“The best pitch I ever heard about cocaine was back in the early eighties when a street dealer followed me down the sidewalk going: ‘I got some great blow man. I got the stuff that killed Belushi.’” —Leary

Most people readily recognize Denis Leary as one of the most cynical, foul-mouthed stand-up comics of today (OK, perhaps alongside another favorite of mine, George Carlin). Leary’s irreverent, uncompromising wit has served him well; his debut comedy special, “No Cure for Cancer,” was first performed in Scotland and won the Critic’s Award and the BBC Festival Recommendation. Soon after, the show premiered on American TV network Showtime, and its popularity resulted in a book, CD, cassette, and videotape. Most importantly, “No Cure for Cancer,” despite some controversy about its title, started Leary’s big screen career.

Today, his credits range from actor to producer, writer, director, and composer, often leading me to wonder why Leary isn’t a bigger star. In 1993, his stints as the bad guy Fallon in “Judgment Night” and leader of the underground in “Demolition Man” were hailed by the critics — perhaps more so than the films themselves. “The Ref” was his first starring role, quickly followed by “Operation Dumbo Drop” (1995) and “Two if by Sea” (1996), a romantic comedy co-starring Sandra Bullock for which Leary co-wrote the script his wife Ann Lembeck and Mike Armstrong. In 1996, Leary made his award-winning (CableACE) directorial debut with “Lust,” a segment of Showtime’s “National Lampoon’s Favorite Deadly Sins.” In 1997, Leary starred in five big-screen releases, but his next great [supporting] role was that of Detective First Grade Michael McCann in the 1999 blockbuster “The Thomas Crown Affair” (with Pierce Brosnan and Renee Russo), where Leary’s usual style was complemented by a script that allowed him to demonstrate his considerable acting talent. His performance in “True Crime” (1999) met with similar success.

The actor steadily moved towards leading roles, and recent years brought him several, although none seem to have generated much buzz. Most typically cast (and most successful with audiences) was Leary’s weary police detective seeking redemption in “Double Whammy” (2001). Same year’s sci-fi thriller/drama “Final” had a much more intriguing premise, with Leary portraying a paranoid coma patient who wakes up in a high security setting suspecting he’s been made part of a secret government experiment. “Bad Boy” (2002; also known as “Dawg”) was a waste of Leary’s unique abilities, as it put him in a script that was simply not funny enough, despite Leary's and co-star Elizabeth Hurley's best efforts. The premise of an egotistical womanizer being forgiven by all whom he betrayed in order to inherit a million dollars was also reminiscent of so many earlier films, from “Switch” (1991) to “The Bachelor” (1999).

Despite these relative flops, I am looking forward to Leary’s latest project: He returns to a supporting role in the upcoming “The Secret Lives of Dentists,” slated for release some time in 2003. Based on Jane Smiley’s The Age of Grief, this movie depicts a dentist having a dream that blurs the boundaries between fantasy and reality, and Leary plays one of his volatile patients.