FULL METAL JACKET

The 1987 Stanley Kubrick war film FULL METAL JACKET is well-known for its intense boot camp and war scenes. What it's not so well known for is having a Mormon actor in the lead role. Matthew Modine's the man in question and he falls under the category of "baptized Mormon, current status unknown."

His amiable, wisecracking performance in FULL METAL JACKET definitely elevated the film and made otherwise unwatchable scenes quite engaging.

He's also done films such as Robert Altman's SHORT CUTS (in a very revealing scene with Julianne Moore), VISION QUEST (with Madonna's first on-screen performance), LE DIVORCE, and GROSS ANATOMY.

BRIGHAM YOUNG: FRONTIERSMAN

Allegedly, there were newspaper headlines in 1972 reading "Brigham Young Becomes a Mormon!"

Dean Jagger, the actor who played Brigham Young in the 1940 film BRIGHAM YOUNG: FRONTIERSMAN, converted to Mormonism almost three decades later, in 1972. The church issued an official statement endorsing the film in 1940, achnowledging that it had some historical inaccuracies but that it ultimately had the right spirit and a good message. Plus, it had VINCENT PRICE as Joseph Smith. How cool is that!?

Jagger had a wide and varied career, encompassing film noir, romance, Westerns, mysteries, action, and even the John Sayles classic ALLIGATOR!

Orson Welles' MACBETH

LDS star of stage and screen Keene Curtis got his start in the world of entertainment thanks to Orson Welles, who cast him as Lennox in his stage production of MACBETH, and gave him the same role in his superb 1948 film adaptation.

Curtis spent most of his career on stage in productions such as "Annie" and "La Cage Aux Folles" but he also worked on a wide variety of television and movies, including roles on CHEERS, M*A*S*H, SANFORD AND SON, DARK SHADOWS, THREE'S COMPANY, KNIGHT RIDER, WONDER WOMAN, NIGHT COURT, PARTY OF FIVE, TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL, HEAVEN CAN WAIT, and even the Sharon Stone sleazefest SLIVER.

Born in Salt Lake City, 1923. Died in Bountiful, Utah in 2002. He was a character.

NEW YORK DOLL

Arthur "Killer" Kane, original bassist for the pioneering punk rock group The New York Dolls, is the subject of this terrific documentary. And yes, his religious faith rhymes with "Norman."

Kane and the rest of the Dolls collapsed as a band in the 70's after a relatively short career, largely as a result of drug abuse. Lead singer David Johanssen went on to be a successful actor and solo artist while Kane languished in L.A. Long story short, he converted to Mormonism in 1989 and prayed for years that the Dolls would eventually get back together. It eventually happened and they played a spectacular reunion show in Europe in 2004. Kane died 6 weeks later.

NEW YORK DOLL is a beautiful chronicle of these events and the best documentary in recent years.

SUSPECT ZERO

This grisly serial killer-thriller from 2004 bombed at the box office. And it starred a Mormon! Aaron Eckhart's his name, and not keeping it real with Mormonism is his game. He's publicly stated that the Church is a great thing, just not for him. SUSPECT ZERO is actually a surprisingly arty, stream-of-consciousness style horror film and it's far better than most of the cinematic psycho killer garbage that's come out in recent years. His performance in it is fine.

He's been in a ton of stuff, such as his breakout scuzzy lead role in IN THE COMPANY OF MEN, all the way up to this year's critically acclaimed THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, with duds like THE CORE and Ben Affleck's masterpiece PAYCHECK in-between. He was also in NURSE BETTY and POSSESSION, but those aren't my cup of tea. THE PLEDGE and ERIN BROKOVICH were pretty cool, though, so he's got performances in those films going for him.

AN AMERICAN TAIL

The fella who directed AN AMERICAN TAIL, Mr. Don Bluth, is most definitely of the LDS persuasion. He hasn't been particularly active in the movie industry in the last few years, but he has a pretty impressive body of work. Like Tim Burton, he briefly worked for Disney as an animator (in 1955, on SLEEPING BEAUTY) but quit to serve a 2 1/2 year mission in Argentina. That's a way better way to spend your time than slaving away for Disney.

