The ‘most famous actor in the world’ is a man that very few will actually recognise

He’s got 160 credits on IMDB.

You’ve got to imagine that a major part of what first attracts actors to their trade is the fame and attention that comes with it.

But if I was to drop Doug Jones into a conversation, a man responsible for playing lead roles in some of the biggest films of the last 20 years, you’d probably shrug your shoulders, shake your head and then hop onto Google to find out what the hell I was on about.

There you’d find that Doug is not a recognisable name because he’s spent most of his career buried under prosthetics – in fact, you may have assumed he was a CGI character rather than a living breathing human being.

The man stands at 6ft 3, but weighs just 10 stone, with his lank, spindly body perfect for use in fantastical films.

He has 160 credits listed on his IMDb profile, making him one of Hollywood’s most prolific actors.

He has famously collaborated with Guillermo del Toro, starring in Mimic, as the Pale Man in Pan’s Labyrinth, and the Amphibian Man in The Shape of Water. He also portrayed the Silver Surfer in the superhero film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

His face may be unknown to most, but his performances have left an indelible mark on the films he graces.

In an interview with BuzzFeed, Jones modestly said: “I’m hired because I’m a tall, skinny guy – with other talents, I hope.

“But the creature effects guys love to start with a skinny, long palette because they can build on it and not make it too bulky.”

Del Toro has also spoken out in praise of Jones’ talents.

“A creature performer needs to be a very odd combination of [a] marathon runner and a mime, who can express himself through layers and layers of latex and acrylic and silicon,” the director said.

“It’s a very, very rare discipline… [and] there are very, very few that are actual actors, in my opinion, that goes beyond being able to work in a suit or under makeup.

“Doug is a proper actor.”

Social media users were baffled when they realised who he was.

One person posted on X: “Never knew he was in batman returns!?!”

Another added: “I watched that movie but didn’t know he was that monster.”

Someone else commented: “There’s a few parts there I never realised he played. I feel somewhat dumb now. Thanks!”