore from moviegoers.
Related:Best Westerns of the 1980s, Ranked
8Where the Day Takes You
In the 1992 dramaWhere the Day Takes You, Dermot Mulroney stars as the hardened leader of a group of Los Angeles runaways who attempts to provide stability and guidance to his younger peers despite struggling to survive living on the streets. The tight-knit, surrogate family share a deep and loyal bond, and Mulroney’s portrayal as the protective King truly propels the gritty film and showcased early on his capabilities as an actor; he went on to win the award for Best Actor at the Seattle International Film Festival. Despite failing to deliver at the box office,Where the Day Takes Youearned praise from critics for its impressive young ensemble performances and effective storytelling.
Adapted from the Saoirse Ronan-led thriller of the same name, the 2019 action drama seriesHannacenters on the titular character as she is raised in a remote forest in Poland by her father-like figure Erik, a man who had once been in charge of a top-secret CIA program where pregnant women helped create super-soldier children through the enhancement of their DNA. Esme Creed-Miles takes over the role of the teenage assassin in the gripping show, with Mulroney appearing as the villainous CIA operative John Carmichael, who takes over being in charge of the nefarious program and sets out to locate Hanna.
The series ran for three well-received seasons and allowed Mulroney to embrace his darker side, with the actortelling Entertainment Weekly, “I don’t always get to play the bad guy, so I really want to be a good bad guy…It’s a slow reveal, so I didn’t know all of what Carmichael was doing when we were shooting the initial episodes. It’s a mental puzzle. There’s no way of preparing for it.”
6August: Osage County
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, the 2013 tragicomedyAugust: Osage Countyfeatures a stacked ensemble cast of some of Hollywood’s greatest starsincluding Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, and Ewan McGregor, and focuses on the Weston clan as matriarch Violet copes with the loss of her husband while her three daughters arrive for the funeral along with their respective families. The extremely difficult Violet (Streep) is struggling with her own personal demons as she becomes at odds with her visiting children, causing secrets to come spilling out for all members.
In the adaptation, Mulroney portrays Steve, the fiancé of Violet’s youngest daughter Karen (Juliette Lewis) who is a seedy Florida businessman with a deplorable true nature. Though some critics felt the film was far too dark in comparison to its original source, it nonetheless earned two Oscar nominations and the cast received the Ensemble of the Year Award at the Hollywood Film Festival.
5Shameless
Dermot Mulroney joined the fifth season of the acclaimed Showtime dramedy seriesShameless, appearing as recovering heroin addict and restaurant owner Sean Pierce who becomes a major love interest for eldest Gallagher sibling Fiona (Emmy Rossum). The long-running, riveting program chronicled the blossoming relationship between Sean and Fiona during the fifth and sixth seasons as they both faced personal and family struggles while also dealing with their own inner demons.
Mulroney’s character battles against his addiction throughout his time on the show and his romance with Fiona was both complicated and endearing for devoted fans of the dramedy. Sean would go on to make an additional appearance in the eighth season after he failed to marry Fiona and dysfunctional family patriarch Frank disrupted their impending nuptials.
4Staying Together
Mulroney shared the screen with Sean Astin and Tim Quill in the emotionally-stirring 1989 dramedyStaying Together, in which the actors play a trio of brothers who look forward to taking over their family’s successful restaurant but find their complacent existence rocked when their father shockingly sells the business without discussing it with anyone. The siblings are at a crossroads with their futures and what they want to do with themselves after the devastating blow and the decision threatens to completely destroy their family.
The underrated ’80s flick featured impressive performances by its lead stars and was one of Mulroney’s earliest roles, where he displayed his ability to sink his teeth into a complex character and swiftly established himself as one of Hollywood’s finest leading men.
Dermony Mulroney headlined an exceptional cast of cinema greats led by Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr.in David Fincher’s2007 neo-noir mystery thrillerZodiac, which chronicles the efforts of both investigators and reporters in the San Francisco Bay Area attempt to discover the identity of the terrifying serial murderer the Zodiac Killer who terrorized its residents during the 1970s. Mulroney delivered a commanding performance as Captain Marty Lee, who like his fellow comrades is determined to catch the elusive killer and bring him to justice before he can cause more bloodshed.
Mulroney is a key part of the large ensemble and truly holds his own, withZodiacbeing revered for its historical accuracy, gripping screenplay, and phenomenal direction by Fincher. The thriller landed on numerous critics' lists for the top ten movies of the year and was rated as the 12th greatest film of the 21st centuryby the BBCin 2016.
2About Schmidt
Jack Nicholson starred as the eponymous character in the 2002 Oscar-nominated dramedyAbout Schmidt, in whichthe Hollywood legendportrays Warren Schmidt, a newly-retired insurance worker who finds himself questioning the meaning of life and his personal relationships as he embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter’s wedding after a devastating loss. Hope Davis appears as Schmidt’s frustrated daughter Jeannie while Dermot Mulroney portrays her waterbed salesman fiancé Randall, a man Schmidt feels is not good enough for his only child.
Related:Jack Nicholson’s 12 Academy-Award Nominated Movie Roles, Ranked
About Schmidtwas both a critical and commercial success, earning praise for being a dynamic character study and for its endearing humor and touching moments; Nicholson won a Golden Globe for his compelling performance as the adrift protagonist.
1My Best Friend’s Wedding
Lauded as one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time, the 1997 smash hitMy Best Friend’s Weddingstars Julia Roberts as successful food critic Jules Potter, who comes to the stunning realization she is in love with her longtime best friend after receiving news of his impending nuptials. Mulroney appears as the object of her affection Michael O’Neal, who is about to marry a beautiful younger woman (Cameron Diaz), and Jules sets out to prevent the wedding from happening at all costs.
The ’90s juggernaut was a massive hit with moviegoers, with the A-list cast’s charming performances attracting rave reviews in addition to its bittersweet storyline and heartfelt humor; audiences award the blockbuster an A- CinemaScore and it has since gone on to becomea celebrated classicof its genre.Globe and Mail declared, “Every once in a long while, along comes a refreshing change likeMy Best Friend’s Wedding, a movie whose appeal rests largely on its knack for defying our expectations by riffing off, even undermining, a familiar genre.”
