# Absolutely exceptional Very Short supporting roles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118 "2006-02-05T18:07:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/41 "2006-02-06T21:05:28Z")
Going back to the OP’s first reference ( **Shakespeare in Love** ), I would nominate Antony Sher as Doctor Moth (“Apothecary / Alchemist / Astrologer / Priest of Psyche / Interpreter of Dreams”). His reactions when Will describes being “humbled . . . in the act of love” are priceless. “I am here to help.” “Interesting . . . most interesting.” ---
**Author:** ![priapus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@priapus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/priapus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/42 "2006-02-06T21:13:34Z")
> [@Gangster Octopus](#): > > Steve Martin in **Little Shop of Horrors**. Or if that’s too long, Bill Murray in the same movie. Or for that matter, jack nickelson in the original version ---
**Author:** ![priapus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@priapus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/priapus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/43 "2006-02-06T21:14:40Z")
I think most of the cast of The Big Lebowski was a cameo ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/44 "2006-02-06T21:34:11Z")
> [@adhemar](#): > > In the “early movie” catagory, Matt Damon was the little brohter in " Mystic Pizza". His counterpart, Ben Afleck, was a basketball player in _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/45 "2006-02-06T21:50:16Z")
Oh, boy, I get to nominate John Turturro as the Hispanic pedophile bowler in _The Big Lebowski_. “Nobody fucks with the Jesus, man.” Reaching way back, Elisha Cook, Jr. as the young thug repeatedly abused by Humphrey Bogart in _The Maltese Falcon_. And Peter Lorre in what seems like a whole bunch of films from the '40s. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/46 "2006-02-06T22:02:41Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Reaching way back, Elisha Cook, Jr. as the young thug repeatedly abused by Humphrey Bogart in _The Maltese Falcon_. This made me think of the Richard Widmark role in the original Victor Mature version of [_Kiss Of Death_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039536/) (recently remangled by David Caruso, Nicolas Cage, and Samuel L. Jackson, among others) where he pushes the old gal in the wheelchair down the stairs. I recall the role as small except for that bit and the patented Widmark smirk/giggle/whinny. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/47 "2006-02-06T23:01:29Z")
**Wilford Brimley** in [Absence of Malice](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081974/) ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/48 "2006-02-06T23:04:19Z")
How many minutes is Marlon Brando’s screentime in **Apocolypse Now**? I would guess maybe 15. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/49 "2006-02-07T00:41:02Z")
> [@vl\_mungo](#): > > **Dennis Hopper** as the Photojournalist in Apocalypse Now… > > _You don’t talk to the Colonel, well, you listen to him. The man’s enlarged my mind. He’s a poet-warrior in the classic sense…I’m a little man. He’s a great man. I should have been a pair of ragged claws, scuttling across floors of silent seas._ Robert Duvall as well. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/50 "2006-02-07T13:31:49Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I’m stuck in Nowheresville and about the only interesting thing to do is go to the movies, and I’ve seen everything I’ve wanted to see, so I went to see this just because it was the only thing TO see, and I enjoyed it. It’s predictable and forgettable, but it’s also cute, sweet, and mildly funny. The name of the hotel is the **Grandhotel Pupp** , outside of Prague. I feared I might have to hear variations on the “Poop” joke throughout the movie, but that scene with the clerk is the only time it’s used, thank goodness. > > That actress is great. She has a couple of other short, cute scenes. I’m not sure who it is, since she hadn’t ponied up the lousy $35.00 to put her damn picture on IMDB. I think it might be Jane Adams. > > If you go see the movie just for her, you’ll won’t cringe through the rest of it. There are worse ways to spend a bit of time and money. The other reason to see it is that most of it was filmed in New Orleans, maybe the last movie to film there before the flood. It was almost bittersweet to watch. Wow, thanks for the info **Equipoise**! [Jane Adams](http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/paramount_pictures/orange_county/jane_adams__ii_/orangepre.jpg) aka the naked chick from [The