The 10 Best Ian Holm Movies Ranked

Summary

• Ian Holm, the versatile and accomplished British actor, has had a long and varied career in film, television, and theater. Some of his most notable roles include:
• Napoleon in “Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story” (1987) – In this TV mini-series, Holm plays both Napoleon and his doppelgänger, Eugene Lenormand, whom he replaces himself with. The movie explores the power and legacy of Napoleon, with Holm delivering a perfect performance as the iconic French emperor.
• Fluellen in “Henry V” (1989) – Holm appeared in numerous Shakespeare plays as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. In Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of “Henry V,” Holm plays Fluellen, a Welsh Captain who leads a band of soldiers to support King Henry V’s army in France. His performance is both loyal and brave, showcasing his versatility as an actor.

Even at only 5′ 5″, Sir Ian Holm CBE was a giant of theater, television, and movies with well over 100 credits to his name. His legacy on the stage and on television, notably in television movies, was remarkable, but his film credits are on an even more exceptional tier. Holm immediately started appearing in key parts, beginning with his debut as Flynn in 1968’s The Bofors Gun. At that point, he already had command of the screen and the confidence to pull off intense characters, likely a benefit of his years in the Royal Shakespeare Company.

On June 19, 2020, Holm passed away at the age of 88 after a long battle with Parkinson’s that he developed in 2007. Before he went, Holm had accumulated an Academy Award nomination, two Emmy nominations, and a Tony win. It’s a surprisingly undecorated career but his success and accomplishments go beyond any accolades. Holm appeared in numerous celebrated movies, including a staple of horror, a genre-defining trilogy, and much, much more. His reedy voice and perfectly English appearance belied his ability to play a wide range of characters and his best roles are almost too many to list.

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10 The Fifth Element (1997)

Ian Holm Plays Father Vito Cornelius

The Fifth Element PG-13 Sci-FiActionAdventure Where to Watch

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Set in 23rd-century New York City, The Fifth Element stars Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas, an ex-army major turned cab driver who unwittingly becomes part of a fight to protect Earth from an approaching evil after a strange woman named Leeloo accidentally falls into his cab. Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, and Chris Tucker also star. 

Director Luc Besson Release Date May 9, 1997 Cast Gary Oldman , Bruce Willis , Ian Holm , Milla Jovovich , Chris Tucker Runtime 126 minutes Budget $93 million

When The Fifth Element first came out, audiences didn’t know what to make of it, and though it was a commercial and critical success, a lot of viewers were confused. As the years have gone by, it’s developed something of a cult following, and it’s now beloved by sci-fi fans as a classic of the genre. Set in the 23rd century, a cab driver, Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), is tasked with ensuring the survival of planet Earth.

The Fifth Element is filled with awesome performances from the entire star-studded cast. Ian Holm co-stars as Father Vito Cornelius, a priest who possesses the knowledge of evil incarnate and how to destroy it. Holm is wonderfully arch in his role, as most of the cast is. He brings the stately and wise character to life, adding another dimension to the colorful film.

9 The Emperor’s New Clothes (2001)

Ian Holm Plays Napoleon

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Ian Holm has played Napoleon Bonaparte three times in his career. First in the ’70s TV series, Napoleon and Love, then in the 1981 film Time Bandits, and for the last, and best, time in The Emperor’s New Clothes. This revisionist history film imagines what it would be like if Napoleon had escaped St. Helena after being exiled. Holm plays both Napoleon and his doppelgänger, Eugene Lenormand, whom he replaces himself with.

It’s a curious movie with some interesting ideas about power and legacy that imagines a fate almost heartwarming for the Emperor of France and sees him giving up everything to live the simple life. Holm is perfect as Napoleon, as ever. His short stature and puffed-out posture make him a dead-ringer for how most viewers imagine Napoleon. Holm’s dry and clipped delivery is both funny and imperial.

8 Henry V (1989)

Ian Holm Plays Fluellen

Henry V (1989) PG-13WarDramaHistory

Henry V (1989) is a historical drama directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, based on William Shakespeare’s play. The film follows the young King Henry V of England as he embarks on a campaign in France, culminating in the Battle of Agincourt. Branagh’s adaptation emphasizes the king’s development as a leader and his struggle with the burdens of war and rulership, with notable performances from Brian Blessed, Derek Jacobi, and Emma Thompson.

Director Kenneth Branagh Release Date October 5, 1989 Cast Kenneth Branagh , Derek Jacobi , Brian Blessed , James Larkin , Paul Scofield Runtime 137 Minutes Budget 9000000

Ian Holm appeared in numerous Shakespeare plays as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. It followed that he would consistently appear in movie and TV adaptations of Shakespeare. His best Shakespeare film role comes in Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V, based on the William Shakespeare play of the same name, which is itself a historical drama based on the real-life Battle of Agincourt. Henry V is among the greatest film adaptations of the Bard’s works, with three Oscar nominations and one win for Best Costume Design.

