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Post by mgmarshall on Sept 29, 2021 5:54:33 GMT
One of my favorite actors of all time is Jon Polito, I think the guy had a great screen presence, but outside of the Coen. Brothers stuff he really never got too many sizable roles. (And by the by, what a run of great character actor parts that is he had with the Coens- from his impotently raging mob boss in Miller's Crossing to his meek, colorless accountant in Barton Fink, to delivering the saddest pick up attempt ever committed to film [and directed at Billy Bob Thornton!] in The Man Who Wasn't There) Any others anybody's partial to?
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 29, 2021 10:53:42 GMT
One of my favorite actors of all time is Jon Polito, I think the guy had a great screen presence, but outside of the Coen. Brothers stuff he really never got too many sizable roles. (And by the by, what a run of great character actor parts that is he had with the Coens- from his impotently raging mob boss in Miller's Crossing to his meek, colorless accountant in Barton Fink, to delivering the saddest pick up attempt ever committed to film [and directed at Billy Bob Thornton!] in The Man Who Wasn't There) Any others anybody's partial to? Great idea for a potetnially exciting thread/topic.  Jon Polito is one of those that rarely disappoints. No matter how big or small his part might turn out to be. I guess it is impossible not to bring up the Coen films, and where his comedic and charming performance in The Big Lebowski, stands out as my favorite. However, he frequently showed up in lots of familiar tv-shows back in the day. Like Miami Vice, Tales from the Crypt and yeah, most likely would never be one of those who would get too many phone calls from studios looking for a leading man, but I am damn glad guys like Polito found their way into bigger roles, as he sure fitted the part as one of the most unforgettable character actors of the 80s and 90s. Speaking of familiar and intense character actors, and whom seemed to find their best or most memorable performances when working with certain directors, is that of Frank Doubleday, who sure seemed to be a man, with many faces back in the day. I mean from the chilling and ice cold gang leader in the infamous opening of John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), then suddenly he was "downsized" into to this creepy, scrawny and almost zombie-skeleton looking dude in Escape from New York (1981), and Frank played the spiky haired and ghostly Romero, along with his hissing and just a no nonsense attitude. You just immediately knew that this guy meant some serious business, the moment when he first approaches the scenery: For me, he was such a terrific and creepy character, with lots presence in that film, so that he managed to steal the "thunder" away from his more famous villainous boss, The Duke (Isaac Hayes), and kind of a shame, that Frank did not continue on with getting bigger roles, not only in Carpenter films, but yeah, I mean talk about having presence, this guy sure had that and more.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 29, 2021 11:11:33 GMT
Another favorite character actor, from the 80s and 90s, whom sadly did not got his big break, which I guess had to do with more serious personal problems or struggles, but damn, he was one hell of a scene stealer for a while.
Robert Pastorelli I think I first saw in a small yet memorable scene in Dances with Wolves (1990), but the one which made me a fan, was his hilarious and very over the top delivery of the absolute crazed out baddie in the Bruce Willis action-thriller Striking Distance (1993), and yeah, Pastorelli owned that part, and not long after, he had another fun and memorable character in a Arnold Schwarzenegger film, with Eraser (1996).
When I was younger, I was so sure this guy was way bigger, as it felt like (for a period) he was "everywhere".
As with Polito, this guy tuned up in lots of classic 80s tv-series, like The A-Team, Miami Vice and Beauty and the Beast, and I guess he found most success within the tv-series format, rather than on the big screen Hollywood films, but when he got the chance, he sure did not disappoint.
"SPOILER ALERT" (for those who have not seen the entire film of Striking Distance)
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Sept 29, 2021 11:29:42 GMT
Oh, well, I guess they just keep on coming, and this is one I feel I should mention, before I take a little break for now.
Tom Noonan has always been among my favorites of the more well used character actors during the 80s and 90s. And also one, which I guess rarely would get many chances of being a typical leading man, yet would deliver maybe his most famous or most unforgettable performances in "smaller" parts.
Wolfen (1981), Manhunter (1986), The Monster Squad (1987), Last Action Hero (1993) and The Pledge (2001) are all among those I think stands among his best performances, and where surely his unsettling yet somehow "likeable" part in Manhunter, is probably the one I will always think of, when mentioning Noonan and his movie roles.
The film The Wife (1995), in which he directed and wroted, is also worth a mention.
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Post by mgmarshall on Sept 29, 2021 21:40:31 GMT
All great choices so far. Doubleday is really one of those ones you wish had gotten bigger roles than he did, but even in those two minor roles in the Carpenter movies, he made a hell of a lasting impression.
