Top 37 Blacklisted Actors Of All Time

 

What goes up must come down, and, just like everything else in life, this applies to the career of several renowned screen performers as well.

 

Many of the stars who we are going to be speaking of today were once almost at the zenith of fame and fortune. However, they were later considered to be outcasts by those in the movie-making business.

 

Needless to say, the cancel culture was able to successfully substantiate that it could make an example out of anyone who tries to fall out of line, irrespective of their stature within the entertainment industry.

 

Even though we have seen plenty of writers and musicians getting blacklisted for having a strong opinion, our piece will be solely dedicated to actors who have met with the same fate for whatever reason/s.

 

So, we’d like to notify our readers that while several artists were banned from television shows and from visiting certain nations, our focus is primarily going to be on performers who were compelled to withdraw from mainstream movie projects.

 

While the reasons for the same may vary and could be plenty, they do underscore the fact that the industry and the law are two powerful forces that continue to wield the power to make or break an artist.

 

 

 

1. Charlie Chaplin

 

 

 

Charlie Chaplin was the most popular artist on the planet at the zenith of his film career. He had worked in a ton of short films before starring in his maiden feature-length film The Kid in 1921.

 

However, the god-gifted star was once referred to as a “parlor Boshevik” by the FBI since they believed him to be a Communist sympathizer and a potential security risk to the United States of America.

 

Even though the actor denied being a Communist, the director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, was hell-bent on getting him deported and never letting him re-enter the country.

 

As cinematic as this may sound, Hoover even had MI5 spy on Chaplin. However, the foreign agency finally deduced that the Modern Times star was no threat to the United States of America.

 

Still, there did come a time when the famous movie star was banned from entering the States. He reportedly resided in Switzerland at the time.

 

 

 

2. Orson Welles

 

 

 

Orson Welles may have first been seen playing a minor role in the feature film Too Much Johnson, but the sky was the limit for the talented man following the release of Citizen Kane.

 

He prospered as an actor, director, and writer following the release of the iconic motion picture.

 

However, he was investigated by the United States government for being a possible closeted Communist during the peak of his career.

 

His 1941 film, Citizen Kane, shows its main lead starting as an idealistic social servant who soon evolves into a power-hungry capitalist. The basic plot of this feature film was used as evidence to label Welles as a potential national threat.

 

Since he was being targeted by the FBI, the legendary actor/director decided to leave the States in 1948 and move to Europe for the next eight years.

 

 

 

3. Mel Gibson

 

 

 

Mel Gibson has managed to make a name for himself by thriving on his undeniable filmmaking and acting capabilities.

 

His performances and the success of motion pictures such as Braveheart, Mad Max, Passion of the Christ, and the Lethal Weapon series speak volumes about his talent both as an actor and director.

 

However, as great a performer as he may be, even Gibson was not excluded from being blacklisted by the Hollywood elite.

 

After the actor was arrested for drunk driving in 2006, he made an anti-Semitic rant accusing the Jews across the globe of inciting the world wars.

 

This, naturally, did not go well with either Hollywood or the community. Worse still, popular fellow actor Winona Ryder, who also considers herself to be Jewish, has been heard accusing Gibson of labelling her an ‘oven dodger’ at a party in 1996.

 

Be that as it may, the man has lived through his peak rather proudly and was, in fact, also voted the Sexiest Man Alive by People in 1985. In 1997, he was named an honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), for his services to the Australian film industry.

 

 

 

4. Kevin Spacey

 

 

 

Kevin Spacey is arguably the most decorated screen performer who we may not find contributing to mainstream Hollywood productions in a big way anymore.

 

Even though he has not officially been blacklisted from acting in the movies, the many charges of sexual misconduct labelled against him in 2017 have certainly brought his career to a standstill.

 

Not only was the critically acclaimed performer removed from the globally popular show House of Cards but his relationship with streaming giant Netflix also came to an abrupt end following the devastating allegations.

 

That said, we must bring it to your notice that the noted screen performer made it a point to post an annual video to his YouTube channel on Christmas Eve from 2018 to 2020.

 

While several allegations of sexual misconduct have been put against him, Spacey denied them in his first British court appearance. 

 

 

5. Vince Vaughn

 

 

 

Vince Vaughn has been a well-known figure within the American film fraternity for a good few years now.