Holm appears as Fluellen, a Welsh Captain who leads a band of soldiers to supplement King Henry V’s (Branagh) army in France. Fluellen is a stereotype of English feelings toward the Welsh at the time, but he’s also loyal, brave, and a formidable soldier. He is the right balance of hard-nosed and patrician as he looks out for King Henry. Fluellen knows just when to push his king and when to lift him up.

7 Ratatouille (2007)

Ian Holm Plays Skinner

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Remy the rat dreams of becoming a great chef despite the world’s anti-rodent bias. After moving to Paris to follow his dream, he teams up with kitchen assistant Linguini and shows off his culinary skills in a professional kitchen. But can the pair convince the world’s most notorious food critic that anyone can be a chef?

Director Brad Bird Release Date June 29, 2007 Cast Patton Oswalt , Ian Holm , Lou Romano , Brad Garrett , Peter O’Toole , Janeane Garofalo , Brian Dennehy , Peter Sohn , Will Arnett Runtime 111 Mins

Voicing a character in a Pixar movie may not be an instant path to fame, but playing a character in one of the animation studio’s lauded movies is a definite feather in an actor’s cap, considering how many notable performers have voiced characters in those films. Ian Holm voiced Chef Skinner in Ratatouille, the new owner of Gusteau’s after the famed chef dies. Skinner intends to destroy Gusteau’s legacy to make a quick buck before Linguini (Lou Romano) shows up as the rightful heir to the restaurant.

He just wants to sell instant food with Gusteau’s face on it and Holm provides an everyman quality to the character while keeping him unlikable.

Ratatouille is arguably Pixar’s best movie and Skinner is one of the studio’s most fully rounded villains. Holm uses a voice and affect he never has before to create the sneering and detestable chef. However, he isn’t some super smart, one-step-ahead-of-everyone antagonist, like many animated antagonists. He just wants to sell instant food with Gusteau’s face on it and Holm provides an everyman quality to the character while keeping him unlikable.

6 The Madness Of King George (1994)

Ian Holm Plays Francis Willis

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In The Madness of King George, based on the play by Alan Bennett, King George III (Nigel Hawthorne) is quickly mentally deteriorating as the Regency Crisis of 1788 begins, starting a power grab by interested parties. Ian Holm plays Francis Willis, a real-life historical figure, who works with the King to help him through his failing health. It’s a well-acted and hilarious comedy that earned four Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Art Direction.

Holm is a statuesque and formidable counterpoint to the raging George III. His stony face and refusal to give up on the King make him one of the more sympathetic and heroic characters in the movie. A part of the plot revolves around Willis being able to silence George III with just a long stare, and it takes someone with the face and flinty eyes of Holm to make that work.

5 Dreamchild (1985)

Ian Holm Plays Reverend Charles L. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll)

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Ian Holm costars in Dreamchild as the Reverend Charles L. Dodgson, also known by his pen name, “Lewis Carroll”. The film is a fictionalized account of Dodgson meeting the girl who would inspire him to write Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice Hargreaves (Coral Browne). In the film, Alice recalls her time growing up, particularly a fateful boating party, and comes to realize that the older Dodgson may have been secretly infatuated with her.

It’s an incredibly delicate film that could have gone wrong with different performers but both Holm and Browne are perfectly cast.

It’s an incredibly delicate film that could have gone wrong with different performers but both Holm and Browne are perfectly cast. Holm is internal and passive, reacting to everything around him. His adoration for Alice is not presented as innocent necessarily, but Holm makes it clear just how lonely the character is, making him far more sympathetic than other actors would have.

4 The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

Ian Holm Plays Mitchell Stephens

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The Sweet Hereafter is a movie that has been underappreciated in recent years, starring Ian Holm as Mitchell Stephens. Written and directed by Atom Egoyan, the film depicts the aftermath of a tragic school bus accident in a small Canadian town that killed 14 children. A class-action lawsuit results with an out-of-town lawyer, Mitchell Stephens, representing the parents against the city. It’s a grim film, and Mitchell’s own dark past gives Holm some solemn moments of reflection.

The film was nominated for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards, and it’s a truly exceptional piece of courtroom and dramatic filmmaking. It’s one of Holm’s most subtle performances. He plays his character as compassionate and sincere, but there’s a power and intensity to him that lets the viewer know winning the case is more than just a professional obligation.

