Rock Hudson and the most underrated actors/actresses

Rock Hudson

After re-watching the creepy and pretty compelling 1966 drama Seconds, I was struck by what a terrific actor Rock Hudson was. While the film has some flaws, his performance is fantastic.

Perhaps understandably, Hudson's closeted homosexuality and fatal AIDS diagnosis have largely overshadowed his wildly successful Hollywood career.

In fact, even when he was alive, Hudson was largely dismissed as a pretty boy romantic lead (he was something akin to the pre-Dallas Buyers Club Matthew McConaughey of the '50s and '60s.)

But in films like All That Heaven Allows and Giant he showed glimmers of real talent. And some modern critics have argued his off-screen secret life as a gay man gave his performances an ambiguous complexity. Thinking about his career made me think about who some of my favorite "underrated" actors are. Of course, that term can mean many things to many people. But nevertheless, here are a few names that come to mind:

Nick Nolte

Richard Gere: Gere has been unfairly pigeonholed because of his good looks and huge success in the so-called "chick flick" genre. But he's been doing great work for several decades. He's excelled at playing overconfident men who think they have everything and get the rug pulled out from under them. See: Days of Heaven, American Gigolo, The Hoax, Arbitrage, An Officer and a Gentleman.

Nick Nolte: Has a mugshot ever ruined a career? That seems to be the case with this terrific actor. His disheveled appearance following a 2002 arrest is now far more famous than his acting. He has an amazing gallery of damaged, grizzled men. See: 48 Hrs., Cape Fear, North Dallas Forty, The Thin Red Line.

Julianne Moore: Obviously she's beautiful, that's the first thing most people notice about her. But she also has a case to make for being one of the best actresses of the last 20 years. Her tremendous range has probably hurt her by Hollywood standards -- she's never had that one signature role. See: Short Cuts, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Far From Heaven, Children of Men, The Big Lebowski.

Jeff Goldblum: A universally beloved actor who still never gets the respect he deserves (never nominated for an Oscar). The still handsome and charming nerdy girl's sex symbol can be seen doing some great understated work in the new Wes Anderson movie The Grand Budapest Hotel. And he was the best thing in many bloated sci-fi epics of the 1990s. See: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), The Right Stuff, The Fly, Jurassic Park, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

Catherine Keener

Catherine Keener: In a perfect world this wonderful actress would be a movie star, but because she usually does smart but quiet supporting work she is often unnoticed. She has one of the most inviting smiles in movie history and she always plays characters with real wit and intelligence. See: Being John Malcovich, Where the Wild Things Are, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Capote.

Harrison Ford: This guy will always be revered as a movie icon and if he never did anything besides play Indiana Jones and Han Solo he would be a legend. But his stellar work as actor has always been undervalued. He is one of the most sympathetic and emotionally available leading men. And in his few more ambiguous roles (like The Conversation) he's shown impressive new sides to his stoic persona. See: Blade Runner, Witness, The Fugitive, The original Indiana Jones and Star Wars trilogies.

Jeff Daniels: Because of his every-man name and face (and the fact that in his biggest hits he was almost always the second banana) Daniels is usually taken for granted as an actor. It wasn't really until HBO's The Newsroom (which admittedly, I never watched) that he started getting real praise for his brilliance.He isn't afraid to be unlikable, which I love. See: The Purple Rose of Cairo, The Squid and the Whale, Terms of Endearment, Dumb and Dumber, Something Wild.

Laura Dern: The unconventional muse of David Lynch and lovely daughter of Bruce Dern is a vibrant and compelling presence in every movie she is in -- even the ones that aren't so great. She is a real risk taker, willing to eschew her vanity to play any role to the hilt. See: Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Jurassic Park.

Robert Redford

Robert Redford: Here's another movie star who's ridiculously good looks have often gotten more attention than his incredible acting track record. He may be an icon but he also is a great physical and intellectual performer. See: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Candidate, The Sting, Three Days of the Condor. All the President's Men, The Natural, Sneakers, The Horse Whisperer.

Marissa Tomei: Her adorable performance in My Cousin Vinny won her an Oscar but Hollywood has always been more preoccupied with her beauty than her talent. Even though she's still a knockout she has really risen in critical esteem following that breakthrough part. See: The Paper, In the Bedroom, The Wrestler.