Fans of What We Do in the Shadows may know actor and comedian Matt Berry as the capricious but lovable Laszlo Cravensworth, a vampire and former British noble whose love for lovemaking is both evident and unabashed. Berry's notoriously booming yet mellifluous voice infuses Laszlo with equal parts brashness and refinement, allowing him to retain a bit of aristocratic status even while indulging his most lascivious urges or wearing a disturbingly unfashionable witch-skin hat.

Those who appreciate Berry's commanding timbre and droll performance as Laszlo might delight in knowing that the actor has delivered numerous high-quality performances over the years, some of which may have escaped their knowledge until now. Without further ado, here are some of Matt Berry's best performances, which simply must be heard to be fully appreciated.

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Todd Rivers/Dr. Lucien Sanchez (Garth Marenghi's Darkplace)

Todd Rivers from Darkplace

A loving spoof of cheesy horror, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace was a 2004 TV miniseries with a unique conceit: in confessional style interviews, its fictional characters reflected on a non-existent 1980s sci-fi series called Darkplace. The fictional Darkplace was a low-budget drama involving supernatural occurrences like the birth of an eyeball creature or a disease that turned people into apes. Though the situations on the show itself were ridiculous and the effects too corny to be believed, the characters portraying the cast and crew discuss the fake series with utter reverence, as if they were creating a Lovecraftian masterwork of horror.

Berry plays both self-important actor Todd Rivers and in-show character Dr. Lucien Sanchez, whose recurring gimmick is that most of his lines were looped via automated dialogue replacement (or ADR), meaning his voice rarely matches the body language and intensity of his physical performance. This creates an extra level of meta-comedy for the viewer, as a seemingly emotionless Berry has a mismatched voice, one that is clearly shouting into a microphone to the point where the audio becomes fuzzy. In the second episode, "Hell Hath Fury," Berry's Dr. Sanchez is chased and tormented by office supplies and household objects theoretically propelled by telekinesis but clearly suspended by wires. Dr. Sanchez relates this information to a colleague on the phone as if nothing could be less shocking. In another highlight moment, Dr. Sanchez expresses his dismay at being romantically rejected by singing "One Track Lover," a heartfelt song accompanied by synth music that might make more sense in Miami Vice. Through it all, Berry plays both Rivers and Sanchez with a deadpan wit, as if there were nothing strange at all about his supernatural attackers or sudden musical outburst.

Dixon Bainbridge (The Mighty Boosh)

Dixon Bainbridge raising his fists in The Mighty Boosh

No stranger to absurdist comedy, Berry also portrayed the arch mad scientist and zoo proprietor, Dixon Bainbridge, in the first season of The Mighty Boosh. Fans wishing to find Berry in a role a bit more cartoonish and madcap need look no further. Berry's Bainbridge dreams of combining animals in his supervillainish zoo laboratory and often physically strikes his underling, zoo manager Bob Fossil (Rich Fulcher).

Though Bainbridge's appearances are intermittent and unfortunately relegated to the first season of the series, they are nonetheless memorable, as Bainbridge is often saddled with lines that could only be as hysterical when delivered by Berry, such as, "You see a rhino? Big deal. You see a wolf? Who cares. You see a rhino with a wolf's head? That's a kind of twisted poetry." When not splicing humans and animals together, Bainbridge adventures around the world, hiding guns in his mustache and trying to recover "a sapphire as big as a schoolboy's head." Though the show's comedic sensibilities are so over-the-top that it is difficult to take its stories seriously, The Mighty Boosh's arbitrary mishmash of genre tropes often results in inexplicably delightful bits, like when Bainbridge and Fossil end a staff meeting by performing a stunning duet of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

8D8 (The Book of Boba Fett)

book-of-boba-fett-8d8-matt-berry
Image via Disney

It should be no surprise that in addition to his on-camera roles, Berry is also an accomplished voice actor, but it might prove somewhat surprising that his role in the Star Wars universe is primarily non-comedic. Berry's deadpan expressions pared with boisterous vocal performances are trademarks of his filmography, yet in Disney+'s The Book of Boba Fett, Berry delivers a finely tuned performance within much stricter confines. The droid that he plays, 8D8, is something of a dreary functionary tasked with serving Boba Fett in his takeover of Jabba the Hutt's former palace and criminal enterprises.

Operating as both a reference to Return of the Jedi, in which 8D8 is seen voicelessly torturing a GNK power droid, and an exposition delivery system for the show itself, Berry must clearly and cleanly explain the tense situation on Tatooine for both Boba Fett and the show's viewers. Though his voice is modulated to add a robotic effect, Berry also adds a bit of stuffiness and staccato to his performance, giving 8D8 the intonation and appearance of a tottering old advisor to the king. The droid's retro design and shakiness combined with Berry's subtle vocal alterations result in a role just distinct enough from the rest of his work to show some range. Berry's performance as 8D8 fits so seamlessly within the Star Wars universe that some of the actor's fans might not have realized that the droid was voiced by him at all.

