Actor who's damaged his/her legacy most by shilling in TV commercials?

[Bossy Monkey]

As you may infer, I'm going with Hackman. If Laurence Olivier did spots selling cigars or something, just don't tell me.

EDIT: Note that these are mostly voiceovers. I replaced the second Hackman option with Shatner, though I'm not sure he had a legacy to tarnish. Heston may have harmed his reputation by doing commercials, but it's nothing compared to the damage done by his activism with the NRA. Townshend and Dylan are musicians; if you want them on, you need to start a different poll. (We've done one on this at least once already.)

Editedit: And Kirstie Alley replaces Keith David, who's too cool to be damaged no matter how many commercials he might do.

[SmileyBoy]

1. Sam Waterston.

He's really damaging his integrity by doing all those commercials for whatever product he decides to shill for next.

[dolo amber]

10. BUT!!

He also did the all-time greatest *commercial* ever!!


"I'm Sam Waterston, of the popular TV series "Law & Order". As
a senior citizen, you're probably aware of the threat robots pose. Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel." :D:D

http://www.robotcombat.com/video_oldglory_hi.html

:bounce:

[curse10]

24. that is the funniest snl commercial ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:-)

[Red State Rebel]

50. Ha! Have you ever seen the Yard-A-Pult?

Hilarious - a yard sized catapult to rid yourself of garbage, smelly diapers and even deceased family pets by flinging them across the neighborhood.

[SmileyBoy]

31. That was almost as good as Happy Fun Ball!!!

:D:D:D:D

[Bertha Venation]

33. Do Not Taunt Happy Fun Ball.

My second favorite SNL commercial. Right after Bass-O-Matic 76.

[rbnyc]

2. I don't watch that much TV...

...What commercial is Gene Hackman in?

[GOPisEvil]

4. Gene has been doing voice-overs for United Airlines for years.

But on--screen? Not aware of any...

[rbnyc]

6. Thanks.

I really like him. I never noticed his voice on UA commercials before. Ah well.

[Bossy Monkey]

19. Mainly doing voiceovers for Lowe's

I'll add that I'm mainly talking about voiceovers to the original message in a minute

[NightTrain]

3. Regarding Olivier: he never did commercials, as far as I know. However...

...there was his starring role as General Douglas MacArthur in the 1982 film INCHON, which was bankrolled by Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church.

[flowomo]

5. Olivier did POLAROID commercials

[BringEmOn]

7. Charlton Heston

[SmileyBoy]

8. OOH!! OOH!! What about John Goodman???

He's in like every other commercial.

[Old and In the Way]

9. William Shatner

But I'm not sure if he didn't destroy his legacy when he did that musical album. Adam West is doing a cheesy commercial these days, too.

[Bossy Monkey]

21. Is West bombed or has he had a stroke? (not trying to be malicious here)

He really sounds bad. It's also sad/ridiculous/whatever that he has to say "the old cave" and "my old belt" to get around Bat-this and Bat-that; presumably either DC wouldn't give up the rights or the company wouldn't pony up, but it further detracts from the professionalism of the spot.

[SmileyBoy]

39. Adam West did guest spots on Family Guy...

...he was the mayor of Quahog. And the script called for him to act in the kooky way he does. But West seemed to like doing that, tho.

I don't know if he had a stroke.

[lpbk2713]

11. Michael Jackson

Did a lot of damage to his hair in that Pepsi commercial.

[solinvictus]

12. Orson Welles for Paul Masson

But honestly, Hollywood screwed him so bad, I'm certain he needed the money.

[jdsmith]

16. I with you on Welles

For a while you could do a halfassed imitation of him on any talk show merely by saying, "We'll sell no wine before its time."

But, yes, he was hustling for bucks: had to make _Don Quixote_.

[Taverner]

13. Ron Jeremy does INFOMERCIALS?

I shudder to think for what product

[KG]

17. a brush to braid the hair on his back?

or some kind of hose reel?

[Bossy Monkey]

23. No, not really. Think about it for 3 seconds and it will pop up

as it were...



Male size enhancement pills, of course (I bet you guessed)

[truthseeker1]

14. Catherine Zeta-Jones

well...granted, not a legacy, but still....

[Don_G]

15. Robert Vaughn

aka Napoleon Solo is shilling for a local ambulance chaser on television now.

[Seeking Serenity]

26. Where 'bouts?

He does that here, too.

What, did he just take a day and do a whole bunch of ads for various lawyers nationwide?

[Don_G]

35. Louisville, KY

I wonder if Clear Channel is his agent?

[Seeking Serenity]

36. Who's the attorney?

It's Brad Hendricks here in central Arkansas.

"Brad Hendricks is a lawyer who will work for you, you sonuvabitch, you'd better believe it."

