Page 2 of 5
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2024 2:43 pm
by Rockingkj
What no Gabby Hays!
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2024 4:42 am
by Mumbleypeg
Gabby Hayes is a good example of great character actors who had long careers in films but became perhaps better known for their roles as comic “sidekicks”. Pat Brady (Roy Rogers), Andy Devine (Wild Bill Hickok), Leo Carrillo (The Cisco Kid), Marjorie Reynolds (The Life of Riley), Audrey Meadows (The Honeymooners), and Vivian Vance (I Love Lucy) are some others.
Ken
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2024 4:25 pm
by Ridgegrass
And Pat Butram with Gene Autry. Saw a film this morning with Charlie Ruggles and the ever-present Spring Byington who played everybody's aunt, mother, neighbor, friend, etc. O'.
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2024 9:10 pm
by steve99f
Great idea for a thread. I would think Helen Mirren would qualify as a character actress.
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2024 10:15 pm
by Mumbleypeg
Helen Mirren is a good one. She has become better known the past few years. Charlie Ruggles and Spring Byington also. Spring Byington reminded me about Elsa Lanchester - she was usually a maid, a floozie, someone’s mother or sister but early in her career she had the lead role in The Bride of Frankenstein.
A good one I saw in a movie recently is Charles Coburn. Usually played someone’s grandfather, uncle, or similar. He had a long career.
Ken
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2024 5:23 am
by Mumbleypeg
Arthur Hunnicutt. S.Z. Sakall. Paul Fix.
Ken
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2024 2:29 pm
by Ridgegrass
Neville Brand and Vic Morrow, second bananas in westerns and G.I. movies. I think Morrow was actually killed with a couple kids in a helicopter mishap while making a Vietnam film. O'.
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2024 3:31 pm
by Waukonda
Ridgegrass wrote: ↑Wed Jan 10, 2024 2:29 pm
Neville Brand and Vic Morrow, second bananas in westerns and G.I. movies. I think Morrow was actually killed with a couple kids in a helicopter mishap while making a Vietnam film. O'.
Vic Morrow was my favorite in the "Combat" series.
I just watched "Man With a Gun" starring Robert Mitchum. These 2 recognizable faces were characters in that movie.
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2024 2:39 am
by chickenman62
How about John Dehner. He played cowboys, gangsters and comedy.
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2024 3:34 am
by Mumbleypeg
chickenman62 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 11, 2024 2:39 am
How about John Dehner. He played cowboys, gangsters and comedy.
He’s a good example - like many character actors I didn’t recognize his name, but when I saw his picture I immediately recognized him!
Ken
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2024 5:29 am
by Unk
Always liked Victor Mclaglen in the John Ford / John Wayne movies. "The Quiet Man" is one of my all time favorites.
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2024 6:12 am
by Mumbleypeg
Unk wrote: ↑Thu Jan 11, 2024 5:29 am
Always liked Victor Mclaglen in the John Ford / John Wayne movies. "The Quiet Man" is one of my all time favorites.
With Barry Fitzgerald and Ward Bond, no less!
Ken
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2024 6:18 am
by Unk
Agreed Ken. Two more great ones! The scene in "The Quiet Man" when Barry Fitzgerald keeps drinking John Wayne's beer always cracks me up. It's right at the end of this clip.
[youtube]
https://youtu.be/mFvbOdnzTKk?si=ZkUQf_HOkld2stwr[/youtube]
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2024 6:25 am
by Unk
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2024 3:09 pm
by Mumbleypeg
Another great character actor in The Quiet Man is Arthur Shields, who played the Protestant minister, Reverend Playfair. Little known fact is that he and Barry Fitzgerald were brothers. If you look you can see the family resemblance. Both were favorites of Hollywood director John Ford.
Ken
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2024 12:25 am
by Unk
Very interesting! I never knew they were brothers.
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2024 2:50 pm
by chickenman62
How about James Best. His face was everywhere in 1950s-60s TV and movies and don't forget Burgess Meredith.
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2024 5:13 pm
by Mumbleypeg
James Best is another one that I didn’t recognize the name but immediately recognized his picture. Burgess Meredith was always a favorite of mine. Very versatile actor who played all kinds of roles over a six-decade career, but maybe most known for playing the villainous “Penguin” in the old campy Batman TV series.
Ken
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2024 8:11 pm
by chickenman62
This is a great thread. I have always been a big fan of character actors. Here are more names you may not recognize but you will know. They all played ethnic types. Frank Silvera, Frank DeKova and Barbara Luna.
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2024 2:18 am
by Mumbleypeg
Norman Fell. Made a lot of movies before becoming a regular on the sitcom Three’s Company.
Edith Evans had a long 60+ year career. When younger she played characters like Cleopatra. When older she was usually some ones snooty spinster aunt, or a nun.
Ken
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2024 3:08 am
by chickenman62
How about Richard Kiel who did end up kind of famous after James Bond.
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2024 3:26 pm
by Mumbleypeg
Richard Kiel was over 7 feet tall, which limited his roles a good deal. His acting ability, assuming he had any, was probably limited by the roles he was cast in, where he was typically mute, or limited to a few lines.
For some reason he reminded me of Woody Strode, who was a pretty good actor. I always thought of him as being tall, but he was “only” 6’-4”. He was in a lot of movies and even played the lead in Sargent Rutledge.
Ken
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2024 4:15 pm
by chickenman62
Sergeant Rutledge makes me think you could go off on the best movies of John Ford one of my favorite directors. However here a just a few more character actors you may not know by name but would certainly recognize, Nehemiah Persoff, J.D.Canon and Victor Buono.
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2024 5:14 pm
by Mumbleypeg
Rhys Williams made a lot of westerns among other roles over a long career.
Marjorie Main also had a long career but was probably most know for her portrayal of Ma Kettle.
Francis Bauvier, probably most famous for her role as Aunt Bea in The Andy Griffith Show , had a 40 year long career on stage and in movies.
Ken
Re: Favorite character actors
Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2024 6:18 pm
by chickenman62
Royal Dano who I always mistook for John Carradine and Leo Gordon who is an iconic badman.