Best Character Actors

[Beaker]

I was thinking about this earlier while I was watching "Juno." As usual, J.K. Simmons (who played Juno's father) was outstanding as he usually is (i.e. in the Spiderman movies).

Which character actors are your favorites?

 

[JakeandElwood]

I know he hasn't been in much, but the actor who plays Kevin on "The Office" comes to mind.

 

[Beaker]

I know he hasn't been in much, but the actor who plays Kevin on "The Office" comes to mind.

Likewise, I haven't seen him in anything else, but you're right, he's perfect on The Office.

 

[RossLT]

What exactly is a character actor? I have a few in mind but am hazy as to what the title actually means.

 

[slappy4428]

Kenneth Tygar
Sam Anderson
**** O'Neill
Jack Elam
Half of Goodfellas
and of course....

 

[Dickens Cider]

Philip Baker Hall is the textbook definition of a character actor.

 

[RossLT]

Philip Baker Hall is the textbook definition of a character actor.

I get it now

Keith David
Michael K. Williams

 

[Songbird]

leo dicaprio

christian bale

jennifer anniston

matt perry

dustin hoffman

more to come

 

[Dickens Cider]

leo dicaprio

christian bale

jennifer anniston

matt perry

dustin hoffman

more to come

False.

 

[Songbird]

true.

 

[Dickens Cider]

true.

No. The people you listed are lead actors, not character actors.

 

[Songbird]

theyre not playing characters?

Songbird no comprende.

 

[Dickens Cider]

theyre nt playing characters?

Songbird no comprende.

A character actor is someone who is always cast in bit or supporting parts, but who can play a different person in every movie, and do it convincingly.

 

[Songbird]

well then...

how bout that "squooshie nootches" homeboy in kevin smith's movies?

 

[Bubbler]

Ben Johnson is definitely in the character actor Hall. So is M. Emmett Walsh.

 

[Dickens Cider]

well then...

how bout that "squooshie nootches" homeboy in kevin smith's movies?

Jason Mewes? Eh, not really. He's only ever played that one character.

Think of someone like Paul Giamatti.

 

[Songbird]

ahhh.

isnt he a lead though?

this is tougher than i thought.

 

[mpcincal]

My informal benchmark has always been: If you see an actor and immediately know him by his real (or stage) name, he's a lead actor. If you see him and you call him the name of one of his characters, he's a character actor.

Paul Giamatti getting to be a tweener, though.

Ever since "Major League," one of my favorites in this category has been James Gammon.

 

[dkbxt5]

Steve Buscemi

 

[dargan]

Does Phillip Seymour Hoffman count, or has he gotten too big?

How 'bout John Turturro, James Rebhorn, and this guy ...

Seinfeld's Slippery Pete, The Big Lebowski's Ulee Kunkel (nihilist), and one of the bad dudes with Steve Buscemi (another candidate?) in Fargo. Name is Peter Stormare.