# Best Character Actors **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 17, 2001, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240 "2001-09-17T19:53:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/1 "2001-09-17T19:53:30Z")
Though he is quickly moving out of that realm, I still give the nod to Don Cheadle. Every time he’s on the screen, something interesting comes out of the scene. Someone had to step in after the loss of legendary character actor JT Walsh. When my friends used to challenge me to the Kevin Bacon game, we had a no-JT Walsh rule. ---
**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:** [September 17, 2001, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/2 "2001-09-17T21:26:18Z")
He’s also stepping out, but Steve Buscemi. JT Walsh was a great choice. I also recommend Jeffrey Jones. Ed Rooney, Dean of Students, in _Ferris Bueller’s Day Off_ ---
**Author:** ![struuter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@struuter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/struuter)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/3 "2001-09-17T21:30:01Z")
Richard Farnsworth _sniff_ Keenan Wynn Morgan Freeman Eve Arden James Whitmore _sniff_ Oh so many more… ---
**Author:** ![BingoBurringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/43a26b/32.png) [@BingoBurringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BingoBurringo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/4 "2001-09-17T22:06:55Z")
Michael Ironside, baby. He’s never smiled. EVER. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/5 "2001-09-17T22:08:36Z")
Tom Hanks M. Emmett Walsh (_Bladerunner_) Brion James (see above; a great evil bad guy type, RIP) ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/6 "2001-09-17T22:16:36Z")
Along with names already mentioned, I’d add [Paul Giamatti](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Giamatti,+Paul), who has appeared in Private Parts, Saving Private Ryan, Man on the Moon, and the Planet of the Apes remake. ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/7 "2001-09-17T22:21:56Z")
Harry Dean Stanton This one bald guy, he was in War Games and Top Gun, to name a few. He reminds me of Ed Harris. I consider Harvey Keitel a character actor. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/8 "2001-09-17T23:16:53Z")
Can you imagine the answers **Eve** would have had for these? **Jack Elam Gene Hackman Martin Landau Michal Asher Peter Lori Ben Johnson Wilfred Brimley** It’s just not as much fun without **Eve**. ---
**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:** [September 17, 2001, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/9 "2001-09-17T23:22:40Z")
Philip Seymour Hoffman John C. Reilly Philip Baker Hall And the Great, the incomparable William H. Macy All seen in Magnolia, but they’ve been in plenty of other films as well… ---
**Author:** ![BingoBurringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/43a26b/32.png) [@BingoBurringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BingoBurringo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/10 "2001-09-17T23:26:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Oblong \* > \*\*Harry Dean Stanton > > This one bald guy, he was in War Games and Top Gun, to name a few. He reminds me of Ed Harris. > > I consider Harvey Keitel a character actor. \*\* Uh, Ed Harris was IN WarGames. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/11 "2001-09-17T23:59:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El\_Kabong \* > \*\*Philip Seymour Hoffman > John C. Reilly > Philip Baker Hall > And the Great, the incomparable William H. Macy > > All seen in Magnolia, but they’ve been in plenty of other films as well… \*\* Macy truly has become the JT Walsh of the 21st Century. We may need to ban him from the KB Game. I am also really big on Reilly. He has a guy’s guy kinda attitude. Anderson has a way of getting a great supporting cast (Don Cheadle in Boogie Nights). As to Paul Giamatti, you can’t go wrong with that guy. He was great in Donnie Brasco. FUH-GETABOUTIT! He gets an extra check for being the son of the man who banned Pete Rose from baseball for life! ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/12 "2001-09-18T00:40:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Oblong \* > **This one bald guy, he was in War Games and Top Gun, to name a few. He reminds me of Ed Harris.** Are you talking about [James Tolkan](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Tolkan,+James)? Also the principal in Back to the Future? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/13 "2001-09-18T01:05:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by struuter \* > \*\*Richard Farnsworth _sniff_ > Keenan Wynn > Morgan Freeman > Eve Arden > James Whitmore _sniff_ > > Oh so many more… \*\* Why does James Whitmore get a “Sniff” next to him? He’s not dead. A friend of mine is a big Joe Grifasi fan, although I don’t quite understand the allure. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/14 "2001-09-18T01:19:32Z")
Here’s some for the Lady **Eve** : Eugene Pallette (giant frog-voice), Eric Blore (“I positively _swill_ in their ale.”), Franklin Pangborn, William Demarest (“Positively the same dame!”), Charles Coburn, Edward Arnold, Jimmy Conlin… All from various 1930’s movies, including Preston Sturges comedies and a Capra film or two. They’re all very recognizable, and were probably not even considered bit players in their time. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/15 "2001-09-18T01:23:23Z")
Eve Arden “If you can’t be an athlete, be an athletic supporter.” Joan Cusack (always does a great job) Kathy Bates Ving Rhames - Always does well. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/16 "2001-09-18T01:23:54Z")
In addition to the many named already: Most of my favorites are probably considered TV character actors, though some made inroads into film. Charles Lane (still alive!! 96 or 97 years old) Albert Salmi Claude Akins Olan Soule Neville Brand (an honest-to-goodness hero of WWII, who was almost without peer in portraying “greasy evil”) Preston Foster R. G. Armstrong W. Morgan Sheppard Victor Buono Michael Ansara Patrick O’Neal Alan Oppenheimer Tim O’Connor Richard Anderson That guy who was in “Patton” as one of Patton’s right-hand men, was also in the made-for-TV sequal “Patton’s Last Days” (was in the car when Patton was mortally injured). Thick neatly-combed pompadour, distinctive slightly higher-pitched voice, somebody help me out on his name. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/17 "2001-09-18T01:25:39Z")
I just thought of one more…and just forgot …phoeey. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/18 "2001-09-18T02:22:48Z")
Pete Posthethwaite Wayne Knight Bert Mustin (played “old man” roles for years on TV) Mischa Auer Jack Elam Margaret Dumont Vernon Dent (the Three Stooges’ greatest foil) Edgar Kennedy ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/19 "2001-09-18T02:44:33Z")
Damn. Everyone else has taken the good ones. Terry Kiser was the first name that came to mind for me. And then Michael Ironside. Albert Salmi I can’t think of anyone else right now. I’m sure more names will come to me later! ---
**Author:** ![BingoBurringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/43a26b/32.png) [@BingoBurringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BingoBurringo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/20 "2001-09-18T02:58:21Z")
Dick Miller has got to be the king. For years, I’ve tried to explain to my brother that Miller actually DID have starring roles way back when, but he refuses to believe me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240.md?page=2)