# The "Oh, that guy!" thread. Character actor's faces, names and characters. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 7, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243 "2018-08-07T18:15:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/21 "2018-08-09T04:03:46Z")
For as long as I can remember (grade school days for sure) I’ve been one of those people (I’ve only met a handful of others over the years) who make it a point of knowing the names and pertinent details of minor character actors in every movie or TV show I’ve seen. IMDb was a godsend for those with my curiosity about people in the entertainment business. There are only a few others I’ve known (and I’ve spotted a number of them here!) who pride themselves on that sort of trivia. It’s a true thrill to meet somebody else who can name the actors in an old serial or minor TV show. It really bothers me when I can’t place a name and have to resort to the “that guy” approach to identifying a particular player. And that applies to radio actors, too, whose voices I can usually attach a name to. There was a guy I knew in my acting days (a fellow actor) who was even better at names of obscure types than I was. It was fun trying to stump each other by knowing not just the name but some of their credits for even obscure types. I’d be well suited temperamentally working for IMDb or the sort of place where that interest (or even skill) would come into play. As it is, I enjoy bumping into others whose knowledge of the obscure player in the obscure show or movie is better than my own. It’s fun game to play with a real expert in the field! ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/22 "2018-08-09T08:25:17Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > IMDb was a godsend for those with my curiosity about people in the entertainment business. I look up a lot of people I see in shows. My problem is that I usually can’t remember what I read. If I’ve looked up a person multiple times, then I might have a chance of remembering their name, even if their details have passed through my brain without sticking. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_McQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@Steve\_McQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_McQwark)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/23 "2018-08-09T15:04:50Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > My most recent oh-that-guy moment was seeing [Jon Polito](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Polito) in the original _Highlander_ film. Sadly, he doesn’t really fit the thread because he died in 2016. I don’t remember hearing about his death at the time. > > [snip] For me, Jon Polito stopped being an “oh, that guy” after _Miller’s Crossing_. He was so good as Johnny Caspar that I never again forgot who he was. I’ll nominate a couple of women whom I always have to look up whenever I see them in something: [May Kay Place](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005316/?ref_=nv_sr_1) and [Mare Winningham](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001858/?ref_=nv_sr_1). ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/24 "2018-08-09T15:15:51Z")
I’m going to nominate [Judy Greer](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0339460/?ref_=nv_sr_1). ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/25 "2018-08-09T15:52:21Z")
> [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](#): > > An interesting question for your respondees. When you first saw his picture what role that he played came to mind? > > With me, it was his role in Big Trouble in Little China. closely followed by That’s Genghis Khan. Then I looked at his IMDB page and I’ve seen practically every movie this guy made. > > Just wondering what his most “famous” role is that is, with what role is he most associated with. As mentioned upthread, he was one of the “terrorists” in _Die Hard._ His best scene is when they are about to ambush the SWAT team: he’s down in the lobby hiding behind a concession stand. After a beat, he reaches in and snags a couple of chocolate bars. It’s a hilarious deadpan moment. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The guy I’d like to add is [Oliver Platt](http://images.fandango.com/ImageRenderer/0/0/redesign/static/img/default_poster.png/0/images/masterrepository/performer%20images/p57054/2012-pm-oliverplatt-13.jpg). He’s had a few lead roles, but he’s usually a supporting actor, and seems to specialize in slightly nebbishy or eccentric roles. For a while there, in the 90s and early 2000s, it seemed like he was in every other movie. > > I always think of him as [Porthos in the 1993 Disney version of _The Three Musketeers_](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjc0ODQ2MTE5Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODU5NTgwMw@@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,758,1000_AL_.jpg), but the rest of you may remember him as [one of the students in _Flatliners_](https://lettherebemovies.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/flatliners-oliver.jpg), [Oliver Babish on _The West Wing_](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/westwing/images/0/04/2WESaz00cc.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160709200125), or [George Steinbrenner in _The Bronx Is Burning_](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w780/vppM7xvR0WmVY3sRFQtbo9ZQj6H.jpg). Go check out _Lake Placid._ Oliver delivers one of the best comeback lines _ever:_ Sheriff: “I never heard of an alligator swimming across an ocean.” Oliver: “Well, y’know, they hide that sort of information in BOOKS!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Didactylos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@Didactylos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didactylos)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/26 "2018-08-09T16:15:54Z")
