Meat Loaf, Dallas-born Michael Lee Aday, was a hard rock musician in the late 1970s. He was known for his adroit theatrics and his vocal prowess, ranging from soft to raucous. The 1977 sophomore album Bat Out of Hell was an immediate success and stayed at the top of the charts for over nine years straight. Meat Loaf followed up with two more rock operas, Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993) and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose (2006). His trilogy sold over 100 million copies, making him one of the best-selling artists of the 20th century.

At birth, the artist was dubbed “Meat” by his father, given how bright red he was. Growing up, his meaty moniker stuck with the addition of “Loaf” to reflect his short stature and how overweight he was. Meat Loaf met misfortune as a young adult when his mother died from cancer, leaving him to his alcoholic father who almost stabbed him. Meat Loaf would later use his mother’s inheritance to isolate himself in an apartment for almost four months before moving to Los Angeles in 1968, where he began his acting and musical career.

His poetic lyrics were inspired by his Sunday School upbringing, often playing at the border of spiritual and religious. Dark themes with tinges of hope were his calling card, which bled over into his stage persona. His emotive stage presence gave way to generous appearances in movies and television and his induction into the Texas Film Hall Of Fame in 2012. Meat Loaf lived with a heavy heart but gave a healthy helping of talented performances heavy as Jesus.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

8 Americathon (1979)

     United Artists

Carmaggedon is unleashed on the Oklahoma daredevil Roy Budnitz. In his garish costume, the stuntman faces off against a car with oil, demolition derby style. The event promoted a syndicated telethon to prevent national bankruptcy in the then-near future of 1998, where America has no oil, useless cars, and worthless money. Meat Loaf finishes off the car by skewering its gas tank and lighting it on fire with a flare similar to how Dr. Alan Grant and Malcolm used flares in Jurassic Park (1993). No man or machine can upstage Meat Loaf.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

7 Motorama (1991)

     Two Moon Releasing

Ten-year-old Gus comes from a broken home (another Meat Loaf somewhat), steals a 1965 Ford Mustang, and uses his piggy bank savings for a cross-country road trip as he participates in a $500 million dollar scratch-off contest. His goal: to buy and collect tickets that spell Motorama. The film captures the mindset of a kid learning that he can do things differently, or at least persuade, to get results. Meat Loaf plays a caricature-like threat, a biker, in this innocence mindset. He sounds braggadocious and sardonic with enough gruffly charm for a black comedy.

6 Focus (2001)

     Paramount Classics

Based on the 1945 novel of the same name by playwright Arthur Miller, the adaptation also deals with antisemitism. Taking place at the end of World War II, Lawrence Newman (William H. Macy) and his wife Gertrude Hart (Laura Dern) are mistaken for being Jewish by their racist Brooklyn neighbors, one of which is Fred played by Meat Loaf. His character tries to convert Lawrence into becoming a Nazi sympathizer, with mixed results. It’s hard to watch Meat Loaf portray bigotry, something he didn’t tolerate, but his performance is pervasive.

5 A Hole in One (2004)

     Tribeca Productions

Golf fans will regret watching their sporting achievement turned into a movie about lobotomy. Meat Loaf plays mob boss Billy, who leads his girlfriend Anna to a mental health crisis. After Anna’s shell-shocked brother is rejected by her family after returning home from World War II and Billy kills a club owner, the only reasonable solution for her depression and anxiety is an icepick through the brain; the modern medicine of the 1950s. Meat Loaf shows convincing headstrong anger until the real highlight of the film: him singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”

4 Roadie (1980)

Being on tour as a performer takes a lot of grunt work. During his shows, Meat Loaf would thank the crew for putting on his concerts. In Roadie, Meat Loaf takes the helm as a distributor of Shiner beer and event coordinator, running into the likes of Alice Cooper and Blondie. His Texan temperament and southern drawl make this a memorable first starring role for Meat Loaf.

3 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

     20th Century Fox

The intergalactic, transsexual, and musical gala is a Halloween treat. Meat Loaf is Eddie, the brainchild of the cross-dressing mad scientist, Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Frank used half of Eddie’s brain to induce the secret to life, Rocky, a handsome, muscular, blonde man. Eddie, being the music man, steals the show after breaking out of his cryonic suspension. Frank raised a punk and glam rock monster!

2 Fight Club (1999)

Bob is how everyone feels when life hits you hard. In the counterculture cult classic of the century, Meat Loaf plays Robert Paulsen, a man with testicular cancer. He meets with the Narrator (Edward Norton) at a support group who, unbeknownst to him, does not suffer from the ailments of the attendees. Meat Loaf delivers a precarious cadence, pointed by way of the tragicomedy in his visage and backstory.

1 Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006)

     New Line Cinema

Meat Loaf has a like-father-like-son, full-circle moment in Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny. As the devout father of a young JB (Jack Black) he doesn’t spare the rod and ironically calls rock music the devil’s work. It’s refreshing to see him make light of his past inadvertently. His verse in the coming-of-age song “Kickapoo” is a heaven-sent divine intervention. Meat Loaf sang with love, soul, and rock and roll!