Lights, camera, taxation! Accountants on screen

April 12, 2024 12:20 PM

With the announcement that "The Accountant" is getting a sequel (while the original 2011 Ben Affleck-helmed action thriller tops the Netflix charts), we at Accounting Today got to thinking about the most memorable on-screen accountants.

Fortunately, despite the urge to stereotype members of the profession, this list represents some diversity beyond the caricature of the straitlaced, overworked CPA. Sure, some of those generalizations surface, but some of the most iconic accountant portrayals include a crafty, wrongly imprisoned banker, the investigator who brought down Al Capone, and of course, the aforementioned CPA assassin, among some other favorites of the silver and small screen (including one AICPA cameo).

Louis Tully, “Ghostbusters”

Introduced as an eccentric neighbor of Dana (Sigourney Weaver) celebrating his fourth anniversary as an accountant with a (partially business-expensed) party for his clients, Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) soon becomes possessed by a demon that transforms him into the pivotal Keymaster. Moranis went on to reprise his role in the “Ghostbusters” sequel, this time getting to suit up in the famous jumpsuit and proton pack.

Leo Bloom, “The Producers”

Gene Wilder plays nervous accountant Leo Bloom who, after reviewing the books of down-on-his-luck theater producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel), teams up with him in their wacky idea to produce a flop musical that should generate more money than a hit. Many hijinks, of course, ensue in this madcap comedy that inspired both a movie remake and a successful Broadway run.

Deirdre Beaubeirdra, “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

The 2023 Academy Award Best Picture winner’s surrealist action only really gets started during a routine visit to an IRS office, where protagonist Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) is undergoing an audit of her laundromat by IRS agent Deirdre Beaubeirdra, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, who was inspired by a photo of a real agent (or possibly DMV employee) in her portrayal. In serving as a venue for the movie’s first of many stellar fight scenes, that sterile IRS office becomes a portal to so much more, as do the characters, all of whom dramatically subvert expectations — including agent Beaubeirdra.

Itzhak Stern, “Schindler’s List”

Steven Spielberg’s classic celebrates the life of heroic industrialist Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who is credited with saving the lives of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. By his side was his accountant, Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), maintaining the titular list of names of his fellow Jews who were hired to work in Schindler's factories in order to save them from Nazi death camps.

The accounting department, “The Office”

Everyone has a character from “The Office” in their office, and if you’re not the eccentric Dwight or lovelorn Jim, you might be one of the ragtag bunch that makes up the accounting department. Especially considering there are a range of personalities to choose from, from the uptight Angela to the level-headed Oscar to the silly Kevin. The dysfunctional but seemingly quite hardworking trio were fan favorites enough to even inspire a web series spinoff.

Ben Wyatt and Barney Varmn, "Parks and Recreation"

Greg Daniels sure has a soft spot for accountants, as “The Office” creator and fellow producer and “Parks and Recreation” creator Michael Schur mine that well again in introducing state auditor and former boy-mayor Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott), first as a straight-man character opposite Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) but eventually evolving into her love interest, with enough eccentricities to match hers, including as a board-game hobbyist whose Cones of Dunshire we’re still holding out hope will be officially distributed one day. In a lesser role, minor character Barney Varmn (John Balma) elicits major laughs as the nerdy, pun-loving accountant who keeps courting Ben to join his firm, to no — but hilarious! — avail.

Christian Wolff, “The Accountant”

Under the guise of a small-town CPA, Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) also operates as an accountant for criminals, setting him up for all the homicidal action to come. He’s a math whiz with the acumen to uncover corruption and a violent assassin with excellent marksmanship. Guaranteeing a pretty robust 360 degree review from any firm.

Oscar Wallace, "The Untouchables"

In “The Untouchables,” IRS agent Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith) is based on real-life accountant and Bureau of Internal Revenue agent Frank J. Wilson, who took down Al Capone for tax evasion, famously ending his seven-year reign as mob boss. In his semi-fictionalized form, he joins an all-star cast, including Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, and Robert DeNiro as the storied mobster.

Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas, “Midnight Run”

DeNiro must have developed a taste for acting opposite (crime-adjacent) accountants after “The Untouchables,” as the next year he starred as bounty hunter Jack Walsh tasked with finding accountant Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas (Charles Grodin), who embezzled $15 million from a Chicago mob boss, and escorting him across the country. But he’s got competition, from that boss, a rival bounty hunter and the FBI, putting the wheels in motion for one of cinema’s best action-packed buddy road trip comedies.

Mollie Ubriacco, "Look Who's Talking"

Kirstie Alley is Mollie, an accountant pregnant with the loquacious baby of her tax client (George Segal) when she meets cab driver James (John Travolta) and the two embark on a romance very frequently interrupted by Mollie’s newborn, voiced by Bruce Willis. The movie spawned two sequels (and another baby for Mollie and James) with more stars flexing their voiceover chops.

Harold Crick, “Stranger Than Fiction”

Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) might embody the stereotypical IRS agent living a boring, monotonous life, but it’s this very existence that makes him ripe for the movie’s comedic conceit: his every move is being narrated by an unseen voice only he can hear. We follow him through his day to day, and some less routine events, like developing a crush on the baker he’s auditing (Maggie Gyllenhaal), which brings some needed whimsy into a life he is growing to appreciate more as it’s detailed to him. His job even comes in handy when he finally discovers the author behind the mysterious voice (Emma Thompson) who, naturally, he tracks down through her tax records.

Skyler White, “Breaking Bad”

Behind every great (or greatly evil) man is a woman helping him launder his money, which bookkeeper Skyler does to help protect husband Walter (Bryan Cranston) and his increasingly disturbing criminal endeavors. But even she can’t stand by him forever, as his sinister spiral from chemistry teacher to drug kingpin leaves a wide path of destruction in his wake.

Andy Dufresne, “The Shawshank Redemption”

After banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sentenced to life in prison, he puts his accounting skills to use, helping a prison guard with his taxes, and later the warden with money laundering. While becoming a sort of in-house financial advisor to the prison staff, he strikes up a lifelong friendship with fellow prisoner Red (Morgan Freeman), which is the heart of the Stephen King-adapted movie.

Albert Brennaman, “Hitch”

Hollywood seems to love a lovelorn accountant, and Kevin James’ Albert fits the profile, as a self-described desperate tax consultant who enlists the services of “date doctor” Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Will Smith) to land the woman of his dreams — who also happens to be a client. Under Hitch’s guidance, Albert transforms from awkward guy to confident man who (spoiler alert) gets the girl. Albert earns extra credit on this list as, when we first meet him, he’s drinking out of an AICPA mug (which, in proper bumbling fashion, he promptly spills all over his desk).

Loretta Castorini, “Moonstruck”

It’s not just Nicolas Cage’s Ronny Cammareri who needs to “Snap out of it!” in romantic comedy “Moonstruck” but some of the clueless clients to Brooklyn bookkeeper Loretta Castorini (Cher) whom she urges to keep track of their receipts. Her number-crunching job is less consequential to the plot of falling in love with the brother of her fiance, but it adds some gravity to an otherwise classic New York fairytale love story.

Who did we miss? Contact Danielle Lee at danielle.lee@arizent.com.