5 Great Character Actors You Should Know by Name

Have you ever found yourself watching television or sitting in a movie when you suddenly recognize an actor on screen and realize you've seen him/her many times before but you just can't remember his name? So is the plight of the character actor.

The character actor is that person who plays a smaller but usually important part in a feature or series. You see them more often because they can film several projects in the same time that a leading actor films one. Sometimes you can see them in a few roles each year and rarely, if ever, do they choose to take a lead role and even when they do they usually end up back in the supporting roles where they are most comfortable. Often times they're work is taken for granted and they wind up never winning any acting awards and are rarely recognized with even a nomination.

Character actors always lend able support to the project they are involved in. A project may rest on the shoulders of its leading actors but without the character actors in the supporting roles the project is doomed to fail. Think about it. Can you think of a popular television sitcom that rested entirely on the shoulders of the leading character? I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Dick Van Dyke Show, All in the Family, MASH, Cheers, Seinfeld... the list goes on and on. Can you imagine The Andy Griffith Show without Don Knotts?

Film character actors are even more a diamond in the rough as they are required to play a different role each time out and the successful ones pull it off in each and every film. There are certain actors that, when you spot them, you know they are going to add to the film you're watching despite the fact that you couldn't name them if your life depended on it.

Character acting is taken for granted. You see these actors and expect competent work every time out. Even the Academy failed to recognize their talents for almost ten years until the categories of Best Supporting Actor and Actress were added to the list.

Since then there has been a laundry list of great character actors including Claude Rains, Thelma Ritter, Sydney Greenstreet, Martin Balsam, Jack Warden, Harry Dean Stanton, Slim Pickens and Strother Martin just to name a few. Martin, best known for his role as the warden in "Cool Hand Luke" who delivers the immortal line, "What we have here is a failure to communicate," once remarked that he loved being a character actor because of the plethora of roles available and that there was no pressure on him to make or break the movie. Its success or failure always rested on the lead actors or director while he could simply move on to the next role.

This article is to make you aware of 5 of the better character actors in the business. This is not to say they are the best as there are literally dozens out there to choose from. I simply picked 5 that I like and hope to make you more aware of their work. I have included pictures of each actor so you can follow who they are and, hopefully, the next time you see them you will know them by name just as much as by their faces or body of work. I have also included three of their performances that I recommend you seeing sometime in the future, especially if you enjoy the work of these actors. Film buffs will no doubt know these actors first hand so this is more for the casual filmgoer.

CLANCY BROWN - Brown has been a character actor for almost 25 years now and while he has appeared in over 50 movies he has also appeared in many television shows, most recently on the children's hit SpongeBob SquarePants and one of the most popular shows of the last few years, Lost.

Brown made his film debut in 1983's "Bad Boys" starring Sean Penn as a young Chicago thug sent to juvenile prison. Brown, with his tall stature and menacing looks, played a fellow not-so-nice inmate who gets his comeuppance. He has since made a career of playing bad guys more often then not and pulling off each performance with menacing credibility. It is usually a shock to see him in softer roles such as Jaime Lee Curtis' love interest in "Blue Steel" or even as a sexy lover in an excellent independent film called "Female Perversions."

Cult film fans may recognize Brown from his roles in "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" and "Highlander" while action fans may remember him as one of the possible suspected serial killers in the thriller "Shoot To Kill" starring Sidney Poitier and Tom Berenger. I wouldn't dream of telling you if he is the killer or not. Some of his other films include "Extreme Prejudice," "Pet Sematary II," "Starship Troopers," "Flubber," and "The Hurricane." He has also lent his distinctively deep voice to many animated series.

Brown, who has never been nominated for an Academy Award, can currently be seen in the futuristic action film "Pathfinder."

Here are three roles that Brown should be remembered for and are worth seeking out.

THE BRIDE - This 1985 remake of "The Bride of Frankenstein" starred Sting of all people and was a huge box office flop. The film is not very good with the exception of Brown's exceptional (and best) performance as the monster. He brings joy, pathos and fear to his role and that is difficult for any actor to pull off.

