In the world I inhabit, Vincent D’Onofrio IS Private Pyle and he died many years ago in a latrine along with R. Lee Emery (whom I have never failed to recognize), so I never recognize him in any other role except his TV gig on Law and Order where there were constant reminders on at least a half dozen networks.
Even when I know he is playing a role, I tend to not recognize him. This was most recently demonstrated when I was watching the remake of The Magnificent Seven and I wondered who was playing the character who is obviously based upon my (still living) uncle. After looking it up on IMDb, I was surprised to recall that I had known it was D’Onofrio from when the movie was first released and still didn’t recognize him.
I confess… I am bad at recognizing actors. Frequently I will be watching something, go to IMDB to look something up and see that one of the actors was someone I knew. So, my answer to the question is “almost everybody”.
Mine is milder but I really tend not to recognize faces unless it ‘sticks’. Michael Ironside sticks. Ryan Gosling doesn’t. Nor does Tim Roth. Or Gary Oldman.
I’ll put in a vote for Arlene Martel. I recognize her now, but I still remember looking her up on IMDb once and being surprised how many things I’d seen her in without recognizing her.
Yep, instantly recognizable. I even remember him from guest roles on The Rockford Files, and The Bob Newhart Show.
I tend to get Roth and Oldman mixed up. The first time I ever saw either of them was in the same movie, and they even got themselves mixed up.
I came across a photo once of Gary Oldman head shots in a bunch of roles, and no two looked alike. They could have been different people. Below that was a montage of Jason Statham head shots in a bunch of roles, and they’re all basically identical. Wish I’d kept it.
I don’t watch awards shows, but I like to look at the Red Carpet slideshows the next day. I just looked at one recently with about 40 people in it, and I didn’t recognize one single person! I stand in the checkout line at the grocery store and look at the magazine covers-- even People, a magazine I used to love!-- and I have no idea who those people are. Well, I recognize the British Royal family, but that’s about it.
Bumping this because it has happened yet again. That Expedia (?) ad that’s been running lately with the guy with the Scots accent? I must have seen it a dozen times or more before it finally clicked that it was Ewan MacGregor.
Gary Oldman was the first one I thought of when I read the thread title, so not surprised the OP mentioned him right off the bat.
Jennifer Grey post-nose job. My wife and I just saw her in a sitcom called Dollface the other day, in a guest appearance playing Kat Denning’s mom. My wife, who is much better with faces than me, said, is that Jennifer Grey? Me: I don’t think so. Maybe, though? Wife: I’m 70 to 80% sure it’s her, but…maybe not?
I also have “pretty bad” face blindness. There are many faces I simply never recognize, and the one that comes to mind is Matthew McConnaughey. I really like him as an actor but I swear I wouldn’t recognize him if he stood up in my soup.
Speaking of René Auberjonois(who played Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine under make up and prosthetic —there have been quite a few times I would recognize an actor’s voice and not be able to remember who they are.
And then I would look online and realize “Oh he played a Klingon(or Ferengi) in Star Trek under make-up and prosthetic and this is what he really looks like.”
Armin Shimmerman. Aron Eisenberg. Casey Biggs. Andrew Robinson. Marc Alaimo. John Billingsley. Robert O’Reilly. Among others.
