Lance Henriksen, man, this guy is like the Michael Caine of b-list sci-fi/horror... what other B (or C) lister has managed to duct tape together a long and expansive career?

/\ to Lance Henriksen, very fun actor to watch!

Stephen Tobolowsky


If you haven't listened already, I recommend The Tobolowsky Files, one of /film's weekly podcasts where Stephen tells an often intimate, always personal, story about his career in the industry. Good stuff!

Bruce Campbell is like the poster child for the working B-lister.

Tobolowsky is more of a character actor than a B-lister -- he rarely stars in anything, but when you see him you think, "Hey, it's that guy. Y'know, he did that thing in that movie with Bill Murray." A B-lister gets top billing in second tier movies. (There are some people who straddle the line, like Steve Buscemi who goes between a star of B-movies and a character actor in major films.)

Danny Trejo (though he's an A-lister in my book).

Jack Nicholson.

Humphrey Bogart.

A friend of mine went to high school with Stephen Tobolowsky and is/was friends with him, he's sent me pics of them from their high school days, at HS reunions and etc. Says he is/was just a plain old cool guy, and was showing obvious talent back in high school.

I'm a fan of Henrikson. He does good work even in lousy films.

Great interview with Henriksen on the not-so-great AICN website.

Love the Dog Day Afternoon and Quick and the dead anecdotes.

Lance Henriksen will be 70 on May 5.

If you haven't seen JOHNNY HANDSOME you should. Easily his best movie. Plus, it's got Mickey Rourke and Ellen Barkin at their sleazy best. Plus, Forest Whitaker and Morgan Freeman doing their southern vamping.

Eric Roberts seems to have done ok.

But the answer of answers is Bruce Campbell.

Ok, he has a successful TV show now... but what about Bill Paxton? He's in everything and he's always fun.

Or lesser Bill Paxtons like Treat Williams or Bill Pullman.

Brad Dourif
Tom Atkins
Michael Ironside
Fred Ward

You could probably make the character actor argument for some of these...

the engineer from DS9, i think he's been in more movies than any other actor

Michael Rooker seems to pop up every now and then on a DTV release or as a guest star on a TV show.

Cuba Gooding Jr and Val Kilmer still get regular work in DTV releases also.

Ouch! I wouldn't want to be called a lesser Bill Paxton.

No love for Bill Paxon?

No waaay man, nooo waay.

I believe you're talking about Colm Meaney. Yeah, he's been in a TON of movies and TV series (he has the second most appearances EVER in Star Trek series behind Michael Dorn). He's been in almost 100 different productions.

Meaney was excellent in 'Intermission'.

A terrific blind buy I got a few years back.

Michael Biehn, one of Cameron's guys...



Loved John Carroll Lynch in Zodiac...

Three of my favorites are all in the same film, Blade Runner.

Brion James
William Sanderson
Rutger Hauer

Not sure if this makes an "appropriate" list, but Richard Jenkins, Fred Ward, Dan Hedaya, and John Mahoney all have had pretty good careers, giving good performances in a wide-ranging variety.

I do love Dan Hedaya. He is on my fantasy cast list for my imaginary movie I'll never make.

I think Richard Jenkins moved up to the B+ list when he got a Best Actor nomination for "The Visitor".

???!

Bogart started in Hollywood playing stock villains in gangster films. Nicholson came out of the AIP/Corman schlock machine. Both made good careers for themselves.

Charles Bronson too.

Robert Forster
Tim Curry