Character Actors

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Mr Alden, Oct 15, 2008.

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  1. Mr Alden

    Mr Alden New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Detroit Michigan
    Character actors. We've seen hundreds of them and we like most of them. Some have had large rolls but maybe only once. Some have gone direct to video or have done or are doing voice overs for some obscure documentary. Some were popular once a long time ago and then vanished only to be seen here and there next to A-list actors of today. Ever wonder why they never get more leading rolls no matter how good "we" think they are? Maybe it's because they don't give off enough heat on the screen, or perhaps they don't have box office appeal. Here are a few of my favorite Character actors that I believe could be a presence on the screen given the right material. These that I am listing here are quite well known. There are others that are lesser known and equally good

    Tobin Bell
    Robert Forster
    Gary Busey
    Tracey Walter
    Colm Meaney
    Dirk Benedict
    Mr T :eek: (Just Kidding)
     
  2. NIKE SQ 460

    NIKE SQ 460 Just Do It...Daily!

    Location:
    westCOAST
    funny, i was just thinking along these lines also. for me, gene hackman is the best character actor ever...although he did star in a movie or so back in the day, now gene just sits back and steals every scene he's in. you know, he's so great at playing the proverbial a**hole.

    hmm, new thread idea.
     
  3. Steve Buscemi...one of the best.
     
  4. jojopuppyfish

    jojopuppyfish Senior Member

    Location:
    Maryland
    Michael Ironside
    Jonathan Banks
    Robert Davi
    James Cromwell
    Ron Silver
     
  5. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Jack Elam
    Walter Brennan
     
  6. Jackson

    Jackson Senior Member

    Location:
    MA, USA
    Warren Oates
    Bruce Dern
    Joe Pesci
     
  7. keef00

    keef00 Senior Member

    Two immediately come to mind for me...

    M. Emmett Walsh, who has appeared in everything from Little Big Man to Blade Runner, and had a starring turn in Blood Simple.

    Harry Dean Stanton, the Repo Man himself, who has appeared in... everything. After seeing Harry places like courtside at a Lakers game with Jack, at a Roy Orbison concert, in music videos and a couple of hundred movies, we had a running joke that Repo Man was somewhere on every piece of film that was ever made. For me, Harry is the character actor.
     
  8. Mr Alden

    Mr Alden New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Detroit Michigan
    Harry Dean Stanton

    Good choice keef00! another great screen presence
     
  9. Frodis

    Frodis New Member

    Location:
    Balti-Moe
    Remember the old TV character actors (like Vito Scotti) that seemed to be in everything on TV in the 60's & 70s?). It was almost a game after a while to see how many different shows the person was on and what parts they played.
     
  10. dreamwhip

    dreamwhip New Member

    Location:
    Delaware, USA
    I do that with Rance Howard (who often plays doctors or priests) and William Shallert who always played dads and teachers on old tv shows.
     
  11. macready

    macready New Member

    Location:
    Oregon, USA
    L.Q. Jones

    [​IMG]
     
  12. dreamwhip

    dreamwhip New Member

    Location:
    Delaware, USA
    I like a lot of those people above, esp Harry Dean Stanton. I really like Chris Cooper, who has been kind of a lead on occasion, but usually is a secondary character. Ned Beatty is a good one, James Earl Jones, Robert Loggia, Rip Torn, Jack Warden, Ian Holm I could think of bunches more, if I really thought about it, esp in some really old classics, like say Sydney Greenstreet.
     
  13. Green Tea

    Green Tea Sweet Soulful Sounds

    Location:
    ϟ
    Wally Shawn, a great character actor. (My Dinner with André)
     
  14. BNell

    BNell Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Norwalk, CT
    Bruce McGill
     
  15. Digital-G

    Digital-G Senior Member

    Location:
    Dayton, OH
    Wasn't he in EVERY police/detective show in the 70's? Seems that I remember seeing him in Hawaii 5-O, Barnaby Jones, Charlies Angels, Canon (anyone remember that one?), etc...

    Good call on Steve Bucshemi. Whenever he is in a film I KNOW it's going to be an interesting part...
     
  16. Dan Halen

    Dan Halen Active Member

    Location:
    New York
    There are so many great ones, past and present. But Jack Warden really stands out for me. He was an amazing dramatic and comedic actor. My favorite Warden moment is in "Shampoo." The scene where he's watching Warren Beatty and Julie Christy have sex. As Goldie Hawn (who started the film as Beatty's girlfriend) walks by, Warden very casually turns to her, points to the fornicating silhouettes, and croaks, "Now that's what I call f$#@ing! Am I right, or am I right?!"
     
  17. Winter Hugohalter

    Winter Hugohalter New Member

    Location:
    Camas Washington
    Just a few the pop into my head:


    Sig Ruman
    Warren Stevens
    Douglas Dumbrille
    Louis Calhern
    Frank Morgan
    Adolphe Menjou
    Jules Munshin
    Jeff Morris
    John Vernon
    Richard Stahl
    Herbert Lom
    Robert Morley
    Joseph Maher
    Charles Napier
    Brion James
    Bernard Fox
    William Schallert
    Anthony James
    Logan Ramsey
    Victor Argo
    Val Avery
    Ron Liebman
    Harold Gould
    Phil Leeds
    Milton Selzer
    J.T. Walsh
    Leon Russom
    Kurtwood Smith
    Steven Berkoff
    Douglas Wilmer
    Graham Stark
    Kevin Tighe

    I could go on for hours with this one!
     
  18. seriousfun

    seriousfun Forum Resident

    I'll second William Schallert. He's still working, at 86 - he appeared as the mayor on True Blood last week (not credited on IMDB).
     
  19. The Panda

    The Panda Forum Mutant

    Location:
    Marple, PA, USA
    William Windom was a classic TV cahracter actor. Most famous for My World and Welcome To It, a show that defined 'quirky'
     
  20. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
    detroit, mi
    I always liked that guy who was running for President Fred Thompson. He always put in a good performance.
     
  21. mcow1

    mcow1 Sommelier Gort

    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    The first ones that popped into my head were Burt Mustin and Dub Taylor.
     
  22. Tim S

    Tim S Senior Member

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    Yep, he's the one.
     
  23. Skip Reynolds

    Skip Reynolds Legend In His Own Mind

    Location:
    Moscow, Idaho

    Exactly the two names I was going to post.
     
  24. Jerryb

    Jerryb Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Has anyone mentioned Tom Wilkinson?

    [​IMG]
     
  25. Mike Dow

    Mike Dow I kind of like the music

    Location:
    Bangor, Maine
    Me too! :)

    Burt played the classic old man in dozens of shows. Dub was seemingly in just about every western ever shot.
     

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