10 Dermot Mulroney movies and TV shows that prove he's Hollywood's favorite underrated crush

Dermot Mulroney movies and TV shows | Images via Netflix, Apple TV and Prime Video
Dermot Mulroney movies and TV shows | Images via Netflix, Apple TV and Prime Video

Dermot Mulroney gained a reputation as one of Hollywood's most endearing and favorite underrated "crush" icons. He did not have to be in the spotlight, of course, but the characters he played were always rich in sensitivity, strength, and romanticism.

Whether it is in an emotive drama, nerve-tearing thriller, or even a sitcom, his diligence shows that subtlety also has the same power as a star. These are 10 Dermot Mulroney movies and TV shows that complete the picture and prove that he is the most appreciated underdog eye candy in the industry.

Disclaimer: This article is solely the writer's opinion. Reader's discretion is advised.


The list of 10 Dermot Mulroney movies and TV shows proving that he's Hollywood's favorite underrated crush is given below:

10. Breakwater (2023)

Dermot Mulroney as Ray Childress in Breakwater | Image via Netflix
Dermot Mulroney as Ray Childress in Breakwater | Image via Netflix

The 2023 criminal thriller Breakwater takes place in a little seaside town. Dermot Mulroney plays Ray Childress, the film's main character, who is in a pervasive state of corruption, peril, and survival. The actor in that role is aggressive and gritty because he employs a more potent and gritty version of his acting toolkit.

Mulroney plays Ray so well because he is a tough character whose bad luck has beaten out the last of sympathy and resolve. It enhances his underestimated sexiness: he effortlessly switches between romantic and dramatic work to complicated, gray characters, demonstrating his range and low-key chemistry in any genre.


9. The Christmas Train (2017)

The Christmas Train | Image via Plex
The Christmas Train | Image via Plex

The Christmas Train is a Hallmark Christmas film about a rail journey home for Christmas. In this Dermot Mulroney movie, he plays Tom Langdon, a gentle and charming guy. Tom Langdon becomes the main character of the plot. The potential love interest of the lead character in the situation is a fellow traveler, Tom Langdon, a well-dressed, cautious, and kind person.

He is also a warm actor, perhaps almost quietly dashing, and he conveys a feeling of integrity and sensitivity. Through Tom, Mulroney skillfully executes gentle romance, lending the character an air of sincerity and vulnerability. This is the stance that buttresses the explanation of why he is often described as the underrated girlish crush of Hollywood. The reason is that he never conjures up a meaningful, heartwarming subject and presents it without flourish.


8. Shameless (2015-2016)

Shameless | Image via Netflix
Shameless | Image via Netflix

Dermot Mulroney stars as Sean Pierce in the fifth and sixth seasons of the Emmy-nominated drama U.S version of Shameless, produced by Showtime. Sean, a former heroin addict who serves as a manager in Fiona Patsy Pies, falls in love with Fiona. Mulroney uses the series' changes to further explore Sean's unfiltered emotional state, which is a combination of lost, lovable, and committed.

His character is a blend of hardness and fragility, and his power inspires the viewers to follow him despite his shady history. It further entrenched his title as Hollywood's underappreciated crush: he portrays a rounded, kind character that elicits sympathy even in a broken, mad world.


7. Crisis (2014)

Dermot Mulroney as Francis Gibson in Crisis | Image via Apple TV
Dermot Mulroney as Francis Gibson in Crisis | Image via Apple TV

Crisis is an NBC thriller TV show with high stakes that follows a mass kidnapping that shakes Washington. In this thrilling series, Dermot Mulroney has the role of Francis Gibson, an ex-CIA analyst whose daughter was among the hostages. He plays the role of a parent who has done everything possible to maintain his secret while also evading government suspicion and conspiracies against him. Mulroney played the character with sensitivity, ferocity, and zeal, portraying both heartbreaking anguish and relentless aspiration.

In his attempts to rescue his child, the viewer wants to see a man redeem and defend at the same time. He is a unique individual since he is both fearless and emotionally open while also being a tough guy. This combination gives him a certain level of likability that draws their attention even when he is not in the spotlight.


6. Bright Angel (1990)

Bright Angel | Image via JustWatch
Bright Angel | Image via JustWatch

Bright Angel is a performance-based drama of a young man on a soul-searching quest in the American West. The main character in this film is Dermot Mulroney, a self-seeking wanderer who is overcome by personal loss and relates to other people on the trail. He lived in the silent world of emotion, his part, and this shows how deep and sensitive he was.

