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Chaplin never made a bid to be in such a starkly dramatic role that he surprised people, certainly, but when you factor in the idea that he's thought of as the Tramp, and only the funny aspects of said character, it's worth keeping Chaplin on the top of this list; frankly, if it wasn't for this silent star trying so hard to bring as many emotions to the surface of the films he made, we may not have people like Judd Apatow making movies that are now classified as dramedies. Certainly, Chaplin's films are far funnier than they are sad, but there are sharp emotional turns throughout most of his movies, not all played for laughs. This iconic star is best known for making us laugh, but he won our hearts through more than that.

Robin Williams

I know, there are many of you out there who'd like to contest the idea that Robin Williams was ever funny. Still, his early stand-up comedy along with star-making roles in such films as Good Morning, Vietnam made Williams not only one of the brashest comic stars of the 1980s, but one of the most high-profile actors to choose to work in a different genre. His first stab at dramatic work was Dead Poets Society, a movie where he managed to be wild and crazy some of the time, but also be one of the more inspiring teachers to ever grace a private school's halls. Williams won his only Academy Award for his supporting role in Good Will Hunting, but for my money, his two best dramatic roles came in a one-two punch in 2002: Insomnia and One Hour Photo.

The former pitted him, as a sly and cunning serial killer, against Al Pacino, as a world-weary cop doing a favor for a friend by investigating a murder in Alaska. The latter is a stark contrast from even that crime drama: Williams is Sy Parrish, a lonely photo-shop clerk who stalks a young family in the town where he lives. Both roles require completely different skills, and there's no point in either story where Williams strikes a false note. Frankly, the fact that Williams doesn't blanch completely from the fierce Pacino is worth congratulating all by itself. He appears to be falling back into bad habits with his latest, Old Dogs, a silly comedy where he stars alongside John Travolta in what may end up being a remake of Father's Day, a movie best left forgotten, but Williams still remains one of the stronger comic actors with a dark streak.

Adam Sandler

Adam Sandler is still young, younger than most of the actors on this list who made great strides in dramatic films, turning expectations around. Yet, for one film alone, I am willing to place him on this list: the unique, odd, bewitching and utterly enthralling Punch-Drunk Love, a movie that becomes more and more painful to watch with every repeat viewing. When I first saw this film, there was a lot of laughter, and though it was relatively infectious, I was fairly certain that the audience surrounding me was missing a lot of what was really going on.

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