Throughout the course of his professional acting career,Kevin Baconhas been in practically every Hollywood movie genre, from iconic cameos in movies likeJFKto leading parts in classics likeFootloose. His output was so prodigious that Bacon ultimately became the inspiration for his own game,Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, which led directly to his creation of the nonprofit organizationSixDegrees.org.
Update July 29, 2025: This article has been updated with even more great Kevin Bacon performances because one can never have too much Bacon.
In addition to a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award, Bacon has won a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and other awards. He was ranked as one of the top actors who were never nominated for an Academy Award byThe Guardian. Furthermore, Bacon was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003. Most recently, he guest-starred as himself inThe Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Bacon makes everything better! These are some of Kevin Bacon’s best movies you should watch.
20He Said, She Said (1991)
He Said, She Saidis an underrated romantic comedy film with a delightful battle between the sexes. Befitting its unique title, the same story is told twice but from theperspective of two main characters, Dan Hanson (Kevin Bacon) and Lorie Bryer (Elizabeth Perkins).
To be more specific, Dan and Lorie are Editors for the newspaper Baltimore Sun, and despite their opposing views on society, they fall in love with each other. After three years of being together, they retell the story to their friends from each other’s point of view, providing us with a fresh look at romance storytelling. If you’ve always wanted to see Kevin Bacon in a romantic role, this movie is right up your alley.
19White Water Summer (1987)
White Water Summeris one of those films which show a lot of promise but fails to utilize its potential to the fullest, resulting in an entertaining flick that could have been so much more. In the movie, Kevin Bacon plays Vic, a man fascinated by the wilderness, and leads a group of four boys for a month-long trek into the Sierra mountain range, hoping to turn the lads into men.
However, once the boys get on his nerves, he forgets his main purpose and chooses the harsher way, unexpectedly affecting one of the younger boys, Alan (Sean Astin). If the movie’s premise doesn’t pique your interest, then perhaps you should give it a shot forthe performances of Sean Astinand Kevin Bacon, which are certain to mesmerize you.
18You Should Have Left (2020)
There is a fine line between horror movies and psychological horrors, andYou Should Have Left, starring Kevin Bacon, tackles that with immaculate care. Furthermore, probably due to his experience as an actor for three decades, Bacon seamlessly carries the film with his terrific acting.
The story follows Theo, a former banker who is still haunted by the death of his ex-wife. One fine day, he rents a remote cabin in the peaceful Welsh countryside along with his new family, which includes a beautiful wife named Susanna (Amanda Seyfried) and an adorable daughter Ella (Avery Tillu Essex), to take a vacation before Susanna leaves for her next movie shoot. However, the place is not quite what it appears to be and is riddled with surprises.
17Stir of Echoes (1999)
Stir of Echoesis a horror thriller film that can be better described as the right movie at the wrong time since it was released at the same time asSixth Sense. Despite being highly entertaining from the beginning, the film didn’t achieve the desired level of success, but that shouldn’t stop you from checking it out, considering how it isa horribly underrated classic.
The story revolves around Tom (Kevin Bacon), a father who is hypnotized by his sister-in-law and begins to see haunting visions related to a young girl’s spirit, which leads him through a pile of mysteries that are solved with each encounter.
16Hollow Man (2000)
Hollow Manis a prime example of how Kevin Bacon established himself as a versatile actor, as it shows his villainous side in the movie. Although the film was released two decades ago, its amazing special effects and CGI make it feel much more futuristic.
Related:Kevin Bacon’s Long Lasting Love Affair With Horror
We follow Sebastian Caine, played by Kevin Bacon, an arrogant but brilliant scientist on a quest to create a serum that could turn people invisible with the help of a few other scientists, including his former girlfriend, Lina McKay (Elisabeth Shue). However, when he takes his obsession too far, it results in him getting turned invisible, and chaos ensues when he decides to utilize his power to terrorize others.
15Cop Car (2015)
Cop Cartells the tale of two 10-year-old boys named Travis (James Freedson-Jackson) and Harrison (Hays Wellford), who come upon a seemingly abandoned police car while running away from home together. Despite hardly being able to peer through the windshield, they decide to have a joyride right away and drive onto the highway. The crooked Sheriff Kretzer (Bacon), the owner of the automobile, must act quickly to get it back before any other law enforcement officials become aware that it has been hijacked and discover what is hiding in the trunk.
Cop Carwas co-written and directed by Jon Watts, and Bacon’s portrayal of the Sheriff is unique and believable once you understand why he’s so concerned. The film is a shockingly vicious visual masterpiece that more closely resembles vintage thrillers from the 1990s. It was the film that helped Watts land the job of directing the MCU Spider-Man trilogy.
14Black Mass (2015)
Based on the 2001 bookBlack Mass: The Real Story of an Unholy Partnership Between the FBI and the Irish Mafiaby Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill, the historical crime drama filmBlack Massis about American gangster Whitey Bulger. Charles McGuire, the FBI agent in charge of the Boston field office and John Connolly’s supervisor, is brilliantly portrayed by Bacon.
The picture is completed with a stellar ensemble cast that features Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Peter Sarsgaard, Dakota Johnson, and Corey Stoll.Black Massreceived favorable reviews from reviewers and audiences alike onRotten Tomatoes, which stated that the movie “spins a gripping yarn out of its fact-based story.”
13Tremors (1990)
In the 1990 comedy-dramaTremors, starring Bacon, Fred Ward, and Michael Gross, huge, underground worms have attacked a tiny desert hamlet. Val McKee, played by Bacon, is a neighborhood handyman who collaborates with a group of citizens fighting to survive a standoff with the strange monsters. Because the killer worms have a razor-sharp sensitivity to vibrations, things are made even more challenging because they must avoid contacting the ground.
Tremors’box office success led to the incredible seven-film series it is today. Despite the fact that Bacon only made an appearance in the first film, fans couldn’t get enough of the cleverly calibrated combination of humor and jump scares, and he has expressed adesire to returnto the franchise.
12The Woodsman (2004)
The Woodsmanreceived positive reviews at film festivals, and Bacon received plaudits for his performance. Also, he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Awards' Best Male Lead category. As a convicted child molester who returns to his hometown after years in prison, Bacon plays a difficult character. Actress Kyra Sedgewick, Bacon’s wife, also appears in the movie.
11Murder in the First (1995)
InMurder in the First, Bacon played Henri Young, an intellectually disabled man wrongfully accused of murder, who is sent to Alcatraz in the 1940s. For this portrayal, he received a Critic’s Choice Award nomination and a SAG nod. He conveyed a great deal of emotion to a likable guy, whom you’re able to’t help but feel sorry for, as he endures months in the dungeon underneath the prison for a crime he didn’t commit, making it still one of the actor’s greatest dramatic performances.
