Cameron Yee

What exactly is a "character actor?"

Sometimes I see this used to describe actors I consider "B" grade. What does this really mean?

Cameron Yee

Here is what Google gave me:

"an actor who specializes in playing supporting roles"

Alex Spindler

I wouldn't consider that a bad way to put it. I would call character actors those who bring a unique life to the script important characters. Those secondary roles that seem to really bring out the most in a film, and often because their non-A-list face and name don't bring a great deal of baggage with it. They seem to have the ability to just mesh with the role, somehow making it a real highpoint (and sometimes unforgettable) while still being able to mesh into their next role.

Everyone has their favorites. For my money, you can't get much better than John Turturro. Steve Buscemi and Brad Douriff are also high on my list.

Patrick Sun

Clint Howard.

M. Emmet Walsh.

"I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar!"
Patcave | 2006 Films | 2007 Films | Dragon Con 2008

dannyB

Three words: Philip Seymour Hoffman

My DVDs

Jack Briggs

Whit Bissell.

Haggai

I wonder where the term "character" actor comes from. Is it because, especially in the days of the studio system where the same actors appeared in the same kinds of movies all the time, those are the performers whom audiences would likely remember as particular characters in particular movies, as opposed to the stars who bring people in specifically to see them?

Since I was watching the Casablanca SE commentaries again in the last few days, let me use that as an example. Here's my guess as to the origin of the term "character actor": most movie-goers at that time would say, "I liked Karl the waiter in Casablanca," probably not knowing that the actor's name was S.Z. Sakall. They would probably have a similar reaction after Yankee Doodle Dandy, "I liked the theater impresario who backs their first Broadway show," played by the same actor. They were associating him with the specific characters, one movie at a time. But when it came to thinking about actors, they would go to Yankee Doodle Dandy to see Cagney, and to Casablanca to see Bogart and Bergman, whom they would remember as particular instances of those star personas, more than as "Rick Blaine" or "Ilse Lund."

Michael Patrick

My father used to tell me about character actors in all the old films he used to watch. He always told me to watch how the stars use the same ones all the time. Good character actors make the stars shine.

Holadem

John C Reilly
William H Macy

--
H

Yee-Ming

I thought the term refers to actors (or indeed actresses) who don't have "movie star looks" but can act; many good examples have been brought up already, but the epitome in a sense could be someone like Dustin Hoffman, by no means a GQ model-type, but he sure can act.

But I suppose Hoffman is also a "star", just that he got there solely because of his acting chops, and not because of good looks, cf Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt (not that these guys are bad actors, but their good looks certainly contributed to their popularity).