Who is your favorite character actors or actresses?
Mine are Kevin Nealon and Rick Ducommun.

Kevin Nealon is great. Joe Pantoliano and Art Lafleur are good, too.

J.T. Walsh



Richard Farnsworth

That's a tough one. . .Chris Cooper, Ted Levine, Paul Giamatti.Michael Jeter, Tim Roth. . .

I think my favorite character actor is Gary Oldman. He always plays such diverse roles and he is always thoroughly convincing in everything he does.

Don Cheadle. I saw him in several movies before it dawned on me that he was the same person. Great acting chops, very convincing at whatever he does.

The late great J. T. Walsh was the best.

Paul Giamatti gets my vote now.

M Emmet Walsh

Dylan Baker

Don Cheadle

Billy Bob Thornton
Brad Pitt
De Niro (when he was in his prime)

Forgive me if I mistunderstood what I've always thought a character actor to be.

JT Walsh was absolutely the best. IMO the best nowadays is either Tony Shalhoub or Stanley Tucci.

Luis Guzman
Don Cheadle
Paul Giamatti
Stanley Tucci
Joey Pants
John Turturro

J.T. Walsh was good, indeed.

this is a tough one....because the answer is usually something like: you know that one guy in that movie - he was also in that other movie with Ben Affleck, and that Spielberg movie i think? I don't know his name, but he's in a lot, and that dude rules!!

Love Tucci's work.

Still snicker a bit when I see Shalhoub on screen...can't get away from him as Antonio Scarpacci in Wings

Keith David
Dan Hedaya
Tony Shalhoub
Terry O'Quinn
Luis Guzman

John Rhys-Davies
John Carradine
Claude Akins
Keith David
Luis Guzman
Steve Railsback

J.T. Walsh

Steve "I may be ugly but I still kick ass" Buscemi

It seems no matter when or where this guy shows up in a movie it instantly gets cool even it sucks.

and another vote for Don "you need more Quads" Cheadle

What is a character actor anyway?

A character actor is an actor who plays small roles with usually only a few lines but is more than just an extra. its common in comedies to have character actors in small parts. Gary Oldman and Steve Buscemi arent really character actors.

See Gary Oldman the pimp with dreadlocks in a 10 min part in True Romance. If your defention is correct, then he could be consitered one.

But he is not a character actor. Thats more of a cameo. He has starred in movies. Sam Jackson wouldnt be a character actor. Hes in True Romance for even less time. Character actors never have big parts like SMJ or Gary Oldman. They never get above character actor status.

James Gandolfini and Sarah Michelle Gellar

although he switches from prominent film's (The Postman, Remember the Titans) and smaller roles (the if you blink you'll miss him shot in "Jesus' Son") quite frequently I really like Will Patton. Would he qualify as a character actor?

British character actor Frank Harper - whose characters include; Dog in "Lock Stock...", Films: "Shiner", "Bend it Like Beckham", "Tube Tales", "Club Le Monde", "Room for Romeo Brass' and others.

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