 

During the Trump Presidency, the industry seemed to have been divided into two groups – actors who supported Donald Trump and actors who did not. Vaughn was a part of the former.

 

Even though a lot many people quote the actor’s lack of creativity as a reason for Hollywood not paying him any heed anymore, the media has a different story to tell.

 

Vaughn has appeared in popular comedy feature films such as Swingers, Wedding Crashers, and The Break-Up. He made headlines when journalist Timothy Burke caught him and President Trump immersed in a cheerful conversation.

 

Needless to say, his affiliation with the then President didn’t help him professionally at all. 

 

That being said, he was seen playing a crucial role alongside Kathryn Newton in the 2020 horror-comedy full-length feature, titled Freaky.

 

In 2022, the man launched a podcast network and production company along with Greg Olsen and Ryan Kalil. It was named Audiorama, and its first podcast focused primarily on youth sports.

 

 

6. Charlie Sheen

 

 

 

Charlie Sheen has been one of the highest-paid comedic actors in the history of Hollywood and one of the best-known television actors of all time.

 

The actor was reportedly making $2 million per episode for the blockbuster television sitcom Two and a Half Men.

 

While it was a dream run for the star on the show, he was eventually blacklisted from Hollywood productions.

 

There have been several rumours as to why Sheen was being shunned, but it was mainly due to his lack of accountability.

 

His addiction to drugs and alcohol forced several productions to let go of him. That said, his public shaming of the sitcom’s co-creator Chuck Lorre did not help his case either.

 

 

7. Tobey Maguire

 

 

 

Toby Maguire had a massive role to play in making the childhood of the 90s-born kids memorable.

 

He shot to global fame after having portrayed the beloved Spider-Man in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy of blockbuster feature films.

 

However, soon after the culmination of the aforementioned projects, Maguire’s movies stopped working at the box office. In addition, his name getting involved with the poker game scandals did not help his career either.

 

While it may not have gotten him officially blacklisted, one can’t deny that the big studios must have taken the allegations seriously.

 

In any case, the actor has been seen making his undeniable presence felt in feature films such as The Great Gatsby, Pawn Sacrifice, and The Boss Baby in the bygone decade.

 

In addition, he was seen reprising his role as Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster film Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021.

 

 

8. Edward G. Robinson

 

 

 

Edward G. Robinson was one of the better-known character actors of his time. Popular during Hollywood’s Golden Age, he was seen in over 100 motion pictures.

 

Almost at the peak of his career, the man found out that 11 out of 850 charities that he had supported over the previous decade were listed by the FBI as Communist front organizations.

 

Needless to say, he was soon called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1950 and 1952.

 

Sooner than later, the supremely talented actor found himself on Hollywood’s grey list.

 

 

9. Brendan Fraser

 

 

 

Academy Award-winning actor Brendan Fraser rose to fame during the 1990s and early 2000s. While he was seen in a couple of television movies at the beginning of his career, he managed to grab eyeballs after starring in projects such as The Mummy Trilogy, Bedazzled, and George of The Jungle.

 

Despite having a good career, Fraser was compelled to face a lull period when he was not being cast in Hollywood movie productions during the early to mid-2000s.

 

According to a statement issued by the actor, he was a victim of sexual assault at the hands of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association president, Philip Berk.

 

Fraser went on to add that his resistance to Berk’s advances got him blacklisted.

 

 

10. Burgess Meredith

 

 

 

Burgess Meredith was an actor and filmmaker who left an impact both in theatre and the movies. Often considered to be among the finest actors of the 20th century, he won several Emmy Awards.

 

He was the first male actor to win the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor twice. However, he was soon labelled a Communist and, consequently, blacklisted.

 

The performer lost a lot of roles during the early 1950s due to his blacklisting.

 

 

11. Burl Ives

 

 

 

Burl Ives was an American singer, musician, actor, and author.

 

He was yet another mainstream performer who was identified in the 1950 pamphlet Red Channels. Needless to mention, he was also blacklisted as an entertainer.

 

Like most of the actors during that time, Burl was also blacklisted due to the allegations that he had Communist ties.

 

Nevertheless, he agreed to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1952 and had, consequently, decided to testify.

 

 

12. Martin Lawrence

 

 

 

Martin Lawrence was first seen playing a part in the television show What’s Happening Now!. He gained recognition after playing a key role in the Bad Boys franchise of feature films.

