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Character actor

Actor who predominantly plays distinctive or eccentric characters

Actor who predominantly plays distinctive or eccentric characters

A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones. While all actors play "characters", the term character actor is often applied to an actor who frequently plays a distinctive and important supporting role.

A character actor may play a variety of characters in their career, often referred to as a "chameleon", or may be known for playing the same type of roles. Character actor roles are more substantial than bit parts or non-speaking extras. The term is used primarily to describe television and film actors, as opposed to theater actors. An early use of the term was in the 1883 edition of The Stage, which defined a character actor as "one who portrays individualities and eccentricities". Actors with a long career history of playing character roles may be difficult for audiences to recognize as being the same actor.

Overview

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In contrast to leading actors, they are generally seen as less glamorous. While a leading actor often has the conventional physical attractiveness considered necessary to play the love interest, Generally, the names of character actors are not featured prominently in movie and television advertising on the marquee, since a character actor's name is not expected to attract film audiences. Some character actors have been described as instantly recognizable despite their names being little known. They are colloquially referred to as "that guy", or "that guy" actors, as in the 2014 documentary That Guy Dick Miller; with a prime example of a "that guy" actor being John Carroll Lynch.

Over the course of an acting career, an actor can sometimes shift between leading roles and supporting roles. Some leading actors, as they get older, find that access to leading roles is limited by their age. Sometimes character actors have developed careers based on specific talents needed in genre films, such as dancing, horsemanship, acrobatics, swimming ability, or boxing. Many up-and-coming actors find themselves typecast in character roles due to an early success with a particular part or in a certain genre, such that the actor becomes so strongly identified with a particular type of role that casting directors and theatrical agents steer the actor to similar roles. Some character actors are known as "chameleons", able to play roles that vary wildly, such as Gary Oldman and Christian Bale.

Many character actors tend to play the same type of role throughout their careers, Fairuza Balk as moody goth girls; Doug Jones as non-human creatures; and Forest Whitaker as composed characters with underlying volatility. Character actors can play a variety of types, such as the femme fatale, gunslinger, sidekick, town drunk, villain, hooker with a heart of gold, and many others.

References

References

  1. Oxford Dictionaries, [https://web.archive.org/web/20140811102011/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/character-actor character actor], Retrieved 7 August 2014, "...An actor who specializes in playing eccentric or unusual people rather than leading roles...."
  2. Macmillan Dictionary, [http://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/character-actor Character actor], Retrieved 7 August 2014, "...an actor who plays unusual, strange, or interesting characters instead of being one of the main characters..."
  3. (13 January 2004). "Busting on the 'Cult Buster'". [[New York Daily News]].
  4. Knox, David. (4 April 2014). "Good cop, bad cop and Jack Irish". TV Tonight.
  5. "Top 25: Great Character Actors".
  6. Pockross, Adam. (28 March 2014). "Jon Polito: That Guy From That Thing (Who You Definitely Know)".
  7. Stephen Tobolowsky, Discovery, [http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/what-is-defined-character-actor What does it mean to be defined as a character actor?] {{webarchive. link. (11 August 2014 , Retrieved 7 August 2014, "In theater, they almost never use the term "character actor." ... leading actors have two names, like, Captain Jack Sparrow ... Richard Kimble{{sndparts I play ...Officer Johnson")
  8. ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', 2nd ed., character, ''n''., 19.
  9. King, Susan. (28 May 2010). "Hats off to the Wicked Witch of the West and Margaret Hamilton". [[Los Angeles Times]].
  10. 28 April 2013, The New York Acting School, [http://actingschoolny.blogspot.com/2013/04/ten-best-character-actors-of-all-time.html Ten Best Character Actors of All Time], Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be almost unrecognizable from part to part, and yet play many, many roles convincingly and memorably. .."
  11. McLean, Craig. (21 September 2013). "James McAvoy: 'There will be people who walk out of the cinema I'm sure". [[The Guardian]].
  12. Foreman, Gill. (2009). "A Practical Guide to Working in Theatre". [[A & C Black]].
  13. Jensen, Trevor. (28 May 2009). "William Schutz 1961–2009: Veteran character actor on Chicago theater scene". [[Chicago Tribune]].
  14. Lowry, Brian. (23 March 2014). "James Rebhorn: Remembering the Quintessential Character Actor". [[Chicago Tribune]].
  15. (3 July 2013). "Oh, That Guy: 15 Character Actor Villains You Love To Hate".
  16. Anderson, John. (11 August 2010). "Eddie Marsan, a go-to actor for 'that guy' roles".
  17. (5 December 2013). "Ben on Film - 'That guy' actor Lauter dies quietly".
  18. Rapold, Nicolas. (2 April 2015). "Review: 'That Guy Dick Miller' Pays Tribute to a Character Actor".
  19. Terrones, Terry. (15 November 2020). "Colorado native John Carroll Lynch on being a "that guy" actor, a Broncos fan and his new ABC series".
  20. Clarke, Donald. (15 February 2021). "That Guy: The actor everyone recognises but no one can name". [[The Irish Times]].
  21. Dowd, A.A.. (27 September 2017). "John Carroll Lynch on playing the president, a killer clown, and the Coen brothers' warmest character".
  22. Gardner, Elysa. (4 January 2014). "Jude Law's new stage: Maturing lead, character actor". [[USA Today]].
  23. Schudel, Matt. (22 January 2014). "Tom Quinn, boxer and character actor, dies at 79". [[The Washington Post]].
  24. Butler, Mark. (5 March 2018). "Gary Oldman: the 'jobbing actor' whose Oscar recognition is long overdue".
  25. (30 June 2022). "Getting into Character is a Punishing Process for Christian Bale".
  26. (26 January 2016). "Abe Vigoda, Beloved Character Actor, Dead at 94". [[NBC News]].
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