Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses

Subject: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 06:37 PM

Last night, I watched Beat the Devil and really appreciated Robert Morley and Peter Lorre. It made me think of all the fine actors who rarely carried the lead but always added seasoning to any movie they were in. Peter Lorre did star in M, but he was mostly in supporting roles. Admittedly, he always played Peter Lorre, just as Robert Morley always played Robert Morley. But that was all right. There was a cummulative good will that they earned, like Ward Bond did. For actresses, I always appreciated Thelma Ritter. Got any others?

Jerry

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Sorcha
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 06:57 PM

Leslie Neilson, Ernie Borgnine and Eli Wallach.

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Peter T.
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 07:25 PM

Franklin Pangbourne, "Cuddles" Sakall, Billie Burke, and the legendary Sidney Greenstreet, among many. Every once in awhile one would achieve the perfect role -- Margaret Hamilton. A few achieved stardom after years in the trenches -- Humphrey Bogart for one.

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: DougR
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 08:45 PM

Milburn Stone, Walter Brennan, John Carridine, Raymond Massey, Burl Ives, Donald Meek, Shelly Winters, Hattie McDaniel, Thomas Mitchell, Donald Crisp, Barry Fitzgerald, Edmund Gwenn, Dean Jagger.

Not "B" movies all, but fine actors not in starring roles.

DougR

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: GUEST,Bakunin
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 08:49 PM

Chris Walken..Hands down..

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Sorcha
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 09:02 PM

Jessica Tandy's husband......what the hell was his name?? Damne, I'm getting old.

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 09:03 PM

Yeah you are.......Hume Cronym.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Sorcha
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 09:12 PM

Thank you spaw. It was driving me nuts. Also, the "Grey Fox" guy who died a year or so ago........Miner?

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Sorcha
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 09:14 PM

Cronyn......Frank Miner?

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Mark Ross
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 09:31 PM

The GREY FOX starred Richard Farnsworth.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Sorcha
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 09:48 PM

And thank you Mark. Miner may have been the Grey Fox' name.....CRS strikes every few minutes.

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: DougR
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 10:35 PM

Richard Farnsworth was a very fine, under-appreciated actor, I think. Another good Character Actor is Wilford Brimley. It was a pleasure to see the both of them in "Misery."

DougR

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 10:38 PM

Hmmm.....Considering my current mood tonight.........Kevin Bacon.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 10:51 PM

Harry Dean Stanton, Bob Hoskins, Michael J Pollard, Dustin Hoffman, Sean Penn, Billy Bob Thornton for starters.

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Sorcha
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 11:02 PM

Walter Brennan

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: DonMeixner
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 11:46 PM

Ben Johnson, Sam Elliott, Wilford Brimley, Beulah Bondi, Jane Darwell, Marjorie main, Royal Dano, John Carradine, Henry Daniel, Edmund Gwen, Henry Worden, Harry Carey Sr. and Junior, Allyn Anne McLerie, Arnold Stang and Eddie Deeson

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 30 Apr 02 - 11:47 PM

Jack Oakie, Wallace Beery and Wallace Beery Jr.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: DonMeixner
Date: 01 May 02 - 12:01 AM

Angus Lennie, Gordon Jackson, james Robertson Justice,

Dudley Sutton, Burgess Meredeth, Woody Strode.

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Hrothgar
Date: 01 May 02 - 04:11 AM

Hah! Beat me to James R J, Don.

Anthony Quayle?

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 01 May 02 - 04:17 AM

Donald O'Connor. Wonderful dancer and all-around performer who was put into those awful talking mule pictures because he didn't fit hollywood's image of a lead actor. He did get to show his talents in Singing In The Rain. At least the equal of Gene Kelly as a dancer, IMO.

Cloris Leachman, Snitz Edwards (getting obscure with ol' Snitz here - he was a stock actor in Buster Keaton films. Played butler/school principal type roles to perfection), and the aforementioned (DougR) Raymond Massey.

chanteyranger

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: GUEST,jonesey
Date: 01 May 02 - 06:51 AM

My personal favorite is(was?) Jack Elam. He played a 'heavy' in several American TV Westerns of the 50's and 60's. The first I remember was a character called 'Toothy' on 'Gun Smoke'. Don't recall any memorable film roles though I know he did a few. 2nd fav. is Bruce Dern. Rent the movie 'Cowboys' w/Johm Wayne. Pure unrepentant evil cowardice. Brilliant! But, not nearly as evil as Evil Roy Slade! "Get that there fiddle up under yer chin where it belongs...there's ladies present!" Dick Shawn as Sherriff Bing Bell "Oh, I'll get it." No, that's muh name, Mam."