Prince Merkimer (Disenchantment)

disenchantment-prince-merkimer
Image via Netflix

Though Matt Groening's follow-up to Futurama has yet to be lauded as highly as The Simpsons, Berry's role as Prince Merkimer in Disenchantment deserves all the praise that the internet can muster. Initially, Merkimer is a boastful and self-centered Prince, but he is soon turned into an endearingly pathetic and self-effacing swine after being tricked by Elfo (Nat Faxon) into drinking a mixture of elf and pig's blood. Human Merkimer is a Zapp Brannigan-style egotist, seeking to marry the show's willful yet unwilling protagonist, Princess Bean (Abbi Jacobson), regardless of how she feels about the situation. He is also led by his loins, as evidenced by one sequence in which he responds to the haunting singing of mermaids by declaring, "I must have sex with its origin."

Merkimer becomes a bit more bearable when he is humbled by his transformation into a hog. No longer respected by anyone, Pig Merkimer is often found wallowing around the castle grounds, repeating his beautifully intoned catchphrase, "Sad." It takes true skill as an actor to imbue a single word with such emotion and humor that it becomes a running gag. There is something hilariously compelling about Berry's nasally delivery while the animated Pig Merkimer flops listlessly on its back. Once a symbol of narcissism, Merkimer becomes a poster child for self-pity, enough so to result in a meme-worthy trip rolling down a spiral staircase while repeating, "...very, very, very sad."

Douglas Reynholm (The IT Crowd)

Douglas Reynholm from The IT Crowd

Taking over as boss of The IT Crowd's Reynholm Industries in the second episode of Season 2, Berry's Douglas Reynholm has one of the most startling and hilarious character introductions in sitcom history. Bursting into his father's funeral, Douglas Reynholm screams, "Father!" loudly and melodramatically, immediately capturing the congregation's attention. He then proceeds to charge clumsily toward his father's casket, knocking it off its pedestal and to the ground. This results in Douglas getting into a physical altercation with the priest. The two begin tussling, slapping each other wildly. Douglas only stops to castigate the crowd and bellow the word "father" again while clenching his fist.

Thus begins Berry's tenure as company boss on The IT Crowd, and the wildness of this moment perfectly sets the stage for the unprofessional, inappropriate, and deeply childish behavior that Douglas exhibits throughout the rest of the series. Though Douglas is often reprehensible, sexually harassing every woman who crosses his path, Berry performs the character with such ridiculous ignorance that it is difficult to despise Douglas even at his worst. He is a character so lascivious that he can only be restrained by pants that zap him when he becomes too amorous, but at the same time, his almost childlike stupidity makes him empathetic, like in the instant where he accidentally shoots himself in the leg with his father's gun. Berry's admirable acting ability can even make an untrustworthy, self-serving creep like Douglas into a relatively likable guy.

Steven Toast (Toast of London)

Steven Toast from Toast of London

Toast of London, a sitcom co-created by Berry and Arthur Mathews, stars Berry as Steven Toast, an actor who still believes that he is quite successful despite all evidence that his career is in severe decline. Similarly, Toast considers himself a charming playboy, but he often finds himself unlucky in love, like when one of his dates turns out to be an extreme hoarder and he becomes lodged between a stack of newspapers and her doorframe.

Toast is a lovable protagonist, like many of Berry's characters, due in part to his idiosyncrasies. Death threats from an enemy might ruffle his feathers slightly, but what really gets him irritated is being noted to death by amateurs. One of the show's best recurring gags involves Toast attempting to record voice over while the audio engineers prod at him with irritating comments and confusing direction. When audio engineer, Clem Fandango, repeatedly introduces himself and asks if Steven can hear him, it's unclear whether the man is intentionally trying to get Toast's goat or sincerely attempting to help. Regardless, Toast's response is always some variation of, "Yes, Clem Fandango. I can hear you," with varying degrees of irritation. Berry is perfect as the aging actor with a swoop of white hair, struggling to maintain his dignity and steady his career while time marches even onward, often leaving him looking like a bumbling fool.

A Man for All Seasons

Laszlo Cravensworth from What We Do In The Shadows

Berry has a knack for satirizing pompous oafs with voracious sexual appetites, but what makes his performances truly special is the vulnerability behind all the blustering bravado. Though Laszlo might shout profanities and Toast might angrily repeat the word "yes" into the microphone to appease his snickering audio engineers, Berry's eyes reveal the fragility of a man who just wants to be understood. He specializes in playing men who are too proud to reveal how desperately they want to be admired. In his voice work, where his eyes are no longer visible, Berry makes subtle changes in his vocalization to communicate what's missing. This is what makes him a superb actor, in addition to being a skilled comedian: he knows that no matter how ridiculous his characters may be, finding a shred of humanity, a window for empathy, will help them stand the test of time.