The Best Alan Tudyk Movies And TV Shows

I often like to use the term “Geek God” or “Geek Goddess” to describe an actor who has made an impressive impact on the sci-fi genre, superhero movies, etc., and earned a devoted fanbase in the process. One of the quintessential names that falls under this category is Alan Tudyk, although his eclectic filmography is not limited to great sci-fi TV shows and comic book adaptations. See for yourself by taking a look at our picks for some of the best Alan Tudyk movies.

By Jason Wiese

An eclectic crew of outlaws travel between the terraformed planets of their galaxy in search of whatever work they can find while also steering clear of government detection in the 26th Century.

Why it is one of the best Alan Tudyk TV shows: The heart and soul of the Firefly cast just might be Alan Tudyk’s performance as Serenity’s ace pilot, Hoban “Wash” Washburne, on this short-lived, but much-loved futuristic take on the Western genre and its 2005 feature-length follow-up named after the ship the crew called home.

An actor (Alan Tudyk) who is best known for a short-lived cult TV series struggles to achieve the success he believes he deserves while navigating the world of sci-fi conventions.

Why it is one of the best Alan Tudyk TV shows: Tudyk’s career following the cancellation of Firefly served as a loose inspiration for Con Man - an often dark satire on Hollywood and geekdom from an actor’s perspective that he also created and which earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series.

A peasant (Heath Ledger) poses as a knight to participate in a jousting tournament to achieve the fortune and glory he has long desired.

Why it is one of the best Alan Tudyk movies: One of Alan Tudyk’s most beloved films from before he starred on Firefly is A Knight’s Tale, in which he plays a friend-turned-faux royal servant to Ledger, who also gives one of his best and most underrated performances in Oscar winner Brian Helgeland’s unique medieval drama.

The gathering of an English family to pay their respects to their recently passed patriarch takes a few unexpected and disastrous turns.

Why it is one of the best Alan Tudyk movies: Just like in A Knight’s Tale, the Texas-born Alan Tudyk blends in perfectly among his predominantly U.K.-based co-stars when giving an uproarious, scene-stealing performance with a faux British accent in the original Death at a Funeral - a wonderfully chaotic dark comedy from director Frank Oz.

The owner of a rundown gym (Vince Vaughn) tries to save it from being acquired by an eccentric fitness guru (Ben Stiller) by entering himself and his friends and colleagues into an elaborate dodgeball tournament in Las Vegas.

Why it is one of the best Alan Tudyk movies: Three years before Death at a Funeral, Alan Tudyk stole the show with another bizarre performance as a man who thinks he is a pirate in  Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story - a laugh-filled sports comedy from director Rawson Marshall Thurber.

An innocent hillbilly (Alan Tudyk) and his best friend (Tyler Labine) become victims of a horrifying misunderstanding when their plans to clean up his new cabin intersect with some college students’ vacation.

Why it is one of the best Alan Tudyk movies: Alan Tudyk puts on another convincing faux accent as one-half of the titular duo in Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil - one of the most clever, refreshing, inventively gory, and simple best horror-comedy movies of its time.

For the first time in her life, a cynical teenage girl (Jane Levy) begrudgingly leaves the city with her single father (Jeremy Sisto) to live in a quaint suburb with an eccentric population.

Why it is one of the best Alan Tudyk TV shows: After sending up the horror genre in Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil, Alan Tudyk shared the screen with future Scream Queen Levy on the cast of Suburgatory - a fun, short-lived ABC sitcom - as an ordinary suburban dad who undergoes an extraordinarily painful mid-life crisis.

A technophobic detective (Will Smith) suspects that a revolutionary robotics engineer’s own creation is responsible for his death in 2035 Chicago.

Why it is one of the best Alan Tudyk movies: Alan Tudyk proved himself to be a talented motion capture performer when playing cybernetic murder suspect Sonny in I, Robot - director Alex Proyas’ clever, visually stunning, Oscar-nominated dystopian crime thriller inspired by a collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov.

A mismatched, ragtag crew of rebel forces conspire to steal the plans for the Galactic Empire’s moon-sized, planet-destroying weapon known as the Death Star.

Why it is one of the best Alan Tudyk movies: Another time Alan Tudyk gave an inspired motion capture performance as a robot (and got to use his British accent again) was in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - a direct prequel to 1977's original Star Wars - as reprogrammed imperial droid K2-SO.

A video game villain (John C. Reilly) aspires to abandon his destructive reputation, only to nearly cause the destruction of the World Wide Web itself years later.

Why it is one of the best Alan Tudyk movies: One of Alan Tudyk’s earlier collaborations with Disney is when he voiced King Candy, the main villain of the heartwarming animated redemption story, Wreck-It Ralph, before later appearing in the hilarious sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet, as KnowsMore - the personification of a search engine.

The adventures of a red-headed princess (Kristen Bell) and her older sister (Idina Menzel) who is gifted with a mysterious ability to alter the weather to cold temperatures and freeze things at will.

Why it is one of the best Alan Tudyk movies: Alan Tudyk also leant his voice to multiple characters for Disney’s most successful animated franchise, most notably as the Duke of Weselton in both Frozen and in the sequel, Frozen II.

A group of people, each made superhuman by traumatic circumstances, are given a home by a mad scientist (Timothy Dalton) and a chance to save the world from a man of nigh-omnipotence and malicious intent.

Why it is one of the best Alan Tudyk movies: Alan Tudyk has starred in countless comic book adaptations, including Marvel movies (namely Big Hero 6) and various DC TV shows - such as the refreshingly unique Doom Patrol, in which he chews the scenery as the reality-warping main antagonist of Season 1, Eric “Mr. Nobody” Morden. 

An extra-terrestrial (Alan Tudyk) begins to question the malicious nature of his initial reason for coming to Earth (to destroy it) after disguising himself as a human doctor and establishing trust with the citizens of a small Colorado town he became stranded in.

Why it is one of the best Alan Tudyk TV shows: A more recent example of Alan Tudyk’s talent for also playing a good villain (of sorts) can currently be seen on the Syfy original series, Resident Alien - developer Chris Sheridan’s considerably lighter and much funnier take on Peter Hogan’s Dark Horse comic book series 

These cult favorites and new classics alike just barely scratch the surface of what makes Alan Tudyk an undeniable “Geek God” to so many of his fans.