 

However, when the actor was invited to host an episode of Saturday Night Live in 1994, he ended up stupidly talking about female hygiene during his “changed” monologue.

 

Needless to say, he had to face the repercussions and was, therefore, banned from the show forever. His notoriety does not end there though for he has continued to pass homophobic comments even in the recent past.

 

 

13. Bill Cosby

 

 

 

Bill Cosby may not have officially been banned by Hollywood, but his acting career seems to be more or less over.

 

An actor and popular television personality, he began his career as a stand-up comedian and shot to fame after playing starring roles in quite a few sitcoms.

 

However, he had to spend over three years in prison after having been convicted on charges of drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand.

 

Even though he is now out, redemption for Cosby is far, far away and Hollywood does not seem to be ready to collaborate with him any further.

 

 

14. Armie Hammer

 

 

 

Armie Hammer shot to fame after starring in motion pictures such as The Social Network and Call Me By Your Name.

 

However, the actor, who had only just started to show a fair bit of promise in his career, faced a huge setback after allegations of emotional abuse, manipulation, and coercion were labelled against him by multiple women.

 

While Hammer has not officially been blacklisted yet, he has been dropped by his agents at William Morris. Not only that but he has also withdrawn from a number of movie and television projects.

 

 

15. Wesley Snipes

 

 

 

Wesley Trent Snipes seemed to be doing quite well for himself after getting to play a character in projects such as White Men Can’t Jump and the Blade trilogy.

 

He was climbing the ladder pretty quickly before he ended up making a terrible mistake. The man simply did not pay his taxes.

 

However, that wasn’t the end of it. His tax offences were apparently so awful that he was forced to serve time in prison.

 

As you’d have expected, his career came to an abrupt halt.

 

 

16. Randy Quaid

 

 

 

Randy Quaid made his big screen debut in 1971’s The Last Picture Show.

 

During the shooting of The Merry Wives of Windsor, his attitude towards the crew got him into trouble. However, things went out of control when his wife got involved by sending emails to the cast and crew working on the project.

 

As per the rules established by Quaid’s acting union, Equity, he was fined $81,000 for his and his wife’s behaviour and was, subsequently, fired. This led to the beginning of his blacklisting.

 

 

17. Kirk Cameron

 

 

 

Kirk Cameron was first seen playing a role in the 1981 television show Goliath Awaits. He was one of those celebs who achieved fame soon after kick-starting his career in Hollywood.

 

He was in the limelight, had wealth, and gained admiration during the mid-1980s and 1990s.

 

Since the actor was introduced to show business at a very young age, he got the golden opportunity to prove himself as a performer quite early in his career by featuring in projects such as Growing Pains, Like Father Like Son, Listen to Me, and the popular Full House.

 

However, he is said to have sacrificed his career and early fame after becoming an evangelical Christian. Soon after, he was seen getting immersed in spreading his faith with the passage of time.

 

Hollywood officially banned him after a seemingly explosive CNN interview with journalist Piers Morgan. He was blacklisted after he ended up questioning the sexual orientation of others.

 

 

18. Paul Reubens

 

 

 

Paul Reubens is an actor, comedian, writer, producer, and children’s entertainer who rose to prominence during the 1980s for his portrayal of Pee-wee Herman.

 

However, the public perception of the entertainer took a massive beating after his 1991 arrest for indecent exposure at an adult film theatre.

 

Pee-wee toys, which had become so popular during his heyday, were pulled from the shelves and the actor himself pulled out from acting for years.

 

That said, he did make a comeback playing the character that had made him popular in the first place.

 

 

19. Lloyd Bridges

 

 

 

Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr., professionally known as Lloyd Bridges, was the father of Jeff and Beau Bridges.

 

He was a renowned American stage, film, and television performer who had made an appearance in over 150 motion pictures.

 

He was blacklisted for a short period during the 1950s after he confessed that he was a former member of the Actors’ Laboratory Theatre.

 

This group was known to have connections with the Communist Party. However, his blacklisting did not last for a long time and he soon resumed work.

 

 

20. Isaiah Washington

 

 

 

Isaiah Washington made his feature film debut with Strictly Business in 1991.

 

Even though he appeared in quite a few movies during the 1990s, the actor shot to fame in the true sense of the word after playing the character of Dr Preston Burke in the first three seasons of the popular television series Grey’s Anatomy.

