I'm going to go with Thomas Mitchel. You know him as Scarlett's dad in Gone With The Wind, Uncle Billy in It's A Wonderful Life, the drunkard D.C. reporter in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington etc...He always stole the scenes he was in and brought additional depth to the characters he interacted with and provided some much needed levity in certain films.
The one I most remember though is from It's a Wonderful Life. There are two scenes in particular:
1) When he stumbles drunk into trash cans off-screen. It was actually a mistake. A set tech dropped something and the mics picked it up. Mitchel saved the take by quickly hollering, "I'm all right. I'm aaaaall right."
2) When he gets to act as a foil by which George can vents his frustrated dark side. He yells at Uncle Billy, "One of us is going to prison and it ain't me!!" It's the first time in the movie where we really get to see George loose his cool.
Ward Bond was in a gazillion classics and old Westerns. But my favorite scene of his is in It's a Wonderful Life where he plays Bert the Cop, and he sings with Ernie the cabbie (yeah, that's where Sesame Street got "Bert and Ernie" from) outside the house where George and Mary are having their honeymoon dinner.
I’m nominating Christopher Walken. Even if he has become a caricature of a character actor, Walken has a resume of so many memorable roles. The Deer Hunter, Catch Me if You Can, Pulp Fiction, Batman Returns, True Romance to name a handful. Even a Bond villain in a not-good Bond movie. I can’t wait to see him as the Emperor in Dune.
Be ye forewarned because I am going to drop names as I pretend to know things *smirks*
John Leguizamo instantly came to mind as I think so many of his performances are spectacular. But the stubborn in me (I loathe his politics) cannot allow a vote. I have enjoyed Stephen Root since NewsRadio, and Office Space solidified my admiration. Djimon Hounsou is one of those guys whose name I don't quite recognize during opening credits, but when he appears on screen I think, "Oh yeah! That guy! I like him!" Chris Cooper has some strong performances.
But I am going with... Peter Stormare! Sometimes it feels like he consistently plays similar characters, but he manages to put a unique twist in each role that you cannot definitively pin him down. He has stolen the show in many cases, in my humble opinion.
Mar 29, 2023·edited Mar 29, 2023Liked by Vince Guerra
I had to look him up, but yes! So hey, which movie clinched it for you? My fave scene of his is “Dis how ve fix tings in MY country!!” as he bashes the control panel in Armageddon. (This line makes frequent appearances in the Guerra household.😂)
I know there are far better supporting actors, but I’ve always loved Alan Rickman and since I can’t devote too much time to over thinking my answer this week, that’s my final answer 😄
I can't decide between Sydney Lorre or Peter Greenstreet. They were so good together.
Alright, Sydney Greenstreet with his first role in The Maltese Falcon. But he was good even without Peter Lorre such as a nicer guy in Christmas in Connecticut.
John Turturro and it had to be Mr. Deeds that made my decision for him as the best supporting actor. I mean, o brother is the bomb but Mr. Deeds is the knock out punch for Turturro. His role as butler is hilarious.
I would give my vote to Gary Oldman as one of the greatest and most versatile actors living today but I see him as more of a lead actor, which he certainly was in The Darkest Hour, Tinker, Soldier Sailor Spy, and Air Force One to name a few.
I'm going to go with Thomas Mitchel. You know him as Scarlett's dad in Gone With The Wind, Uncle Billy in It's A Wonderful Life, the drunkard D.C. reporter in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington etc...He always stole the scenes he was in and brought additional depth to the characters he interacted with and provided some much needed levity in certain films.
The one I most remember though is from It's a Wonderful Life. There are two scenes in particular:
1) When he stumbles drunk into trash cans off-screen. It was actually a mistake. A set tech dropped something and the mics picked it up. Mitchel saved the take by quickly hollering, "I'm all right. I'm aaaaall right."
2) When he gets to act as a foil by which George can vents his frustrated dark side. He yells at Uncle Billy, "One of us is going to prison and it ain't me!!" It's the first time in the movie where we really get to see George loose his cool.
Welllll, we see George lose his cool so many times in that movie. But yeah, Thomas Mitchell was great. Which leads me to MY vote...
Not to that degree but okay.
He was a jerk so many times. I mean, I love him, but I don't think I would've married him. Mary should've cracked the record over his head.
Mary wasn't Irish.
Sadly true. Is this why we don't have records in our house?
Ward Bond was in a gazillion classics and old Westerns. But my favorite scene of his is in It's a Wonderful Life where he plays Bert the Cop, and he sings with Ernie the cabbie (yeah, that's where Sesame Street got "Bert and Ernie" from) outside the house where George and Mary are having their honeymoon dinner.
I’m nominating Christopher Walken. Even if he has become a caricature of a character actor, Walken has a resume of so many memorable roles. The Deer Hunter, Catch Me if You Can, Pulp Fiction, Batman Returns, True Romance to name a handful. Even a Bond villain in a not-good Bond movie. I can’t wait to see him as the Emperor in Dune.
Be ye forewarned because I am going to drop names as I pretend to know things *smirks*
John Leguizamo instantly came to mind as I think so many of his performances are spectacular. But the stubborn in me (I loathe his politics) cannot allow a vote. I have enjoyed Stephen Root since NewsRadio, and Office Space solidified my admiration. Djimon Hounsou is one of those guys whose name I don't quite recognize during opening credits, but when he appears on screen I think, "Oh yeah! That guy! I like him!" Chris Cooper has some strong performances.
But I am going with... Peter Stormare! Sometimes it feels like he consistently plays similar characters, but he manages to put a unique twist in each role that you cannot definitively pin him down. He has stolen the show in many cases, in my humble opinion.
I had to look him up, but yes! So hey, which movie clinched it for you? My fave scene of his is “Dis how ve fix tings in MY country!!” as he bashes the control panel in Armageddon. (This line makes frequent appearances in the Guerra household.😂)
And the winner is...Shannon and Ward Bond. Congratulations Shannon, you get to choose to Monday's question.
I know there are far better supporting actors, but I’ve always loved Alan Rickman and since I can’t devote too much time to over thinking my answer this week, that’s my final answer 😄
Thelma Ritter. Jimmy's nurse in Rear Window the most memorable.
I can't decide between Sydney Lorre or Peter Greenstreet. They were so good together.
Alright, Sydney Greenstreet with his first role in The Maltese Falcon. But he was good even without Peter Lorre such as a nicer guy in Christmas in Connecticut.
John Turturro and it had to be Mr. Deeds that made my decision for him as the best supporting actor. I mean, o brother is the bomb but Mr. Deeds is the knock out punch for Turturro. His role as butler is hilarious.
Saw her in an X-Files episode. Her character's name was also Octavia.
Bob Odenkirk in movies:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Odenkirk_filmography
I would give my vote to Gary Oldman as one of the greatest and most versatile actors living today but I see him as more of a lead actor, which he certainly was in The Darkest Hour, Tinker, Soldier Sailor Spy, and Air Force One to name a few.
But hey, this is a fight club so...
My all time favorite actor.
Hey, that's why the fight lasts a whole week. It's a marathon, not a sprint:
**Your answer can be as off-the-wall or controversial as you’d like. It will be up to you to defend it and win people to your side.**