All the actors who have played Tom Ripley, including Andrew Scott in Netflix’s ‘Ripley’
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Paramount; Netflix; Fine Line Features
Titanus
Five years after Patricia Highsmith’s novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley” hit stands — the first of five Ripley novels — we already had the first big-screen adaptation.
Marking the first role for legendary French actor Alain Delon, here he plays Ripley as a dashing young man who is tasked with bringing home Philippe Greenleaf. Instead, Ripley becomes Greenleaf.
Unlike Matt Damon’s portrayal in the role, from the start Delon’s Ripley doesn’t seem like someone anyone should trust.
Filmverlag der Autoren
Over a decade after “Purple Noon,” we are given a very different Ripley in the form of Dennis Hopper.
In Wim Wenders’ film based on Highsmith’s 1974 novel “Ripley’s Game,” Hopper’s subdued Ripley convinces a terminally ill picture framer (Bruno Ganz) to become an assassin.
Paramount
This is the Ripley you are likely most familiar with.
Beginning to build his stardom after “Good Will Hunting,” “Saving Private Ryan,” and “Rounders,” Damon levels up big time with his tour-de-force performance as a Ripley who seems shy and harmless as he travels to Italy to bring home Greenleaf (Jude Law). Eventually, he snaps and reveals his true intentions.
Fine Line Features
Perhaps the most violent of any Ripley interpretation to date, John Malkovich delivers a twisted performance. Using the same source material as “The American Friend” (but less arty), here Ripley is a stone-cold killer who is up against the mob.
Fox Searchlight
The least seen out of all the Ripley movies as it wasn’t given a major release, here Barry Pepper delivers an impressive performance taking on the material from Highsmith’s second novel.
Like all the tales involving Ripley, there’s a lot of murder and deception as Ripley is knee-deep in an art forgery scheme.
Philippe Antonello/Netflix
For the eight-episode Netflix series, writer-director Steven Zaillian takes on the popular first novel.
Like “Purple Noon” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley” before it, we follow Ripley as he sets off to Italy to try to bring Greenleaf back home.
Andrew Scott plays Ripley, Johnny Flynn stars as Greenleaf, and Dakota Fanning plays Greenleaf’s girlfriend, Marge Sherwood.
