Cary Elwes is an amazing actor that has become a voice and face that is well known from movies, television, and video games. He was born in Westminster, London, England in 1962. The actor made his debut in 1984 in Another Country. Then, he went on to play in Lady Jane before landing the lead role in The Princess Bride. While the film was barely a box office success, the critics were in love and audiences fell in love even harder. This skyrocketed Elwes into stardom, and opened the doors for a steady career with many great roles.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Twister (1996)
Warner Bros. Pictures
The cult classic from 1996, Twister, was a thrill-seeking story following Bill Harding, played by Bill Paxton, who must reunite with his old storm-chasing group in order to get his estranged wife, played by Helen Hunt, to sign divorce papers. Once he is immersed back into storm-chasing, he works to help them implement a new storm-tracking tool named Dorothy, that could save thousands of lives. Cary Elwes played Dr. Jonas Miller, a rival meteorologist who is trying to deploy his own rip-off of the team’s Dorothy device. Elwes did a great job playing an intellectual snob. While using a charm seen in many of his performances, Elwes conveyed Miller’s smooth-tongued persona that came out around the media’s focus.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 Saw (2004)
Lionsgate Films
The 2004 ground-breaking horror film Saw was a new form of terror that sprouted an extremely successful franchise. Adam Stanheight, played by Leigh Whannell, and Lawrence Gordon, played by Cary Elwes, are abducted by the mysterious serial killer, Jigsaw. They must figure out his depraved puzzles in order to get away alive. This role brought Elwes back into the media spotlight after he had faded away from a wider audience. While Elwes was never without work, he had moved to jobs that focused more on voice-over work. Saw was a great performance from a man that was under severe duress, in a story that made everyone’s innocence questionable.
5 The Unholy (2021)
Sony Pictures Releasing
The 2021 spiritual horror film, The Unholy, is a story about a disgraced reporter, played by Jefferey Dean Morgan, who finds a miraculous healer in a small town church. The woman claims that the Virgin Mary has blessed her with divine powers, and soon many flock to witness the miracles. When strange things start occurring in town, the reporter begins to suspect that something far more sinister is manipulating the events.
After the strange things start happening, the reporter speaks with Elwes’ character, Bishop Gyles. Gyles seems to be a reasonable man that is well versed in the Bible, and should be able to help with the situation at hand. Instead, the Bishop favors hiding the ugly things hidden throughout the small church’s history. Elwes’ portrayal was the perfect mix of perceived likability and hypocrisy in a brilliant performance.
4 Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
20th Century Films
Mel Brooks’ 1993 farce Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a fun re-telling of the classic tale. Following the return of Robin of Loxley from the Jerusalem crusades, he discovers that Prince John, played by Richard Lewis, has taxed the country to ruin. With the help of friends he meets along the way, Robin hopes to restore the citizenry, while wooing Maid Marian out of her chastity belt. Playing the Robin Hood spoof is a brilliant show of Elwes’ comedic talents. Mel Brooks films have a great, playful whimsical feel about them, and Cary Elwes did an amazing job blending into the exaggerated world. Not many actors are able to dive head first into the farcical genre; however, Elwes was perfect in the role and gave a great performance.
3 Ella Enchanted (2004)
Miramax
Based on the novel Ella Enchanted, the 2004 fantasy film Ella Enchanted is a great family film with a great lesson. Following the story of Ella, played by Anne Hathaway, as she travels to find her fairy godmother to lift a curse to always be obedient. Along the way, she meets Prince Charmont, played by Hugh Dancy, and gets caught in the kingdom’s political schemes involving the prince’s uncle, played by Cary Elwes. This was a fun movie that had a colorful and vivid storytelling style, that included the characters portrayals. Elwes’ performance as Edgar was goofy, like his Robin Hood performance, but it stayed away from the farce comedy. It even had a great sinister undertone that was blended into the performance, that was only obvious when it was supposed to be.
2 The Crush (1993)
Warner Bros Pictures
The 1993 thriller The Crush was an interesting take on overpowering relationships. Cary Elwes stars as journalist Nick Eliot, who is moving to a new city and rents a guest house from a couple. The couple’s 14-year-old daughter Adrian, played by Alicia Silverstone, reaches out to for a friendship with him, and she becomes infatuated with him. Nick tries to keep the girl at a distance; however, Adrian is used to getting what she wants, and Nick must find a way to get away from her reach. The film was well-ahead of its time in the way it spoke about toxic relationships. Silverstone’s performance as the unstable girl was amazing, and Elwes did an excellent job portraying a man at a loss with the surrounding situation. His performance of a vulnerable victim trying to figure a way out of a distressing situation was spot on.
1 The Princess Bride (1987)
20th Century Studios
The wonderful classic film from 1987, The Princess Bride is a fairytale adventure following Buttercup (Robin Wright), as her wedding is arranged to Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), following the tragic loss of her true love, Westley (Elwes). After she is kidnapped in an evil plot, pirates, brutes, and outlaws must work together to save her and save true love. Cary Elwes and the rest of the cast put in a lot of effort to make the movie as great as it is. Elwes studied to become a great swordsman to pull off the well-choreographed fights. He had a great portrayal of a hero that sometimes balanced against anti-hero choices, while still remaining a likable romantic interest.
