When it comes to iconic comedic performers of the 21st century, one name that immediately jumps to mind is Zach Galifianakis. A long-working stand-up for years, in 2009 he broke out big with his role in The Hangover. Following that film’s massive success, Galifianakis became a prominent name, to the extent that the studios behind films where he had a supporting role, like G-Force and Youth in Revolt, pushed his name in their marketing to cash in on that success. Galifianakis’ character in The Hangover in many ways was the Jack Sparrow of The Hangover franchise, in that it altered the entire career path of the actor and also became the face of the franchise.
Yet Galifianakis has had a long and storied career, breaking out of comedies and working in dramatic work as well as working hard on television. His distinct voice has made him ideal for great voiceover work, and he has lent his voice to several animated projects. Most recently, audiences heard his voice in two animated films from 20th Century Pictures, Ron’s Gone Wrong and The Bob’s Burgers Movie. While the actor has not done as much live-action work as he was doing at the height of his career, he is still an in-demand talent and will be next seen in the Apple TV+ film The Beanie Bubble. Galifianakis has done memorable work throughout his career, and these are his best performances across film and television.
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8 Up In The Air
Paramount Pictures
Released in December 2009, the same year Galifianakis was riding high on the success of The Hangover and the premiere of HBO Max, he appears in a small but vital cameo in the Academy Award-nominated film Up In The Air. Galifianakis only appears in the first two minutes of the film, as the audience is introduced to George Clooney’s character. Galifianakis plays Steve, an employee being fired from his job and needing to be talked through the firing process.
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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
In a few quick second shots, Galifianakis has to convey all the worst possibilities a disgruntled employee could take after being fired while also needing to convey the hurt stunned emotions of someone whose entire life has suddenly changed with nowhere to go. This is important for audiences to know as the film goes forward, as more people are fired from their jobs and the risky cost that will come with firing someone. While audiences primarily may have known him for comedies, it was this small but thematically important part that showed Galifianakis was capable of so much more.
7 The Muppets
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Galifianakis gives another cameo like Up In The Air here, but a more comedic one. The charming Muppet franchise is always known for its fun human cameos, and in 2011’s The Muppets, Galifianakis shows up as Hobo Joe, one of the few attendees to the Muppet’s important telethon. While a humorous reveal at first, the filmmakers have great fun with the cameo; as more audience members come in, Hobo Joe begins taking tickets and making a little money. Then, when it appears the Muppets have failed, he gives an emotional yet still comedic cry. Galifianakis even reprised his role in the sequel Muppets Most Wanted. The actor makes the most of his few brief scenes and his larger-than-life film persona felt like a perfect match made in heaven for The Muppets.
6 Due Date
Warner Bros. Pictures
In 2010 Galifianakis re-teamed with The Hangover director Todd Philips for Due Date. In a role that easily could have just been a repeat of Alan from The Hangover, and at times is, Galifianakis plays the role of Ethan Tremblay as an insufferable but well-meaning individual. While a comedic character with exaggerated features, his quietly straight-faced but also absurdly broad characterization makes him the perfect foil for Robert Downey Jr.’s hot-tempered straight man, and the two have great comedic chemistry together.
Yet Galifianakis also hints at a more tragic characterization for Ethan. Throughout the film, there are hints that Ethan’s personality and quirks have left him feeling alienated. He knows he is lonely, but does not understand exactly why. With the loss of his father, who appears to have been the only supportive person he had, he now finds himself in a world he isn’t ready for; this road trip is important for him, and he just wants a friend along the way. It is Galifianakis’ ability to balance the frustrating and charming elements into creating a character that is enduring instead of annoying.
5 Bored to Death
HBO
Premiering three months after the release of The Hangover, Bored To Death very much tried to capitalize on Galifianakis’ recent star power. The series focused on Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwarzman), a writer who moonlights as a private investigator. The main supporting characters on the show are Jonathan’s two best friends, New York Magazine editor George (Ted Danson) and comic book artist Ray, played by Galifianakis.