This is Dermot Mulroney's first film role, and he revealed his ability to deliver a subtle but effective performance. It was also one of the things he was praised for doing, which was to set a subtly suggestive tone for the film, implying that it would be shot with the same meticulous sincerity and charm that had made his career so successful. His reputation as an underappreciated yet genuine leading man in romances begins here.


5. Inhale (2010)

Dermot Mulroney (Left) in Inhale | Image via Prime Video
Dermot Mulroney (Left) in Inhale | Image via Prime Video

Inhale is a suspenseful thriller film about a father on a desperate mission to find a spare heart to save the life of his beloved dying daughter. In the second part of the Dermot Mulroney movies and TV shows, Mulroney plays the role of a caring and loving father whose unusual and dark activities take place in Mexico. Paul Stanton engages in a risky but potentially life-saving transplant. It also requires a crude combination of fear, urgency, and moral conflict, and Mulroney succeeds with subtle desperation and effective control.

He is stretching beyond his romantic movie profile and proving to be emotionally profound and gritty. The portrayal of him is such that the viewer can become involved in the character, identify with him, share his pain, and be impressed by his abilities. This reveals the power of a minor performance to establish a strong emotional bond and how he is an undervalued Hollywood crush.


4. The Family Stone (2005)

The Family Stone | Image via Prime Video
The Family Stone | Image via Prime Video

The Family Stone is a Christmas dramedy about a family Christmas reunion that takes a turn when the eldest son brings home his girlfriend. Dermot Mulroney played a loving older brother who is going to propose to his girlfriend in this film. Everett is the emotional ballast of a dysfunctional emotional household. Mulroney portrays him with warmth, subtle charisma, and sensitive affection, which adds a dose of verisimilitude to a man juggling between love and family conflicts.

The natural ease and empathetic presence of this actor make one believe the sincerity of Everett. This sequence is one of the reasons he is considered Hollywood's underappreciated crush. He gives a close-to-the-earth portrayal as an ensemble player. It was his performance that made the film more emotionally moving, besides bringing out his understated sexiness as a romantic hero who does not necessarily have to be loud to be heard.


3. Lovely & Amazing (2001)

Lovely & Amazing | Image via MUBI
Lovely & Amazing | Image via MUBI

Lovely & Amazing is an indie drama violence film about a dysfunctional family of women, self-perception, and development. Dermot Mulroney played Kevin, a good-looking TV actor who was auditioning an actress from the family. His demeanor is assertive and smooth, but in scenes involving intimacy, he adds a new dimension to insecurities and affection. Mulroney tames the clean-cut photograph by being kind and understanding yet harsh and scathing in the review of the beauty.

His performance is a combination of shallowness and earnest interest. This reminds us of the reason why he has to be honored in Hollywood, whether he is in focus or not. Despite his lack of attention-seeking tendencies, he has a keen understanding of human emotions. In minor supporting roles, his ability to blend attractive looks with acceptable sensitivity elevates the plot and makes him memorable among the fans.


2. Chicago Fire (2012)

Chicago Fire | Image via Prime Video
Chicago Fire | Image via Prime Video

Chicago Fire is an NBC TV show that has prospered on the lives of the firefighters and paramedics at Firehouse 51 in Chicago. In this movie, the leading role of Chief Dom Pascal is played by Dermot Mulroney. Mulroney is relaxed and extremely mature in leadership due to his speaking power without words. He has a straight face and a dashing persona, and can perform successful operations of action.

The character underlines his profile as a good-looking yet neglected actor in Hollywood. He does this while maintaining a kind and endearing manner that demonstrates his capacity for toughness and dependability.


1. Friends (1994-2004)

Dermot Mulroney as Gavin Mitchell in Friends | Image via Netflix
Dermot Mulroney as Gavin Mitchell in Friends | Image via Netflix

Friends is a traditional sitcom about 6 friends in New York. Dermot Mulroney portrayed Gavin Mitchell in three episodes of season 9. In Dermot Mulroney's movies and TV shows, he appears as a guest in three episodes in Season 9 as Gavin Mitchell.

Mulroney was a new shot in the arm, and fans continue to recall him fondly because they found him to be easygoing and warm. Even in a short film, he performed with ease and sincerity. He was memorable because of that combination.


In conclusion, it can be stated that Dermot Mulroney was quite serious in his act, and he also portrayed depth in all his roles, both small and major. His uncooked image, emotional quotient, and hidden s*x appeal were impossible to disregard, and it rightly earned him the adored title of being the most underrated and most loved heartthrob in Hollywood.

Edited by Zainab Shaikh