Though he’s not really a household name that dominates headlines and comes up in casual conversations about Hollywood legends, Ernie Hudson, best known for his work in 1984’s Ghostbusters, is an incredibly talented and versatile actor. Yet, despite an impressive body of work that stretched from iconic franchises to genre-defining dramas, Hudson’s contributions to cinema and television often go underappreciated. The truth is that most of those works show just how great of an actor he is and how he definitely deserves more credit for his immaculate filmography.
Hudson’s work in the aforementioned 1984’s Ghostbusters and its sequel remains his most recognizable performance. His character, Winston Zeddemore, brought a grounded presence in the movie as someone who’s not in it for the supernatural but only hunting ghosts for a paycheck and nothing more. It was a really good contrast to the main cast. Truth be told, his character was introduced in the later half of the movie, and while he received less screen time than his co-stars, Hudson’s portrayal of Winston made the character a fan favorite.
Some suggest that the role was originally much more prominent as it was written for Eddie Murphy, who passed the role in favor of working on Beverly Hill Cop 2. This isn’t officially confirmed by the film’s director, Ivan Reitman, but Hudson stated that he received that information from the film’s writer, Dan Aykroyd. According to Hudson, the role of Winston was much larger; the character was an Air Force demolitions expert with an elaborate backstory, but it was eventually sidelined — the day before the filming started — in favor of expanding Bill Murray’s part.
Despite having his role sidelined, Hudson still provided a fantastic performance that only added to the film, and Winston remains a beloved character from the franchise. But there’s so much more to Ernie Hudson’s filmography than just Ghostbusters, as he starred in several other movies that further highlighted his talent and range as an actor. One of those movies was 1994’s The Crow, where he portrayed Sergeant Albrecht, a weary but compassionate police officer who aids the vengeful protagonist portrayed by the later Brandon Lee.
Hudson’s role brought emotional depth, as well as a sense of humanity and morality, to a morally decrepit Detroit, and his performance contributed to the original film’s massive commercial and critical success. The role of Sgt. Albrecht was omitted from the Bill Skarsgård-starring remake, and it’s probably for the best; the movie doesn’t measure up to the original, and Bill Skarsgård redeemed himself in recently released Nosferatu.
Between The Crow and 2000’s Miss Congeniality — which was another success — Ernie appeared in more than 30 different releases for cinema and television (some of which we’ll discuss later). In Miss Congeniality, he portrayed FBI Assistant Director Harry McDonald, a stern but supportive boss to Sandra Bullock’s protagonist Gracie Hart, a tomboy FBI agent on an undercover mission as a contestant in the Miss United States pageant. Hudson perfectly managed to balance authority with humor, which added a layer of seriousness to the film’s comedic plot and made the movie even funnier.
Of course, comparing Miss Congeniality to The Crow is like comparing apples and bricks, but both movies demonstrated his ability to deliver excellent performances in diverse genres. Oh, and his television work is equally impressive, especially if we consider his performance in 1997’s Oz, which was the very first one-hour drama TV series produced by HBO. The series centered on a fictional level 4 maximum-security prison and its experimental unit. Hudson portrayed Warden Leo Glynn, a character who grapples with the moral complexities of his job while trying to maintain order.
Oz had its share of grittiness and brutality, and Hudson’s portrayal of Glynn delivered a commanding but deeply human figure. The show’s reception was mostly positive, though some criticized it for its graphic content, which included prisoners beating, raping, or murdering each other. The criticism was somewhat understandable, as it was the pre-Game of Thrones era; the explicit content in Oz is considered Thursday night television by today’s standards. But those are all relatively major roles in both cinema and television.
However, Hudson’s talent allowed him to shine and elevate different roles that seemed smaller on the surface. For example, his portrayal of Captain Monroe Kelly in Congo turned what could have been a forgettable character into one of the film’s highlights. The same can be said for The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, where he portrayed Solomon, a handyman whose heart of gold provided moments of genuine warmth and sincerity to the movie.
These roles are a testament to Hudson’s ability to leave a lasting impression, regardless of the screen time the characters he portrays might receive. He seamlessly moved between genres, proving, time and time again, that no role is too big for him. So, despite often being overlooked by an industry that’s always on the lookout for the next big thing, Ernie Hudson’s work deserves to be celebrated, and it’s time for us as the audience to fully recognize the breadth of his contribution to both cinema and television.