Anniversary Party](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0254099/) is _not_ the droid we’re looking for- although I do LOVE her, she was the reason I went to see [Orange County](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0273923/) so she might be enough to get me to see Last Holiday as well. I know from the trailer that Jane Adams plays the “best friend” role in New Orleans. As near as I can guess from a bit of imdb-ing, I think the actress we’re talking about is [Lucie Vondrácková](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0903329/) (another [pic](http://www.imdb.com/gallery/hh/0903329/HH/0903329/iid_937891.jpg?path=pgallery&path_key=Vondr%E1ckov%E1,%20Lucie)). She’s credited as a character named Marie. I don’t know if that makes her our talented little Hotel receptionist or not (I still haven’t seen the movie) but the second pic I linked to kinda matches my memory of the actress appearing in the trailer. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/51 "2006-02-07T14:28:06Z")
The three greatest “Ohmigod, they are going to be stars” movies are: 1.[American Graffiti](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069704/) 2.[The Lords of Flatbush](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071772/) 3. [Uncommon Women…and Others](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080059/) ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/52 "2006-02-07T15:24:07Z")
Off the wall one, but the Rock Giant in _The Neverending Story_: “These hands look so strong…” ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/53 "2006-02-07T15:41:13Z")
From _Clue:_ “This… is… your singing telegram!” Blam! Thud. ---
**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/54 "2006-02-07T15:55:01Z")
Stanley Tucci as Frank Nitti in _Road To Perdition_. Raymond Burr as Montgomery Clift’s prosecutor in _Place in The Sun_. The role got Burr an audition for the Hamilton Burger role in _Perry Mason_,but Burr made it clear that he wanted the lead or nothing. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/55 "2006-02-07T23:47:15Z")
Billy Connolly in **The Boondock Saints**. He has about 5 minutes of screen time but manages to be one of most badass movie hitmen ever in that 5 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/56 "2006-02-08T01:45:45Z")
> [@want2know](#): > > Or **Jack Black** as the obsessed young fan in _Bob Roberts_ . He also has a bit part as Sean Penn’s brother in _Dead Man Walking_. And was a theater usher in _True Romance_, but was left on the editing room floor. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/57 "2006-02-08T19:30:57Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > A trivial example would be Bill Paxton as one of the punks in _The Terminator_ who winds up giving Ahnold clothing. I suspect Paxton was happy for that role at the time. I wonder if Ahnold had any say in Paxton’s considerably larger part in _True Lies_ … ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/58 "2006-02-08T20:29:23Z")
> [@singular1](#): > > I wonder if Ahnold had any say in Paxton’s considerably larger part in _True Lies_ … A good bet, at any rate. There’s an archived interview with Paxton on Fresh Air that goes into how much “dues paying” Paxton went through before things started breaking his way. He and Billy Bob have some common history, too. One would get the strong impression that these early-on connections last a long time. Burt Reynolds and Ned Beatty. John Wayne and Ward Bond (and maybe a dozen others). Might make for a fun thread of its own. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/59 "2006-02-08T20:43:57Z")
Actually, I think the director might have had more of a say than the star… Paxton & Cameron worked together in: Aliens Ghosts of the Abyss Terminator Titanic True Lies ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118/60 "2006-02-08T20:49:12Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Actually, I think the director might have had more of a say than the star… Paxton & Cameron worked together in: > > Aliens > Ghosts of the Abyss > Terminator > Titanic > True Lies Good point. IMDB allows one to check for such pairings and it might make for some fun searching to see which pairs of actor/actor, actor/director, director/writer, director/composer, etc., have the most collaborations. It wouldn’t surprise me if there are cliques that span more than two categories. John Ford comes to mind. Hitchcock had his own stable of regulars. Blake Edwards had a loyal group. Somebody needs to get a new thread going on this! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolutely-exceptional-very-short-supporting-roles/343118.md?page=4)