Afterlife: 10 Best Ricky Gervais Roles, Ranked By Rotten Tomatoes
The United Kingdom has many great actors who shine both in films and on TV, and in theater, as well. Some of them are better-known to the general public, while others mostly focus on one genre. Ricky Gervais is an example of the latter. The talented British actor and writer mostly works in comedies, but these are often mixed with elements of drama.
Born in 1961 in Reading, Ricky Gervais studied in London. He first dreamed about a career in music and had brief success in the medium, but later switched to acting and writing. He started acting more in the early 2000s and hasn't stopped ever since. Gervais has plenty of interesting roles under his belt, some of which are better rated on Rotten Tomatoes than others.
10 Muppets Most Wanted (2014): 80%
Who doesn't know The Muppets? They're especially popular among children and the younger audience. Ricky Gervais voices one of the main parts in Muppets Most Wanted. He plays Dominic, who is The Muppets' new manager.
His character convinces them to go on a world tour, but as one could expect, things get much more complicated and troubles ensue. Just like with many Gervais' films, the critics rated the film higher than the audience - who gave it a 58% rating.
9 Ghost Town (2008): 85%
Ricky Gervais became famous thanks to his comedic work and he often plays this type of part, be it in films or on TV. Ghost Town focuses on a man who very nearly dies. After this experience, he discovers he can talk to ghosts.
Unfortunately for him, that's not pleasant since the ghosts keep pestering him to solve their issues. Ricky Gervais portrays not a particularly likable hero, but his adventure is fun to watch.
8 The Simpsons: 85%
The Simpsons don't need much introduction. After all, it's one of the most popular and longest-running TV shows of all time. It premiered back in 1989, and it's still going strong.
Ricky Gervais got to show not only his acting skills, but also his writing abilities in the hit series. He wrote a script for the show and also got to voice two characters in the show - including an animated version of himself.
7 Alias: 85%
Ricky Gervais is primarily a comedic actor, but he's got also serious dramatic chops, so it's always interesting when he gets to show them off, like he did in the already iconic series Alias, which ran from 2001 to 2006.
Gervais' fans might be saddened to hear he only appeared in a single episode of the show. He played a bomb maker named Daniel Ryan in the episode, Facade.
6 Extras: 88%
Ricky Gervais might be an actor, but he's not the type of person who would be afraid to make fun of his work environment. Case in point - the British sitcom Extras that ran from 2005 to 2007.
Gervais plays Andy Millman in the series, a film extra who would love to be a serious actor (with lines) but he usually screws things up. Besides Gervais' performance, the series is fascinating thanks to the appearance of many famous actors (such as Orlando Bloom, Sir Patrick Stewart, and Daniel Radcliffe), who play caricatures of themselves.
5 Galavant: 89%
Galavant came seemingly out of nowhere, but it quickly became a huge hit, possibly because there aren't that many shows that manage to combine humor, singing, fantasy elements, and eccentric characters that are easy to remember.
Ricky Gervais' hero fits well into this world - he played the magician Xanax in the episode Dungeons and Dragon Lady, in 2015.
4 The Willoughbys (2020): 90%
Ricky Gervais has a memorable voice, so it's no surprise he does a lot of voice work in animated movies. He took it one step further in one of his latest films, The Willoughbys, in which he was the narrator of the film.
The film focuses on four siblings whose parents neglect them. The kids go on a big adventure, all of it narrated by Gervais' character, the cat.
3 The Little Prince (2016): 93%
Children love animated films, but they're not the only ones. Adults also enjoys lovely animated fairytales, full of imagination. The Little Prince is one such timeless story. Based on the successful book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the 2016 film offers a new spin on the story, but is still faithful enough to it.
Ricky Gervais voiced a smaller part in the film - the character of the conceited man.
2 Louie: 94%
If there's a successful sitcom running on TV, chances are fairly good that Ricky Gervais will appear in it sooner or later. He has a wide acting range, but is best-known for playing parts in comedies.
Louie is a sitcom about a stand-up comedian who's doing his best to juggle his career and raising his two daughters in New York City. Ricky Gervais appeared in two episodes of the show in 2010, and he played the part of doctor Ben.
1 The Office: 96%
Before The Office got its well-known American remake, it was a British show - and one that Ricky Gervais had created. He worked on the show as a director, a screenwriter and also portrayed the main part of David Brent - the worst manager in the world who believes he's funny and a great boss.
The Office ran for two seasons, from 2001 to 2003, and had a Christmas special as a bonus. Gervais later briefly reprised the part of David Brent in the American version of the show - even though he was uncredited this time.