During the last few months I have been discovering the work of English actor John Simm, who in addition to being one of the most powerful and versatile actors I have come across, is also, hands down, the most prolific on-screen male crier in history (English language, at least).  Of the 50 films/TV series he has been in, he has cried in 21 of them, for a total of 38 crying scenes.  That’s 42% of his work.  Not even James McAvoy can touch that.
It is notable that Simm generally plays strong characters, but does so in a lot of fairly heavy dramas (though nothing “soap opera-ish”) in which said characters are put through an emotional wringer.  I find it strange that (as far as I know) no one’s ever asked him about his propensity for on-screen crying.  (Though it certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed: there are tons of GIFs and fan pages devoted to his crying all over the internet.) 
 I did find this quote: “When I cry on screen, those are real tears, that’s how I cry.”
 And in a commentary for Life on Mars (probably his most famous work), he said that in one scene he was crying so much he had to drink a lot of water as, “I had no liquid left in me body.”  (Unfortunately most of those tears did not end up in the final cut).
 Below is a selection of his best scenes.  Photos from these and many others can be found on this Pinterest board that I set up (his scenes would overwhelm my regular crying actors board, so I gave him his own wing):https://www.pinterest.com/sydcarton/gallery-of-crying-men-actors-john-simm-wing/

Life on Mars: 1.1. As a cop in 2006, his girlfriend is kidnapped, and crying while driving gets him into an accident that has him waking up in 1973:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwHyyNCG_oBkSjBLNElvcjBLczQ
1.1. Trapped in 1973, he receives an upsetting communication from 2006 through a TV set:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwHyyNCG_oBkNS1IUmNFa3NFQW8
2.8. At the end of the series he is presented with an explanation that his 1973 life is real, he’s losing his mind, and will have to betray his boss:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwHyyNCG_oBkZHVYTUc5eXpXXzQ 

Exile (Ep.3): He learns a horrifying secret about his past while watching a man on a videotape.  (Major spoilers for this excellent series.  It works just as well with the sound off, just watching his devastated  reaction).  
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwHyyNCG_oBkQjZ0NTdXaVlHTGc
 Boston Kickout:  A very young John Simm plays a man whose mother committed suicide in front of him when he was a child and is now confronting his father, who recently tried to kill himself as well.  Heartbreaking scene.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCHUNE-Z0T0 

Skellig: The Owl Man: Two brief scenes together. He’s afraid his baby girl may die.    
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwHyyNCG_oBkNGVYcnJ0SnlveFU

 The Yellow House: As Vincent Van Gogh, the infamous ear-cutting scene.https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwHyyNCG_oBkS0hUZGdDWHNxeDA

 Prey (1.1): Watch a man’s life go to hell in 13 minutes.  Three scenes together: He finds his ex-wife dead; he’s informed that his son is also dead; he’s accused of the crimes.  https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwHyyNCG_oBkOHJvbl82WnlETVU

 State of Play (Ep.6): Here he’s a reporter trying very hard NOT to cry.  He’s just lost the woman he loves and the good friend he’d been defending confessed to a horrible crime on tape (and his colleagues just want the tape).  https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwHyyNCG_oBkbVctaERrT3RHVkE

 Forgive and Forget:  Two scenes together: The first is a lovely crying/comforting scene. He’s a young man whose girlfriend just left him and is unaware that the best friend he is crying to is secretly in love with him and sabotaged his relationship with the girl.  The second scene has less crying (some from both at the end), but is very powerful.  The friend confessed to being in love with him on national TV.  https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwHyyNCG_oBkZG1feU5BWGFBVWM 

Intruders (1.6): A man has to come to terms with the fact that another soul has taken over his wife’s body. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwHyyNCG_oBka2trZUxqTzl3LUU  Followup scene (Warning: contains image of a baby skeleton):
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwHyyNCG_oBkWUdlcVMzc2NWU0E 

Crime and Punishment (Pt.2):  Raskolnikov is going to be arrested for murder and must face his girlfriend, mother and sister.  Three scenes, kind of long, but great stuff and he’s pretty much quietly crying throughout.  https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwHyyNCG_oBkUEhTQ1RoUFdZUVU

And by request:
Mad Dogs (UK, 4.2): Spoiler here, as it's a major event in the very last episode: 
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwHyyNCG_oBkZEktTXIzZXUzQUU

Other scenes (briefer/less intense): more Life on Mars, The Village (BBC series), Father’s Day (short), The Devil’s Whore, Sex Traffic, Miranda, Never Never, Clocking Off, The Lakes, Cracker: Best Boys, Chiller: Here Comes the Mirror Man 

DISCLAIMER: I hold no rights to any clips posted and am making no profit from them.  The only motive in posting them is to share them with other fans.   

Last edited by Squonk (November 12, 2016 4:15 am)