I was just wondering, after reading a few posts mentioning Actors/Actresses who are great but never seem to garner gushing praises others do despite their steady work and in some cases outstanding performances:
Who would you think deserve more appreciation?
David Strathairn
Alan Rickman, Christopher Guest and, until he got the Oscar for Goodfellas, Joe Pesci. As a friend of mine put it, “it’s a damn shame that they only way an actor as good as Joe Pesci can get work involves letting a 12-year-old kid drop a sack of hammers on his head.”
The great character people: Edward Everett Horton, Margaret Dumont, Frank (“Eeee-yesss?”) Nelson, Hattie McDaniel, Franklin Pangborn, Una Merkel, Margaret Hamilton, Sterling Holloway, Allen Jenkins . . .
Sometimes they only had a line or two in a film, but I’ve seen revival-house audiences cheer at the sight of them, or even at their name in the credits.
Well, the OP was implying currently active performers, but to continue with Eve’s list…
Billy Gilbert, Eric Blore, Raymond Walburn, Diana Lynn, Porter Hall, Edna May Oliver, Thomas Gomez, Everett Sloane, Marjorie Rambeau…
I know he’s mentioned again and again, but Edward Norton, by far.
You never hear major mention of him, (besides that he’s dating Salma Hayek). He’s just awesome. Primal Fear? And even though The Score rode the wave of heist/robbery films, his performance in that was great.
And I’ve always been a fan of Jared Leto, and wondered why he didn’t do more movies. I’m sure My So-Called Life may have branded him the “teen rebel” to some, but his role in Requiem For A Dream deserved much praise (as did the entire cast).
I’d mention Michael Shanks, but since he’s only veered off to minor sci-fi roles (other than Stargate) that wouldn’t really be appropriate. I just like to say his name. (slight hijack there? sorry!)
Pete Postlethwaite and Jim Broadbent
Hmmm, I’m not sure if anyone with an Oscar can continue to be considered “Underappreciated”
More! Ward Bond, Robert Ryan, Kathleen Byron, C. Aubrey Smith, Elizabeth Patterson, Ray Collins, Al Bridge, Beulah Bondi, Warren Oates…
I mentioned this is a similar thread a month or two ago, but John Goodman.
Ethilrist, I second Christopher Guest. So funny and so talented.
Yes to Mr Goodman, his performance in Barton Fink alone would justify that
Michael Wincott - The long-haired, raspy-voiced villain of The Crow and many other films. He is always entertaining, even in movies that suck.
The late, great J.T. Walsh occupied a similar niche.
Steve Buscemi - From a calm, cold-blooded child murderer in the execrable Con Air to a malevolently psychotic lizard in Monsters, Inc. to a sad, lonely, aging geek in Ghost World, he has huge range and talent.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman usually gets mentioned in discussions like this, and deservedly so. I think he and Edward Norton are two of the best actors of their generation.
Hugh Grant, when he’s not making stupid romantic comedies, is also very good. About a Boy was just brilliant.
Ben Stiller is like that also. When he’s not making idiot comedies, he’s actually a very affecting performer. He was both loathesome and pitiable in Your Friends and Neighbors, and he had the best single moment in The Royal Tennanbaums.
I personally think Brad Pitt gets the “pretty boy” penalty a lot, considering how little his actual performances get mentioned. I really liked his performrances in Seven, Ocean’s 11, and Fight Club. The last was particularly relevant, considering he was sharing the screen with Edward Norton.
When they’re away from the increasingly-appalling Friends, Jennifer Anniston and Lisa Kudrow are actually competent actors as well (though I think Kudrow is the better of the two - her performance in The Opposite of Sex was first rate).
Scupper - I agree totally with your entire list, but I’m singling out Michael Wincott to add my vote for him. I couldn’t think of his name (Thanks!). I was crushed, though, to see a movie after The Crow and see he had cut his hair. I imagine it caused some typecasting problems, but still, that was part of his whole look.
William H. Macy (many of Mamet’s things)
Kevin Gage (Waingro in Heat)
Bill Pullman
Karen Black
Grace Zabriskie
Virginia Madsen
I came this close to posting this thread earlier today. Chose instead the one about the Non-Caucasian concept.
tons.
Tony Shaloub (though he recently won an emmy for his work on Monk)
Phillip Seymor Hoffman
Archive Guy - I saw David Straihairn on Broadway a few months back with Al Pacino. He held his own!
Ted Levine (also on Monk)
I third the John Goodman love.
Maybe not great, but Dann Florek in the Law and Order franchise does some wonderful, easy-to-overlook work. Contrasted with the goofy character he played on L.A. Law, it’s quite a range.
Of those no longer with us, Jack Carson always made it look easy.-
Simon Callow, with dittoes on Alan Rickman, Pete Postlethwaite, and Ed Norton. And a little shrine for those rightly appreciate–Brando, Welles.
I like Ed Norton, but it seems like he plays the same kind of character a lot, or enough. I don’t want to ruin it for people who haven’t seen the films, but think Primal Fear, The Job, and The Italian Job.
Agree w/ Scupper about Brad Pitt. I lump Brendan Fraser in this category as well. He’s done some pretty silly comic booky stuff, but he certainly held his own against Ian McKellan in Gods and Monsters and Michael Caine in The Quiet American. Plus he was convincing as an action hero in the Mummy movies. Jude Law goes here, too. Geesh, this could be the subject of another thread altogether (“Too Pretty For His Own Good”).
Sam Waterston deserves an award for having to share screentime with Elisabeth Rohm on Law & Order.
Persona problems aside, I always thought that Winona Ryder has a lot of talent. She doesn’t work much these days.
Seconding the Warren Oates nomination.
My votes
John Tuturro
John Goodman
Kurt Russell (yes That Kurt Russell, watch him carefully in Toombstone and the Thing)