I just realized I got my "Ruths" confused. I meant of course Ruth Lytton.

Okay, for my money, nearly all the actors in "Dagger of the Mind" where Columbo comes to London. All the people were way over the top, with only Wilfred Hyde White (the butler who is sadly murdered) being the only decent one in it.

It's for this reason alone I never watch it now.

Agreed, RF... so very, very bad! I guess they were apeing actors, which is funny by extension, but it gives me a headache to roll my eyes so often. :)

If we were talking about the characters playing actors, then that would be okay (just about) but there's the pub scene with the old boy and his umbrella. It's like they've redone scenes from British dramas at the turn of the 20th Century. Everyone seems to be a caricature of a real person.

This is an interesting thread.
I can see what people are talking about in each of these examples. It never occurred to me that the acting was bad--just that the characters were quirky, or the lines a bit clunky. I think you could make the argument that just about any character in the whole series was a bit of an over-the-top caricature. Look at smug Marcus Collier, snide and barking Jarvis Goodland, overbearing Frances Galesko, grumpy Dr. Hiedeman, smarmy Dale Kingston, condescending Emmett Clayton, phony Nora Chandler, etc. Vito Scotti is always playing an over-the-top character. And of course, even our own Lt. Columbo is something of a caricature. It's the way he (and the rest) are written--exaggerated and memorable.

One character I always felt was miscast was Donald Pleasance as Adrian Carsini. The character is supposed to be an Italian man--indeed, his Italian heritage is an important part of his identity. So they cast a British actor to play him?

I also didn't really like Eddie Albert's performance as a stoic war hero, or John Randolph as the somewhat dippy Colonel in Swan Song (or the very dippy seamstress in the same episode). Speaking of Swan Song, why was Sorrell Booke in there at all? And what was up with John Dehner's wooden performance as Roland Pangborn?

I have to respectfully disagree on Donald Pleasance. Despite the flaws in the story line, his portrayal of the pretentious Adrian Carsini is so brilliantly acted, it makes up for any shortcomings. When he can barely get the Marino Bros. name out and that entire scene portrays so well how appalled and angry he is, I replay it over and over. As for the English part, he mentions that his mother was English. So he fits the part very well when they explain he has both Italian and English heritage. Adrian Carsini, along with a character like Beth Chadwick from Lady in Waiting, in my mind could presumably have been sent off to boarding school when they were young to England or somewhere, as they grew up in wealthy families, which resulted in their slight accents. That's just my interpretation of these characters at least.

I agree on the Donald Pleasance comment. I think the writers went out of their way to write the line where pleasance says "our mother was english; she provided the breeding."

A lot of the actors/actresses listed above in the previous comments I find are all pretty good in their roles, it seems that the actual character they play is irritating rather than the performance itself. No, in my mind the worst actor award has to go to Roddy McDowall playing Roger Stanford in 'Short Fuse'. You watch the episode again - he ruins a perfectly good script with his over the top 'stage school' style of acting. The portrayal is so forced and McDowall is trying to steal each scene from the other actors, including Peter Falk. 'Short Fuse' could've have been a classic early episode in the hands of a fine actor, instead we get Roddy McDowall playing Roddy McDowall.

Mickey Spillane (Alan Mallory) in Publish or Perish wins the gold star. Second would be Frank Converse in Requiem. The dude seems thoroughly uncomfortable with his lines, and lays a brick. My god, that scene when Columbo is at Ms. Chandler's front door and Mr. Fallon (Converse) comes out to greet him should've been edited out of the show altogether.

Let's see.. Oh and all the actors in Mind Over Mayhem, except for the kid and the robot.

I thought Sian Barbara Allen gave a very interesting performance as Shirley Blaine so i don't agree at all that she was poor

Ann Baxter was extremely hammy and completely over the top as Nora Chandler, i don't really rate that episode highly

My vote goes to Leonard Nimoy in A Stitch in Crime, his performance makes me cringe so much I almost can't watch that episode. Especially when the character goes into a fit of giggling when Columbo accuses him of planning to kill Dr. Heidemann and warns him that he'll have to take very good care of him. Both that scene and his acting pretty much throughout the episode (including the Vulcan death grip he uses to fell Harry Alexander) are SO forced.

BTW I'll never understand why this episode isn't slated more than Dagger of the Mind, I actually find the latter very enjoyable!

sorry...I'm somewhat new to site and reviewing some rather old posts....but am loving the detail of those said posts

as for worst actor/actress...the difference between Ray Milland's two appearances is night and day...fantastic in Death Lends a Hand and lame lame lame in Greenhouse.

My fellow Canadian Larry Mann's performance...Albert... in Murder Under Glass was very wooden I thought.


other mentions
Shirley Blaine..Lovely but Lethal
Ruth Stafford (Collin Wilcox)...Exercise in Fatality
Lewis Lacey ..(Darrell Zwerling)...Exercise in Fatality
the boy genius...Mayhem
Janie Brandt ...Jeannie Berlin ...Old Fashioned Murder

I love when Jarvis is supposedly disguising his voice on the phone. He sounds like someone doing a Ray Milland impression lol.

Oh yes, the fiancée Lisa Chambers, the way she kicks her leg back behind her on opening a door, sliding down the bannister, definitely cringe-making.

Artie's wife in A Friend in Deed

Agree with Dagger of the Mind, everyone except the butler was totally over acting, but I suppose they were 'luvvies'?