Birthday throwdown: Kline vs. Abraham
Two significant '80s birthdays today: Kevin Kline turns 61 and F. Murray Abraham turns 69.
Both had their hits and misses during our beloved decade. Both seem to resist the celebrity spotlight. And they both still get a kick out of performing on stage rather than on the big screen.
Let's break it down and see which Oscar-winning actor deserves the bigger slice of b-day cake today.
HIGH MARK:
Kline: You may have loved him as "Harold" in 1983's The Big Chill, but Kline took home the gold statue for playing "Otto" in A Fish Called Wanda.
Abraham: You want me to say "Omar Suarez" in 1983's Scarface. But you gotta go with his Oscar-winning turn as "Antonio Salieri" in 1984's Amadeus. (The movie, not the Falco song.)
Advantage: Each actor had two signature roles here, but Kline's turn as South African newspaper publisher Donald Wood in Cry Freedom clinches it.
LOW MARK:
Kline: The obvious choice might seem to be The January Man from 1989. But that's because you forget he played "The Pirate King" in 1983's The Pirates of Penzance.
Abraham: I can honestly say the only other movie I've seen of his in the '80s was 1989's An Innocent Man (the movie, not the Billy Joel song) with Tom Selleck.
Advantage: Sorry, but Abraham actually saved Innocent Man, so he wins here.
OUTSIDE THE '80s:
Kline: So many great roles here, including Dave (1993), Chaplin (1992), The Ice Storm (1997). Only stinkers like Fierce Creatures (1997), Wild Wild West (1999) and The Pink Panther (2006) taint his legacy.
Abraham: Where do we start? As "D.A. Abe Weiss" in Bonfire of the Vanities? As the villains in the horrendous Last Action Hero or Star Trek Insurrection? Nothing tops him playing "Noah" in Muppets From Space.
Advantage: Kline, because if he ever made a Star Trek movie, he'd be cooler than Capts. Kirk and Picard combined.
INTANGIBLES:
Kline: Do I have to say it? (He's married to Phoebe Cates.)
Abraham: The "F" stands for Fahrid (though he sometimes went as "Frank").
Advantage: Sorry, Frank. Kevin wins. Also because we want to see Phoebe help blow out the birthday candles.
Relive the music, movies and culture of the greatest decade ever with Times online editor Steve Spears. A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.
E-mail Steve Spears:
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I Love You to Death ... no, not a declaration. I'm talking about the
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Posted by: 002 | November 11, 2008 at 09:53 PM
Funny you mention Sneakers, because I sometimes mix up Ben Kingsley, who was in Sneakers, with F Murray Abraham.
Posted by: John Hays | October 25, 2008 at 05:32 PM
Not only did I yell your name at midnight but also at 0730. Life is great.
Posted by: Mike in Austin | October 25, 2008 at 04:01 PM
OK, OK ... we're here and alive. And headed in to Stuck in the 80s headquarters right now to record a special podcast for all you crazy people out there.
Posted by: Spears | October 25, 2008 at 01:47 PM
Just when are you two crazy kids gonna come up for air?
Posted by: Jonsey | October 25, 2008 at 10:46 AM
Dude,
VGF is coming over and you've only got leftover fried rice and diet coke in the fridge??? What you going to do for the post-coital munchies? Gotta think ahead man...make that good first impression, I would have made a very special trip to Publix for supplies prior to her plane coming in.
Just looking out for you,
Posted by: Douglas Arthur | October 25, 2008 at 08:31 AM
12:20 it is, Mike.
Less than two hours to go, and the only thing left in the Spears Lair to keep me awake is leftover fried rice, Diet Coke and "Backdraft" on cable.
Posted by: Spears | October 24, 2008 at 10:39 PM
OH. My. Gah! Guess what I'm watching on Netflix instant like? Yeah, baby. "A Fish Called Wanda" -- life is good!
Posted by: Marissa | October 24, 2008 at 09:36 PM
Yes,i vote for Kevin too. A Fish Called Wanda is one of my absolute 80s favourites. And Kline was in what is probably my favourite(at least top 5) movie of the 90s: "The Ice Storm".
Posted by: Miguel | October 24, 2008 at 07:58 PM
kline is the man, as marissa and countless others have stated, silverado, i love you to death, soapdish, all classics. steve, you really really need to check out silverado. its got it all, scott glenn, kevin costner, john cleese, jeff goldblum, roasanna arquette, kevin kline, danny glover, linda hunt, brian denehey, etc. it's a classic western. i know you're not a fan of the genre, but it's a great movie. i'm not even big on westerns, but when they're good, they're good. i know it's 1990, but i love you to death is classic. kevin kline is soooooo funny in that movie, as is everyone in it.
Posted by: CHAD | October 24, 2008 at 07:16 PM
Marissa,
You know there are many reasons to like you this was just one of many.
Btw Steve-o, what do you know about Seatech Astronomy?
Posted by: Douglas Arthur | October 24, 2008 at 07:14 PM
H*** brother, we can delay it by 20 minutes to give you time to get to the car in parking lot.
SPPPEEEEAAAAARRRRRSSSSSSYYYYYYYY!!!!
Fantastiche, wonderbah!