Pastorelli I remember a lot from my childhood, especially on Murphy Brown and, rather embarrassingly, in the Mara Wilson/Martin Short movie A Simple Wish. The funny thing is though, even in something as cloying and childish as A Simple Wish, the father/daughter scenes between Wilson and Pastorelli are genuinely heartfelt and effective. I have no doubt he would've had a much bigger career were it not for his troubled personal life and untimely death.
Noonan, of course, is an utter force of nature and another one of my favorites. Even if he's not a huge success in the mainstream, I'm happy that he's gotten some real artistic recognition in more recent years, mainly due to his work with Charlie Kaufman:
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Post by lowtacks86 on Sept 29, 2021 21:42:50 GMT
Steve Buscemi, I know he's been in a lot of big movies but mostly as supporting, not many leading man roles.
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Post by mortsahlfan on Sept 30, 2021 15:11:04 GMT
Gena Rowlands
Matti Pellonpaa
Stacy Keach
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Post by mgmarshall on Oct 1, 2021 3:53:24 GMT
Steve Buscemi, I know he's been in a lot of big movies but mostly as supporting, not many leading man roles. You have a point. He's well known, but almost exclusively for bit parts or supporting roles. He does have Boardwalk Empire, though. |
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Post by mgmarshall on Oct 1, 2021 4:00:35 GMT
Gena Rowlands Matti Pellonpaa Stacy Keach Oh, my god! Gena Rowlands, definitely. She's a powerhouse, but she never really broke into the mainstream. I mean, I guess The Notebook gave her some much overdue exposure (and even in that lame-ass movie, she's brilliant. So is James Garner...), but even that movie she's only in for a small portion. I'm actually not even familiar with Pellonpaa's work, so I'll have to take your word for him. Stacy Keach is another, absolutely. He had a brief burst of leading man roles in the 70's and 80's; but yeah, he pretty much got pegged as a supporting actor after that, it seems like. Too bad, he's got one of the coolest voices on the planet. |
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Post by mgmarshall on Oct 1, 2021 4:26:57 GMT
One that just popped into my head is Michael Ironside. The guy is intensely committed and intimidating in everything he's in, but he's in so much low rent crap, and even then he's usually not the star.
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Post by onethreetwo on Oct 1, 2021 4:31:06 GMT
Dan Stevens. Great in everything he's in. Has been in some big films, but still not a name a lot of people recognize.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 1, 2021 10:10:10 GMT
One that just popped into my head is Michael Ironside. The guy is intensely committed and intimidating in everything he's in, but he's in so much low rent crap, and even then he's usually not the star. That is a damn good call, always been a fan of Ironside, even though it has caused me to waste money and time, sitting through one crappy movie, after another. But the man always deliver the goods. I guess what you bring up, about his intimidating look and performances, sure killed off getting more pleasant and heroic parts, and even in the few (I have seen) where he has had a starring/leading role, he comes of as not the most "friendly" or "typical" leading man, but then again, I kind of like that. He has his ways of doing it, and I liked his role in the sci-fi/post apocalyptic western Neon City (1991). That one, I really want a DVD/Blu-ray of. Another rare title, which I only picked up, cause of Ironside, was the cheap and boring sci-fi/triller Mindfield (1989), which I think were some Canadian release, and where the artwork, sure tried to benefit from Ironside and his earlier role in the cult-classic Scanners (1981). But beside that, there is not much to go on, as Mindfield was very poor, and boring. Still, it did feature a ridiculous sex scene (or so I remember it) where Ironside and the lovely Lisa Langlois. Would love to hear if anyone has any good recommendations of more dominant/bigger parts in films which actually are not all that terrible/bad.
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Post by mecano04 on Oct 1, 2021 10:16:14 GMT
Steve Buscemi, I know he's been in a lot of big movies but mostly as supporting, not many leading man roles. You have a point. He's well known, but almost exclusively for bit parts or supporting roles. He does have Boardwalk Empire, though. In the same line, wouldn't David Morse fit too?
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Post by Mulder and Scully on Oct 1, 2021 10:24:46 GMT
Joe Mantegna is one of the most underrated actors out there. I mean the guy can go from playing ruthless criminals like in The Godfather 3 and House of Games to a bumbling idiot like in Baby's Day Out to playing an honest cop in Homicide.
Even if the role is small, Mantegna never disappoints.
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Post by mortsahlfan on Oct 1, 2021 12:54:13 GMT
Gena Rowlands Matti Pellonpaa Stacy Keach Oh, my god! Gena Rowlands, definitely. She's a powerhouse, but she never really broke into the mainstream. I mean, I guess The Notebook gave her some much overdue exposure (and even in that lame-ass movie, she's brilliant. So is James Garner...), but even that movie she's only in for a small portion. I'm actually not even familiar with Pellonpaa's work, so I'll have to take your word for him. Stacy Keach is another, absolutely. He had a brief burst of leading man roles in the 70's and 80's; but yeah, he pretty much got pegged as a supporting actor after that, it seems like. Too bad, he's got one of the coolest voices on the planet.
