10 Essential Tom Noonan Roles

Tom Noonan was a towering figure in cinema, both literally at 6'5" and figuratively as a master of the "gentle monster" archetype. He recently passed away, and it got me thinking about some of his most beloved roles.

The guy had this essence that helped him carry both blockbuster villainy and Sundance-winning indie drama. He could make you pay attention to any character, and he knew how to bring the most out of his scene partners.

Today, I want to go over his ten performances that stand out to me.

Let's dive in.

1. Manhunter (1986)

• Role: Francis Dollarhyde (The Tooth Fairy)
• Director: Michael Mann
• Writer: Michael Mann (based on Thomas Harris’s Red Dragon)
• Cast: William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, Brian Cox
• Plot: An FBI profiler comes out of retirement to track a serial killer who murders families.

Noonan’s performance is legendary for its mix of terrifying physicality and heartbreaking vulnerability. I heard William Petersen say that Mann kept him and Noonan apart the whole shoot, so the day they met was when they filmed the final fight scene together. and after they went to a diner.

2. What Happened Was... (1994)

• Role: Michael
• Director: Tom Noonan
• Writer: Tom Noonan
• Cast: Tom Noonan, Karen Sillas
• Plot: Two lonely law firm coworkers go on an incredibly awkward, claustrophobic first date at her apartment.

This film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and showcases Noonan’s brilliance as a writer/director. He had so much talent exploring our lives and the depth of humanity.

3. The Monster Squad (1987)

• Role: Frankenstein’s Monster
• Director: Fred Dekker
• Writer: Shane Black, Fred Dekker
• Cast: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Duncan Regehr
• Plot: A group of kids must save their town from a group of classic monsters led by Dracula.

Noonan brings a soulful, gentle quality to "Frankie" that makes him the heart of the movie. He's big, lumbering, and somehow gets you to care about him.

4. RoboCop 2 (1990)

• Role: Cain
• Director: Irvin Kershner
• Writer: Frank Miller, Walon Green
• Cast: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Belinda Bauer
• Plot: RoboCop faces off against a drug kingpin named Cain, who eventually has his brain transplanted into a massive, unstoppable killing machine.

Noonan plays the cult-leader-like villain with chilling serenity. It's kind of amazing how great he is at playing psychos and also characters with huge hearts.

5. Synecdoche, New York (2008)

• Role: Sammy Barnathan
• Director: Charlie Kaufman
• Writer: Charlie Kaufman
• Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams
• Plot: A theater director struggles with his work and several women in his life as he creates a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse.

Noonan plays a man who has been stalking the protagonist for 20 years and eventually plays him in the play. It has such a fun and quirky quality to get us to love a stalker's commitment.

6. Heat (1995)

• Role: Kelso
• Director: Michael Mann
• Writer: Michael Mann
• Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer
• Plot: A high-stakes heist crew is pursued by a relentless LAPD detective.

Noonan has a tiny but memorable scene as the tech expert who provides the blueprints for the bank robbery, proving his "cool professional" range. This is a guy who walks on and hits a home run.

7. The House of the Devil (2009)

• Role: Mr. Ulman
• Director: Ti West
• Writer: Ti West
• Cast: Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov
• Plot: A college student takes a babysitting job at a remote mansion during a lunar eclipse, only to find her employers have a satanic agenda.

Noonan is perfectly eerie as the soft-spoken, towering patriarch. Of course, he crushes horror movies; he knows when to turn on the creep.

8. Anomalisa (2015)

• Role: Everyone Else (Voice)
• Director: Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson
• Writer: Charlie Kaufman
• Cast: David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan
• Plot: A man who perceives everyone in the world as having the same face and voice (Noonan’s) meets a woman who stands out.

This is such a wild movie, because Noonan is both central to the plot, but also kind of forced into obscurity and banality by the story. His vocal performance is a feat of subtle variation.

9. Last Action Hero (1993)

• Role: The Ripper / Himself
• Director: John McTiernan
• Writer: Shane Black, David Arnott
• Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin O'Brien, Charles Dance
• Plot: A young boy is magically transported into an action movie.

Noonan plays the terrifying, axe-wielding villain "The Ripper" and also makes a meta-appearance as himself at the movie's premiere. It's the kind of funny bit that made his career so legendary.

10. The Wife (1995)

• Role: Jack
• Director: Tom Noonan
• Writer: Tom Noonan
• Cast: Tom Noonan, Wallace Shawn, Karen Young
• Plot: A dark comedy about a pair of New Age therapists whose evening is upended by the arrival of a patient and his distraught wife.

This movie further established Noonan as a unique voice in independent cinema. He was a pensive creator with a unique point of view.

Summing It All Up

I was always pleasantly surprised to see Tom Noonan on screen, and sad that it won't happen anymore.

There are a few actors who can wear the soul of cinema on their face, and he was one of them. These were my favorites of his performances, but I bet you have your own.

Let me know what you think in the comments.