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Many actors dream of being A-list Hollywood stars and box office magnet marquee names, but not every successful actor has followed this path. There is such a thing as “character actors,” and they are the actors we see in films and television who specialize in the eccentric supporting characters that make the movies we love what they are. One can be both a successful lead and a character actor. For example, Danny DeVito and Steve Buscemi are both technically character actors.
But every moviegoer and TV watcher has seen someone on screen and gone, “Hey that’s the guy who played the *blank in *blank!” It is time these talented actors get the same recognition that their film’s stars have gotten, perhaps this list can be the first step toward recognizing the contributions to Hollywood that have been made by the likes of Margo Martindale, Charles Napier, and Sam McMurray. “Who?” one might ask, well, read on and see…
13/13 Vincent Schiavelli
Although he died in 2005, Schiavelli is easily recognizable thanks to his distinct look, particularly his deep-set eyes and wild curly hair. Some of the biggest highlights of Schiavelli’s career are his appearance in Ghost (he was the ghost on the subway) in Amadeus (where he was the servant who stops Sallierie’s suicide attempt and in Batman Returns (where he played the organ grinder).
12/13 Dylan Baker
Baker is regularly cast as some version of the suburban dad. Sometimes he is the conservative father, sometimes he is the nervous next door neighbor, but he is very good in whatever generic white guy role Hollywood needs him for. Some of Baker’s biggest roles are Owen in Planes Trains And Automobiles, Dr. Curt Conners in the Spiderman trilogy, and J. Edgar Hoover in Selma.
11/13 Margo Martindale
Martindale received overdue recognition with a Primetime Emmy for her role in Justified. Before that, she was a nun in Dead Man Walking, Earline in Million Dollar Baby, and Mama Cox in Walk Hard The Legend of Dewey Cox. She is also a voice actress and played herself for a recurring bit about character actors in Bojack Horseman.
10/13 Keith David
Anyone who hears David’s voice can recognize him from his countless narration and voiceover roles, especially as the president in Rick and Morty. He became a mainstream name after his round on the final season of Community. Before he that he was in Platoon, The Thing, Barbershop, Agent Cody Banks, and again, too many other roles to count.
9/13 Clancy Brown
Millennials and zoomers might know him better as Spongbob’s cheapskate crab of a boss Mr. Krabs. But Brown is a notorious player of villains and toughs, particularly because of his stature and gravelly voice. He played the villainous Captain Hadley in The Shawshank Redemption, the number one movie ranked on IMDb. He was also the Kurgan in Highlander, Surly Joe in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and the voice of Doctor Neo in the Crash Bandicoot video games.
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8/13 James Cromwell
Cromwell has done everything from Star Trek movies to biopics about former president George W. Bush. He was the Warden in The Green Mile, the farmer in Babe, and Clifton the Butler in The Artist. He has nearly 200 credits (and counting) to his name and can be seen in the hit HBO show Succession.
7/13 Stephen Tobolwosky
Often cast as the nerdy antagonist or a high school principal type (The Goldbergs), Tobolwosky is best known as Ned from Groundhog Day. He was also a Captain in Spaceballs, he was the holistic healer who turned George purple in Seinfeld, and again, has done too many other roles to count.
6/13 Judy Greer
Greer needs no introduction to Arrested Development and Archer fans, but she deserves just as much credit for her 150 other roles in projects like Jawbreaker, 13 Going On 30, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Jurrasic World, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, and Two and a Half Men.
5/13 Charles Napier
Napier was tall, had a crew cut, and had a deep intimidating southern accent that made him perfect to play cops and military commanders. He did so in Austin Powers, Rambo II, The Silence of the Lambs, and L.A. Law. He also played the cheated country music star in The Blues Brothers. He was also the voice of Duke Phillips on the short-lived Jon Lovitz animated show The Critic. He died in 2011.
4/13 Brian Dennehy
Fans of Patton Oswalt already know his Brian Dennehy story, it is one of the comedian’s most famous bits. And the actor was further endeared to the world by his many roles, some intense, some heartwarming. He was Chris Farley’s father in Tommy Boy, Walter in Cocoon, Ted Montague in Romeo + Juliet, and Django in Rattatouie and he did numerous TV movies and shows. He died in 2020.
3/13 Sam McMurray
If there was a movie or sitcom in the 1990s, chances are Sam McMurray was in it. He was one of the snobby rich parents in Addams Family Values, Chandler’s boss in Friends, the dentist in Freaks and Geeks, and the voice of Roy for Dinosaurs. He has 200 acting credits to date.
2/13 Jonathan Banks
He is now forever known to the world as Mike, the moral yet corrupted ex-cop in the Breaking Bad universe, but he was so much more than that before landing his now iconic role. He was in Airplane, Sanford and Son, Beverly Hills Cop, Wiseguys, Gremlins, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family.
1/13 James Hong
He was Bruce in an episode of Seinfeld, he did voices for Mulan and Kung Fu Panda (and hundreds of other movies and shows), and he was David Lo Pan in Big Trouble In Little China (one of his most famous roles. James Hong has nearly 500 credits to his name. In his 90s, as of the moment this was written, he continues to work prominently. Although he typically plays Chinese nationals or immigrants with a heavy accent, in real life he was born in Minneapolis.