Her performance in "A Woman Under The Influence" is probably the best I've seen.
Stacy Keach in "Fat City" is probably the most underrated performance I've seen and still one of the best.
Matti was in a lot of Kaurismaki's movies before dying at 45. Check out "Shadows In Paradise" (1986), it's a great movie.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 2, 2021 10:14:45 GMT
Dick Miller. I love that man, everything he does, no matter how small the roles might be, he lights up the screen, and some of the random lines are hilarious. Just saw him last night, in a terrible horror film Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype (1980), and Miller probably has less than a minute onscreen, yet his lines are what I remember the most. Once again, his appearance as an ungrateful garbageman is the stuff of comedy gold, and I was almost expecting him to shout out something in the line of his The 'Burbs part: "LOOK AT ALL THIS GARBAGE!" Anyway, I am sure he has done bigger and who knows, some leading man roles as well in his long and impressive career, as one of the most likeable character actors, who at a certain period during the 80s and early 90s, seemed to be in every cool and enjoyable movie of that time. |
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Post by mgmarshall on Oct 2, 2021 20:33:54 GMT
Dick Miller. I love that man, everything he does, no matter how small the roles might be, he lights up the screen, and some of the random lines are hilarious. Just saw him last night, in a terrible horror film Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype (1980), and Miller probably has less than a minute onscreen, yet his lines are what I remember the most. Once again, his appearance as an ungrateful garbageman is the stuff of comedy gold, and I was almost expecting him to shout out something in the line of his The 'Burbs part: "LOOK AT ALL THIS GARBAGE!"Anyway, I am sure he has done bigger and who knows, some leading man roles as well in his long and impressive career, as one of the most likeable character actors, who at a certain period during the 80s and early 90s, seemed to be in every cool and enjoyable movie of that time. Ah, Dick Miller's another great one. I could be wrong in this, but I think the only leading role he ever had was in Corman's A Bucket of Blood:
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Oct 6, 2021 17:45:21 GMT
Karl Urban
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Post by Mulder and Scully on Oct 6, 2021 19:47:36 GMT
Arthur J. Nascarella has been awesome in all the stuff I've seen him in. This is guy is a badass in real life. He served 8 years in the marines and 20 years in NYPD.
He has such a commanding presence, really brings gravitas to his roles.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 16, 2021 8:14:59 GMT
Having just seen the cheesy horror b-movie Mutator (1989), I gotta say, it was a pleasant surprise to finally be able (not sure if I have seen him in a similar big leading performance before) of witnessing the always memorable Brion James as not only the main lead, but the hero of the day as well.
It was almost a bit "weird" to get to see such a colorful "bad" guy, who is always a guaranteed scene stealer, with so many of his classic sleazy and evil scumbag parts to show for, specially during the 80s and early 90. And while some might be smaller or bigger, you just never tend to forget about a Brion James performance, no matter how long or short his stay in a film ends up as.
Of course, I think he said it himself, time after time, that he loved doing that kind of "nasty" work, and few did it better than him, still it was kind of interesting and fun, to get to see him take on the heroic part for once, and I thought he handled himself rather well, even though the film itself was maybe not all that to show for, but yeah, for fans of James, I would not call it a "must see", but for a change in scenery, it might be a fun little 85-90 minutes of b-movie cheese to waste away with.
Anyway, of all the films and parts I have seen him do, I guess my all time favorite has to be his ridiculous over the top serial killer maniac part, as Max "Meatcleaver" Jenke, in the highly underrated supernatural late 80s slasher, The Horror Show (1989), aka House 3.
Now this movie is pretty much a one man Brion James show, and I think it is also was his favorite movie, and he sure looked like he had a blast putting poor Lance Henriksen and his family through hell and back.
Beside the many sci-fi and horror bad guy parts, I guess it is also hard to ignore his often great guest parts, in late 80s action films like Red Heat (1988) or Tango and Cash (1989), and where I believe he sadly got edited (more or less) out from a much bigger and important part, in the butchered version of Another 48 Hrs. (1990).
Also loved his hilarious asshole part in Striking Distance (1993), against Bruce Willis, and when you are in need of a "friendly" co-worker, you can bet Brion James would be right around the corner, happy to see you.
A few classic Brion James moments:
All in all, a truly gifted and highly memorable character actor, who I guess settled mostly in for bad guy/psycho villains, but also showed he had a great talent for comedy (specially within the black comedy genre) and sadly got wasted away in a lot of terrible or lousy films, but would always put in a good effort.
I often wonder if he could have ended up in a similar type of situation as another well known villainous movie charactor actor of the 80s and 90s, like Tobin Bell did later on his career, with the Saw film series.
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