Who are your favorite character actors
and bit players in film ?

Here are a couple of mine :

Miguel Sandoval
George Dzundza
Al Leong
Colm Meaney
Esai Morales
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07-04-04, 10:51 PM
coldfuse
What a great start!

Some I'd like to add:

Don Cheadle
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Edward Fox
The late Geraldine Page
Judi Dench
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07-04-04, 11:13 PM
Kelleygirl
Some of my favs are:

Steve Buscemi
Helena Bonham Carter
the late Strother Martin
William H. Macy
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07-05-04, 09:55 AM
jusork
How do you know if someone's a character actor? I do like William H. Macy and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, too, though.
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07-05-04, 11:01 AM
Kelleygirl
Hi Jusork, maybe this site will help you relate to this term.

http://optimusfilms.20m.com/characteractors/
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07-05-04, 11:57 AM
jusork
Ooooooh! Thanks, Kelley. That was way different than I thought it was. I know that one I find to be a big character actor is R. Lee Ermey. Steve Zahn would probably be considered one, too. Oh and Jason Lee. I might go with Diedrich Bader though.
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07-07-04, 11:10 AM
kittypal
Dennis Leary
Brian Dennehey (sp?) not sure if he is a "charachter" actor either??
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07-07-04, 11:42 AM
Texan-In-Exile
Cloris Leachman has long been one of my favorite character actors! So was John Candy. And John Lithgow is great too!
Lily Tomlin, Jeffrey Jones...
Jack Nicholson, Johnny Depp and John Malkovich are big stars now, but they've always been good at playing eccentric or unusual roles.
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07-08-04, 09:38 AM
Texan-In-Exile
Oh - another post reminded of her - Kathy Bates is a fantastic character actress, as a star or as supporting!
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07-13-04, 04:22 AM
VivienneHa

quote:Originally posted by coldfuse:
What a great start!

Some I'd like to add:

Don Cheadle
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Edward Fox
The late Geraldine Page
Judi Dench



Character actors and bit players!
JUDY DENCH !!!
Coldfuse! You should be dragged through the streets of London,then locked up in the Tower,for such a statement!
Over here Judy Dench is one of our great leading ladies, A STAR,A DAME OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
(I'm also bridling slightly at Edward Fox being called a character actor!)
Viv.
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07-13-04, 05:39 AM
Fritzzs
A real "scene stealer" was the late Thelma Ritter... She was so good, she was actually one of the stars of the movie...
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07-13-04, 05:19 PM
coldfuse
Point well taken, Vivienne!

However, both Dench and Fox have had character actor roles that are quite impressive. I rather enjoy Dench's role as "M" in the newer Bond films, for example. And Fox's role as Sgt. Miller, the Demolitions expert in Force 10 from Navarone (starring Harrison Ford and Robert Shaw) was a tour de force in an otherwise unspectacular flick.

May I add two replacements, if needed:

Frances McDormand
Chris Cooper
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11-25-06, 05:57 AM
roogalator
Had to mention -

Strother Martin
Bruce Dern

I'll be back!
Smile
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11-25-06, 08:14 AM
frankvan
Does anyone remember Oscar Homolka, or Maria Ouspenskaya?
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11-25-06, 11:03 AM
DorianGreyed
Both, Frank. Ouspenskaya was a noted actress in Russia, and, worked with Stanislavski in Moscow. (I think she also taught at his school for actors. After coming to the US, she was on Broadway for quite a while, and started an acting school. (She was also in The Wolf Man, one of my favorite movies.)

Homolka made a good living playing Eastern Europeans (quite well, actually), but was either Swiss or Austrian.

I know Ouspenskaya was nominated for an Oscar; I don't know about Holmolka.
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11-27-06, 06:53 AM
juanruiz
I always liked S.Z. Sakall and the numerous actors who played various roles on the old Mission:Impossible tv series.
11-27-06, 09:06 AM
dance girl
Wink Here's one of my favourites and a guy who epitomizes the term "character actor" John C. Reilly

Lots of people don't know the name, but sure recognise that face
He seems to play a lot of ordinary guys, just trying to do the right thing as in Renee Zellweger's husband in Chicago.

Oh and what about Peter Stormare? There's one scary looking guy..played opposite Steve Buscemi, in Fargo.link.
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12-04-06, 10:44 PM
roogalator
Peter Lorre
Nigel Bruce
Ted Cassidy
Jack Palance
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12-05-06, 12:00 AM
DorianGreyed
Too many to list.

