Geoffrey Rush is one of the rare few who have achieved the triple crown of acting, meaning he has received an Emmy, Oscar and Tony Award (all three major acting awards) for his work (he refers to it as the TOE while waiting on his EGOT).
Rush was an acclaimed actor in his native Australia for nearly two decades before the film “Shine” made him a known commodity in the rest of the world. He was 45 years old when suddenly his whole career changed and he was being considered for major roles in various mediums. That film about a pianist dealing with scars from his childhood won Rush the Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG Award for Best Actor. Those awards and acclaim launched him into a highly successful international career. He has since earned even more Oscar nominations, with two as Best Supporting Actor for “Shakespeare in Love” and “The King’s Speech” and another as Best Actor for “Quills.”
The Emmy Award of Rush’s triple crown came for his performance in a biopic of famed comedian and actor Peter Sellers entitled “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.” He won in the category of Best Movie/Miniseries Actor. Rush received his Tony Award as Best Actor in a Play for his performance in a revival of Eugene Ionesco‘s “Exit the King.”
In 2017 Rush was in competition in the awards derby once again for his performance in the National Geographic limited series “Genius” in which he played Albert Einstein. He received both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for this series.
Take a tour of our photo gallery featuring the 15 greatest film performances in the career of Rush, ranked worst to best.
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15. FINAL PORTRAIT (2017)
Image Credit: P Taghizadeh/Potboiler/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: Stanley Tucci. Writers: Stanley Tucci, James Lord. Starring Armie Hammer, Tony Shalhoub.
This film written and directed by actor Stanley Tucci stars Rush as Swiss sculptor and painter Alberto Giacometti. The film is set in Paris and details the friendship between the artist and an American critic played by Armie Hammer. The artist asks the critic to be a model for one of his works which takes much more time than the critic expected. The long process puts a strain on their friendship but ultimately the critic gains a better understanding of the artist’s creative process.
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14. ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE (2007)
Image Credit: Laurie Sparham/Universal/Studio Canal/Working Title/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: Shekhar Kapur. Writers: William Nicholson, Michael Hirst. Starring Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Samantha Morton.
Movie sequels rarely rise to the level of the original but “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” came close. Cate Blanchett earned her second Best Actress nomination for this role after having received her first one for its predecessor, “Elizabeth.” Rush is the only principle player from the first film to also appear in the second. He plays Sir Francis Walsingham, who is the most trusted adviser to the monarch.
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13. FINDING NEMO (2003)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Directors: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich. Writers: Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds. Starring Ellen Degeneres, Albert Brooks, Willem Dafoe.
Like most of Disney’s animated films this one had a huge cast of famous actors providing the voices. Rush plays a pelican who frequently drops by the dentist office aquarium where Nemo lives. The film won an Oscar as Best Animated Feature.
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12. FRIDA (2002)
Image Credit: Peter Sorel/Miramax/Dimension/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: Julie Taymor. Writers: Clancy Sigal, Diane Lake, Gregory Nava, Anna Thomas.
“Frida” was a passion project for Salma Hayak, who produced and starred in the film and earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for it. The film won two Oscars for Makeup and Original Score. It is a biopic of famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Rush plays Russian revolutionary and politician Leon Trotsky.
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11. CANDY (2006)
Image Credit: Renaissance/Paradigm Hyde/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: Neil Armfield. Writers: Neil Armfield, Luke Davies. Starring Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish.
This film about drug addiction proved sadly prophetic when it came to the life of its star Heath Ledger. He plays a poet who falls in love with an art student. The two begin a tumultuous love affair that is drastically affected due to their love of heroin. Rush plays a fellow addict who is also a college professor. He acts as sort of a surrogate father for Ledger and inadvertently ends up teaching him a great deal about drug addiction due to his own experiences with the disease.
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10. THE BANGER SISTERS (2003)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Director and writer: Bob Dolman. Starring Goldie Hawn, Susan Sarandon, Erika Christensen.
“The Banger Sisters” are two women (Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon) who were once groupies following around rock stars. Sarandon has become a conservative housewife in the years since the two knew each other but Hawn has continued in the rock lifestyle. The two reunite when a recently unemployed Hawn decides to locate and visit her old friend. Rush plays a twitchy, nervous, angst-ridden author that Hawn meets on her way to visit Sarandon.
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9. NED KELLY (2003)
Image Credit: Carolyn Johns/Australian Film Commission/Working Title/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: Gregor Jordan. Writer: John Michael McDonagh. Starring Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts.
