Name a character actor or actress you really like

[terrya]

Steve Buscemi always is watchable...even in the worst crap.

[dysfunctional press]

1. i like peter stormare a lot...

and he's even appeared with buscemi in 4 different movies. fargo probably being the most memorable pairing.

[u4ic]

2. Pernilla August

Börje Ahlstedt
Ernst-Hugo Järegård
Helen Mirren

[NewWaveChick1981]

3. Celia Weston.

:hi: I met her a couple of years ago, and she's wonderful. She's a great actress too.

[hippywife]

4. I've always enjoyed

Joan Plowright and Colleen Dewhurst.

[grace0418]

5. LOVE LOVE LOVE Steve Buscemi! Plus he's a total hero.

He volunteered after 9/11 with his old firehouse (he used to be a firefighter) to help with recovery. He never did interviews or allowed his picture to be taken. He just wanted to help.

[Dervill Crow]

61. I didn't know that!

I love him as an actor. So nice to know he's also an awesome Real Person.

[NYCGirl]

6. Thelma Ritter, Frank Faylen, Hans Conreid

Thelma Ritter

Films:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0728812/


Frank Faylen

Films:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0269709/


Hans Conreid

Films:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0175788/

[Flaxbee]

9. god, Thelma Ritter was fantastic

she was one of the best parts of all the Doris Day/Rock Hudson movies.

[NYCGirl]

13. She is remarkable, and adds so much to any film. My favorite role of hers is in

"Pickup on South Street." She has a rare starring role in a nice little comedy, "The Model and the Marriage Broker" (Thelma's the marriage broker) — it's sort of obscure, but I saw it on the Fox Movie Channel.

[azmouse]

17. Another Thelma Ritter fan here.

Rear Window wouldn't have been the same without her.

Even her small role in Miracle on 34th St makes me laugh. She was wonderful.

[CBHagman]

18. Another Thelma fan here.

Check out her scenes in A New Kind of Love with George Tobias, another of the memorable (and ubiquitous) character actors. The film's stars are Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, but Ritter steals every scene she's in.

Other character actors I love, past and present:


S.Z. Sakall


Edna May Oliver


Edmund Gwenn (Love that voice!)

And frankly, I am more drawn to character actors than so-called stars. As someone mentioned elsewhere in the thread, Brenda Blethyn is amazing, and I'd also mention such mighty talents as Brian Cox, Jim Broadbent, Chris Cooper, Ian Holm -- okay, if I get started on this list, I'll never stop posting. Suffice it to say that they're amazing.

On edit: Forgot to mention Imelda Staunton.

[Dervill Crow]

58. Hans Conried - one of the best components of Rocky and Bullwinkle

And there was much to love about Rocky and Bullwinkle. :loveya:

[ohiosmith]

7. Bruno Kirby

[dysfunctional press]

15. bruno is one of my favourites. 67 acting entries at imdb.com

i've always thought that if i owned a theatre, i'd like to hold a bruno kirby film festival, featuring the movies he's been in.

[Serial Mom]

60. don't you mean "was"

:cry:

Date of Death:14 August 2006, Los Angeles, California, USA. (complications from leukemia)

[Flaxbee]

8. I like Brenda Blethyn a LOT, though she's more of a

starring actress, but not in many US-released movies. I also like Alfre Woodard, John Billingsly (guy who played Dr. Phlox on Enterprise, but was a total hoot in "Out of Time" with Denzel Washington).

I know there are a ton more, but I have a splitting headache and can't seem to think very well right now.

[SteppingRazor]

10. Paul Giamatti — he was even watchable in Lady in the Water, fer chrissake n/t

[Dervill Crow]

59. He was so good, I didn't realize how bad Lady in the Water was. (eom)

[XNASA]

11. William H. Macy

He reminds me of my brother.

[nytemare]

37. He is a hell of an actor.

He has to have an oscar, sooner or later.

[Forkboy]

53. One of the best...I didn't name him because he's almost popular now.

I have yet to see Macy do anything that was less than awesome.He was even hilarious on Inside The Actor's Studio.

[zappa_parappa]

12. Crispin Glover!

Steve Buscemi is always good too.

[idgiehkt]

24. he is one of a kind, no doubt. n/t

[Starbucks Anarchist]

14. Miguel Ferrer, Rip Torn, many others I can't think of now.

[Aristus]

16. Thom Barry.

He's this tall, stately guy, very soft-spoken. I first noticed him in a commercial. Then he showed up on "The West Wing" as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Now he's on "Cold Case."

I've got a bit of a man-crush on him. B-)

[Little Wing]

19. What's the diff between an actor and character actor?

I've wondered

[Pacifist Patriot]

20. Rarely if ever get leading roles but work steadily and usually...

end up in pretty cool roles because they are completely underrated. That's how it was explained to me by a friend of mine who is a director in Hollywood. They are the ones where you go scrambling for IMDB.com when watching a video to figure out where you've seen that face before.