[Don_G]

45. Becker Law Office

"Tell them (insurance companies) you mean business!"

[Kahuna]

30. Ah yeah. That sucks. The man from U.N.C.L.E. reduced to shilling..

for an ambulance chaser. Pity.

[Spinzonner]

18. Bugs and Daffy

[NashVegas]

20. Other

I mind it less when artists present *themselves,* or some aspect of their public persona to pitch, than when they allow their work to be used.

We don't mind Martin Sheen as spokesman for Toyota, but how would we feel if he did so by delivering an "Apocolypse Now"-type monologue, maybe about how he was traveling upriver looking for a dangerous car?

Sure, it would be highly effective, but ...

For this reason, I find it offensive when musicians allow their "touchstone" music (for lack of a better phrase) to be used in commercials. We don't "own" the celebrity, and we don't even "own" the work - to sell it is perfectly within their rights - but we do own our perception of their work and whatever personal meaning it may have attached itself to in our lobes. Our ability to form that attachment is what makes them successful as artists in the first place.

To see an artist allow their work to be yanked away from the receiving individual's imagination/personal interpretation and be reattached to the "buy" habit is tragic, IMO.

I once read an interview (in Musician Magazine, I think) where Pete Townshend castigated a journalist for complaining about the trend. In the discussion of the California Raisins using "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," Townshend said something along the lines of, "your memory of that song must be incredible fragile if it's so easily violated by a bunch of dancing raisons." At the time, I laughed and cheered him. That was long before we heard "Happy Jack" being used to sell fucking Hummers. At least raisins have health benefits.

For that reason, I pick Townshend.

[Gothic Sponge]

22. I'm surprised nobody brought up Bob Dylan

What is vitoria's secret anyway?

[peekaloo]

25. Oh shite! I thought I dreamed that!!!!!!

ladies' next to nothings ;-)

[Seeking Serenity]

27. Nobody mentioned

the late, lamented Orson Welles.

The maker of the greatest movie of the cinema age doing ads for screw-top, cheap-ass wine?

:shudder:

on edit: I didn't see Post 12. Sorry 'bout that.

[Bossy Monkey]

29. Or for that matter poll option #5. But welcome to DU all the same! :) n/t

[Seeking Serenity]

37. sigh

:dunce: That's me.

Thanks for the welcome, though.

[PragMantisT]

28. Dennis- "I don't do commercials"- Frantz

Not that I give a shit, but all during the commercial he says he don't to commercials.

WHAT?

[Bertha Venation]

32. Dustin Hoffman. Had to go and sell those damned VW Fastbacks.

Oh. Wait. Um . . . .

Never mind.

[TOhioLiberal]

34. Patrick Stewart....

doing ad for some stupid colesterol medication, spouting rhymes that Dr. Suess would turn his nose up at.

[Deja Q]

42. Not to forget RCA...

RCA SUCKS. They've sucked every time I feel brave (or stupid) enough to try their products.

I don't try their products anymore...

[TOhioLiberal]

43. Yeah I forgot

about that one...

BTW: how did you set up the Avatar to display different pictures?

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Lydia Leftcoast]

40. All kinds of people do commercials in Japan

I've seen Woody Allen, Jodie Foster, John Travolta, and Sophia Loren selling stuff like motor scooters and canned mixed drinks.

They think no one will see them there. HA!

[Bossy Monkey]

44. I think somebody may have made a movie about this...

:D

[Don_G]

46. Add Ahnold To The List

A web site in Japan has a list and videos of some of the Actors shilling there.

[arwalden]

41. Kirk Cameron... Selling Christian Fundamentalism

[dryan]

47. Another point of view

Sorry, I have to disagree with all of you. Many of the people listed were "overnight success" after 20 years of oblivion. They are actors and performers. That is their profession.

[Bossy Monkey]

49. The point is that they become associated with characters perceived as

trustworthy, then take advantage of this gullibility on the part of the public to make money. I won't argue about their right to do so; I won't argue with the notion that most of them had their starving artist days and deserve to cash in wherever possible. But if Sam Waterston is seen by the public as a pillar of probity and shits that away to shill for TD Waterhouse, he's hurting himself, not me or the rest of the audience. THAT'S what I mean when I say they're tarnishing their legacy.

There is another point about the salad days argument though. If the reputation they're selling comes mainly from one show or movie, then that character was created by a whole team of writers, directors, producers. So Sam ought to be kicking back money to Dick Wolf and the whole Law & Order crew, don't you think?

[dawg]

48. Sally Struthers

Did I spell that right?

[Dookus]

51. Bob Dylan

I was all set to vote for him when I clicked on the thread... but he wasn't there!

on edit: ah, read the rest of your OP. Sorry... but he still wins.