Actor/Actress with the Most Impeccable "Nerd" Credentials (2 Viewers)

[Cage1]

By "nerd", I'm talking speculative fiction or genre fiction - sci-fi, fantasy, horror, dystopian, etc...

I wondered about this when I noticed Karl Urban was in Lord of the Rings. That dude plays a major Star Trek character, Judge Dredd, is in the MCU, and had a medium role in Lord of the Rings. He has to have one of more impressive sci-fi/fantasy bodies of work, right?

Others who I thought of as contenders:

Sam Jackson is up there - Star Wars, MCU, plus a host of one-offs
Ian McKellan - Magneto and Galdalf
Patrick Stewart - Picard and Prof X

I still think Karl Urban is the nerd king in terms of overall body of work. Anyone else make a case for better?

 

[gboudx]

If it's sci-fi genre as being "nerd", I'd submit Sigourney Weaver. Alien movies, Ghostbusters 1 and 2, Galaxy Quest, Avatar. Maybe there's more, those just come to mind.

 

[efil4stnias]

Robert Carradine.

/endthread

 

[GW93]

If it's sci-fi genre as being "nerd", I'd submit Sigourney Weaver. Alien movies, Ghostbusters 1 and 2, Galaxy Quest, Avatar. Maybe there's more, those just come to mind.

She also voiced the ship's computer in WALL·E and was the bad guy in Marvel's Defenders on Netflix, so that's a couple more.

 

[Doug B]

If it doesn't have to be a big number of different roles ... Harrison Ford has certainly got the iconicity down. Han Solo in four blockbusters, and Rick Deckard in Blade Runner. Not sure that his roles in Cowboys and Aliens and Ender's Game move the needle that much.

 

[Doug B]

Haven't sifted through them all yet, but Jeff Goldblum has a lot of credits in sci-fi and horror. Not all that many starring vehicles for him, though. But besides his Jurassic Park franchise work:

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Buckaroo Bonzai
Transylvania 6-5000
The Fly
Earth Girls are Easy
Powder
Independence Day (and the sequel)
Thor: Ragnarok

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

children please
Hugo Weaving wins this by several laps

 

[Doug B]

Patrick Stewart - Picard and Prof X

Not big roles, but also in Excalibur, Dune, and Lifeforce before he did Star Trek TNG.

 

[St. Chris]

If it doesn't have to be a big number of different roles ... Harrison Ford has certainly got the iconicity down. Han Solo in four blockbusters, and Rick Deckard in Blade Runner. Not sure that his roles in Cowboys and Aliens and Ender's Game move the needle that much.

How do you make a post like this and not mention Indiana Jones? Unless you just don't consider them Sci Fi or Fantasy?

 

[Doug B]

How do you make a post like this and not mention Indiana Jones? Unless you just don't consider them Sci Fi or Fantasy?

Wasn't sure Indy would fit by Cage's criteria in the OP's first sentence. But obviously an iconic character.
...
Guido, good call on Hugo Weaving. I don't know about Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ... but you can swap that out for his Red Skull turns in the MCU. Weaving was also a major player in Cloud Atlas, plays the voice of Megatron in the Transformers movie franchise, and is going to be in the upcoming Mortal Engines.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Guido, good call on Hugo Weaving. I don't know about Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ... but you can swap that out for his Red Skull turns in the MCU. Weaving was also a major player in Cloud Atlas, plays the voice of Megatron in the Transformers movie franchise, and is going to be in the upcoming Mortal Engines.

LOVE Priscilla - Mitzi (his character) to Agent Smith to Elrond to V is the kind of range that vaults him over "iconic" portrayals

but now if we're talking straight nerd cred, Aisha Tyler needs to have honorable mention, not only for portrayals but for being a loud/proud gamer

 

[Cage1]

Good call on Hugo Weaving. Probably the best shot to unseat Urban in the rankings. But an IMDB search also reveals Urban has some Riddick and Hercules chops. He checks all the boxes except Star Wars.

Sigourney is probably the strongest female candidate. I can't think of anyone else really that close right now.

We also can't forget the old standards like Ahnold. He had a bunch of classic one-offs (Predator, Total Recall) , but he was also Conan, Mr. Freeze and the Terminator.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

Rosario Dawson - she's been in every Netflix/MCU series until season 2 of Iron Ifst and she's a bonafide Trekkie.

 

[Cage1]

I didn't think of Warwick Davis. Holy crap, he might just win the thing.

 

[antipop]

if voice acting is considered, Nolan North would probably win this by several miles...