Innumerable Brits. Those folks seem to have nearly cornered the market on great character actors.

Dame Judi Dench used to play romantic leads, still managed it nicely when she got older ("As Time Goes By"), and has since moved gracefully into being an outstanding character actress. Queen Victoria in "Mrs. Brown" (Oscar nomination), Queen Elizabeth I in "Shakespeare in Love" (Oscar for best supporting actress), and an aging, artistic British expatriate in "Tea with Mussolini."

Don Firth