Actor Clancy Brown Is In Way More Movies And TV Shows Than You Realize

As Captain Hadley, Brown disappeared into this role in a way that feels at odds with itself. Hadley was the sadistic leader of the prison guards who took delight in torturing inmates under his care, and Brown somehow managed to chew the scenery while adopting a kind of realism, making him the perfect villain.

Brown was undeniably monstrous in Shawshank, and even though the film was based on a short story by Stephen King, Brown said it was screenwriter Frank Darabont who helped him create a villain for the ages.

He told The A.V. Club, "In the short story, there’s a whole turnover of the administration of that prison, and he had to figure a way to keep those characters consistent. So Hadley and the warden were absolute Frank Darabont constructs, based on stuff that happened somewhere in the novella that Stephen [King] wrote. But those are Frank Darabont characters through and through."

For a generation of millennial nerds, Highlander was the starting point for a lifelong love of Clancy Brown. As the Kurgan, Brown flexed all of his acting muscles that wouldn’t be appropriate in a stiff drama.

Every one of his lines was delivered with a grumbling bravado and a cackling laughter that let audiences know he understood how ridiculous the storyline was, which is why it’s so good. Whether he was fighting Sean Connery in medieval Scotland or threatening nuns while safety pins hold his neck together in 1980s New York City, it’s impossible to take your eyes off of him.

Reminiscing about the 1986 fantasy movie, in which he revealed he went to a biker pub to gain inspiration for the role, Brown told The Herald, “It's one of those movies that is greater than the sum of its parts. It is very silly, there's a lot of plot holes and strange characters. Yet it has great set pieces, fantastic camera work, and some moving scenes with these amazing operatic songs from Freddie Mercury and Queen. It’s a weird movie but it seems to keep on striking a chord with people.”

Starship Troopers was multiple things at once. It was a campy science fiction film that was also a sturdy denouncement of fascism and America’s obsession with xenophobia.

As Sergeant Zim, Brown showed up first as an antagonistic drill sergeant who only respects recruits who live to fight for the government. He took every drill sergeant trope and cranked it up until you could feel him screaming in your face.

"As soon as I saw they were doing Starship Troopers - I mean, that’s classic sci-fi canon, man," he told The A.V. Club of the 1997 military film based on Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 science fiction novel. "You’ve got to do it. No matter how good it is, no matter how crappy it is, you’ve got to do it. I’d do anything that’s classic sci-fi canon. I actually really like that movie. I liked it very much from the beginning."

Brown had fun with the role, which took his hardened exterior and kind of flipped it by the end of the movie to give Zim unexpected pathos.

It’s hard to imagine a world without SpongeBob SquarePants. The long-running Nickelodeon show, which began in 1999, has featured voice actors from across the film world, bringing together improv comedians, legit thespians, and David Hasselhoff.

Brown said he took the role because he wanted to stay close to home and be with his family, although he didn’t go into the audition with a plan. He says that he just did the first voice that came to mind. He explained to The Plain Dealer, "I went on the audition and they told me he had sort of a pirate voice. So I thought, 'OK, I can do that.' I just thought of an old Disney pirate kind of voice, and that's what came out."

If there’s any role in which Brown really disappears, it’s Mr. Krabs. Even if you’re a fan of the actor, you have to really strain to hear his voice.

Who else can take on the role of Surtur, the destroyer of Asgard, and make it seem natural? Brown was only in Ragnarok for a few minutes of its sprawling run time, but he made those minutes count. He said to Screen Anarchy, "I’ve done some animation stuff, but Thor: Ragnarok was the first time anybody asked me to do a Marvel movie. Taika [Waititi] makes really quirky little movies, he’s terrific, and I love his little movies."

Surtur was one of the most important characters in the film. Not only did he destroy Asgard and wipe out Hela (maybe), but he explained the whole concept of Ragnarok to the audience in the film's opening scene.

Even if you're a fan of Brown's, you probably didn't realize he was voicing the giant fire demon. His booming voice was pitched up just a bit, and there was a lot to take in during the scene. It would have been great to see Brown more often, but he shines in small roles like this whether or not you know he's playing the part.

Leave it to Clancy Brown to appear in easily one of the coolest episodes of The Mandalorian. Episode six of this limited series streaming on Disney+ sees the Mandalorian join up with a crew of bounty hunters to rescue an unnamed prisoner, and Brown, standing 6 feet 3 inches tall, popped up as the muscle of the group.

Brown fits the role nicely, even if he is unrecognizable behind red latex and a set of massive horns. Throughout the episode, he struts around and threatens Mando before ending up getting his keister kicked around a New Republic ship.

The episode is filled with awesome guest stars like Bill Burr and Richard Ayoade, but Brown literally towers above them all.