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: RangerSteve
Date: 01 May 02 - 08:30 AM

WC Fields and Mae West. Okay, they were stars, but character actors, too. And to add my votes for a few already mentioned: Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet (especially together), Geraldine Fitzgerald (You have to see "Three Strangers" where she starred w/Lorre and Greenstreet - a perfect cast). Wallace Beery, perfectly paired with Marjorie Main or Marie Dressler, Percy Kilbride, Zazu Pitts, The Marx Brothers, Frank Morgan and everyone in the Wizard Of Oz who wasn't Judy Garland. Wilfred Hyde-White. Edward Everett Horton. Karloff, Lugosi, Chaney jr., Maria Ouspenskaya - the old Russian women who warns people that a werewolf is near before she gets killed by one. Eddie (Rochester) Anderson.

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Jeanie
Date: 01 May 02 - 12:25 PM

DON FELLOWS - Never heard the name ? Maybe, maybe not, but if you've seen "The Man Who Cried", "The Omen", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Superman", "The Eye of the Needle", "Patton", to name a few you will certainly have seen him act - and in countless British TV dramas, too: "Morse", "Jeeves & Wooster", "Sherlock Holmes", any number of mystery/spy/crime dramas, playing every possible rank in the US Forces. You may have seen him, too, in West End and Broadway musicals.

Don is one of the band of highly skilled actors who have never made the Absolute Big Time, but who have *never* been out of work: quite an achievement ! He will be 80 this year, and still working ! He taught "Scene Study" classes at the drama school I went to, and it was easy to see why he has had such a long, continuous career: amazing attention to detail, humility and just a thoroughly good and kind man.

He was in the original cast of "South Pacific" on Broadway - then when he came over to England, he stayed... finding work wherever an American accent is required. And he's never stopped. What I like about his acting is that he is always *real* - which is why, when you've seen him, he doesn't necessarily "stand out" - you don't notice the acting, you see the person he is being in the story. To my mind, that's the mark of the best kind of actor. So.... look at the credits, and you will often see the name: DON FELLOWS - excellent character actor and helpful friend to everyone he meets.

- jeanie

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: GUEST,Just Amy
Date: 01 May 02 - 12:32 PM

Brian Cox is never the same character twice. He was so evil and smarmy in Rob Roy.

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Murph10566
Date: 01 May 02 - 12:41 PM

Donald Crisp - "How Green was my Valley" & "The Long Grey Line"

Slim Pickens - "Dr. Strangelove..." & "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid"

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Murph10566
Date: 01 May 02 - 12:51 PM

Sorry, DougR - I missed your acknowledgement of Donald Crisp in my first scan...

How about Charles Bronson (before he broke out with the 'Death Wish' series) ?

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: annamill
Date: 01 May 02 - 01:42 PM

I love all those old characters, but how about the present? When is the last time you saw a movie WITHOUT Steve Buscemi? I have watched movies that are considered pretty recent but, as a video store owner, I can tell you they aren't. Even back then, he was there. Amazing...and one of my favorites.

Love, Annamill

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Don Firth
Date: 01 May 02 - 01:51 PM

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

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: GUEST,Just Amy
Date: 01 May 02 - 02:59 PM

Don, perfect. How about the one this year where she played the aging writer with Altzheimers? (I forget the name - Something and Iris maybe).

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Thonolan
Date: 01 May 02 - 03:10 PM

I tend to watch a lot of sci-fi (television shows and theatrical movies), and this is reflected in my list of favorite character actors.

In no particular order:

Christopher Lloyd, Vincent Schivelli, Tony Todd, Jeff Kober, and the late great Ian Wolfe. These guys are not exactly household names (with the possible exception of Lloyd), but all of them have done great work.

As far as the old westerns (I'm a big fan of these as well) are concerned, Royal Dano and James Best are at the top of my list.

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Irish sergeant
Date: 01 May 02 - 03:56 PM

Max Von Sydow,Walter Brennan, Sydney Greenstreet (The man was fantastic!) Everyone has really nailed this one but lest I forget, Cedrid Hardwicke and Nigel Bruce. Neil

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Don Firth
Date: 01 May 02 - 04:38 PM

Haven't seen it yet, Amy, but it looks like a tough one to watch. Iris, the true story of British writer Iris Murdoch. But then, lots of times the tough ones are the good ones.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Thonolan
Date: 01 May 02 - 04:59 PM

I have to agree with those who have listed Walter Brennan and Burgess Meredith; both of them were incredible.

I also agree with annamill- Steve Buscemi is definitely one of the finest actors working today.

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 01 May 02 - 05:12 PM

Jim Broadbent (another Brit)who won best supporting actor as Iris Murdoch's husband (and author of the book on which the film "Iris" was based) John Bayly.

Subject: RE: Best 'Character' Actors and Actresses
From: RangerSteve
Date: 01 May 02 - 07:07 PM

Victor McLaughlin. Josephine Hull (James Stewarts older sister in Harvey), Jesse White, who made a career out of Maytag commercials, but had a movie career at one time, playing the same guy. I'm mentally checking my video collection right now, just came up with Stubby Kaye, Agnes Moorhead, Alan Young (too bad he's only known for Mr.Ed), Sebastian Cabot. Eva Gabor, Maurice Chevalier, Hermoine Gingold, Cecil Kelloway, Stanley Holloway, Sterling Halloway, Gladys Cooper.