Robert John Burke I was watching Person of Interest, where he plays Simmons, the imposing second in command of HR, a city wide gang of crooked cops. Where had I seen that craggy face before? > **[Robert John Burke - IMDb](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0121559/fullcredits?ref_=m_nmfm_1)** Some surprising places: he has major roles in almost the entire oeuvre of former indie darling Hal Hartley. I dimly remember thinking he was SOO cool in Intolerable Truth and Simple Men. He played general (later defsec) Mattis in Generation Kill. He has a host of small roles I dont really remember in movies/series I have seen. And a major role in Gossip Girl, any word of advice whether it is worth checking out? [ ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/27 "2018-08-09T16:32:12Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > For as long as I can remember (grade school days for sure) I’ve been one of those people (I’ve only met a handful of others over the years) who make it a point of knowing the names and pertinent details of minor character actors in every movie or TV show I’ve seen. IMDb was a godsend for those with my curiosity about people in the entertainment business. > > There are only a few others I’ve known (and I’ve spotted a number of them here!) > who pride themselves on that sort of trivia. It’s a true thrill to meet somebody else > who can name the actors in an old serial or minor TV show. > > It really bothers me when I can’t place a name and have to resort to the “that guy” approach to identifying a particular player. > > And that applies to radio actors, too, whose voices I can usually attach a name to. There was a guy I knew in my acting days (a fellow actor) who was even better at names of obscure types than I was. It was fun trying to stump each other by knowing not just the name but some of their credits for even obscure types. > > I’d be well suited temperamentally working for IMDb or the sort of place where that > interest (or even skill) would come into play. As it is, I enjoy bumping into others whose knowledge of the obscure player in the obscure show or movie is better than my own. It’s fun game to play with a real expert in the field! I wouldn’t say I"m quite that far gone, but I do recognize some folks who aren’t household names. I tend to have moments when I’m watching some show or movie and there’ll be some actor I recognize. Sometimes I remember what other role I’ve seen them in… Sometimes I have to look them up on IMDb, and then I’ll remember their real name. It happens a lot when I’m watching _Law & Order_ and when I look them up, 8 times out of 10 it’s from another episode of _Law & Order_. Since someone mentioned Al Leong from _Big Trouble in Little China_, I’ll mention [**Kate Burton**](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0123632/) who played Margo. Apparently, it’s possible to become “that guy” even when you’re the daughter of Richard Burton. My ultimate female “that guy” was [**Arlene Martel**](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0551458/). She was in everything back in the '60s and '70s, but I’d seen her in a bunch of roles before I even noticed. (I hope that’s considered a high compliment for a “that guy”.) She is TV science-fiction royalty; played Spock’s fiancee in “Amok Time” on _Star Trek_, and the cleaning woman who befriends Trent in “Demon With a Glass Hand” on _The Outer Limits_. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/28 "2018-08-09T17:18:54Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > I’m going to nominate [Judy Greer](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0339460/?ref_=nv_sr_1). She so reminds me of Glenne Headly, I was shocked to see how well Glenne held up when I saw her on The Big Bang Theory. Sadly, Glenne has passed away. And no, it wasn’t Glenne on TBBT, it was Judy Greer. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/29 "2018-08-09T17:30:02Z")
For me it’s [Stephen Lang](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002332/?ref_=tt_cl_t4). He’s done major supporting roles (Avatar) and some leads in smaller films. But it seems that he is always just under the line of being recognizable. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/30 "2018-08-09T17:44:29Z")
Has [Stephen Tobolowsky](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0864997/) been in too many things at this point to be a “that guy” guy? Because it seems like he is everywhere, and has been for years. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/31 "2018-08-09T17:52:58Z")
How about Beth Grant. The annoying biddy it is so easy to dislike in almost everything. > **[Beth Grant | Actress, Producer, Director](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0335275/)** > > Known for: Donnie Darko, No Country for Old Men, Speed > [@](#): > > American character actress known for often playing conservatives, religious zealots, or sticklers for rules. > **[Beth Grant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Grant)** > > Beth Grant (born September 18, 1949) is an American character actress. Between 2012 and 2017, she was a series regular on the television comedy The Mindy Project in the role of Beverly Janoszewski. She is also known for her role as Gracie Leigh in the CBS post-apocalyptic drama Jericho and as Marianne Marie Beetle in Wonderfalls. She has also appeared on Pushing Daisies, and Mockingbird Lane. > In film, she is best known for her roles as Mother at Farm House in Rain Man (1988), Miss Kettlewell i... ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/32 "2018-08-09T18:08:49Z")
Need to cast someone as a professional A-hole? Call [Neal McDonough](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0568180/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t14). ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/33 "2018-08-09T18:45:02Z")
