# Best Character Actors

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240>\
**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:** 2

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**Author:** ![LifeWillFall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@LifeWillFall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeWillFall)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/21 "2001-09-18T06:17:20Z")

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I don’t know how people will respond to this but I’ll add \*\*Russel Crow[\b] I just like the way he can play any character, just look at his variety

-Gladiator  
-The quick and the Dead  
-He never really played Opal did he?  
-The Insider  
-Virtuosity  
-LA confidential

All well acted diffrent characters IMO of course

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**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/22 "2001-09-18T12:23:55Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> ## quote:
> 
> 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.

No, that’s why I said “he reminds me of Ed Harris”

Yes, SmackFu, that’s the guy I was talking about. Forgot he was in Back to the Future.

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**Author:** ![struuter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@struuter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/struuter)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/23 "2001-09-18T12:33:04Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by BobT \*
> 
> Why does James Whitmore get a “Sniff” next to him? He’s not dead.
> 
> \*\*

Well then, I recind the _sniff._ Thank you for the correction–it is most welcome.

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**Author:** ![teigra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@teigra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teigra)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/24 "2001-09-18T13:24:03Z")

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Has anybody mentioned Geoffrey Rush?

Wonderful actor in my opinion.

-T

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**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/25 "2001-09-18T13:34:23Z")

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Do you guys ever look at [http://www.fametracker.com](http://www.fametracker.com)? It’s got a great feature called _Hey! It’s That Guy! (The J.T. Walsh Memorial)_.

My favorite actor is Kurtwood “Can you fly, Bobby?” Smith. I always like the character actors better than the movie stars.

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**Author:** ![Von\_Erich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@Von\_Erich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Von_Erich)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/26 "2001-09-18T13:43:01Z")

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The late great Phil Hartman.

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**Author:** ![Zappo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b3f665/32.png) [@Zappo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zappo)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/27 "2001-09-18T14:06:18Z")

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Most of my choices are already here. . .

Kurtwood Smith  
Vernon Dent (“Hold hands, you lovebirds!”- that’s his epitaph, BTW)  
M. Emmett Walsh  
Harry Dean Stanton  
William H. Macy  
Kathy Bates  
Eve Arden  
Margaret Dumont  
. . .and the list goes on and on.

Zappo

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**Author:** ![The\_Bitterdrunk\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@The\_Bitterdrunk\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bitterdrunk_Kid)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/28 "2001-09-18T16:35:40Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Sir Rhosis \*  
> \*\*Neville Brand (an honest-to-goodness hero of WWII, who was almost without peer in portraying “greasy evil”)
> 
> \*\*

Just something kind of cool, Neville Brand was born and raised in Hersman, IL, about 10 miles from where I grew up.

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**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/29 "2001-09-18T16:45:52Z")

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**Slim Pickens!!!** The one and only. From The Cowboys to Dr. Strangelove to Blazing Saddles, Slim was the greatest.

Also, **Paul Dooley** , the master of the put-upon Dad. (See, Breaking Away and Sixteen Candles. Dooley’s performance in Breaking Away, and particularly the heart-to-heart talk with his son, should have earned him best-supporting-actor consideration.)

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**Author:** ![DPWhite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/30 "2001-09-18T17:06:32Z")

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You guys have picked a bunch of winners. And now, from my favorite movie, Casablanca:

Sidney Greenstreet  
Peter Lorre  
Claude Raines

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**Author:** ![Curdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@Curdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curdog)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/31 "2001-09-18T19:38:03Z")

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Slim Pickens,  
William Forsythe- often in poor movies, however

and the KING OF ALL CHARACTER ACTORS…

Strother Martin.

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**Author:** ![schemo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@schemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schemo)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/32 "2001-09-18T21:13:50Z")

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I would like to cast an extremely biased vote for Mr. Dwight Schultz.  
If I could vote a million times, I would.

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**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/33 "2001-09-18T21:20:44Z")

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Alastair Sim. The devinitive Scrooge

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**Author:** ![Von\_Erich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@Von\_Erich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Von_Erich)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/34 "2001-09-18T21:48:09Z")

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How about Keanu Reeves?

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/35 "2001-09-18T22:31:09Z")

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Dan Hedaya. 🙂

And Garry Marshall is always funny when he shows up.

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/36 "2001-09-18T22:34:43Z")

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Oh, and Stanley Tucci.

But Dan Hedaya still rules 🙂

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![schemo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@schemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schemo)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/37 "2001-09-19T15:38:09Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by TexasPlayboy \*  
> \*\*How about Keanu Reeves? \*\*

In order to be a character actor, one must have character.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sparteye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Sparteye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparteye)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/38 "2001-09-19T17:20:56Z")

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\>drumroll\<

The great, the incomparable

**Agnes Morehead!**

[ul]Dark Passage  
Jane Eyre  
Johnny Belinda  
The Magnificent Ambersons  
Magnificent Obsession  
Mrs Parkington  
Our Vines have Tender Grapes  
Raintree County  
Citizen Kane  
[/ul]

and so many more. And who did Rod Serling cast to carry _The Twilight Zone_ in an episode with only one character and no dialogue? The Magnificent Agnes. \>applause\<

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**Author:** ![Von\_Erich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@Von\_Erich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Von_Erich)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/39 "2001-09-19T17:30:03Z")

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and have the ability to act.

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**Author:** ![bafaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@bafaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bafaa)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2001, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-character-actors/82240/40 "2001-09-19T20:22:00Z")

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Luis Guzmán aka Pachanga in Carlitos Way.

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