Zachary Quinto’s 10 Best Roles (According To Rotten Tomatoes)

Having burst onto the scene as the unhinged Sylar in the hit television series, Heroes, Zachary Quinto has quickly become one of the most compelling actors around. Starring in a variety of television and movie projects since then, Quinto has built a really impressive library of content for himself.

Whether he’s playing an eerie character in the world of American Horror Story or dipping into the sci-fi world of Star Trek, Quinto has proven he’s capable of real range. While his fans may have specific favorite roles of his, there’s no doubt that critically, certain projects he has done have really stood out amongst the pack.

10 Star Trek Into Darkness — 84% (2013)

As the middle of the reboot trilogy, Star Trek Into Darkness had the benefit of the characters already being set up, which helped this film simply leap into the action. Zachary Quinto once again took on the role of Spock, although the film does start off with him and Kirk being demoted.

However, they’re quickly brought back when things go wrong and Spock showcases his brilliance throughout the film, which is played excellently by Quinto. It’s a role he really thrived in and while this particular film was voted the weakest of the trio by Rotten Tomatoes, it is certainly not a poor one by any stretch.

9 Tallulah — 85% (2016)

Tallulah was a Netflix original release that sees Zachary Quinto play the role of Andreas. The film is all about a young character, Tallulah, who ends up taking a child from a mother who isn’t putting enough effort in. However, the reason she’s all over the place is that her husband has left her in order to begin a relationship with Andreas.

The movie then follows Tallulah, who lives out of a van as she tackles with the idea of wanting to help the young child while the police begin to search for her. Despite the heavy topics the movie touches upon, there are also elements of comedy within this as well, which really helps to make the film an engaging one.

8 Star Trek Beyond — 86% (2016)

Zachary Quinto’s role as Spock is no doubt the one he is best known for throughout his career. Taking on the role in the fresh reboot of the story was certainly a huge task and one that came with a lot of pressure. However, over the course of the movies, it is a role that Quinto certainly made his own.

Star Trek Beyond is the last of the three movies he was involved with, and it certainly saw the stakes get raised. This is one of the stronger Star Trek movies, purely because the characters were so well developed by this stage, with this particular instalment being packed full of action.

7 Margin Call — 87% (2011)

Not only did Zachary Quinto act in Margin Call, playing the character of Peter Sullivan, but he also worked as a producer on this movie as well. This was only Quinto’s second major movie role, but it’s one he thrived in as this film focused on a Wall Street bank during the financial problems from 2007-2008.

The movie cleverly takes place within just 24 hours and looks at different employees and how they deal with the crash taking place. Quinto’s character is actually the man who first discovers the financial crash is taking place within his particular bank, and therefore he is the one who has to break the news, which is a particularly dramatic moment in the film.

6 High Flying Bird — 92% (2019)

High Flying Bird took Zachary Quinto into the sporting world as an actor with another Netflix original movie. Focusing on basketball, and particularly the agent’s side of the sporting world, Quinto plays the boss of an agency and he begins to put pressure and demands on his employees to get deals done as the company is losing money.

The company has its cards frozen and they are locked out and against the odds, forcing the lead character, an agent, to really think outside the box. What is particularly impressive about this movie though, is the fact it was all shot on an iPhone.

5 Hannibal — 92% (2015)

Based upon characters involved in Thomas Harris’ novels, Hannibal proved to be an incredibly popular television series. It was well written, bringing the same level of psychological tension that the movies and books that came before it also provided.

Zachary Quinto only appeared in a couple of episodes, and his first appearance is easy to miss as he is simply on the floor, dead. But in the episode where he gets to really act, it is revealed exactly how his character, Neal Frank, ends up being murdered. He is killed by Hannibal’s wife, Bedelia, after he tries to make her quit psychiatry as he complains about the work that Lecter did with him.

4 Star Trek — 94% (2009)

The Star Trek movie reboot was a major project and a huge risk at the time, but it is one that absolutely paid off. This was Zachary Quinto’s big break in the movie world and following his success with Heroes, he was certainly a popular choice for the major role of Spock.

The sci-fi film does a terrific job at setting up the world all over again, introducing the new actors in their roles, particularly with Kirk and Spock. The men join the USS Enterprise in this film, taking things back to the start as they stop a threat which is trying to destroy countless planets. It’s a world- and character-building movie, but it still remains one of the best Star Trek adventures of all time.

3 Who We Are Now — 95% (2017)

This is an incredibly gripping and emotional movie that sees the lead character, Beth, finally gets out of prison with the hope of reuniting with her son. However, her sister, who has been acting as his mother during that period, refuses to allow it.

Zachary Quinto plays the character of Peter, who ends up dating Beth and provides real support for her. The movie is all about sacrifice as she does everything possible to get her son back, and it features a really impressive cast with the likes of Julianne Nicholson, Emma Roberts, Jason Biggs, and Jimmy Smits.

2 The Lavender Scare — 96% (2017)

The Lavender Scare is a very important, powerful, and extremely emotional documentary. It’s one that everyone should watch and learn from. Focusing on the Cold War where President Eisenhower made the decision that homosexuals were security risks, the documentary focuses on how people were treated because of those decisions.

It showcases in real detail the horrifying situations many people were put through because of his comments, and how thousands of lives were just destroyed. Zachary Quinto lends his voice to the documentary, but it really is the voices of those who lived through the times that tell this tale.

1 Superman: Man Of Tomorrow — 100% (2020)

2020 might have been a crazy year, but for Zachary Quinto, it landed him a role within a 100% rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes. Superman: Man Of Tomorrow is an animated film, telling the story of the legendary superhero and Quinto lent his voice to the project.

However, he wasn’t playing the caped crusader. Instead, Quinto ended up being the kryptonite to Superman by being the voice of his arch-rival, Lex Luthor within this film. The movie goes right back to the start of Superman’s journey and actually focuses on a young Clark Kent as he deals with the challenges that come from his life early on.

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