Robert Patrick is an actor's actor. He works hard, he takes nothing for granted and he holds no delusions about the majority of his films' posterity. He famously once said of his work, "I've been acting for 16 years. I've done 55 movies and, in all seriousness, there's maybe five that are good and the rest are crap." Despite his self-deprecation, Patrick has held some of the most iconic roles in Hollywood history. He's played father to both Elvis and Johnny Cash, he's searched for the truth with Gillian Anderson's Scully, he's owed money to America's favorite HBO crime family, and of course, he's worn the uniform of the most recognizable, stone cold killer cop this side of Cyberdyne. We got the skinny on which five were worth their salt...

Patrick's Favorite Patrick Pictures

• Terminator 2: Judgment Day
• Cop Land
• Walk the Line
• The Only Thrill
• Fire in the Sky

It's no great surprise that the first role to pop into Patrick's head was the role he's most-often associated with: The T-1000. "Terminator 2 is my favorite film I've ever done," the actor says. "It's got a great plot, it was well cast...Even if you don't like the genre, you have to stand in awe of the filmmaking." Cop Land and Fire in the Sky he claims are both "under-rated" and "overlooked" films. As for playing Johnny Cash's gruff, tough-love father in Walk the Line, "That performance in particular I'm very proud of," he says. "Working with Joaquin [Phoenix] -- he's like a little brother to me." The Only Thrill thrilled him for much different reasons: "It didn't really do a lot at the box office," he recounts. "Maybe it's just that I got to work with Diane Lane and be her love interest."

What other filmmaking awes you? Check out our Special Effects Poll.