DEAD MAN WALKING - Brown's role in this powerful film, which won Susan Sarandon an Academy Award and brought Sean Penn his first nomination, is nothing more then a cameo but what a memorable short scene it is! Brown plays a highway patrolman who pulls over Sarandon's nun character and observes that one time he pulled over an IRS agent and the very next year he was audited. He looks her over and informs her he is going to let her go. It is a perfectly funny moment that helps release some of the tension in a most powerful drama.

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION - Brown's role as Hadley, the warden's right hand man, is likely the one he will be best remembered for. In the film Brown goes from mean to loyal to helpful to broken as he is taken away in handcuffs. The moment he grabs Tim Robbins on the roof and pushes him towards the edge you can see the rage in his face and fully believe what he is capable of. He confirms this when he later kills a man simply to prevent embarrassment to the prison while keeping the warden happy. Curiously, he would play a sympathetic prison guard in "The Hurricane."

GARY COLE - Cole is one actor that definitely falls under the "what's that guy's name" category. Cole is one of the few character actors that starred in a hit television series (Midnight Caller) before making the jump to the big screen. Cole has often returned to television with recurring roles on such shows as The West Wing, Family Guy, The Practice, Family Affair and American Gothic. His first role was as an assistant football coach in the 1986 teen hit "Lucas."

As a true character actor Cole, who has never been nominated for an Academy Award, has drifted back and forth between comedy and drama playing good guys and bad guys with equal depth. Some of his roles include Clint Eastwood's secret service adversary in "In The Line of Fire," Robin Williams' boss in "One Hour Photo," an FBI agent with a hidden agenda in "A Simple Plan," and as the boss in the cult hit "Office Space." Other film appearances include "I Spy," "Breach," "The Ring Two," "Win a Date With Tad Hamilton," and "The Gift."

Here are three of Cole's roles worth seeking out. Interestingly I have focused on three comedic roles even though he has pulled off the bad guy or jerk just as ably.

THE BRADY BUNCH MOVIE and A VERY BRADY SEQUEL - Cole was spot on in his role as patriarch Mike Brady absolutely nailing the part that made Robert Reed a household name. Cole captured the look and voice of Reed's Mike Brady while still making the character his own. Hiss performance is more an homage then caricature and one is amazed he was able to pull off the silliness without losing his composure. If the Academy were more lenient with comedies Cole would have garnered serious consideration.

DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY - Cole has a small but very funny role as the announcer of the dodgeball games playing off his idiotic color man well played by Jason Bateman. The film has its moments but is ultimately worth watching for the moments when Cole and Bateman banter back and forth. As Bateman says after Cole has made a pronouncement, "F-n-A Cotton, F-n-A."TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY - Cole steals this movie right out from under Will Farrell as Farrell's hillbilly father who long ago abandoned his family and reappears as Ricky Bobby rises to the ranks of the great race drivers. Cole's Reese Bobby loves to go to Applebee's just so he can be kicked out and teaches his son how to race by placing him in a car with a leopard and then telling his son that he has planted cocaine in the car and has called the cops. Reese's final gesture is a comedy topper: At each race Ricky leaves two tickets for his father. When Reese finally shows up to collect them he immediately turns around and attempts to scalp them. As it often the case with a great character actor, Cole rises above the material and makes the film worth watching.

CHRIS COOPER - Cooper is one of the most recognizable character actors working with his distinctively sour looking expression that becomes magnified when plays more sinister characters.

Cooper is the only actor in this article who has won an Academy Award (for his role in "Adaptation") and the odds are good he will collect at least one more before all is said and done.

Cooper has stepped up to play lead roles for director John Sayles in the films "Matewan," "Lone Star," and "Silver City." Sayles regards him as a "good luck charm" and no doubt most directors feel that way. "Lone Star" was the film that brought Cooper to people's attention playing a small town sheriff who, thanks to Sayles' brilliantly multi-layered script, has to deal with politics, a skeleton found in the desert, the memory of his long forgotten father and a love affair with an old girlfriend that has a strange twist.

