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Orion Pictures Corporation1 of 10Some actors, either because of their looks or their personality, bring easily identifiable things to the table the minute they sign up for a movie. Nicolas Cage will give you bug-eyed mania. Christopher Walken will give you laconic creepiness. The late Paul Gleason (1939-2006) was the undisputed king of cinematic a-holes.
Armed with a withering sneer and the rare ability to make even the most innocuous line sound snide and sarcastic, the Jersey-born Gleason's résumé is studded with the most repugnant characters you can't help but love.
Arthur (1981)
After playing a few cops (with a mug like that, what did you expect?) in the likes of "He Knows You're Alone" and "Fort Apache the Bronx," Gleason hit his stride in a single but memorable scene in the Dudley Moore classic.
Credited as "Executive," he takes a momentary break from his waiting room phone call to berate Arthur Bach's playboy lifestyle in front of Arthur's trusted butler, Hobson - which earns Gleason the world's most eloquent "go screw yourself."
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Paramount Pictures / Photofest2 of 10Trading Places (1983)
Clearly, this man was made to play d-bags in suits. Gleason really started on his road to being "that guy" when he starred as Clarence Beeks, the shady guy who does the Duke brothers' dirty work and doesn't care who he has to step on or over to do it.
Naturally, this ends badly for Beeks. Assuming you also define getting knocked unconscious, dressed in a gorilla suit and locked in a cage with a horny male of the species as "ending badly" (we don't judge).
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Universal Studios3 of 10The Breakfast Club (1985)
Assistant Principal Richard "Dick" Vernon was a schmuck the way Godzilla was a lizard. Every villainous high school administrator from the mid-'80s on owes a debt to Gleason's iconic jerk-ness, and the role made the man an instant legend. But was Gleason done with his all-out assault on teens, rogue cops, and the privileged? Not. Even. Close. BUD.
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Clik here to view.Starwars.wikia4 of 10Ewoks: The Battle For Endor (1985)
There are those who'll argue that Gleason actually played a good guy in this made-for-TV sequel to "The Ewok Adventure," but by saying yes to this part, he enabled these Star Wars monstrosities to exist and if that isn't a jerk move we don't know what is.
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Clik here to view.Universal Television5 of 10The A-Team (1986)
In the fourth season, Gleason played the titular character in the episode called "The Trouble With Harry." How bad was Harry? Not only was he an abusive drunk on the run from the mob who constantly put his son in harm's way, his antics took away from the appearance of guest stars Hulk Hogan AND William "Refrigerator" Perry. This was like an Avengers team-up of everything '80s.
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Clik here to view.Orion Pictures6 of 10Johnny Be Good (1988)
It's a shame this high school sports comedy starring Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey Jr. has been lost to cult movie obscurity because not only does it feature a "Is he shooting a different movie from everyone else?"-level outer limits performance from RDJ (seriously, you have to see it), but it also has Gleason at the absolute height of his powers. As tacky, vindictive high school football coach Wayne Hissler, he sets a new bar for hateful movie jackasses.
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Clik here to view.20th Century Fox/Photofest7 of 10Die Hard (1988)
"I'm not the one who just got butt-f**ked on national TV, DWAYNE!" When people think of Gleason, the image that comes to mind next to Assistant Principal Vernon is Deputy Police Chief Dwayne T. Robinson. And for good reason.
Not only did Robinson have to make John McClane's life miserable by being an obtuse loudmouth, he also had to fight off contender for the cinematic dickhead throne William Atherton ("Ghostbusters": Walter Peck, "Real Genius": Dr. Jerry Hathaway) as ethically challenged reporter Richard Thornburg.
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Clik here to view.New Line Cinema8 of 10Money Talks (1997)
After a series of forgettable TV appearances (usually playing a guy named Harry) and movies like "Maniac Cop 3," Gleason returned to form in the movie that launched the careers of Chris Tucker and Brett Ratner. Yeah, Gleason's corrupt cop was pretty bad, but ... he also helped launch the careers of Chris Tucker and Brett Ratner and that is unforgivable.
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Clik here to view.Lions Gate Films/imdb9 of 10Van Wilder (2002)
The early Aughts found Gleason back in his comfort zone, playing hard-ass professor MacDougal, the bane of slacker Van Wilder's existence (after reprising his role as Richard Vernon for a cameo in 2001's "Not Another Teen Movie").
His hair was grayer, but his sneer hadn't lost an ounce of potency. When he describes Van Wilder's dorm as "decorated in early f**k" you can't imagine anyone else nailing that line the way he does.
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Clik here to view.Red Circle Productions10 of 10Next: Epically Hilarious PhotosAbominable (2006)
Sadly, Gleason's final film role was in the low budget horror cheapie that lives up to its title. A group of women in a cabin are terrorized by Bigfoot and all Gleason is can do but act skeptical as a local sheriff.
Not a great way to bow out, but we can't imagine anyone else we'd like to have out there in the wilderness looking to kick Sasquatch's lazy, good-for-nothing ass. And he does rock a "Don't Mess with the Bull" coffee cup (wink).
