Actors Charged with Thefth, Burglary or Robbery
Legal trouble and Hollywood have crossed paths plenty of times, and some well-known male actors have faced charges tied to theft-related offenses—everything from petty theft to burglary and armed robbery. Below is a clear, fact-checked snapshot of a few such cases, paired with quick, useful notes about the movies and shows these men are best known for.
To keep things simple and readable, each entry briefly states the relevant charge, then folds in practical movie-buff details—plots, key cast, and crew—so you get context on the work audiences most associate with each name.
O. J. Simpson
Simpson was found guilty on all counts in the Las Vegas sports-memorabilia case, a verdict that included armed robbery and kidnapping; he later served time and was paroled before his death in 2024. As an actor, he’s widely recognized as Nordberg in the comedy ‘The Naked Gun’, a police-spoof directed by David Zucker and led by Leslie Nielsen with Priscilla Presley among the principal cast.
‘The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!’ follows bumbling cop Frank Drebin as he stumbles through a plot to assassinate the Queen of the United Kingdom, with sight gags and deadpan line-reads defining Zucker–Abrahams–Zucker’s style; the ensemble features Nielsen, George Kennedy, Ricardo Montalbán, and Simpson as Drebin’s colleague.
Rip Torn
Torn was charged after police found him inside a Connecticut bank while intoxicated and carrying a handgun; he later pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the incident. Onscreen, he’s especially known as Zed in ‘Men in Black’, where director Barry Sonnenfeld teams Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as covert agents policing extraterrestrial life on Earth.
Beyond that franchise role, Torn’s TV legacy includes ‘The Larry Sanders Show’, the HBO workplace satire created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein, with Torn playing producer Artie alongside Shandling and Jeffrey Tambor; the series’ writers’ room included names like Judd Apatow and Paul Simms.
Randy Quaid
Quaid was arrested and charged with felony residential burglary after he and his wife were found living on a California property without permission, according to authorities. For many viewers, he’s associated with ‘Independence Day’, in which director Roland Emmerich blends large-scale alien-invasion spectacle with an ensemble starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, and Quaid.
He’s also a fixture of ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’, directed by Harold Ramis from a John Hughes script, where Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo headline the misadventures of the Griswold family; Quaid appears as cousin Eddie, a recurring character across the series.
Lillo Brancato
A jury acquitted Brancato of murder but convicted him of first-degree attempted burglary in a Bronx case; he was later sentenced and served time. Audiences first met him in ‘A Bronx Tale’, Robert De Niro’s directorial debut based on Chazz Palminteri’s play, which follows a Bronx kid torn between a mob mentor and his bus-driver father; Brancato plays the teen lead opposite De Niro and Palminteri.
On TV, he appeared in ‘The Sopranos’, created by David Chase, a crime-drama centered on New Jersey boss Tony Soprano and his family; the series stars James Gandolfini with Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, and an ensemble cast across its six-season run.
Katt Williams
Williams was charged with robbery in a case involving a photographer’s camera and later pleaded no contest, receiving a sentence that included anger-management classes. In film, many fans remember him as Money Mike in ‘Friday After Next’, the Ice Cube-written holiday caper directed by Marcus Raboy, with Cube and Mike Epps fronting a story about cousins working mall security as a Santa-clad thief complicates their season.
On TV, Williams guest-stars in ‘Atlanta’—created by Donald Glover—appearing as Willy in the episode ‘Alligator Man’, directed by Hiro Murai; the series mixes comedy and drama as it follows Earn, Paper Boi, and Darius navigating music, family, and fame in and around the city.
Shia LaBeouf
LaBeouf was charged with misdemeanor battery and petty theft after an altercation in Los Angeles; prosecutors alleged he took a man’s hat during the incident. In blockbuster mode, he led ‘Transformers’ for director Michael Bay, playing Sam Witwicky as the human point-of-view in a battle between Autobots and Decepticons; the cast includes Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and John Turturro.
He also wrote and co-stars in ‘Honey Boy’, directed by Alma Har’el, a drama that fictionalizes a child actor’s turbulent upbringing; the film features Lucas Hedges and Noah Jupe portraying the protagonist at different ages, with LaBeouf playing a character based on the boy’s father and Amazon Studios handling distribution.
Andy Dick
Dick was arrested and charged with felony residential burglary after officers said he was caught taking power tools from a vacant Santa Barbara home. He’s long been part of the ensemble of ‘NewsRadio’, the Paul Simms–created NBC workplace sitcom about the staff of a New York AM station, with Dave Foley, Stephen Root, Maura Tierney, Vicki Lewis, Joe Rogan, Phil Hartman, and Jon Lovitz among the core cast.
On the film side, he co-stars in ‘In the Army Now’, a Daniel Petrie Jr. comedy in which two slackers join the Army Reserve and wind up in the desert on a water-purification unit; the cast features Pauly Shore, Lori Petty, David Alan Grier, and Esai Morales.
Orlando Brown
Brown was arrested in Las Vegas on one count of burglary tied to a restaurant incident; court records later showed a plea to a lesser trespassing charge. He’s widely known for Disney Channel’s ‘That’s So Raven’, created by Michael Poryes and Susan Sherman, which centers on Raven Baxter’s secret visions and misadventures with friends Eddie Thomas (played by Brown) and Chelsea Daniels.
He also appears in ‘Major Payne’, directed by Nick Castle and starring Damon Wayans as a Marine turned cadet-corps commander; the military comedy pairs Wayans with Karyn Parsons and Michael Ironside, with Brown among the cadets navigating Payne’s over-the-top training regimen.
Share your take below: which entries surprised you most, and what other cases should we fact-check for a future update?