Before "Lone Star" Cooper was seen in such films as "Guilty By Suspicion," "This Boy's Life," "Money Train," and "Boys." His career then took off and he has appeared in films including "A Time To Kill," "The Horse Whisperer," "The Patriot," "Me, Myself and Irene," "The Bourne Identity," "The Bourne Supremacy," "Capote," "Jarhead," and "Syriana." Cooper's most recent film was a co-starring role in the thriller "Breach."

Here are three roles to watch out for:

OCTOBER SKY - This overlooked gem stars a young Jake Gyllenhaal as a kid growing up in West Virginia who becomes obsessed with the idea of building his own rocket despite the strong objections of his father (Cooper), who is a foreman in the mines. Cooper brings sternness to the role that most young men can identify with and then provides a moment near the film's end that should bring every man in the audience to tears.

AMERICAN BEAUTY - Cooper's most identifiable role is that of Colonel Frank Fitts, the next-door neighbor to Kevin Spacey's Lester. Cooper is a strict disciplinarian who has obviously spent too much time in the military. He beats his teenage son and ignores his wife who is in a world all his own. And when he mistakenly concludes that his son and Lester are involved sexually, Fitts comes to Lester and shockingly plants a kiss on him in an effort to not only try to identify with his son, but to feel something in a lonely and lost life. When he is rebuffed it leads to a tragic and violent conclusion.

SEABISCUIT - Cooper takes on the quiet role as the tough horse's trainer in this winning drama in which Cooper took a backseat to Tobey Maguire and Jeff Bridges. When showing off the horse for the first time and witnessing that it is fast and out of control Bridges observes, "Sure is fast," to which Cooper dryly replies "And in every direction."

DAVID MORSE - Morse began his career appearing in several made for television movies and even made the leap to television while still working steadily in films with the failed drama Hack, which ran for one full season and part of a second. Morse has an innocent looking face that emotes both sympathy and joy but hidden beneath is a sinister expression that goes right through people.

Morse has successfully played everything from lovable to misunderstood to downright evil in his career. Currently he can be seen in the hit film "Disturbia" as a neighbor who may or may not be a serial killer.

Morse made his debut in film in the 1980 film "Inside Moves," written by Barry Levinson and directed by Richard Donner. Despite the film receiving an Academy Award nomination, it was not widely released in the United States.

Morse would receive his first recognition as a regular on the hit television series St. Elsewhere. His first real exposure in film was in the 1990 thriller "Desperate Hours" playing sidekick to bad guy Mickey Rourke. His next film was his first and only lead role in a movie in Sean Penn's directorial debut, "The Indian Runner." In the film Morse plays a small town cop who tries to understand and then re-develop a relationship with his younger, troubled, law-breaking brother, who has just come home from Vietnam. Despite glowing reviews Morse settled back into the role of character actor and has appeared in such films as "The Good Son," "The Getaway," "The Rock," "Extreme Measures," "The Long Kiss Goodnight," "12 Monkeys," "Contact," "Crazy In Alabama," "Dancer In The Dark," "Proof of Life," "Hearts In Atlantis," and "16 Blocks."

Recently Morse has had a recurring role on the television series House.

Here are three of Morse's performances to watch out for:

THE CROSSING GUARD - In Sean Penn's second directorial effort, Morse takes a backseat to Jack Nicholson and steals the film right out from under him. In the film Morse plays a man released from prison after serving time for accidentally killing a child while drunk. He returns home to start life again not knowing that the child's father (Nicholson) has been waiting for this day and plans on killing him. The moment of confrontation between the two men is a powerful acting tour de force.

THE NEGOTIATOR - Morse plays a Chicago cop in this action/thriller who may or may not be crooked. Morse's brilliant portrayal keeps the audience guessing until the last scene of the film. Samuel Jackson plays a now disgraced cop accused of killing his partner who takes hostages in an office building while trying to prove his innocence. Kevin Spacey plays the police negotiator who comes in to diffuse the situation and immediately is at odds with Morse, who seems to have no feelings toward the situation and simply wants to take Jackson out.