[Hugin]

27. Also, they actually 'Act'...

:lol:

[sarge43]

40. "I'm not an actor; I'm a movie star!" n/t

[idgiehkt]

28. I would also say

they are hired for their ability to inhabit a character rather than for their name. Like Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan play themselves in every single role, regardless of what the character might have been written to be. I think with character actors you get to see more of what the writer of the book/script/screenplay/whatever really intended...to me that is what made "Fargo" the masterpiece it was, because ALL of the people in that film were character actors, therefore the characters came off onscreen as who the writer actually intended them to be. I wish there were more filmmakers who are brave enough to do films without big names like that.

[Pacifist Patriot]

38. Excellent point. I also agree about Fargo.

[Pacifist Patriot]

21. Joan Cusack

[blondeatlast]

44. Indeed. Dead-solid perfect in every role. nt

[bullwinkle428]

22. Christopher Lloyd, Dennis Farina, Robert Knepper

Knepper plays Thomas "T-Bag" Bagwell, a convicted child molester on "Prison Break" almost too well! Christopher Lloyd managed to inject a little "Reverend Jim" into his roles in "Back to the Future" as well as "Star Trek". Farina has always been entertaining playing either a tough cop or tough mobster..

[bigwillq]

23. Patricia Clarkson (nt)

[idgiehkt]

25. Viggo Mortenson

I've been blown away by every character role he's ever played. I've never seen his films where he plays lead roles (like LOTR), but the coke-addicted pitcher in "28 Days" with Sandra Bullock, the nasty Navy commander guy in "G.I. Jane", and the ex-con/grifter in "The Perfect Murder"...wow. He completely disappeared into each one of those roles...to me he's like the male Meryl Streep.

[AlCzervik]

26. Phillip Seymour Hoffman

i love him, i've been harboring a secret crush on him for years--there i said it, it's no longer a secret.

[idgiehkt]

29. yes!

He's another one like Viggo Mortenson or Meryl Streep, human silly putty. The contrast in his roles in "Twister" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley" blew my mind; something you'd have to see to believe.

[AlCzervik]

30. i love Ripley!! I thought that movie was really done well and Matt Damon was also

very good in it, i thnink that was Damon's best acting job to date.

[idgiehkt]

33. me too

I love that movie, I could watch it over and over. I would also say that Jude Law did a damn fine job in that film and in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"...so he could have been considered a good character actor til he hit it big. It's kind of a shame when people like him and Viggo Mortenson start getting leading roles that are almost 'walk-throughs' compared to their character roles.

[BlueIris]

31. Xander Berkeley.

He's snarky.

[jpgray]

32. John Castle or Allan Edwall

Man, the latter played a convincing hunchback.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

34. Two oldies

Burt Mustin (played old guys in countless movies)



and Alice Pearce (most famous as Mrs. Kravitz on Bewitched)

[hellbound-liberal]

35. Here's one that I've liked over the years

[nytemare]

36. Tim Curry, David Straithairn

Ok. I confess. With Tim Curry, it is really the voice. Love that voice.

[blondeatlast]

45. Couldn't agree more. Love Straithorn. Have you heard Curry read the

Lemony Snicket series on CD? Great performance.

[nytemare]

56. I should get those audio books.

He is an all-around talent. He can sing, act, be funny, do voice-overs. He is great at the voice-overs, and impressions. I really love his normal speaking/singing voice the best, though. :blush:

Wayne Brady seems to be the lone younger generation equivalent.

[sarge43]

39. Hugo Weaving

Any actor who can do Mitzi Del Bra, Agent Smith, Elrond, V, and Rex, the Male Sheepdog is worth some serious admiration.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

41. If you're a Hugo Weaving fan

check out the Australian film The Interview, in which he plays a man who is rousted out of his apartment in the middle of the night for interrogation by the police.

[sarge43]

43. Thanks for the tip, Lydia n/t

[Rowdyboy]

42. Marion Lorne, Frances Bavier and Alice Ghostley....

Aunt Bea (Andy Griffin)



and

Aunt Clara and Esmerelda (Bewitched)

[sarge43]

46. Ian Holm

What an amazing body of work and dead on perfect in every role.

[blondeatlast]

47. Dennis Haysbert. I know he; become a lead actor, but previously

one of those "so good he doesn't stand out" type performers.

[blondeatlast]

48. oops. nt

[blondeatlast]

49. Crispin Glover. nt

[Initech]

50. Nobody has mentioned Stephen Root yet?

He's the dude who played Milton from Office Space, and he's the voice of Bill on King Of The Hill.

Speaking of Office Space, Gary Cole is always great to watch.

[Forkboy]

51. Ellen Burstyn,Charles Durning,John Turturro,Robert Forster

Colm Meaney,William Forsythe,Parker Posey,Giovani Ribisi

There's more that I'm not even thinking of.I'd rather watch character actors than any big name star out there.

[RandomKoolzip]

52. Jack Elam

[underpants]

54. .

Ron Jeremy, Amber Lynn, Peter North

[RandomKoolzip]

55. Rocco Siffredi, Lana Sands, Joey Silvera

[Tikki]

57. Seth Green.....

I think he's really cute.




Tikki

[IntravenousDemilo]

62. Peter Ustinov, Roddy McDowall

I've never seen a bad performance from either one.