The 10 Best Cult Actresses Of All Time

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The Streeps and Hepburns have gotten enough attention.

Let’s single out the most extraordinary actresses through the years who have cult followings, but who may not have garnered the international attention and acclaim they deserve because they deliciously skirted the mainstream. Here are my 10 personal favorite cult ladies, along with what makes them so fabulously specialized in their intense appeal.

Geraldine Page (1924-1987)

Yes, she won the Oscar for her wonderfully weepy turn in “The Trip To Bountiful,” and she had a bunch of other nominations, too, but I fear Gerry has fallen into the cult category partly because her offbeat looks didn’t ever make her a gigantic movie draw. But that gives the woman even more radioactivity, along with the quirky genius (and gleaming grin) she brought to roles in “You’re a Big Boy Now,” “What Ever Happened To Aunt Alice?”, and “The Pope of Greenwich Village.” Onstage, she was erratic, not always delivering if she didn’t feel it, and that makes Gerry’s cult even stronger. And when she did deliver, it was a package straight from heaven (via Lee Strasberg). (Runners-up: Reliable character actresses Maureen Stapleton and Estelle Parsons)

Sandy Dennis (1937-1992)

You could spot Sandy’s mannerisms a mile away, but you came to crave them — the stammery speech patterns, halting pauses, rabbity teeth and mousy demeanor, complete with nervous tics and fluttering hands. I adored her in bizarre little films like “The Fox,” “That Cold Day in the Park” and “Up The Down Staircase,” not to mention the hilarious Neil Simon comedy “The Out of Towners” and Woody Allen’s “Another Woman.” And after her Oscar-winning turn in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” it was very brave of anyone else to ever try to play Honey. She was um, er, uh, tremendous. (Runner-up: Catherine Burns, an obscure-but-powerful Oscar nominee for “Last Summer.”)

Karen Black (1939-2013)

Many actresses have attempted to play kooks, but Karen Black didn’t even have to try, lighting up the screen with her offbeat charm and genuine nonconformity in “Easy Rider,” “Five Easy Pieces” and “Portnoy’s Complaint.” “Airport 1975” put her in an all-star cockpit, and while “The Day of the Locust” hurt her career, it’s fabulous, and so is her performance in the brill “Nashville” the same year. When things slid, Karen kept working, illuminating indies with her wacky skill. She is so missed. (Runners-up include other favorite kooks like Paula Prentiss, Mary Kay Place, Barbara Harris, Sally Kellerman, and Valerie Perrine.)

Tilda Swinton (1963-)

So often cast as an ice queen, Tillie is excitingly good, whether walking away with “Michael Clayton” or jazzing up the “Narnia” flicks with hot hauteur. Her recent old-age turn in “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is one of her most memorable moments ever, and one always waits with feverish longing to see just what she’ll do next. My suspicion is that she can do anything.

Amanda Plummer (1957-)

The daughter of wondrous weirdos Tammy Grimes and Christopher Plummer, Amanda has clipped tones and a fabulously individual approach to a line reading and a character portrayal. She exploded on Broadway with back-to-back sensational performances in “A Taste of Honey” and “Agnes of God.” The latter seemed like a bunch of overheated hogwash, but Amanda made it mesmerizing with her powerhouse intensity and riveting eyes. She’s also lit up films (“Pulp Fiction,” “Butterfly Kiss”) and TV shows and has never ceased to be the one and only Amanda Plummer. (Runner-up: The fiery Mercedes Ruehl, who also has a profound inability to be boring.)

Ona Munson (1903-1955)

Brothel owner Belle Watling in “Gone with the Wind,” this fascinating actress appeared in some lesser-known films, too, though she was often cast as a Belle-Watling type. In Josef von Sternberg’s “The Shanghai Gesture,” she’s Mother Gin Sling, “a dragon lady who worked herself up from poverty to buy the casino.” Her witty, over-the-top, campy, completely incorrect performance is impossible to take your eyes from. Ona was a genius and should have had at least 100 times more fame. Let’s start to make up for that right now.

Judy Pace (1942-)

The gorgeous Judy started as a model, then segued into TV stardom (“Peyton Place”) and moved on to movies, always bringing big heapings of sass and vinegar to her roles. I worshiped her in “Three in the Attic,” as she shattered racist stereotypes while turning the tables on a white womanizer. I also loved her sumptuous presence in populist films from “Cotton Comes To Harlem” to “Frogs.” But she never became the big star Pam Grier and Diahann Carroll did, and that’s so wrong. The woman is just plain beautiful, and I’m determined to make her a cult actress if it kills me.

Agnes Moorehead (1900-1974)

If this Massachusetts-born genius looked like Vivien Leigh, she would have had an entirely different career, but who cares? There was a place for Agnes, and it happened to involve dazzling up Orson Welles films, “Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte” and “Bewitched,” in which she worked magic with various colorful caftans and putdowns. No one had her wit, her class, her ability. (Except maybe my runner-up: Thelma Ritter. Sadly, neither won an Oscar.)

Joan Cusack (1962-)

Has there ever been a more endearingly funny supporting performance than Joan’s in “Working Girl” as an ’80s office wacko with feathered hair? Hasn’t the New York-born actress (and sister of John) always been delightful and smart in everything from “In & Out” to “School of Rock” and beyond? I always thought she should be a huge star, but that’s just me — and her enormous cult. We love you, Joan. I mean LOVE.

Lizabeth Scott (1922-), Veronica Lake (1922-1973), Ida Lupino (1918-1995), Ann Sheridan (1915-1967), Ella Raines (1920-1988), Jan Sterling (1921-2004)

These ladies are hard-boiled yet lovable, tough but appealing, hence the six-way tie. They can eat you for breakfast while purring their way into your heart for dinner. And each one of them is worthy of the large-scale cult that has made them all so much more than just a fabulous hairstyle. Brava, divas.

Michael Musto is a contributing journalist for TheBlot Magazine

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