What is your favorite priest role?

Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt. No question, for me.

He wasn't a Catholic priest, but Ethan Hawke as Rev. Ernst Toller in *First Reformed* (2017) was outstanding.

Jonathan Pryce as Pope Francis comes to mind. And who doesn't love Peter Cook in Princess Bride... "MAWWIAGE" Oh and whoever it was who played the priest in Dead Alive. "I Kick ass for the LORD!"

Ewan McGregor playing the camerlengo in Angels and Demons was sinfully s***. Father, I have a confession, purrrrrrr.

Gotta go with Father Merrin from The Exorcist - Max von Sydow just had this perfect mix of gravitas and vulnerability that made you believe he'd actually faced down demons before. The way he carries himself through that final confrontation scene still gives me chills every time I watch it.

Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man Was a great depiction of the two main spectrums of Christianity today. One of judgement and one of empathy.

Robert Downey Jr in Satan’s Alley

Andrew Scott in Fleabag

From a TV show called Midnight Mass, why? Hamish Linklater

Father Vito Cornelius

Jesse Custer from Preacher television series

Deniro -Sleepers

The Fifth Element

Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield in Scorsese’s *Silence*. Must be my favorite movie about religion, and pretty underrated.

The hot priest from Fleabag, if TV shows count

Holy > disc > shadow

The fact that nobody mentioned Calvary shows how far gone Reddit is. Brendan Gleeson deserved an oscar 

James Woods in Scary Movie 2 [please lord help me to release this demon!](https://youtu.be/4vcNnS9k884)

Conclave

Rickety Cricket!

Edward Norton in Keeping the Faith He plays a goofy, loveable priest and the last movie I saw before this was American History X and damn, it made me realize the dude has tremendous range.

[Father McGruder from Braindead. Next question.](https://youtu.be/1p1cfMEaV1Q?t=52&si=_EsEBeZueRTxLmgn)

Antonia Bird’s ‘Priest’ and Ken Russell’s ‘The Devils’ are both worth checking out

Pete Postlethwaite in Baz’s *Romeo + Juliet*.

Brendan Gleeson in *Calvary* (2014)

Deniro from Sleepers Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt

Deniro as father Bobby Carillo in sleepers.

Jeremy Irons in The Mission

Not a movie but Father Ted….😎

Charlie Sheen in The Three Musketeers. What casting

Cannonball Run

The movie Keeping the Faith which not only has a priest, but a rabbi.

Linus Roache in Priest. Beautiful performance.

Pale Rider!

Jeremy Irons in “The Mission”, (1986) a historical drama directed by Roland Joffe. His character Father Gabriel is a tragic hero. PLOT: Jesuit priest Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) builds a mission among the Guaraní people in 18th century South America. He is joined by Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro), a former slave trader seeking redemption. When the Treaty of Madrid cedes the territory to Portugal, the missionaries and the Guaraní must defend their home from Portuguese slave trade.

The priests in the exorcist tv series were great. Underrated show.

Edward Norton in the movie "Keeping the Faith". Norton plays a priest and Ben Stiller plays a rabbi. Both have a mild romantic interest in their childhod friend (Jenna Elfman). It's a fun little rom-com.

Paul Bettany in *Priest*. :)

Joaquin Phoenix in Quills !

Nic cage in face off.

Father David in Evil was pretty realistic.

Hot Priest from Fleabag lol

Shout out to Jimmy Carr in Fackham Hall

Since people mentioned Popes, Tim Curry Cardinal Richelieu counts, so Tim Curry as Cardinal Richelieu. Peter Capaldi is extremely good as Richelieu in The Musketeers TV show, too.

Ronny Graham in Spaceballs. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness Princess Vespa, daughter of King Roland going right past the altar, heading down the ramp and out the door!”

Not a film but the priest with a brain tumor from Deadwood [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG3QLIesK\_I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG3QLIesK_I)

Dead Alive / Brain Dead - "I kick ass for the Lord!"

Recently: Conclave obviously, but third knives out also was a blast.

Father Guido Sarducci by Don Novello

I liked the roles portrayed by Rade Serbedzija & Gabriel Byrne in *Stigmata*. There is an anti-organized religion, pro-faith message in there and I think they brought each of their character's motivations forward with a lot of feeling. On the other hand, Jonathan Pryce's Cardinal was surprisingly terrifying. Honorable mentions to George Carlin as Cardinal Glick in *Dogma* and Heath Ledger/Mark Addy in *The Order*. Top Jesus to Jim Caviezel for *The Passion of the Christ*. Perviest-ever priest award goes to...Richard Chamberlain for *The Thorn Birds🏆*

Paul Bettany or Anthony Hopkins

Max Von Sydow: Father Merrin The Exorcist (1973)..

