Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#177
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Neal McDonough represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 36 years in, and Neal is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Neal McDonough appears in 50 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Neal. The Last Rodeo is the clearest case: a film rated 7.6 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for horror, thriller, drama. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Darren Lynn Bousman, Jon Avnet, Mario Van Peebles and others, Neal McDonough helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
The Last Rodeo (2025) as Joe Wainwright · Minority Report (2002) as Fletcher · Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) as Major Bennington
Career snapshot
Ranked #177 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
50
1990–2026
Career length
36 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
7.6
The Last Rodeo
Average Nutevio score
5.6
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
7.6
The Last Rodeo
Most frequent director
Jon Avnet
2 films together
Longest collaboration
2×
With Jon Avnet
Most common genre
Action
32 titles
Average runtime
1h 38m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.8
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.4
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
1990s
6.4 average MV
The 1990s are where the work and the material meet. Ravenous, Fire Down Below, Star Trek: First Contact — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1990s
6.4
Across 5 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
1990s
6.5
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1990s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Ravenous, Fire Down Below, Star Trek: First Contact.
Most productive era
2020s
20 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.71 film | 6.85 films | 5.53 films | 5.16 films |
| Action | 6.53 films | 6.36 films | 6.212 films | 4.811 films |
| Thriller | 6.53 films | 6.16 films | 6.43 films | 5.09 films |
| Comedy | 6.32 films | — | 5.64 films | 7.31 film |
| Crime | — | 6.32 films | 6.25 films | 4.84 films |
| Romance | — | — | — | 0.01 film |
| Horror | 6.71 film | 5.22 films | 6.01 film | 5.32 films |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
1990Darkman
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Dockworker #2.
Highest rated performance · Career peak
2025The Last Rodeo
7.6 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
The current state of the argument, as Laredo.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
50 of 50 films
as Joe Wainwright
Directed by Jon Avnet
as Green Arrow / Oliver Queen (voice)
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos
as Deadshot / Floyd Lawton (voice)
Directed by Ethan Spaulding
as Timothy 'Dum Dum' Dugan
Directed by Louis D'Esposito
as Major Bennington
Directed by Jeff Fowler
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Joe Wainwright
The Last Rodeo (2025)
Performance score8.1
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Joe Wainwright gives Neal McDonough a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Green Arrow / Oliver Queen (voice)
DC Showcase: Green Arrow (2010)
Performance score7.7
DC Showcase: Green Arrow asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Green Arrow / Oliver Queen (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Deadshot / Floyd Lawton (voice)
Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014)
Performance score7.6
Batman: Assault on Arkham asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Deadshot / Floyd Lawton (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Timothy 'Dum Dum' Dugan
Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter (2013)
Performance score7.3
Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Timothy 'Dum Dum' Dugan is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Joe Wainwright
Start here. The Last Rodeo is the clearest statement of what Neal McDonough does — accessible, 118 minutes, and rated 7.6 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Neal at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
DC Showcase: Green Arrow (2010)
A deliberate change of key after The Last Rodeo — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter (2013)
Keeps the action register of DC Showcase: Green Arrow but asks for a colder reading of it.
Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014)
Keeps the action register of Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter but asks for a colder reading of it.
