The passing of James Best had me thinking about this, and so I thought it might be an interesting topic.
This crosses movies and TV since it seems many were just as proficient/successful in both mediums. This includes character actor, supporting roles, and guest appearances. I'm think of those that generally don't get the notoriety of the typical main stars. For example, when I'm thinking of something of interest to either purchase or watch I generally already know of the leads. What I'm thinking about are those that when you scan the cast list or see in the opening credits a name that you didn't expect, and you say "hey, I didn't know they were in this" and you get a bit of a lift before it even starts.
For me, some that stand out are James Best (obvious based on how I started the thread), Ward Bond, Raymond Massey, and Strother Martin. To a lesser degree Royal Dano, John Carradine, James Colburn (early TV roles). Obviously, some of these have had more success than others. Some were even leads in TV but maybe not movies. This is just off the top of my head. I'm sure I will be reminded of others.
Who are yours?
This crosses movies and TV since it seems many were just as proficient/successful in both mediums. This includes character actor, supporting roles, and guest appearances. I'm think of those that generally don't get the notoriety of the typical main stars. For example, when I'm thinking of something of interest to either purchase or watch I generally already know of the leads. What I'm thinking about are those that when you scan the cast list or see in the opening credits a name that you didn't expect, and you say "hey, I didn't know they were in this" and you get a bit of a lift before it even starts.
For me, some that stand out are James Best (obvious based on how I started the thread), Ward Bond, Raymond Massey, and Strother Martin. To a lesser degree Royal Dano, John Carradine, James Colburn (early TV roles). Obviously, some of these have had more success than others. Some were even leads in TV but maybe not movies. This is just off the top of my head. I'm sure I will be reminded of others.
Who are yours?