Everett Sloane
Joseph Cotton
Agnes Moorehead
John Houseman
(OK, the entire Mercury Theater group)
Lee Strasberg
Barry Corbin
Billy Drago
M. Emmet Walsh
Sidney Greenstreet
Ralph Bellamy
the entire cast of "The Conversation"
Dennis Hopper
Barbara Hershey
Forrest Whitaker
Ron O'Neal
Solomon Burke
Ned Beatty
Burgess Meredith
Miguel Ferrer
Al Lettieri
Joe Spinell
Randy Quaid
Sam Jaffe
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12-05-06, 09:15 PM
dance girl
Well there are two from your list that I would certainly agree with Dorian.
Forrest Whitaker: what a wonderful character actor. First saw him in "The Crying Game" and now he's moved in to a leading role.
Has anyone seen him in The Last King of Scotland yet?

I haven't yet and wonder if anyone would recommend it?

The other actor you mentioned was Randy Quaid who played a great role as the rancher in Brokeback Mountain.
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12-07-06, 11:18 AM
frankvan
Fave character actors
Anyone remember Akim Tamiroff ?
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12-07-06, 11:26 AM
juanruiz
Yes.
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12-07-06, 01:01 PM
VelvetVoice
Ricardo Montalban-To me, this guy is the most essential character actor, if that is what he truly is. He's been a priest, an uppity actor, a Spanish lover type, a zookeeper, the keeper of Fantasy Island, and of course Khan Noonien Singh.

Tony Shalhoub-Prior to the Monk series, he was in many bit parts, almost unrecognizable. Of course, I like him best as the defective detective.
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12-07-06, 01:17 PM
juanruiz
John Fielder apeared in "Twelve Angry Men," was Mr. Peterson in "The Bob Newhart Show," but was likely most famous as the voice of Piglet in "Winnie the Pooh."
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12-07-06, 01:23 PM
VelvetVoice
Wasn't that guy one of Oscar's poker-playing friends on The Odd Couple? I believe he was in both the movie and TV series. And he was also on a Star Trek episode 'Wolf in the Fold'.
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12-07-06, 01:40 PM
juanruiz
Yes. His Piglet role was fitting, since he often played Melvin Milquetoast characters.
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12-07-06, 03:40 PM
FredPuli
Conrad Veidt. Played the murderer in The Cabinet of Dr Cagliari but is best known for his masterful performance in Casablanca, where he played the top Nazi in the place.Excellent. (Pretty good for a confirmed anti-Nazi too Smile )

Peter Lorre is another favourite. In the Maltese Falcon, in particular, he brought that curious menace which he did so well.
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12-12-06, 02:34 PM
juanruiz

quote:
Peter Lorre is another favourite. In the Maltese Falcon, in particular, he brought that curious menace which he did so well.



Lorre did some fine work. I do really think his best, however, was in "M".
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12-12-06, 03:19 PM
DorianGreyed
Hans Beckert: I can't help what I do! I can't help it, I can't...

Criminal: The old story! We never can help it in court!

Hans Beckert: What do you know about it? Who are you anyway? Who are you? Criminals? Are you proud of yourselves? Proud of breaking safes or cheating at cards? Things you could just as well keep your fingers off. You wouldn't need to do all that if you'd learn a proper trade or if you'd work. If you weren't a bunch of lazy bastards. But I... I can't help myself! I have no control over this, this evil thing inside of me, the fire, the voices, the torment!

Schraenker: Do you mean to say that you have to murder?

Hans Beckert:It's there all the time, driving me out to wander the streets, following me, silently, but I can feel it there. It's me, pursuing myself! I want to escape, to escape from myself! But it's impossible. I can't escape, I have to obey it. I have to run, run... endless streets. I want to escape, to get away! And I'm pursued by ghosts. Ghosts of mothers and of those children... they never leave me. They are always there... always, always, always!, except when I do it, when I... Then I can't remember anything. And afterwards I see those posters and read what I've done, and read, and read... did I do that? But I can't remember anything about it! But who will believe me? Who knows what it's like to be me? How I'm forced to act... how I must, must... don't want to, must! Don't want to, but must! And then a voice screams! I can't bear to hear it! I can't go on! I can't... I can't...

Great film, with so many messages.

"Man muß eben noch besser auf die Kinder achtgeben. IHR..."
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12-12-06, 04:30 PM
juanruiz
That dialog is so much more effective in German. Lorre just spits out the words. And his facial expression is incredible.
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12-12-06, 05:58 PM
DorianGreyed
I've seen in in several versions, and I agree that the German is better, even though I had to follow the subtitles. Lorre could have done that role in Esperanto, and come across the same. He was so realistic at the end that his confession was painful to watch. He managed to be tortured, scornful, self-loathing, and demanding pity in the same scene, all within seconds of each other.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,