Ned Kelly was a legendary Australian figure who committed various crimes but was considered a Robin Hood like folk hero who at times stole from the rich and gave to the poor. The film assembled some of Australia’s most popular actors (Heath Ledger, Naomi Watts and Rush) but never quite lived up to the high expectations. Rush plays a law officer who prosecutes Kelly.
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8. MUNICH (2005)
Image Credit: Karen Ballard/Dreamworks Skg/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: Steven Spielberg. Writers: Tony Kushner, Eric Roth. Starring Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciaran Hinds.
The 1972 summer Olympic games in Munich, Germany, became known primarily for the horrific incident in which a number of Israeli athletes were held hostage and eventually murdered by Palestinian terrorists. “Munich” details the Israeli government’s plan of retaliation and mission to find and kill the eleven terrorists. Eric Bana stars as a Mossad agent who resigns from Mossad in order to pursue the terrorists without direct involvement of the Israeli government. Rush plays the head Mossad adviser who concocts the plan. The film received five Oscar nominations including Best Picture.
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7. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Director: Gore Verbinski. Writers: Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio. Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley.
This was the first of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies and it spawned a highly successful franchise that led to multiple sequels. The film was based on the popular ride at Disney World. It received Oscar nominations for Best Actor (Johnny Depp,) Makeup, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Visual Effects, and Depp won the SAG Award as Best Actor. Rush plays the captain of the Black Pearl, who is cursed due to his stealing of ancient Aztec gold.
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6. LES MISERABLES (1998)
Image Credit: Mandalay Ent/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: Billie August. Writer: Rafael Yglesias. Starring Liam Neeson, Uma Thurman, Claire Danes.
This wasn’t the popular musical version of the story which won Anne Hathaway the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2012. That version was based on the Broadway stage show, while this one was a non-musical telling of the tale which has frequently graced television and movie screens in various adaptations. In this version Rush plays Inspector Javert, who becomes obsessed with finding and arresting the main character, Jean Valjean, after he steals a loaf of bread.
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5. ELIZABETH (1998)
Image Credit: Alex Bailey/Polygram/Kobal/Shutterstock Director Shekar Kapur. Writer: Michael Hirst. Starring Cate Blanchett, Joseph Fiennes, Christopher Eccleston.
Rush first played Sir Frances Walshingham, adviser to Queen Elizabeth I, in this film that documents her early years on the throne. It made a star out of a then-unknown Cate Blanchett and won her the Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Actress. The film received seven Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress (Blancett) Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume, Music and Makeup (which it won).
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4. QUILLS (2000)
Image Credit: David Appleby/Fox Searchlight/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Director: Philip Kaufman. Writer: Doug Wright. Starring Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine.
Rush stars as the infamous Marquis de Sade, who has been locked in an insane asylum in which he rebels against the doctor who runs the facility. Rush received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his role. The film was also nominated for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction. It was based on a play of the same name.
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3. THE KING’S SPEECH (2010)
Image Credit: Weinstein Co/Uk Film Council/See Saw/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: Tom Hooper. Writer: David Seidler. Starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi.
“The King’s Speech” depicts the relationship between King George VI and a speech therapist who helped him deal with his stammer and fear of public speaking. George ascends the throne unexpectedly when his brother abdicates to marry a divorced woman, which wasn’t allowed of monarchs back then. Rush brings a calm focus to his character, who helps the king be able to reign on the throne. The film won four Oscars for Best Picture, Actor (Colin Firth) Original Screenplay and Director.
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2. SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (1998)
Image Credit: Laurie Sparham/Miramax/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: John Madden. Writers: Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard. Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Ben Affleck.
“Shakespeare in Love” tells the story of young William Shakespeare and his rise to fame as a playwright. He is seen working on a play that will eventually become “Romeo and Juliet.” A young woman with whom he will eventually fall in love disguises herself as a boy in order to audition for the play since women weren’t allowed onstage at this time. Rush plays the eccentric Philip Henslowe, the owner of the Rose Theater, where Shakespeare struggles to complete his plays. The film won seven Oscars including Best Actress (Gwyneth Paltrow) plus Best Picture in an upset surprise over “Saving Private Ryan.”
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1. SHINE (1996)
Image Credit: Momentum Films/REX/Shutterstock Director: Scott Hicks. Writer: Jan Sardi. Starring Lynn Redgrave, Noah Taylor, Armin Mueller-Stahl.
Rush won the Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG Award for this film, which also pushed him into international stardom after years of success in Australia. He plays concert pianist David Helfgott, a child piano prodigy who is driven to a mental breakdown by a cold and demanding father. Years later he embarks on a quest to continue his piano career and heal from his childhood psychological wounds.