Max von Sydow > **[Max von Sydow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_von_Sydow)** > > Max von Sydow (/vɒn ˈsiːdoʊ/ von SEE-doh, Swedish: \[fɔn ˈsy̌ːdɔv\] (listen); born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish-French\[a\] actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television series in multiple languages. He became a French citizen in 2002 and lived in France for the last two decades of his life. > Capable in roles ranging from stolid, contemplative protagonists to sardo... The world’s greatest living actor, imo. Tatsuya Nakadai > **[Tatsuya Nakadai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatsuya_Nakadai)** > > Tatsuya Nakadai (仲代 達矢, Nakadai Tatsuya, born Motohisa Nakadai; December 13, 1932) is a Japanese film actor. > He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including The Human Condition trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus Harakiri, Samurai Rebellion and Kwaidan. > Nakadai worked with some of Japan's best-known filmmakers—starring or co-starring in five films directed by Akira Kurosawa, as well as being cast in significant films directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara (... As star or character actor, he never lets the eye wander. Jo Shishido “…is a Japanese actor most recognizable for his intense, eccentric yakuza film roles and his artificially enlarged cheekbones.” > **[Joe Shishido](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Shishido)** > > Joe Shishido (宍戸 錠, Shishido Jō, December 6, 1933 – January 18, 2020) was a Japanese actor most recognizable for his intense, eccentric yakuza film roles and his artificially enlarged cheekbones. He appeared in some 300 films but is best known in the West for his performance in the cult film Branded to Kill (1967). In Japan, he is also known by the nickname Joe the Ace (エースのジョー, Ēsu no Jō) for his popular role in the Western Quick Draw Joe (1961). > Joe Shishido was born in the Kita Ward of Osak... [![](https://filminthedigitalagecynthia.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/screen-shot-2014-03-19-at-6-59-43-am.png) ](https://filminthedigitalagecynthia.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/screen-shot-2014-03-19-at-6-59-43-am.png) Back in the '60s, this dude was as cool as they come starring in low-budget, inventive gangster films where he was inevitably betrayed and had to get revenge. Later did lots of TV and movie character roles. No one ever forgets Michael Berryman: > **[Michael Berryman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Berryman)** > > Michael John Berryman (born September 4, 1948) is an American character actor. Berryman was born with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, a rare condition characterized by the absence of sweat glands, hair, and fingernails; his unusual physical appearance has allowed Berryman to make a career out of portraying characters in horror movies and B movies. He came to prominence with his roles in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975 and The Hills Have Eyes in 1977. He has appeared in several movie Be... I wonder why he hasn’t gotten more leading roles. It would be interesting to see him in a rom-com. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/34 "2018-08-09T21:50:19Z")
[Suzy Nakamura](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0620232/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t71). You might not recognize her profile picture, because she’s not wearing a doctor’s lab coat. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/35 "2018-08-09T21:55:32Z")
Norman Lloyd , still acting at 103. Known for St. Elsewhere and Dead Poets Society [Norman Lloyd - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Lloyd) He went to 1926 World Series and 2017 world series. Most likely a record for the biggest gap between 2 series attended. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/36 "2018-08-09T23:28:02Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > For me it’s [Stephen Lang](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002332/?ref_=tt_cl_t4). Yes! I was thinking of him for this thread, but couldn’t remember his name. If you want a “military guy”, he’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/37 "2018-08-09T23:40:10Z")
In the 1970s you couldn’t watch a TV series without eventually running across [Bradford Dillman](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0226947/) playing a businessman or peripheral police boss. Just look at 1975 alone! ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/38 "2018-08-09T23:40:45Z")
[Ann Dowd](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0235652/). Now appearing in _The Handmaid’s Tale_. Appeared not only in all three major _Law and Order_s (as a different character each time), but was also in _Trial by Jury_. She played a _very_ different character each time. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/39 "2018-08-09T23:52:30Z")
Well, [William Schallert](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0769974/) just died, but just look at that career! (Nilz Barris from The Trouble with Tribbles) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243/40 "2018-08-10T00:16:02Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > [Ann Dowd](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0235652/). Now appearing in _The Handmaid’s Tale_. Appeared not only in all three major _Law and Order_s (as a different character each time), but was also in _Trial by Jury_. She played a _very_ different character each time. I was watching an ep of _Law & Order_ once and thought I recognized the actress playing a dominatrix. Looked her up on IMDb and she was in another _L&O_ as a ex-nun who killed a girl during an exorcism she performed after hearing the voice of St. Michael. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oh-that-guy-thread-character-actors-faces-names-and-characters/819243.md?page=3)