PUPPIES, PUPPIES, PUPPIES
MinA
Posted by: Mike in Austin | October 24, 2008 at 05:59 PM
Why not try this experiment MinA and Steve? You can experience the same vibes through ~lunar power~ by looking up at the moon at midnight and concentrating very deeply on the other person. Wooooo! Wait till you feel that "cosmic slap upside your head"!
Posted by: Sasha | October 24, 2008 at 05:54 PM
Kline is another one of those actors that seem to disappear into a role. I loved him in A Fish Called Wanda, Silverado and Soap Dish was a scream. I do have to disagree with the worst movie, I really liked The January Man. Especially since that was the first movie that I recommended that my wife actually liked.
Posted by: Rock Fields | October 24, 2008 at 05:47 PM
It doesn't get much better than Kevin Kline. However, it doesn't get much worse than January Man. Watched that again recently in case I had missed something back in the day. Nope. Terrible.
Posted by: Jon Lamoreaux | October 24, 2008 at 05:44 PM
Chances are that airport security will have me in lockdown if I do it, but I'm game, Mike.
Posted by: Spears | October 24, 2008 at 05:31 PM
Steve,
Here is a little tradition my soldiers and I had a few years back: At exactly midnight tonight, yell my name outloud, I'll yell yours......
I'll feel the vibes across the airwaves
MinA
Posted by: Mike in Austin | October 24, 2008 at 05:29 PM
That'd be tonight about midnight, Commander.
Speaking of which, after seeing "No Way Out" about a dozen times on cable this week, I'm going to start calling you "Yuri" from now on.
Posted by: Spears | October 24, 2008 at 04:40 PM
Totally off-topic...
Fearless Leader,
When does the VGF hit town?
Posted by: Jeff in Cuba | October 24, 2008 at 04:29 PM
I didn't like "In and Out." Too predictable.
I do love "Soapdish" though. That's worth $3 if you can find it.
Posted by: Spears | October 24, 2008 at 04:05 PM
SNEAKERS! Great movie. I wonder if I can find those at Big Lots :)
Douglas, I'm glad you have some reason for liking me. I know it's tough to nail down one reason. I'm relieved you found it.
Posted by: Marissa | October 24, 2008 at 03:55 PM
Kline was great in Soapdish too. I'm with Michelle on Silverado. I LOVE that movie. One the best westerns ever. Kline, was fantastic in the movie, and he and Brian Dennehy had a great dynamic. In and Out was also a really great movie, but Joan Cusack and Matt Dillon actually had some of the best stuff in it.
Posted by: Bassnote | October 24, 2008 at 03:36 PM
"Sneakers" is an absolute classic. "Too many secrets..."
Posted by: Spears | October 24, 2008 at 02:53 PM
Marissa,
I knew there was a reason that I liked you so much. I Love You To Death was an instant classic. A great cast, excellent screenplay, directed by the great Lawrence Kasdan, River Phoenix's character was named Devo....a lot going for it. Based on a real life story too, though I am sure they doctored it up a bit. I must've seen this a half dozen times or so when it was out. It helped that I was working at the theater at the time so i wasn't paying...saw a lot of great movies that way...this reminds me I should look for it on DVD. Great, underappreciated flick...Kinda like Sneakers, with Robert Redford and a similar type cast. But that starts to delve into the 90's...
Posted by: Douglas Arthur | October 24, 2008 at 02:29 PM
Steve-o,
you forgot one crucial mitigating factor in your debate. F. Murray Abraham was one of the original Fruit Of The Loom guys. I think he was Grapes. That fact alone should be enough to push him over the top.
Posted by: Douglas Arthur | October 24, 2008 at 02:22 PM
I love his turns as Dave (in Dave) and Otto (in Wanda), but my favorite Kline role is actually his turn as Luc in the Rom-Com French Kiss with a picture perfect Meg Ryan (not the current botox incarnation of Ryan). You also forgot his turn as Nick Bottom in Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream and Howard Bracket in In and Out (also great performances).
Posted by: Ian | October 24, 2008 at 01:29 PM
Shoutouts to Kline in Midsummer Night's Dream and Abraham in Finding Forrester.
Posted by: John Hays | October 24, 2008 at 12:18 PM
I didn't forget those flicks, my dearest ladies. They're just not high marks or low marks for Kline.
I didn't really like "I Love You to Death." And I have an established hatred of the western genre. The only thing I liked about "Big Chill" was the t-shirts for his sporting goods store (The Running Dog) and the performance of the always great Jeff Goldblum.
Posted by: Spears | October 24, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Oops, YOU didn't forget "Big Chill"--I forgot your lede.
Posted by: Michelle | October 24, 2008 at 11:07 AM
You forgot "I Love You to Death," "Big Chill" and "Silverado." I'm gonna get you to feel the "Silverado" love yet, Spearsy! Kline, Costner, etc....
Posted by: Michelle | October 24, 2008 at 10:55 AM
I Love You to Death ... no, not a declaration. I'm talking about the Kline movie with Tracy Ullman, River Phoenix, William Hurt. It's a 1990 flick. I might be the only person willing to admit that I liked it. A lot.
Posted by: Marissa | October 24, 2008 at 10:15 AM