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Keeps the action register of Batman: Assault on Arkham but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Jon Avnet
Director
2 films together
Notably The Last Rodeo
Sam Raimi
Director
1 film together
Notably Darkman
William Dear
Director
1 film together
Notably Angels in the Outfield
Jonathan Frakes
Director
1 film together
Notably Star Trek: First Contact
Félix Alcalá
Director
1 film together
Notably Fire Down Below
Antonia Bird
Director
1 film together
Notably Ravenous
Steven Spielberg
Director
1 film together
Notably Minority Report
Richard Donner
Director
1 film together
Notably Timeline
Kevin Bray
Director
1 film together
Notably Walking Tall
Andrew Davis
Director
1 film together
Notably The Guardian
Clint Eastwood
Director
1 film together
Notably Flags of Our Fathers
Dave Meyers
Director
1 film together
Notably The Hitcher
Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Director
1 film together
Notably Traitor
Andrzej Bartkowiak
Director
1 film together
Notably Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
Joaquim Dos Santos
Director
1 film together
Notably DC Showcase: Green Arrow
Joe Johnston
Director
1 film together
Notably Captain America: The First Avenger
Don Michael Paul
Director
1 film together
Notably Company of Heroes
Louis D'Esposito
Director
1 film together
Notably Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter
Dean Parisot
Director
1 film together
Notably RED 2
Ethan Spaulding
Director
1 film together
Notably Batman: Assault on Arkham
Andy Fickman
Director
1 film together
Notably Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2
Kyle Newacheck
Director
1 film together
Notably Game Over, Man!
Babak Najafi
Director
1 film together
Notably Proud Mary
Josh Duhamel
Director
1 film together
Notably Buddy Games
Jeff Fowler
Director
1 film together
Notably Sonic the Hedgehog
Alfonso Pineda Ulloa
Director
1 film together
Notably There Are No Saints
Kevin Sorbo
Director
1 film together
Notably Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist
Ben Smallbone
Director
1 film together
Notably Homestead
Mario Van Peebles
Director
1 film together
Notably Outlaw Posse
Darren Lynn Bousman
Director
1 film together
Notably Twisted
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Jon Avnet
Director
2 films together · 6.7 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Last RodeoSteven Spielberg
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Minority ReportJeff Fowler
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Sonic the HedgehogEthan Spaulding
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Batman: Assault on ArkhamJonathan Frakes
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Star Trek: First ContactLouis D'Esposito
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Marvel One-Shot: Agent CarterJoaquim Dos Santos
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
DC Showcase: Green ArrowAndrew Davis
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The GuardianJoe Johnston
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Captain America: The First AvengerClint Eastwood
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Flags of Our FathersJeffrey Nachmanoff
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
TraitorAntonia Bird
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
RavenousBen Smallbone
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
HomesteadDean Parisot
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
RED 2Sam Raimi
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
DarkmanKevin Bray
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Walking TallWilliam Dear
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Angels in the OutfieldDave Meyers
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The HitcherFélix Alcalá
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Fire Down BelowRichard Donner
Director
1 film together · 5.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
TimelineBabak Najafi
Director
1 film together · 5.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Proud MaryKyle Newacheck
Director
1 film together · 5.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Game Over, Man!Alfonso Pineda Ulloa
Director
1 film together · 5.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
There Are No SaintsJosh Duhamel
Director
1 film together · 5.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Buddy GamesAndy Fickman
Director
1 film together · 5.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2Don Michael Paul
Director
1 film together · 5.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Company of HeroesKevin Sorbo
Director
1 film together · 4.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Left Behind: Rise of the AntichristMario Van Peebles
Director
1 film together · 4.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Outlaw PosseDarren Lynn Bousman
Director
1 film together · 4.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
TwistedAndrzej Bartkowiak
Director
1 film together · 4.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-LiSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
The Last Rodeo
as Joe Wainwright
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Forever Strong
as Coach Richard Penning
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
The Last Rodeo
as Joe Wainwright
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Fire Down Below
as Truck Driver at Truck Stop
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
The Last Rodeo
as Joe Wainwright
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Neal McDonough has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
36 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Action Legend
Awarded
32 catalogue titles in action, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
The Last Rodeo
as Joe Wainwright
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Batman: Assault on Arkham
as Deadshot / Floyd Lawton (voice)
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Jimmy
as Alexander Stewart
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
88 Minutes
as Jon Forster
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Star Trek: First Contact
as Lieutenant Hawk
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Outlaw Posse
as Bart
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Ravenous
as Reich
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Outlaw Posse
as Bart
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
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Have your say
Community
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Our readers argue about this one. Make your case, or read the ranked debate already in progress.
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Reference
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