Having had a successful acting career spanning over three decades, Tony Goldwyn is one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. Although, in recent times, Goldwyn is famous for his work on television, he also has extensive credits in film. Impressively, he has starred with several Hollywood A-listers.
Goldwyn comes from a line of actors and film producers. Besides being a film producer, he’s married to someone whose career is also in film production. Although not known as a leading man in film, Tony Goldwyn has played several iconic supporting roles throughout his career. Here’s a look at Tony Goldwyn’s top 10 movie roles.
Ghost (1990)
Directed by Jerry Zucker, Ghost (1990) became the highest-grossing film of 1990. It centers around a murdered banker, Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze), whose ghost seeks to protect his girlfriend, Molly Jensen (Demi Moore), from his killers. He solicits the help of Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), a psychic, to help communicate with the living. Ghost is a must-watch for any film fan. In the film, Tony Goldwyn is cast as its main antagonist. To obtain Sam’s book of bank passwords to facilitate the transfer of laundered money, Carl Burner (Tony Goldwyn) hired a mugger, Willie Lopez (Rick Aviles), to mug Sam. Desperate to recover the book of passwords and the laundered money, Carl would go to any length, endangering the life of Molly and Oda Mae Brown.
Kiss the Girls (1997)
Kiss the Girls is a 1997 neo-noir psychological thriller directed by Gary Fleder. Tony Goldwyn plays a supporting role as Dr. William Rudolph, one of the movie’s antagonists. The movie follows a serial kidnapper, Casanova, who kidnaps girls in North Carolina. When Washington, D.C. detective and forensic psychologist Alex Cross’ (Morgan Freeman) niece is kidnapped, he begins an investigation that’ll uncover the kidnapper. Although residing in Los Angeles, Goldwyn’s character is discovered to be Casanova’s partner when he’s followed to North Carolina. Kiss the Girls also stars Ashley Judd and Cary Elwes. Although received with mixed reviews, Kiss the Girls was a commercial success.
Tarzan (1999)
Tarzan (1999) became Tony Goldwyn’s first voice role in film. He was cast to voice the titular character, Tarzan. Tony Goldwyn auditioned for the role and was reportedly chosen because of his “animal sense” and “killer baboon imitations.” Although Goldwyn voices all of Tarzan’s conversations, actor Brian Blessed (co-star who voiced William Cecil Clayton) voices Tarzan’s yells. Tarzan became the fifth highest-grossing film of 1999, earning $448.2 million on the then-traditionally animated film budget record of $130 million.
The 6th Day (2000)
Roger Spottiswoode‘s science fiction action film The 6th Day (2000) is coincidentally actor Terry Crews‘ acting debut. Tony Goldwyn is cast in the movie in a supporting role as Michael Drucker, with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lead cast. Tony Goldwyn plays the villain of the movie, Drucker, the CEO of Replacement Technologies, a billionaire, and pro-human cloning businessman. When Schwarzenegger’s character discovers a clone with his family, his search for the truth unravels several Replacement Technologies’ dark secrets.
The Last Samurai (2003)
The Last Samurai revolves around a disillusioned Civil War veteran, Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise). Nathan is hired to train the Japanese Imperial Army in modern warfare methods. He’s captured by a group of samurai warriors, led by Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe), who still uphold traditional values and resist Western influence’s encroachment in Japan. As Algren becomes immersed in the samurai way of life, he undergoes a profound transformation. He finds himself torn between two worlds, ultimately leading to a stirring and epic clash between tradition and modernity. Tony Goldwyn plays Cruise’s character’s former commanding officer, Colonel Bagley. With Algren defecting to help the Samurai, he stands in Colonel Bagley’s way of destroying the rebellion. During a clash between the Imperial Army and the Samurai, Algren kills Colonel Bagley. The film received several nominations across major award associations and was also a commercial success.
The Last House on the Left (2009)
The Last House on the Left (2009) is a remake of the original 1972 film. It stars Tony Goldwyn in the lead role, playing Dr. John Collingwood. Although received with mixed critical reviews, the revenge horror thriller is one many horror audiences may find entertaining. The film tells a harrowing tale of revenge and survival as it follows two teenage girls who encounter a group of sadistic criminals. After a series of brutal events, the criminals seek shelter at the home of one of the girls’ parents, played by Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter. Upon discovering the truth about their daughter’s attackers, the parents embark on a vengeful mission, leading to a violent and suspenseful showdown.
Divergent Film Series
Tony Goldwyn was cast in the Divergent movie series as Andrew Prior. Andrew was the father of the franchise protagonist, Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) and her brother, Caleb Prior (Ansel Elgort). Although born in the Erudite faction, his chosen factor is Abnegation, where he’s introduced as a city Council member. Andrew was also the husband of Natalie Prior (Ashley Judd). Like his wife, he sacrificed his life to protect his daughter and stop Dauntless soldiers under Erudite simulation from genocide. Goldwyn reprised the role in Divergent‘s (2014) sequel, The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015).
The Belko Experiment (2016)
The Belko Experiment (2016) is the second must-watch horror film starring Tony Goldwyn. Goldwyn’s character is Barry Norris, the COO of Belko and an ex-special forces soldier. Barry arrives at work like he has done every other day at Belko Industries in Bogotá, Columbia. With explosive chips planted in their heads, a voice instructs the workers to kill themselves. Split into two groups, Barry, as head of one, plans to follow the instructions of the voice to save his life. He soon becomes the film’s villain, attacking and killing his colleagues. However, he’s killed after a fight with one of the employees, Mike Milch (John Gallagher Jr.).
King Richard (2021)
King Richard is a biographical sports drama about Richard Williams and his daughters, Venus Williams and Serena Williams. The film received six Academy Award nominations and gave Will Smith, who played Richard Williams, his first Oscar win. Tony Goldwyn was cast in the movie as tennis coach Paul Cohen. With Richard requesting Paul to help train his daughters professionally, Richard is only able to afford Paul’s services to train Venus. King Richard gives viewers a look into the growing years of professional tennis sisters Venus and Serena Williams.
Plane (2023)
2023 was a busy year for Tony Goldwyn, starring in four movies and directing one. In order of release, Plane was his first film in 2023. He made minor appearances in Murder Mystery 2 as Silverfox and portrayed Gordon Gray in Oppenheimer. His directed film, Ezra, was released at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 9, 2023. Back to the action thriller, Plane, Goldwyn played Scarsdale, a former Special Forces officer who leads the rescue effort. When Commercial pilot Brodie Torrance’s (Gerard Butler) plane crash-lands into a rebel-controlled island in the Philippines, Scarsdale is sent by the airline’s top management to rescue the passengers. As always, Tony Goldwyn delivered a believable performance.
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