THE GREEN MILE- This is Morse's most tender performance as Tom Hanks' best friend and fellow death row prison guard who befriends a monolith of a man accused of murdering two children who soon discover the man has a special "gift." Morse plays the man of reason trying to keep Hanks in line while discovering the secrets along with him. It's a quiet but strong role that Morse could have phoned in but he ultimately adds great depth to the role.

DAVID STRATHAIRN - Until 2005 David Strathairn was likely the most recognizable person in this list for whom a name could not be attached. All that changed when he made the giant leap forward in his first out in out lead role as Edward R. Murrow in "Good Night and Good Luck." For his portrayal Strathairn received his first Academy Award nomination but lost to former character - now lead actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Strathairn has made an impressive career having acted in over 60 movies in 27 years. Like Chris Cooper, Strathairn got his start working with indie director John Sayles, making his film debut in 1980's "Return of the Secaucus Seven," which happened to be Sayles first film as writer/director. Since then Strathairn has worked with Sayles six more times, most memorably as White Sox pitcher Eddie Cicotte in "Eight Men Out" and as an Alaskan local who falls in love with a singer in "Limbo." He has also appeared in Sayles' films "The Brother From Another Planet," "Matewan," "Passion Fish," and "City of Hope."

Strathairn has made a career of usually playing the everyman whose morals and beliefs are worth fighting for even if he sometimes has to be convinced of it simply because his strong convictions sometimes blind him. He hasn't often played bad guys but when he has, he has played them only two ways. The first way has been as a sadistic abuser of women which he has played in "Dominick and Eugene," "A Dangerous Woman," and "Dolores Claiborne." The other way has been as a charmer that one could easily be swayed by in such films as "The Firm,""L.A. Confidential," and "Blue Car."

Strathairn has often been cast as the quiet, understanding husband or boss in such films as "The River Wild," "Losing Isaiah," "A Map of the World," "Harrison's Flowers," and "We Are Marshall."

Strathairn's early career included small roles opposite major stars including "Lovesick" with Dudley Moore, "Silkwood" with Meryl Streep, "Iceman" with Timothy Hutton and "At Close Range" with Sean Penn and Christopher Walken. Other film roles include parts in "Memphis Belle," "Bob Roberts," "Sneakers," "Lost in Yonkers," "Home for the Holidays," "Mother Night," "Simon Birch," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and "The Notorious Bettie Page."

Currently he can be seen in the thriller "Fracture" starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling.

Here are the three performances you should seek out:

DOMINICK AND EUGENE - In this strong drama about the relationship between two brothers, one a hopeful doctor (Ray Liotta) and the other a mentally challenged garbage man (Tom Hulce), Strathairn has a small but vital role as a drunken wife and child abuser that the slow witted Dominick sees on his work route. Strathairn's role will soon become significant to the entire last reel of the film.

EIGHT MEN OUT - In the true story of the 1919 Chicago White Sox, of whom 8 members took money to throw the World Series, Strathairn plays starting pitcher Eddie Cicotte who was the star pitcher. Cicotte was so good that he guaranteed owner Charles Comiskey a 30-victory season. Comiskey promised him a huge bonus if he got to 30 wins and when Cicotte got to 29 with three weeks still to go in the season, Comiskey ordered his manager to bench Cicotte for the rest of the regular season. Strathairn plays Cicotte as a good man who feels cheated by his boss and then comes to find that he feels even worse about himself after taking payoffs to pitch poorly. This is one of his best performances.

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN - I decided to choose a lighter role to exhibit and this is one of his most recognized roles as Ira Lowenstein, who fought for and won the right to keep the professional Woman's Baseball League going even after the men returned home from war. Strathairn's Ira is a passionate man who believes in his women players and fights tooth and nail for their rights.

Next time you run into one of these actors on screen you should pay close attention as you are guaranteed to see the level of the film or television program to rise with their presence.