Of all celebrities that played pool characters in movies

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
Of all celebrities that played pool characters in movies which was the best?

In my mind Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Christopher Walken, Freddie Prince Jr and Famke Janssen these are the big names from pool movies.

Does rating them matter?

TCOM makes me think Tom Cruise can play better, but the shots on film he made are standard for low level players.

Paul Newman had some nice touch shots in The Hustler.

Christopher Walken in PHJunkies, nothing really worth mentioning in terms of shot selection on film that he can pocket

Freddie Prince Jr going left handed, it was a moment, but in a match I wouldn't really change the tempo of the match. Its like seeing a bridge or extension.

Famke Janssen portrayed a character torn by pool and personal life. Compared to the other characters her's the most realistic, even getting angry in the car.

I've been going through old movies again. I got lots of free time with the pool hall closed.
 

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Of all celebrities that played pool characters in movies which was the best?

In my mind Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Christopher Walken, Freddie Prince Jr and Famke Janssen these are the big names from pool movies.

Does rating them matter?

TCOM makes me think Tom Cruise can play better, but the shots on film he made are standard for low level players.

Paul Newman had some nice touch shots in The Hustler.

Christopher Walken in PHJunkies, nothing really worth mentioning in terms of shot selection on film that he can pocket

Freddie Prince Jr going left handed, it was a moment, but in a match I wouldn't really change the tempo of the match. Its like seeing a bridge or extension.

Famke Janssen portrayed a character torn by pool and personal life. Compared to the other characters her's the most realistic, even getting angry in the car.

I've been going through old movies again. I got lots of free time with the pool hall closed.


I think Jackie Gleason would be the best.

I don't believe they ever played pool players but Jerry Orbach, a broadway actor, played pretty good, as did Fred Astaire.

Lou Figueroa
 

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
I read somewhere that when Scorsese cast him he gave him the script and Keith said: I would never say these things in a pool room. So what you hear him say in the movie was all improv by Keith.

In today's language

a more proper phrase would be "there is a gap between the balls in the rack"

or "it skidded"


Keith gave great delivery to the line. And his shirt is hideous, its awful in the best ways.
 

mikemosconi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My vote- JACKIE GLEASON. There were two baseball players from many years ago who were also part time pool hustlers in real life- the ex Angels pitcher Bo Belinsky and the ex player/ manager Leo Durocher.
 

WildWing

Super Gun Mod
Silver Member
Celebrities, not pro pool players.

Would agree that Gleason was the best, but look for Jack Klugman on the Twilight Zone. Very good episode.

All the best,
WW
 

arnaldo

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
All celebs mentioned so far are correct. Additionally, moderately good players (and huge fans of pro tournaments) were Paul Sorvino -- who could sometimes run 40 or so playing 14.1, also Fred Astaire, Jerry Seinfeld, and Peter Falk (with one-eyed vision).

Arnaldo
 

jeephawk

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Of all celebrities that played pool characters in movies which was the best?

In my mind Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Christopher Walken, Freddie Prince Jr and Famke Janssen these are the big names from pool movies.

Does rating them matter?

TCOM makes me think Tom Cruise can play better, but the shots on film he made are standard for low level players.

Paul Newman had some nice touch shots in The Hustler.

Christopher Walken in PHJunkies, nothing really worth mentioning in terms of shot selection on film that he can pocket

Freddie Prince Jr going left handed, it was a moment, but in a match I wouldn't really change the tempo of the match. Its like seeing a bridge or extension.

Famke Janssen portrayed a character torn by pool and personal life. Compared to the other characters her's the most realistic, even getting angry in the car.

I've been going through old movies again. I got lots of free time with the pool hall closed.

You started the thread and posted that and didn't mention Jackie Geason? He could act and play.
 

jimmyco

NRA4Life
Silver Member
He was on screen less than four minutes and unknown at the time, but in the scene with Eddie and Amos in TCoM, Forest Whitaker was great.
 

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
You started the thread and posted that and didn't mention Jackie Geason? He could act and play.

I guess my age is showing.

I couldn't remember the fat guys name from the Hustler. Jackie Gleason, I think I watched reruns of him on the honeymooners, in black and white tv days.

Thanks for giving me the talk but these things happen.

I hope no one got let down.
 

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
He was on screen less than four minutes and unknown at the time, but in the scene with Eddie and Amos in TCoM, Forest Whitaker was great.

Whitakers shot in TCOM, it felt like a dead combo no matter how it got hit.

Whitaker is good but during a pool match, hearing about someone get lucky is sacrosanct. No one wants to hear about getting lucky on a shot during a match.

I like Whitaker in star wars. But if he was going to con fast eddie, it would've been appropriate to "slow eddie down" its not easy to portray slow play on film, but in a match it can be an influencing factor.
 

mikemosconi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I just finished reading the biography of the famous film noir actor of the late 40s and 50s - Robert Ryan. Besides being a great actor he was an avid pool player who had a home table in some of his homes and also when he lived at the Dakota apartments in NYC in the early 60s he was a frequent presence at a pool hall on NYC's west side. Ryan said that pool was a great source of relaxation for him and he enjoyed being treated like one of the guys in NYC pool rooms in the 60s.

Ryan was also known as one of the three Hollywood actors in real life- along with Jack Palance and Robert Mitchum who had reputations as the toughest of the tough when it came to physical confrontations. Ryan was heavyweight champ four years running in college boxing. Palance was a professional boxer prior to Hollywood, and Mitchum rode the rails and hobo camps throughout the South and Midwest from age 14.
 

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
Gold Member
Silver Member
Coburn Sharif

James Coburn and Omar Sharif made a pool movie. I don't remember how good or bad the pool action was. The Baltimore Bullet was on Youtube last I knew.

Like I think most, I think the great one gave a great portrayal of a pool player. Forrest Whitaker did a great job as a hustler, somebody else I don't remember his shots well enough to rate him.

The first couple times I watched The Hustler I watched it for Newman. About then I realized had they given Jackie another five or ten minutes screen time he would have stolen the whole movie! Of course it helps that we are right there with Newman admiring Fat's magic. He had style and class to go along with the table skills.

Hu

Edit: Left out maybe the best celebrity pool player of all, William Claude Dunkenfield, AKA Honest John.
 

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
found my dvd of the hustler

Gleason and Newman were both taught by Mosconi so.

Newman has his bridge ready and cue set then just lands on table and fires.
extremely fast for eddie

look for subtle flares in their shooting

Compared to Sigel teaching Cruise.

The earlier look much better on the table.
 

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
For the masse, could it be Mosconis hands on the film?

masse.jpg


newmans stroke he loads up, cocks tricep up, follows through and recoils

definitely not the pendulum stroke taught by Mosconi, if Willie was the teacher

form.jpg
 
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pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
I’ve greatest actor who also wielded a cue on film was Laurence Olivier in Sleuth..IMO
...He slaughtered Michael Caine in a game of snooker...at the end he looks at Michael
who’s standing there with his cue and says “Whatever are you doing with that ridiculous thing?
Michael says “I was waiting for a shot.”

A01BA08F-0CFE-412D-B62F-941A52D866C4.jpg
 
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