 

However, Washington was asked to leave the show after the third season for making a homophobic comment while referring to a fellow co-star.

 

 

21. James Woods

 

 

Actor James Woods was doing quite well for himself by playing everything from tough cops to creepy bad guys in his rather lengthy and varied screen career. In fact, the man received two well-deserved Oscar nods along the way.

 

However, he took to Twitter to voice his conservative beliefs. Hollywood, which is populated with liberal ideas, did not take it lightly.

 

Add to that the fact that James also ended up voicing his displeasure with not only Hillary Clinton but also other darlings of the left. Needless to say, his antics led to him being temporarily banned from tweeting.

 

Therefore, it was only about time that acting work for the thespian dried up.

 

 

22. Jim Caviezel

 

 

Sure, Jim Caviezel was a decently known actor in the late 1990s, but it was his portrayal of Jesus in Mel Gibson’s controversial hit The Passion of the Christ that put him on the map.

 

While the film managed to mint money at the ticket counters, it didn’t do much to help the reputation of its lead star and director.

 

In fact, Jim mentioned that no one from the industry was willing to take his calls after he finished working on the aforementioned project.

 

What’s interesting is that Gibson had reportedly informed the actor well in advance that there was a possibility that they would receive a ton of flak for the film following its release. Needless to mention, he was right.

 

 

23. Cee-Lo Green

 

 

Cee-Lo Green started making his presence felt in the music industry during the mid-1990s. While he had been a moderately successful musical act, he shot to fame almost immediately after the release of his single “F**k You” in 2010.

 

The track peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard charts and helped him become a household name for quite some time. Soon after, the man was seen serving as a judge on “The Voice” and getting his own TV show.

 

However, things took a turn for the worse when he ended up posting some insensitive tweets on the topic of rape and homophobia. Unsurprisingly, it led to him being blacklisted.

 

Not only did he lose his TV show and his place on “The Voice” but a few of his scheduled concert gigs were also cancelled for good.

 

 

24. Corey Feldman

 

 

 

Corey Feldman’s screen career began on a rather promising note, but it suffered quite terribly post his blacklisting. The actor had become a star as a child after having played a role in Lost Boys and The Goonies.

 

However, it turns out that he was a likely victim of a Hollywood paedophilia ring. Even though this matter was not taken as seriously back then, it led to a period of unending pain and drug abuse for the actor.

 

Needless to say, his addiction got him removed from several acting roles, leading to his subsequent and unfortunate blacklisting.

 

 

25. Michael Richards

 

 

 

While comedians often need to draw the line in their jokes, people often also notice how they handle the criticism their sketches sometimes receive.

 

Michael Richards kick-started his career at the onset of the 1980s. However, he found himself in an on-stage argument with one of his hecklers later in his career.

 

While he could have handled the situation well, he made a decision that portrayed him in a rather bad light within the entertainment industry.

 

He responded to his taunter in the crowd with a series of racial slurs, even stressing that the African-American customer should be thrown out of the premises.

 

While his image took an inevitable beating, Richards himself left the stage without finishing his sketch.

 

 

26. Jeffrey Jones

 

 

 

Jeffrey Jones is perhaps best known for playing the character of the principal in the iconic movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The man was having a smooth screen career before everything came tumbling down.

 

A few indecent photographs that were found in his possession ended up landing him on the registry. Needless to say, the film industry acted like it had nothing to do with him anymore.

 

Even though he managed to share the screen space in HBO’s Deadwood, he got himself into trouble again in 2010 for not adhering to the terms of his agreement on the registry.

 

 

27. Mark Salling

 

 

 

This American actor and musician was best known for playing the character of Noah “Puck” Puckerman on the television series Glee.

 

His career simply finished by the end of 2015 following his arrest in Los Angeles on serious charges of having and circulating underage photos.

 

Most of the projects that he was supposed to feature in following his stint on Glee dropped him like a hot potato.

 

 

28. Stephen Collins

 

 

 

Stephen Weaver Collins was best known within the cinematic universe for his character projection in the family drama TV series 7th Heaven. He had a rather sad end to his career.

 

During his therapy session in 2012, the actor was heard confessing that he was guilty of sexual assault. Fortunately or unfortunately, his former wife Faye Grant was discreetly recording the sessions, which were later leaked to TMZ.