He's also responsible for the classics THE SECRET OF NIMH, ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN, and ANASTASIA. I'm not a fan, but I know some people out there also like some of his other stuff: TITAN A.E., THE LAND BEFORE TIME, ROCK-A-DOODLE, and THE PEBBLE AND THE PENGUIN.

JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK

Okay, this one's a stretch, but anyhoo...This epic of comic genius from modern-day cinematic rennaisance man Kevin Smith is graced with a performance by a Mormon...kinda. Eliza Dushku plays one of the jewel thieves and she was most definitely raised and baptized LDS. She's publicly stated that she's not practicing the LDS faith anymore, but who needs Mormonism when you've got cleavage? (Oh, snap!)

She also played Arnold's kid in the Governator's classic TRUE LIES, she starred in a bunch of crap like WRONG TURN and BRING IT ON, and she had a bit part on the BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER series, which has some other LDS ties, but I'll save those for a future entry...

ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS

If you haven't seen this movie, this entry will go over your head. If you have seen this Mel Brooks comedic misfire, then do you remember the little kid who's being chased by the soldiers and says "I have to go home alone now" then smacks his cheeks and does a Macauley Culkin imitation? Yeah, that kid was Mormon.

Corbin Allred is his name and he's racked up a number of small appearances in films and TV and even a starring role in the recent war movie, SAINTS AND SOLDIERS, where he plays (surprise, surprise) the Mormon guy. Allred also played an altar boy who ends up killing himself horribly in the CSI episode "Alter Boys." He also took a beating in the CSI: MIAMI "Crime Wave" episode. Now he's gotta get killed or abused on a CSI: NY episode and he'll have a CSI trifecta of pain. You might have also seen him in the Natalie Portman movie ANYWHERE BUT HERE. I know I didn't.

John Carpenter's THE THING

First off, Wilford Brimley was in the 1982 remake of THE THING. You probably didn't know that. Second off, Wilford Brimley is 100% Mormon. I'm almost sure you didn't know that.

That's right, The Man Who Sold a Million Bowls of Oatmeal rocks the LDS highway. In THE THING, he plays the arctic base doctor who may or may not be part of the alien invasion. He has some pretty good freakout scenes and a few bits that are substantially grosser than anything else I've seen him in. He even CUSSES! Bad Mormon, no cookie.

Aside from his ubiquitous Quaker Oatmeal and diabetes medication commercials, you may have also seen him in the 80's cheese classic REMO WILLIAMS: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS, John Woo's sellout American debut film HARD TARGET, the highly underrated and hilarious MY FELLOW AMERICANS, the surprisingly intense Mormon murder mystery BRIGHAM CITY, and those COCOON films.

FINAL DESTINATION 2

A.J. Cook, the lead actress in the ultraviolent FINAL DESTINATION 2, is a card-carrying member of the LDS church.

This is a generic, lowest-common-denominator supernatural horror film with lots of blood and guts, but it's fun enough for a piece of cinematic junk food. Plus, Cook's character doesn't do anything that compromises her standards. And she actually lives through the film! Good for her!

"Weird Al" Yankovic's UHF

That's right, Billy Barty, "Noodles MacIntosh" from "Weird Al" Yankovic's UHF, was a dyed-in-the-wool Mormon. The small man walked softly but carried a big camera in this off-the-wall silliness epic. He even gets to trip a yuppie and make him and his fancy, expensive suit fall into a mud puddle at the end of the movie. That's entertainment!

You may also recognize him from WILLOW, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, LEGEND, FOUL PLAY, MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, and countless others. Name ONE other Mormon who acted in movies with Boris Karloff AND Tom Cruise AND "Wierd Al" Yankovic! Go ahead, try! He passed away in 2000 and was, by all accounts, a really cool guy.