Top Character Actors

By definition, a character actor is one who predominantly plays a particular type of role rather than leading ones. Character actor roles can range from bit parts to secondary leads. However, character actors often play supporting roles, characters not subject to a major change or revelation in the course of the plot, and whose role is less prominent.

Or, actors and actresses who often don't get celebrated as much as the "big names", but still leave their mark on cinema history.

My favorites include:
Joe Turkel (Blade Runner, The Shining)
Harry Dean Stanton (Alien, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Wild at Heart)
Sam Elliot (Tombstone, The Big Lebowski)
Claude Rains (Notorious, Casablanca)
Ronny Cox (RoboCop, Total Recall)
Steve Buscemi (Fargo)
Brian Cox (Man Hunter)
Richard Jenkins (Let Me In, Burn After Reading)
Ray Wise (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me)
Dick Miller (Gremlins, Terminator, The Howling)
Miguel Ferrer (Twin Peaks, RoboCop)
Martin Landau (North by Northwest, Ed Wood)
Michael Ironside (Scanners)

John Vernon

Andy Robinson

Roger Livesey

William Hartnell

TBC

Arthur Kennedy - an acting legend.



Lee J. Cobb - a force to be reckoned with.



William Bendix - I dont know why, but I always enjoy Bendix.



Harry Davenport - he's the guy you want to be when your an old man.



Ward Bond - the ultimate character actor, he appeared in dozens of films throughout the 30s/early 40s in nothing parts, before he became good pals with John Ford. Then he got decent roles and largely sucked.



Martin Landau - ever cool, wish he'd had more roles in his prime.



Harry Morgan - even before MASH, he'd spent the last 30 years being one of the most awesome character actors around. 8)


And this thread couldnt possibly go by without a salute to the Warners stock crew of the 30s, guys like:

Allen Jenkins
Frank McHugh
Hugh Herbert
Ed Brophy
Hobart Cavanaugh
George E. Stone
Guy Kibbee

turn on a Warners film - youll find one of them there. ;)

colly wrote:

Harry Davenport - he's the guy you want to be when your an old man.

Wrong.

Claude Rains


James Gregory - Best pic I could find.


Martin Balsam




Thelma Ritter - I LOVE Thelma Ritter.

Ritter is gold. Love her work in A LETTER TO THREE WIVES especially.

Pretty much agree with all those listed above, so I'll list some currently unmentioned names (though I'm probably repeating a few).

Max Von Sidow

Joseph Cotten

Cyril Cusack

Karl Malden

Sir Alec Guinness

Paul Scofield

Hal Holbrook

John Vernon

George Kennedy

Peter Cushing

Denholm Elliott

Michael Horden

Rachel Roberts

Alan Rickman

Klaus Maria Brandauer

Dennis Weaver

Derek Jacobi

Patrick Troughton

Geoge Segal

Alan Badel

Oskar Werner

Martin Balsam

Raymond Massey

Robert Morley

Michel Lonsdale

Judy Davis

Claire Bloom

Douglas Wilmer

Charles Gray

Leo McKern

John Turturro

Lee Reemick

Yaphet Kotto

Frances McDormand

Geoffrey Keen

John Cazale

Robert Morley

Sir Ralph Richardson

I'll admit though, I'm being a little loose with what we consider a 'character actor.'

How could I forget to add...


Elisha Cook Jr.

http://www.crimetime.co.uk/community/mag.php/showarticle/783

Harvey Keitel

Thought this thread could use some reviving...



"I eat s***s like you for breakfast" - Sydney Greenstreet



Helmut Dantine



Jack Carson



Allen Jenkins



Joe Sawyer



Arthur O'Connell

Mort Mills



William Devane



Mike Mazurki

That Devane smile is priceless.



Dewey Martin



James Edwards



Apart from NORTH TO ALASKA, Ernie Kovacs

and even if he often was a shameless ham, and his Oscar win was a joke...



Edmond O'Brien

Arthur Housman



Denholm Elliott



Leo G. Carroll



James Finlayson



Billy Gilbert



Everett Sloane