Society & Culture & Entertainment Movies

Top 10 Mute Performances on Film

By Society & Culture & Entertainment Last updated Tuesday, April/16/2024

They say film is a visual medium--but then why do movie stars yak so much? From Oddjob to Silent Bob, from Chief Broom to Harpo Marx, here are our picks for the top ten performances of mute characters on film.

1. Harpo in "Duck Soup"

...or any other Marx Brothers movie. Gentle, sweet, and reckless, Harpo Marx is the sublime fool, the silent clown. It doesn't get any better than Harpo: pure mute anarchy with horn, harp, and mad mime skills.More »

2. Hattie in "Sweet and Lowdown"

Samantha Morton wears silly hats and steals Sean Penn's heart (and muse) in what may well be Woody Allen's last good movie, "The Sweet and Lowdown" from 1999.More »

3. Chief Broom from "One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest"

The Chief knows. The Chief smiles. The Chief gets away.More »

4. The Brother in "The Brother From Another Planet"

Joe Morton comes from outer space to Harlem in John Sayles' 1984 comedy. He has no name, three toes, and twice the empathy.More »

5. Singer in "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter"

Alan Arkin is the deaf-mute in the 1966 adaptation of Carson McCullers' novel.More »

6. The Monster in "Frankenstein" (1931)

Boris Karloff with the little girl by the lake is one of the classic moments of melodrama.More »

7. Carla in "Read My Lips"

In this underrated French thriller from 2001, Emmanuelle Devos is a deaf-mute who uses her lip reading talents to help out a scoundrel lover.More »

8. Oddjob in "Goldfinger"

Gerd Froebe's hat-throwing Samoan sidekick is the classic henchman of the James Bond series, played by Harold Sakata.More »

9. Silent Bob in "Clerks"

Kevin Smith's onscreen alter-ego, Jay's shrugging, mugging buddy with the coat and the baseball cap, has found his way in most of Smith's movies.More »

10. Ada McGrath in "The Piano"

Holly Hunter won an Oscar for her role in Jane Campion's acclaimed drama.More »