100 Great Film Performances You Should Remember: But Probably Don't

by John DiLeo

From Lillian Gish in Way Down East (1920) to Renée Zellweger in Nurse Betty (2000), DiLeo takes movie fans on an unpredictable ride through 80 years of film history, showcasing a variety of genres and performing styles, and providing fresh spins on the careers of Hollywood's top stars. In this collection of short, informal essays, the author bypasses mainstream cinema and pays tribute to overlooked performances while bringing a necessary dose of renewed attention to those once-heralded and now forgotten.

Genres: Film, Media Tie In

416 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

About the author

John DiLeo is the author of eight books about classic movies: AND YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW CLASSIC MOVIES (1999, reissued in 2013), 100 GREAT FILM PERFORMANCES YOU SHOULD REMEMBER BUT PROBABLY DON'T (2002), SCREEN SAVERS: 40 REMARKABLE MOVIES AWAITING REDISCOVERY (2007), TENNESSEE WILLIAMS AND COMPANY: HIS ESSENTIAL SCREEN ACTORS (2010), SCREEN SAVERS II: MY GRAB BAG OF CLASSIC MOVIES (2012), TEN MOVIES AT A TIME: A 350-FILM JOURNEY THROUGH HOLLYWOOD AND AMERICA 1930-1970 (2017), THERE ARE NO SMALL PARTS: 100 OUTSTANDING FILM PERFORMANCES WITH SCREEN TIME OF TEN MINUTES OR LESS (2022), and NOT EVEN NOMINATED: 40 OVERLOOKED COSTARS OF OSCAR-WINNING PERFORMANCES (2024).

Born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, John currently resides in Milford, PA. He went to Ithaca College and received a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts. After thirteen years of on-and-off stage acting, and one film credit (THE JERKY BOYS), he switched to writing about film.

John has been a contributing book reviewer for the Washington Post‘s Book World and frequently hosts classic-film series, appears on radio programs, conducts film-history seminars, and has been an annual participant in the Black Bear Film Festival in the Poconos where he conducted onstage interviews with Farley Granger (2005), Arlene Dahl (2006), Marge Champion (2010), Keir Dullea (2014), Jane Powell (2015), Rex Reed (2016), Tab Hunter (2017), Lorna Luft (2018), and Jane Alexander (2018). His website is johndileo.com and he's on Instagram at john.dileo.12.

Born in 1961 in Brooklyn, John was raised on Long Island and graduated from Ithaca College in 1982 with a B.F.A.

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review:

https://bit.ly/43QgsqW

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I disagree with so many. And that's part of the fun. Building an evidence-based rebuttal in your head. 😉

[Calvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suppose your feeling about this book has more to do with your depth of knowledge concerning films than it does the text itself. If you dont know much about cinema beyond the alst 15 years and wish to, its a nice read. If however this is giving to you by a well meaning friend because your a film buff, its a bit boring.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and informative read. I am not a movie buff, and had not seen a lot of these movies, but the book made me order some of them and I found that they were really good. There is a lot of information in this book and you can really get sucked in. I have given this book to friends who are movie buffs and they have really enjoyed it.

[Lisased]

I read a few of the essays, but this one didn't grab me.