The power of Christ compels you! Max Von Sydow.

"I kick ass for the lord!"

Father Karras

Damien Karras in The Exorcist. He was an interesting character and Jason Miller's performance was really good.

John Malkovich in The New Pope is what I imagined about every pope's young live should be filled with rebellion before getting wise...well kinda...

The priest at the end of Hot Fuzz that gets jump-kicked and shouts, "JESUS CHRIST!"

The priest in the movie Northmen: A Viking Saga Source: Wikipedia https://share.google/bouwg75GuPbc7A3CC

The Mission is about Portuguese missionaries in Paraguay around 1650 and is remarkable for showing multiple priests in different lights.

The vicars speech at the end of Mrs. Miniver.

Fifth Element one was a bit of a bad-boy. In a good way. Watching it now. How come nobody went for the Swedish girl (with 50 jackets)

"Praying is something we do in our time. The answers, come in God's time " - RUDY

Martin Mull in American Dad

Wake Up Dead Man has some great contrasting priest roles (one good, one quite evil) written and played beautifully (well, the writing for the evil one is a bit heavy handed, but still, it's a villain you love to hate). Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a beautifully ambiguous character in Doubt, as a priest who may or may not be a pedophile.

Father Ted

Boondock saints. They probably weren't priests though.

That’s a really interesting niche. Priest roles don’t always get mainstream awards attention.

Father Ted

Not a movie, but Father Lantom in Daredevil is a great one.

I still have to watch some titles mentioned in this thread, but here is one I discovered a few months ago on the big screen, with a lesser known actor, Tom Tryon, playing the priest Stephen Fermoyle in The Cardinal (Otto Preminger, 1963). The movie is a portrait of an American priest which will become later Cardinal (not spoiling anything here, as it's said in the opening sequence, the movie is built with a long flash back). I went to watch it in a focus about the director. Preminger is a master of the 'mise en scene', and it's the main movie quality here, as it is showing traditional rites of the Catholic Church, an institution which likes the mise rn scene. I was quite pleasantly surprised by the movie, and the performance of TRYON, despite its length (almost 3hours)

I always loved Pete Postelthwaite as Father Laurence in the Romeo and Juliet that Baz Luhrman did in the nineties. Maybe not the most popular answer but that one sticks out in my mind. Just learned he passed away 15 years ago. He was good.

Father Donald Callahan from Salem's Lot and later Wolves of the Calla. Character and both books mentioned by Stephen King

Father Ralph de Bricassart in The Thorn Birds

Stuart Devenie as the Kung Fu priest Father McGruder in Braidead and Leslie Nielsen as Father Mayii in Repossessed, of course.

Father Dyer in The Exorcist III Is the only movie priest I’d give a confession to (I’m an atheist). Tired, cynical, going through the motions but you sense he is solid in his heart. My favorite line: Dyer is lighting up a cigarette. Detective Kinderman: “You know those things will kill you.” Dyer (shrugging): “They’re quiet.”

The anglican priest in Joyeux Noel, 2005 movie.

Father McGruder in Dead Alive (BrainDead)

Not a film, but Richard Chamberlain as Father de Bricassart in The Thorn Birds.

Midnight mass's priest is memorizing

I know not a priest but Mel Brooks as the Rabbi in Robin Hood: Men In Tights

Robert De Niro in True Confessions (1981) with Robert Duvall.

Stigmata with Gabriel Byrne

Clint - Pale Rider

Gabriel Byrne -stigmata

Jason Miller as Damien Karras in The Exorcist - completely honest, tormented sympathetic and realistic character.

Patrick Troughton in The Omen.

Derek Jacobi as Brother Cadfael

Patrick Troughton in The Omen.

Ed Flanders, Exorcist lll. He's exactly what you want a priest to be : funny, sarcastic, sympathetic. He seems like a real down-to-earth person; not a character....or caricature. Plus, he smokes cigarettes and is hooked on lemon drops.😁

Cheech Marin in Machete

Father Oliver Van Horne in The Wrath of God 1972, played by Robert Mitchum, one of my favorite movies and hard to find