Bored to Death was a great chance for Galifianakis to showcase his comedic strengths outside the style that he became associated with in The Hangover, Due Date, and Dinner for Schmucks. Ray is in many ways a normal person, who makes a lot of mistakes and is drawn into the strange world that his best friend has brought him in on. Bored to Death had a nice breezy and relaxed tone to it, and Galifianakis made a great supporting player for this comedic detective story.
4 The Lego Batman Movie
The Joker is one of the most iconic villains of all time. He has been played by many great actors who have left their mark on the character, and when it comes to animation no voice is more associated with the Clown Prince of Crime than Mark Hamill. Any actor stepping into an animated Joker has some big shoes to fill but Galifianakis makes the role his own in The Lego Batman Movie.
The Joker is often defined by his relationship to Batman, and The Lego Batman Movie makes that semi-romantic subtext the literal text of the movie and the Joker’s main motivation. He feels spurned by Batman. It is a spin on the romantic angle, with Joker only wanting Batman to admit he hates him and is his greatest enemy and is upset to find Batman so indifferent to him. All of Joker’s actions in the film are defined by getting Batman to notice him. Galifianakis’ voice is the perfect choice for their version of the Joker, one that matches the light-hearted tone of The Lego Movie franchise while also maintaining a malicious edge that makes his version a modern successor to the Caesar Romero version of The Joker.
3 Baskets
20th Television
Galifianakis fills many roles on the FX series Baskets, not only playing a set of twins but also as the series’ co-creator. Baskets find him playing identical twin brothers Chip Baskets and Dale Everett Baskets, with the central gimmick that Chip dreams of becoming a professional rodeo clown. The series allowed Galifianakis to show his range as an actor playing two different roles and at times having to act opposite himself, and giving a showcase to many great comedic performers like Martha Kelly and the late Louie Anderson in a legendary performance as the Baskets matriarch. The series ran for four seasons on FX and played with absurdity in a deadpan tone which, in many ways, is when Galifianakis is at his best.
2 Between Two Ferns
Comedy Bang! Bang!
Between Two Ferns might be the ultimate Galifianakis project. A comedic take on a talk show, Between Two Ferns sees Galifianakis playing a fictional version of himself who interviews celebrities in a cheap set designed to resemble a public access talk show, and the on-screen text often has comedic typos and mistakes. Galifianakis takes on the role of an awkward and argumentative host, often insulting his guest to great comedic effect while they will improvise insults and comebacks to him. The series has been running on the website Funny or Die since 2008 with a variety of guests, including Barack Obama in an attempt to encourage Americans to sign up for health insurance, Funnyordie.com became the top referrer to the government site during that time.
The series was successful enough to generate a 2019 movie for Netflix, and while it has been over four years since the last episode aired, Between Two Ferns has generated a passionate fanbase who will likely tune in whenever it returns.
1 The Hangover
While Galifianakis had been acting and performing stand-up for years, it was his role in The Hangover that made him an overnight star. It was the role that defined his career and made him the comedy star of its moment. In The Hangover, Galifianakis plays Alan, the soon-to-be brother-in-law of the groom Doug and the odd man out in his group of friends. Alan’s oblivious nature to the world around him essentially sets the film’s plot in motion and is given some of the film’s most memorable moments and lines.
While the role was offered to many comedy stars like Jack Black and Jonah Hill, it is hard to imagine anyone else in the part other than Galifianakis, as he is able to give the character a sweet vulnerability and also slightly off-kilter and a little dangerous. While the later sequels might have relied too much on Alan (and his hilariously bizarre relationship with Ken Jeong’s crime lord character), putting him more front and center and repeating a lot of the same jokes, it is hard to deny how memorable and fresh Galifianakis was in The Hangover. Audiences may not have known his name going into the movie, but anyone coming out of a theater in the summer of 2009 certainly would remember Galifianakis’ name afterwards and take notice if they saw him in a movie.