3 Chariots Of Fire (1981)

Ian Holm Plays Sam Mussabini

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Chariots of Fire PGDramaHistorySport Where to Watch

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Chariots of Fire is a 1981 British historical drama directed by Hugh Hudson. The film follows two athletes, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, as they train and compete in the 1924 Paris Olympics. It explores themes of faith, ambition, and perseverance, set against the backdrop of post-World War I Britain. The film stars Ben Cross and Ian Charleson, and its iconic score by Vangelis has become synonymous with the story’s inspirational narrative.

Director Hugh Hudson Release Date May 15, 1981 Cast Nicholas Farrell , Nigel Havers , Ian Charleson , Ben Cross , Daniel Gerroll , Ian Holm Runtime 125 Minutes

Chariots of Fire is based on the real-life story of two British runners, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, who competed at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Abrahams is Jewish and runs to overcome prejudices surrounding his ethnicity, while Liddell, a devout Christian, runs as his way to honor God. While each man prepares separately, Abrahams employs the help of a professional trainer, Sam Mussabini (Ian Holm). Mussabini’s intense regiment and care for Abrahams is what sees him make the Olympic team.

Not only does Holm look a lot like Mussabini, but he also displays the proud and haughty demeanor of a collegiate coach and English gentleman. Holm keeps the character internal most of the time, but on a few occasions, he lets slip some emotion to show just how his efforts paying off have affected him. Holm received the only Academy Award nomination of his career (Best Supporting Actor) and the film went on to win four out of seven nominations.

2 Alien (1979)

Ian Holm Plays Ash

alien RHorrorActionSci-FiThriller

Alien is a sci-fi horror film released in 1979, set in a retro-future setting aboard a spaceship known as the Nostromo. En route to return to earth, the crew of the Nostromo investigates a distress signal from a derelict spaceship. When the investigation leads to a strange alien discovery, the crew’s lives are jeopardized as the new, unknown life form hunts them relentlessly.

Director Ridley Scott Release Date May 25, 1979 Cast Tom Skerritt , Sigourney Weaver , Veronica Cartwright , Harry Dean Stanton , John Hurt , Ian Holm Runtime 117 minutes Budget $11 million

Despite so many Alien movies in the franchise, the first Alien holds a critical place in horror, science fiction, and film culture. Ridley Scott’s grisly masterpiece finds the crew of a commercial space tug, the Nostromo, stumbling across an abandoned planet in the 22nd century. There, they discover an unimaginable life form dead set on killing everyone on board the ship. Ian Holm plays Ash, the ship’s science officer who is revealed to be a treacherous android, tasked with retrieving the alien at the cost of everyone on board the ship.

The Xenomorph in
Alien
is one of the greatest horror monsters ever dreamed up, but if the creature wasn’t in the movie, it would still have an incredibly formidable and frightening villain in Ash.

The xenomorph in Alien is one of the greatest horror monsters ever dreamed up, but if the creature wasn’t in the movie, it would still have an incredibly formidable and frightening villain in Ash. The reveal that Ash is an android is an incredible twist and his death is memorably violent. Holm manages to make Ash seem just human enough that you don’t guess the twist, but cold enough that the reveal he’s an android doesn’t come out of nowhere.

The word “Xenomorph” is never said in
Alien
, and neither is face-hugger nor chest-burster. Those terms all came later in other movies and spin-off tie-ins.

1 The Lord Of The Rings (2001-2003)

Ian Holm Plays Bilbo Baggins

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring PG-13ActionFantasyAdventure Where to Watch

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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is the first film in Peter Jackson’s critically acclaimed Lord of the Rings trilogy. The movie follows Frodo Baggins (Elijah Woods) as he is tasked with destroying the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom after he inherits the ring.

Director Peter Jackson Release Date December 19, 2001 Cast Elijah Wood , Ian McKellen , Liv Tyler , Viggo Mortensen , Sean Astin , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Orlando Bloom , Christopher Lee , Hugo Weaving , Sean Bean , Ian Holm , Andy Serkis Runtime 178 Minutes Sequel(s) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Budget $93 Million Expand

It’s difficult to say which actor was most perfectly cast in The Lord of the Rings franchise. Casting director Victoria Burrows deserves a lot of credit for making Peter Jackson’s trilogy a reality thanks to her crucial picks for the characters in the groundbreaking films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic books. Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins is certainly in the conversation for the actor who most closely matches his characters. For many younger viewers, Bilbo was their first introduction to Holm.

At no point does it feel like Holm is playing Bilbo; it simply feels like Bilbo is there on-screen. From his nervous twitching and far-away look at his 111th birthday to his slow drop of the ring onto the ground before smiling and heading to Rivendell to his understated line-reading of “pity” when he hears Frodo (Elijah Wood) “lost” his ring at the end of The Return of the King, Holm embodies Tolkien’s character. Ian Holm starts the trilogy and closes it out, a symbol of his importance to the story of the One Ring.

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