You wouldn’t think that John C. Reilly, who is more known for his comedic roles in modern films and TV, would actually have a pretty extensive list of frock flicks to his name until you list them all out. I’m a huge fan of his work and even I didn’t really realize just how many historical shows he has done over the course of his career. Everything from war flicks to Victorian and whatever is in between! So today, we celebrate John C. Reilly’s historical films and TV shows!
Casualties of War (1989)
Hoffa (1992)
Boogie Nights (1997)
The Thin Red Line (1998)
Gangs of New York (2002)
Chicago (2002)
Here, let me just put the entire clip of John C. Reilly singing “Mr. Cellophane” and be done with it.
The Hours (2002)
The Aviator (2004)
Walk Hard (2007)
Drunk History: Nikola Tesla & Thomas Edison (2010)
We are big fans of the Drunk History (2007-2011) series. In this installment, John C. Reilly plays Nikola Tesla opposite Crispin Glover as Thomas Edison. Content Warning: VOMIT.
Peace on Earth: Little Drummer Boy (2010)
Managing to capture the pure awkwardness of the 1977 original with Bing Crosby and David Bowie.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
Tale of Tales (2015)
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
The Little Hours (2017)
Stan & Ollie (2018)
Holmes & Watson (2018)
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers (2022)
Do you have a favorite historical film or TV show featuring John C. Reilly? Share it with us in the comments!
There was a TV show or film, made way back when he was a young man. I absolutely fell in love with his looks, he was just so different from the mainstream faces of the day.
I cannot for the life of me remember the plot or any of the other actors/characters, except that he played a clown of some sort. Can anyone help me out?
John C Reilly always a joy to see in any film! First a nit-pick, Bill the Butcher’s gang was the American Natives, and very ANTI-Irish!
JCR was producer and star of 2018’s The Sisters Brothers, a western set in the 1850s.
Chicago was fun, but Tale of Tales was a feast for the eyes. I also need to check out that Drunk History episode.
Oh yes! Please do The Aviator! It’s chock full of Old Hollywood!
Also, you get a pass on Skull Island because Reilly’s character was supposed to be a guy from WWII. You’re not missing anything by never watching that movie, unless you are really in to CGI monsters.