As the old saying goes, "dying is easy, comedy is hard." In movies, actors have long been divided into dramatic or comedic. Comedy roles can often lead to box office success while the dramatic parts are the ones that win Oscars. That's why most dramatic actors avoid comedy while some comedy actors try their hand at drama to get more respect. It can be tricky if audiences have long accepted someone as a "funny person." Buying them in a dramatic role is not always easy.
Some actors can balance both out wonderfully and succeed in either genre. Some comic actors have turned into excellent dramatic stars and even Oscar winners. Others turn in performances more laughable than their comedy roles were. Here are ten comedy actors who succeeded at drama and ten who failed to show how it's not that simple to play both genres equally.
20 FAILED: Mike Myers' Makeup Didn't Aid Him In 54
Mike Myers broke out huge on Saturday Night Live and the hit Wayne's World, to be the new comedy star. After Austin Powers took off, Myers had the clout to lead in 54, based on the famous Studio 54 nightclub.
Myers trying a serious role was more laughable than anything he had in his comedy parts. The movie's failure may have pushed Myers into more wacky comedy roles.
19 SUCCEEDED: Melissa McCarthy Has Shifted To An Amazing Dramatic Actress
From her breakout in Gilmore Girls, Melissa McCarthy was a hit as a comedy star. That led to scores of box office smashes like Spy, The Heat, and more.
McCarthy then astounded critics by toning herself down for the drama Can You Ever Forgive Me. It was a critical hit that earned her an Oscar nomination. She's followed that with The Kitchen, as McCarthy seems set for a second career as a dramatic star.
18 FAILED: Amy Schumer Was Thankless In Thank You For Your Service
After a successful stand up career, Amy Schumer earned movie stardom with the hit Trainwreck. She's balanced a few other films as she tried to move into drama with Thank You For Your Service.
Schumer played herself down as a war widow, but seemed too flat in the role. The movie failed at the box office.
17 SUCCEEDED: Will Smith Is A Prince Of Drama And Comedy
Find one person in 1988 who could have predicted the "Fresh Prince" would be one of Hollywood's biggest stars. Will Smith showed his dramatic chops early on in 1993's Six Degrees of Separation.
He earned his first Oscar nod for Ali and another for The Pursuit of Happyness. He also got wide acclaim for Concussion, as Smith adds to his box office stardom with every film.
16 FAILED: Dane Cook Has No Answer For How Bad His Dramatic Turn Was
Dane Cook is proof not every stand up comic is cut out for movie stardom. After several comedy flops, Cook tried his hand at drama with 2011's Answers to Nothing.
Cook was unsuited for the role of a husband in a complex murder mystery, and the film was poorly received. Like the rest of his movie career, Cook had no answer for his lack of success.
15 SUCCEEDED: Bill Murray Turned In A Stunning Performance In Lost In Translation
Bill Murray had tried his hand at drama a few times in his career, but was always better suited to comedy hits like Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day.
In 2003, Murray's turn in Lost in Translation won massive acclaim and an Oscar nomination. As much as he's a comic icon, Murray did have a great dramatic shift.
14 FAILED: Kristen Wiig Bared It All To No Effect In Welcome To Me
After breaking out on SNL, Kristen Wiig was able to score great comedy hits like Bridesmaids. She tried her hand at drama in 2014's Welcome to Me as a woman handling mental problems. Wiig bared all (literally in one scene), yet the movie wasn't well-received.
Since then, Wiig has stuck to more comedies and the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984, as not every SNL alum is cut out for dramatic stardom.
13 SUCCEEDED: Jamie Foxx Earned An Oscar Channeling Ray Charles
It's easy to forget Jamie Foxx was a massive comedy star in the 1990s from In Living Color to his own sitcom and various movies. That he could switch to a great dramatic actor seemed strange.
But, Foxx silenced the doubters by winning an Oscar for Ray. He's put in a few more moving parts since, while still keeping up as a funnyman.
12 FAILED: Owen Wilson Couldn't Escape His Comedy Past In No Escape
Owen Wilson lends himself well to comedy with his laid-back demeanor in hits like Wedding Crashers. That made his attempt at a dramatic action piece in No Escape so laughable.
As a man trying to save his family in a war-torn nation, Wilson seemed out of sorts in the action parts and dramatic turns. The movie was a flop, ending Wilson's attempts at action stardom.
11 SUCCEEDED: Eddie Murphy's Terrible Comedy May Have Ruined His Dramatic Oscar Chances
At one time, the biggest comedy star in movies, Eddie Murphy hit a slump in the 1990s. In 2006, Murphy made an incredible comeback with his role as a music star in Dreamgirls.
He seemed set for an Oscar, but the release of the loathsome Norbit may have marred that. His recent My Name Is Dolemite proves Murphy can work some significant dramatic roles amid his comedy hits.
