Quote from Alex bobby on September 9, 2025, 3:49 AM

Tom Waits on Film: Euronews Culture’s Top 5 Picks for the Musician’s Best Big Screen Performances

When you think of Tom Waits, chances are you hear that voice first — the gravelly growl that sounds equal parts whiskey-soaked poet and back-alley prophet. For over five decades, the legendary musician has carved out one of the most distinctive musical careers of the 20th century, spanning 17 studio albums, multiple live records, and soundtracks that still feel timeless. But while his music has secured his place in cultural history, Waits has also been quietly building another legacy: as one of cinema’s most unforgettable character actors.

This year, that side of his career is once again in the spotlight. Waits stars in Jim Jarmusch’s latest film, Father Mother Sister Brother, which won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Playing the titular Father in Jarmusch’s anthology comedy-drama, Waits reaffirms that his screen presence is as magnetic and unpredictable as his music. As European audiences wait for the film’s release in early January, Euronews Culture takes a look back at the indelible – and often overlooked – mark that Tom Waits has left on cinema.

Here are our picks for the Top 5 Tom Waits performances on the big screen.

5) Earl Piggot in Short Cuts (Robert Altman – 1993)

Robert Altman’s sprawling adaptation of Raymond Carver’s stories features an enormous ensemble: Andie MacDowell, Tim Robbins, Julianne Moore, Frances McDormand, and many more. With so many heavyweights, it would have been easy for Waits to fade into the background. Instead, he delivers one of the film’s most heartbreaking turns as Earl Piggot, a hard-drinking limo driver whose marriage to Lily Tomlin’s Doreen is as volatile as it is tender.

Waits captures the contradictions of the character beautifully — the booze-fueled bravado masking vulnerability, the anger concealing an aching need for love. The ensemble won the Venice Film Festival’s Special Volpi Cup, and it’s no exaggeration to say that Waits was part of the film’s emotional heartbeat.

4) Renfield in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola – 1992)

Francis Ford Coppola’s baroque reimagining of Bram Stoker’s classic may have divided critics, but it remains a cult favourite. One of its most memorable ingredients? Tom Waits as Renfield, Dracula’s bug-munching, deranged servant.

Waits turns the character into a grotesque spectacle of madness and menace, equal parts horrifying and darkly funny. His raspy drawl, manic laughter, and physical unpredictability make him impossible to ignore whenever he’s onscreen. Despite limited screen time, he leaves an indelible mark — a testament to his ability to elevate even the strangest supporting roles into something unforgettable.

3) Mr. Nick (the Devil) in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Terry Gilliam – 2009)

Some roles feel tailor-made for Tom Waits. Playing the Devil — here reimagined as a sly gambler with a pencil moustache and a love for wagers — is one of them. In Terry Gilliam’s fantastical The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Waits revels in the part, crafting a devil who is more mischievous trickster than straightforward villain.

Gilliam himself has called Waits a “genius” and a “magician on every level,” and it’s clear why. Waits resists cliché and gives us a Devil who is charming, sinister, funny, and oddly relatable. His performance becomes one of the film’s central draws, alongside its surreal visuals and the bittersweet legacy of Heath Ledger’s final role.

2) Zack in Down By Law (Jim Jarmusch – 1986)

Jim Jarmusch has long been one of Waits’ closest cinematic collaborators, and nowhere is that bond clearer than in Down By Law. Playing Zack, a radio DJ wrongfully imprisoned in New Orleans, Waits co-stars alongside John Lurie and Roberto Benigni in what has become one of Jarmusch’s defining films.

Waits embodies Zack with a mix of world-weary cool and fragile humanity. His chemistry with Lurie’s equally cynical character and Benigni’s exuberant optimist creates a strange alchemy — part noir, part comedy, part existential fable. For many fans, this is the Tom Waits performance that best bridges his musical persona and his acting: a living, breathing blues song caught on celluloid.

1) Waller in The Old Man & The Gun (David Lowery – 2018)

David Lowery’s wistful crime drama, starring Robert Redford in his final screen role, could have easily been just a sentimental farewell. Instead, it’s enriched by a cast of remarkable supporting players — including Tom Waits as Waller, a bank robber with a hauntingly personal backstory.

In one standout monologue, Waits delivers a tale from his childhood about why he hates Christmas. It’s a scene that, in less capable hands, could have been throwaway. But Waits transforms it into something unforgettable: part confessional, part folk tale, part gut punch. In a film about aging, regret, and the thrill of living outside the lines, Waits brings raw authenticity that lingers long after the credits roll.

Looking Forward

As Father Mother Sister Brother begins its journey from festival acclaim to wider release, audiences can look forward to another unforgettable Tom Waits performance. If history is any guide, his turn as the Father will not only enrich Jim Jarmusch’s latest vision but also reaffirm Waits’ place as one of cinema’s most compelling character actors.

Whether it’s through his music or his films, Waits continues to remind us that storytelling is at its most powerful when it dares to be strange, soulful, and utterly human. And that’s exactly what we can expect when this Golden Lion winner finally arrives in cinemas.

Final Thoughts

From ensemble dramas to gothic horror, surreal fantasies to minimalist indies, Tom Waits has built a cinematic career that is every bit as eclectic as his music. What unites all these roles is his ability to cut through artifice and give us characters that feel lived-in, bruised, and full of strange poetry.

As Father Mother Sister Brother prepares to hit cinemas following its Golden Lion triumph in Venice, it’s a reminder that Waits’ artistry doesn’t just belong to the record player. He is one of the rare musicians-turned-actors who has never treated acting as a vanity project. Instead, he has turned it into another stage on which to tell stories — the same kind of stories that made us fall in love with his music in the first place.

For Tom Waits, cinema isn’t a side hustle. It’s another verse in an already remarkable song.

Conclusion

Tom Waits has never been content with convention, whether in music or on screen. His career in film proves that his gift for storytelling isn’t bound by melody alone — it thrives just as powerfully in dialogue, gesture, and silence. From eccentric outcasts to scene-stealing villains, he brings a singular authenticity that few actors can match.

With Father Mother Sister Brother earning the Golden Lion, it feels like the perfect moment to celebrate not just the musician we know and love, but the actor who continues to surprise, challenge, and captivate audiences. In both song and cinema, Tom Waits remains one of the great originals — a true magician of mood, myth, and mystery.

Meta Description:
From Down By Law to The Old Man & The Gun, Tom Waits has carved a remarkable film career alongside his music. With Father Mother Sister Brother winning the Venice Golden Lion, explore Euronews Culture’s top 5 picks for his best big screen performances.