# Your favorite character actor.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 4, 2002, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479 "2002-12-04T17:26:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raymond_Luxury_Yacht)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2002, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/1 "2002-12-04T17:26:59Z")
I am using this term to define actors who generally appear in movies in bit parts. Occasionally they may have a starring role, but for the most part, they are in the supporting cast. Generally speaking, they do not have glamorous looks, but will often have longer careers than fantastic looking actors, because they are long on talent.
Elisha Cook, Jr. is a typical example - he worked steadily for over forty years - three great roles in my mind were in _The Maltese Falcon, I Wake Up Screaming,_ and_The Killing_. Others I enjoy would be J.T. Walsh (RIP), David Paymer, Dan Hedaya, and Giancarlo Esposito, among others.
My all time favorite, however, is **M. Emmet Walsh**. His scene stealing in _Raising Arizona_ cemented him as my top choice. Other memorable roles for me were in _The Jerk, Fletch, What’s Up, Doc?, Alice’s Restaurant, Slap Shot, Blade Runner, Blood Simple, Back to School, Ordinary People,_ and _Serpico_.
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2002, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/2 "2002-12-04T17:34:17Z")
Brad Dourif. BORN TO BE GRIMA WORMTONGUE!!!
[sub]two weeks… two weeks… two weeks… two weeks… two weeks… two weeks… [/sub]
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### Author:  [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2002, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/3 "2002-12-04T18:46:33Z")
Margaret Dumont • Frank (“Eee-yessss?”) Nelson • Hugh (“woo-hoo! woo-hoo!”) Herbert • Edward Everett Horton • Harriett (Mrs. Drysdale) McGibbon • Franklin Pangborn • Polly Walters • Una Merkel . . .
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### Author:  [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2002, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/4 "2002-12-04T18:47:00Z")
I thought of M Emmet Walsh immediately when I saw the thread title. Great minds and all that… 😉
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### Author:  [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2002, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/5 "2002-12-04T18:59:37Z")
**Bruce Dern**. No one ever played a more convincing slimeball.
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### Author:  [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2002, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/6 "2002-12-04T19:17:25Z")
I’ll have to go for **Walter Huston** , a character actor if there ever was one, though his parts were usually larger than “bit.”
He figures in three of my all-time faves, in three completely different characterizations: The Devil himself in _The Devil and Dan’l Webster_ (aka _All That Money Can Buy_) (1941); an alcoholic doctor and killer in _And Then There Were None_ (1945); and the wise old prospector in _The Treasure of the Sierra Madre_ (1948).
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### Author:  [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2002, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/7 "2002-12-04T20:28:07Z")
David Morse
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### Author:  [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2002, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/8 "2002-12-04T21:29:51Z")
[Jane Adams](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Adams,+Jane+(II))
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### Author:  [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2002, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/9 "2002-12-04T21:41:45Z")
That guy, you know, the one in that movie, and then he was in that other one where had did that thing.
Then there’s that other guy who always wears a hat. And the lady with the nose. I like her.
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### Author:  [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2002, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/10 "2002-12-04T21:47:04Z")
David Morse. Far and away one of the best actors working today (though I’m not always a huge fan of the material he gets).
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### Author:  [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2002, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/11 "2002-12-04T21:49:17Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Frankd6 \*
> \*\*Then there’s that other guy who always wears a hat. \*\*
Rory Calhoun?
When I read the title, J.T. Walsh jumped to mind. I also love [Clint Howard](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Howard,+Clint) and [Wallace Shawn](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Shawn,+Wallace).
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### Author:  [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2002, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/12 "2002-12-04T21:49:29Z")
[Michael Willis](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Willis,+Michael+(I))
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### Author:  [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2002, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/13 "2002-12-04T22:21:49Z")
**Al Leong** , the mustachioed Asian, who among other roles was:
-a thug in **Die Hard**
-a thug in **Lethal Weapon**
-a thug in **Big Trouble in Little China**
and best of all
-Bob Genghis Khan in **Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure**
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### Author:  [@jacksen9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacksen9)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/14 "2002-12-05T03:42:27Z")
Robert Duvall
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### Author:  [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/15 "2002-12-05T03:56:32Z")
I’ve followed the career of **Frances Sternhagen** for about thirty years. (You might know her as “Bunny” (Charlotte’s ex-mother-in-law) in SEX AND THE CITY.
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### Author:  [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/16 "2002-12-05T05:14:23Z")
Zoe, Frances Sternhagen did the narration of a documentary I created. Hers was the exact voice I wanted so, needless to say, it worked out marvelously. But on top of that, she did it pro bono and at some inconvenience to herself. For that I will love her to my dying day.
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### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/17 "2002-12-05T05:31:14Z")
The sadly much under-rated Warren Oates one of the best film actors of the '70s who according to his IMDB mini biography:
With his role as one of the Hammond brothers in the Sam Peckinpah masterpiece Ride the High Country (1962), Oates found a niche both as an actor and as a colleague of one of the most distinguished and distinctive directors of the period. Peckinpah used Oates repeatedly, and Oates, in large part due to the prominence given him by Peckinpah, became one of those rare character actors whose name and face is as familiar as those of many leading stars.
Check out his [work](http://us.imdb.com/Bio?Oates,%20Warren) sometime.
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### Author:  [@moonchilde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonchilde)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/18 "2002-12-05T07:00:48Z")
Is this thread asking about actors portraying different characters throughout their careers, or by someone who is good at doing one character well throughout their career. My first thought was of one of the all time bad guys…Henry Silva. But it wasn’t like he did a lot of things besides the baddie. Walter Brennan was very good. Strother Martin. Having trouble thinking of females or more contemporary actors. Need sleep. Will dream of characters.
For lead actors, Bogart acted Bogart pretty good. Spencer Tracy, Cary Grant, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman are all, IMHO, pretty good character actors who were made “stars”.
Nice thread!
mc
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### Author:  [@aramis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aramis)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/19 "2002-12-05T15:43:12Z")
Too many to list but here are a couple of good resources for fans of character actors.
[What a Character](http://what-a-character.com/)
[Who Is That](http://who-is-that.com/00_list.asp)
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### Author:  [@Mooch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooch)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2002, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-character-actor/140479/20 "2002-12-05T15:44:22Z")
Does **Don Cheadle** count? I think he may have climbed above the chracter actor stamp.
I just think he is a great actor, period.
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