 

Needless to mention, this led to the demise of Stephen’s professional acting career.

 

 

29. Robert Blake

 

 

 

Robert Blake is a retired American actor who is better known for his character play in the movie In Cold Blood and the 1970s U.S. television series Baretta.

 

From being a child star of MGM’s Little Rascals to a cold-blooded killer, he has literally seen his career go down the drain for obvious reasons.

 

He was liable for Bonnie Lee Bakley’s wrongful death. The actor was arrested in 2002 after two former stuntmen confessed that he had tried to hire both of them to murder his wife on different occasions.

 

However, since both men had a history of substance abuse, Blake used this information to his advantage and was later acquitted.

 

 

30. Jamie Kennedy

 

 

 

Jamie Kennedy had been making his presence felt in the industry since his motion picture debut in the late 1980s.

 

In 2012, during hosting a Los Angeles-only New Year’s Eve special broadcast on the local CW network, he ended up making a rather ludicrous joke about the ‘Gangnam Style’ fame Psy.

 

Worse still, he was not able to locate a clock around midnight and, subsequently, missed the eventful moment by about 10 seconds.

 

Needless to say, his behaviour was considered wholly unprofessional and a lot of bigwigs reportedly cut him off professionally after the said episodes.

 

 

31. Will Geer

 

 

 

Will Geer, was an actor, musician, and social activist who made his screen debut during the first half of the 1930s.

 

The actor was blacklisted in the 1950s by Hollywood after his testimony. This was because he had refused to name people who had joined the Communist Party before Congress.

 

Besides being a competent screen actor, Geer was also a dedicated activist.

 

 

32. John Garfield

 

 

 

Not many actors have had a short-lived and, yet, rich screen career. However, John Garfield was one such name.

 

In a career that spanned 13 years, he worked in over 40 motion pictures. The projects brought him name and fame; two things that Garfield had worked really hard for.

 

The actor’s wife had been a member of the Communist Party for a brief period of time. And, given the fact that Garfield himself was politically outspoken, it was only about time before he was asked to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

 

Even though his allegiance to the Communist Party was never proven, it did lead to him getting blacklisted in Hollywood.

 

The following year, the actor succumbed to a heart attack.

 

 

33. John Randolph

 

 

 

Emanuel Hirsch Cohen, who was known by his stage name John Randolph, had made his feature film debut by playing a minor role in The Naked City.

 

The Tony Award-winning stage, screen, and television character actor was also among the blacklisted actors during the McCarthy era.

 

Randolph could be seen in popular motion pictures such as Earthquake, Serpico, Frances, Prizzi’s Honor, and You’ve Got Mail.

 

 

34. Howard Da Silva

 

 

 

Howard Da Silva was first seen playing an uncredited role in the 1935 feature film Once in a Blue Moon.

 

The actor was blacklisted in 1951 after he appeared as an unfriendly witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

 

However, soon after his ban was lifted, he returned to television in a big way. Following his ban, his central performance in the completed motion picture, titled Slaughter Trail, was completely re-shot with another actor, Brian Donlevy.

 

 

35. Zero Mostel

 

 

 

Samuel Joel “Zero” Mostel, popularly known as Zero Mostel, was an actor, comedian, and singer who was best known for his portrayal of comic characters.

 

He was also among the long list of American entertainers who were blacklisted during the 1950s.

 

Needless to say, even Mostel was shut out of the movies and lost many lucrative nightclub gigs due to the ban and the controversy surrounding it.

 

He was an Obie Award and three-time Tony Award winner.

 

 

36. Philip Loeb

 

 

 

Philip Loeb was an American stage, film, and television actor, director, and author who was seen in a few short films before making his feature film debut with Room Service in 1938.

 

The actor, who was blacklisted under McCarthyism, did not take his firing lightly. Soon after his ban, he committed suicide.

 

He had quickly become a viewer favourite after having played the role of Jake in the television adaptation of The Goldbergs.

 

 

37. Canada Lee

 

 

 

Leonard Lionel Cornelius Canegata, who was known professionally as Canada Lee, was a professional boxer before he took up acting as a career during the late 1930s.

 

Among the first actors to have pioneered roles for African Americans in mainstream cinema, he was a champion of civil rights in the 1930s and 1940s.

 

However, Lee was blacklisted and died shortly before he was slated to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee to testify.