I haven’t seen Pretty Woman since it first came out. It is on TV tonight and I am amazed to find, after almost an hour, that Hector Alizondo and Laura San Giacomo, who I clearly remember, have very little to do while Jason Alexander is in many scenes, but when *Seinfeld * was airing I didn’t know who he was.
Any other examples of great bit players…or invisible non-entities.
Graham Greene’s character in Maverick deserved his own movie.
Robert Duvall’s movie debut as Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Natalie Portman in Heat
Roberta Maxwell, who played Jack Twist’s mother in Brokeback Mountain. While Jack’s father could only feel hate and disgust and the need to lash out by hurting Ennis with words, Jack’s mother understood that Ennis loved Jack, and that they shared a bond with that love. She’s only onscreen for a couple of minutes, and she barely says a word, but it’s one of the most powerful and emotional bit roles I’ve ever seen.
There was a generic Teen Sex Comedy in the '80s called Mischief. Terry O’Quinn played the one guy’s dad. I think he had two scenes; at least, I only remember two, and both involved the kid coming home after wrecking, first the car, then the car and most of a drive-in burger joint (don’t ask).
So the second time, he tells the kid to pack and get out. Kid (Chris Nash, that’s it) asks where he’s supposed to go. O’Quinn stands at the foot of the stairs and bellows, “That’s not my problem, that’s your problem! That’s not my problem!” with such force and intensity I was flung back in my chair.
That’s acting, folks. Those lines could have been read pretty much any old way, but for thirty seconds, the kid was forced to react, not just preen.
Addams Family Values had some great bit players, including David (NUMB3RS) Krumholtz, Christine Baransky and Peter MacNicol. It also had Carol (Taxi) Kane as the new Grandma; she had a rather memorable cameo in The Last Detail.