What a Pair of Characters

[Art]

Character actors are people that we usually see all the time on a screen but don't put a name to, folks like Dub Taylor or Mary Wickes. Some like Jack Elam have become iconic enough that even long after they're dead folks remember them. The great thing about being a character actor is really steady work if you're available and good at it. It also employs actors who aren't necessarily real pretty, for those reasons a lot of formerly big stars do character work in their later years. Ray Milland, once the highest paid leading man in Hollywood spent most of the second half of his career doing character parts. When another ageing star complained to him about not having enough work Milland told him that his refusal to accept character rolls had a lot to do with that.

Here are two, though who could be the best that ever were:

Walter Brennan - in a very long and distinguished career he contributed in a big way to numerous really famous movies. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in "Sergeant York" and won the Oscar three times for his work in "The Westerner," "Kentucky," and "Come and Get it." He was nominated for a Prime Time Emmy award for "The Real McCoys."

Kathy Bates - Like Brennan she has worked in a whole bunch of really good movies. She was nominated for four Academy Awards including "Richard Jewell," "About Schmidt," and "primary Colors." She won the award for her work in "Misery." She was also nominated for five Emmys with wins for performances in "American Horror Story" and "Two and a Half Men." I will admit Two and a Half Men is one of my least favorite productions of all time though.

[dogtag]

Don't forget the great Jack Elam.
He was the villain in Rawhide, the hero in Princess of the Nile,
the comic in El Dorado. A Man of many talents.

[dryheat]

Kathy Bates is great. Misery was a heck of a movie. I never watched Two and a half men. Didn't care for Charlie Sheen. I was surprised to see John Ritter was in 100 movies but I couldn't stand 3's company. A lot of t.v. sitcoms are just awful. Some stars always keep a stash of actors they liked to work with. John Wayne did. Frederick Forrest who just died a few months ago could always play a creep or a really tough guy. He was in two of Duvals movies.

[blackhawknj]

John Carradine said "Be a character actor-you'll work more."