Quentin Tarantino has his own list of recurrent actors, and the one who has appeared in most of his movies surely isn’t who you’re expecting. Quentin Tarantino has earned the respect of critics, viewers, and fellow filmmakers over the years thanks to his peculiar narrative style, mastery in writing dialogues, and his visual style, which is mostly defined by having big doses of violence and blood, which have also earned him a lot of criticism. Still, Tarantino is one of the most sought-out filmmakers in the industry, and his projects always create a lot of anticipation.
Another element that has contributed to Tarantino’s trademark in his movies are the actors in them, and like many other directors, he has formed strong bonds with various actors, becoming recurring collaborators of his. Tarantino’s career began in 1992 with the crime movie Reservoir Dogs and his big break arrived two years later with Pulp Fiction, both movies featuring some of the actors that would go on to appear in a lot more of his projects. Tarantino has famously stated he will only make 10 movies before he retires, and with one more project to go (as both Kill Bill movies are counted as one), there will surely be a lot of interest from many actors to be part of his 10th project, and there’s one that will surely appear in it.
There are many big Hollywood names that have become recurrent collaborators of Tarantino, but surprisingly enough, the actor who has appeared in most of his movies is… himself. Tarantino isn’t a trained actor, but he has appeared in various projects, mostly in minor or cameo appearances (except for From Dusk till Dawn, where he played Richie Gecko and had more screen time than in his own movies), and he is the one who has appeared in most of his movies, one way or another. Tarantino appeared in Reservoir Dogs (where he played Mr. Brown, and only appears in the opening scene as he’s quickly killed off-screen), Pulp Fiction (as Jimmie Dimmick), Jackie Brown (a voice cameo), Kill Bill (a cameo as a Crazy 88 member), Death Proof (Warren the Bartender), Inglourious Basterds (cameos as a scalped Nazi and an American GI), Django Unchained (cameos as Bag Head #1 and Frankie), The Hateful Eight (as the narrator), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, as the off-screen director of the Red Apple Cigarettes commercial.
Many fans will understandably not count Tarantino as an “actor” and thus not take him as the actor who has appeared in his movies more often, so without counting him, the actor who has appeared in most Tarantino movies is, of course, Samuel L. Jackson. His first collaboration with Tarantino was in Pulp Fiction, where he played Jules Winnfield, and that memorable role made way for many more as well as some voice cameos. Jackson later appeared in Jackie Brown (as Ordell), Kill Bill: Volume 2 (organ player), Inglourious Basterds (as the narrator), Django Unchained (Stephen Warren), and The Hateful Eight (Major Marquis Warren). In second (or third, depending on how you see all this) place as the most frequent collaborator of Tarantino is Michael Parks (Kill Bill, Kill Bill: Volume 2, Death Proof, and Django Unchained), who also played one of the few characters who can move through the Tarantino universe without limits.
Other actors who have appeared multiple times in Tarantino’s movies are Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, and Uma Thurman, but Samuel L. Jackson definitely takes the first place with all those lead, minor, and cameo roles. While it’s still unknown what Quentin Tarantino’s (supposedly) final project will be, he will surely find a way to include Samuel L. Jackson in it, and, perhaps, himself as well even if just in a voice or hidden cameo.