Say we were to sample some kind of US movie-going population. I think the above two actors would be highly recognized, yet have low name recognition: WAG 85% and 5% respectively. Isn’t this sort of the definition of a Character Actor? Who do you think would score highest in this type of test?
Interesting, because I would recognize James Cromwell in a flash but I’ve never heard of Ashton - and when I looked him up on the IMDB, I hadn’t seen anything in his filmography except some of * The Tommyknockers. * Yet if I’m reading you correctly, you think 85% would recognize Ashton’s name and only 5% would recognize Cromwell’s name?
I think Cromwell is great, especially in * L.A. Confidential. *
Other character actors: I’ll bet a lot of people would recognize John Rhys-Davies’ face (or at least his voice), but if you said his name, they’d say, “Who?”
Wilford Brimley and Brian Blessed would probably have high face-recognition and low name-recognition too.
What about character actresses? Kathy Bates, maybe? A million people would remember her from * Misery, * * Titanic * and * Primary Colors, * but how many could name her?
I think Cromwell has a little bit higher recognizability factor, but in a straight popularity contest, Ashton edges it for me due to the Midnight Run factor.
Anyway, the real king of character actors is either John Heard or Stephen Tobolowsky.
No, I was thinking that for BOTH JA and JC, 85% of sample would say his is an actor, yet %5 of those be able to give their name.
I’d say Kathy Bates co-starring in Misery, and Starring in Dolores Claiborne, would ruin her as far as name recognition (it would be high for her). Perhaps this nixes JC as well for starring in Babe, co-starring (?) in L.A. Confidential. I don’t think JA has had such high billing.
I nominate J.T. Walsh.
Most people I know recognize the actor but don’t know the name.
M. Emmit Walsh
Harry Dean Stanton
J.T. Walsh is a good choice, to our great loss, he died this last year. 
I think he means John Astin
Albert Salmi
Olan Soule
Ed Begley, Sr.
Claude Akins
M. Emmet Walsh
John McGivers
Sir
No, I’m pretty sure he means John Ashton. He was Det. Taggart (Billy Rosewood’s partner) in Beverly Hills Cop, Marvin the bounty hunter in Midnight Run, the prison guard in Instinct, and some other roles of that nature. He doesn’t get as high-profile work as some of the other guys.
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How about Bruce McGill and Victor Garber?
Bruce McGill is probably best-known for his D-Day character in “Animal House.”
Victor Garber most visible role was as Thomas Andrews in “Titanic.” (“She’s made of iron–I assure you she can sink.”)
John who and James what?
Plea, if you will, for Edward Everett Horton, “Cuddles” Sakall, Eric Blore, Charlie Ruggles or Charles Lane. Me, I vote every time for the late, great Frank (“EEEE-yesss?”) Nelson:
Charles Lane is probably the Dean of Unknown, Nameless Character Actors.
Back in the 80s, he was a guest on David Letterman’s program. When Letterman went thru the guest list, and came to Lane’s name he said something like this:
“We also have Charles Lane with us tonight. Now, when I was told he was I guest, I had no idea who he was. But I met him backstage, and I immediately recognized him. You will, too.”
He was right.