.svg)
6
edits
Character actor: Difference between revisions
robot: Update article (please report if you notice any mistake or error in this edit)
(Created page with "A '''character actor''' is an actor who plays a particular kind of character in a play, movie, television program, opera or ballet. The...") |
(robot: Update article (please report if you notice any mistake or error in this edit)) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
A '''character actor''' is | {{Short description|Actor who predominantly plays distinctive or eccentric characters}} | ||
{{Use American English|date=February 2022}} | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}} | |||
[[File:Ernie Weckbaugh & Claude Rains.jpg|thumb|Actor [[Claude Rains]] (right) was sometimes a leading actor, sometimes a character actor, often cast as a sophisticated, sometimes "morally ambiguous" man.<ref name=twsDigitalPolyphony/> ]] | |||
A '''character actor''' is a [[supporting actor]] who plays unusual, interesting, or [[Eccentricity (behavior)|eccentric]] [[character (arts)|characters]].<ref>Oxford Dictionaries, [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...."</ref><ref>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..."</ref><ref name=twsForeman/><ref name=twsNYActingSchool>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. .."</ref> The term, often contrasted with that of [[leading actor]], is somewhat abstract and open to interpretation.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Lloyd|last1=Grove|first2=Elisa|last2=Lipsky-Karasz|title=Busting on the 'Cult Buster'|date=13 January 2004|work=[[New York Daily News]]|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/busting-cult-buster-article-1.612152|access-date=7 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230082753/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/busting-cult-buster-article-1.612152|archive-date=2013-12-30|url-status=live <!-- but geo-restricted-->|quote=... definitions for acting are always very tricky. What is a 'character actor'? What is a 'lead'? What is 'supporting'? ... It drives me nuts...}}</ref> In a literal sense, all actors can be considered character actors since they all play "characters",<ref name=twsTVTonight>{{cite web|first=David|last=Knox|date=4 April 2014|work=TV Tonight|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2014/04/good-cop-bad-cop-and-jack-irish.html|title=Good cop, bad cop and Jack Irish|accessdate=7 August 2014|quote=... co-leads and cameos ... character actors. But every part plays a character...}}</ref> but in the usual sense it is an actor who plays a distinctive and important [[supporting role]].<ref name=twsDigitalPolyphony>{{cite web|website=Digital Polyphony|url=http://www.digital-polyphony.com/top25characteractors.htm|title=Top 25: Great Character Actors|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513181426/http://www.digital-polyphony.com/top25characteractors.htm |archive-date=13 May 2015 |accessdate=7 August 2014|quote=...often in supporting roles - rarely are they leading men or leading ladies, and often times they're put into a certain type of role over and over again...}}</ref><ref name=twsYahoo>{{cite web|first=Adam|last=Pockross|date=28 March 2014|website=[[Yahoo! Movies]]|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/yahoo-movies/jon-polito-guy-thing-definitely-know-225543635.html|title=Jon Polito: That Guy From That Thing (Who You Definitely Know)|accessdate=7 August 2014|quote=...Jon Polito: I think a character actor ... is someone off to the side ... the baddie ... the best friend. A mother role ... stuff that fills in the plot from the center of the movie...}}</ref> | |||
A character actor may play characters who are very different from the actor's off-screen real-life personality, while in another sense a character actor may be one who specializes in minor roles. In either case, character-actor roles are more substantial than [[bit part]]s or non-speaking [[Extra (acting)|extras]]. | |||
The term is used primarily to describe television and film actors, as opposed to those in the theater.<ref name=twsTobolowsky>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|url=https://archive.today/20140811234419/http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/what-is-defined-character-actor |date=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{{snd}}parts I play ...Officer Johnson"</ref> 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".<ref>''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', 2nd ed., character, ''n''., 19.</ref> Actors with a long career history of playing character roles may be difficult for audiences to recognize as being the same actor.<ref name=twsNYActingSchool/> | |||
==Overview== | |||
[[File:The Wizard of Oz Margaret Hamilton Judy Garland 1939.jpg|thumb|Character actress [[Margaret Hamilton (actress)|Margaret Hamilton]] (left) in real life was a "sweet, gentle woman" who even taught kindergarten prior to working on Broadway and Hollywood, which was different from her on-screen persona of the [[Wicked Witch of the West|Wicked Witch]] in the 1939 film ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]''.<ref name=MH>{{cite news|first=Susan|last=King|date=28 May 2010|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/uncategorized/wicked-witch-of-the-west/|title=Hats off to the Wicked Witch of the West and Margaret Hamilton|accessdate=2 September 2015|quote=...became one of Hollywood’s most dependable supporting actresses playing, as she once described, "women with a heart of gold and a corset of steel.}}</ref>]] | |||
== | In contrast to [[leading actor]]s, they are generally seen as less glamorous.<ref name=twsNYActingSchool/><ref name=twsTVTonight/><ref>{{cite news|first=Craig|last=McLean|date=21 September 2013|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/22/james-mcavoy-filth-irvine-welsh|title=James McAvoy: 'There will be people who walk out of the cinema I'm sure|accessdate=7 August 2014}}</ref><ref name=twsForeman>{{cite book|title=A Practical Guide to Working in Theatre|first=Gill|last=Foreman|date=2009|publisher=[[A & C Black]]|location=London, England|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p185iMLoK7UC&dq=%22character+actor%22+theater&pg=PA47|page=8|isbn= 9780713687675|quote=... much less glamorous effect on their audiences ... chameleon-like ability to play a great variety of roles ... subsuming themselves into the part until they are almost unrecognisable... good character actors are rarely out of work.}}</ref> While a leading actor often has the [[Physical attraction|physical attractiveness]] considered necessary to play the [[Romantic interest|love interest]],<ref name=twsUSAToday2/> a character actor typically does not. In fact, some character actors are known for their unusual looks. For example, Chicago character actor William Schutz's face was disfigured in a car accident when he was five years old, but his appearance after reconstructive surgery helped him to be distinctive to theater audiences.<ref>{{cite news|date=28 May 2009|first=Trevor|last=Jensen|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-05-28/news/0905270785_1_character-actor-theater-joyful-guy|title=William Schutz 1961-2009: Veteran character actor on Chicago theater scene|accessdate=7 August 2014|quote=...When he was 5, a horrific car crash ... reconstructive surgeries followed, yet could not entirely match the right side of his face with the left...}}</ref> Generally, the names of character actors are not featured prominently in movie and television advertising on the [[Marquee (sign)|marquee]], since a character actor's name is not expected to attract film audiences.<ref>{{cite news|date=23 March 2014|first=Brian|last=Lowry|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-03-23/entertainment/sns-201403231813reedbusivarietyn1201143849-20140323_1_philip-seymour-hoffman-llc-leonard-maltin|title=James Rebhorn: Remembering the Quintessential Character Actor|accessdate=7 August 2014|quote=Rebhorn worked constantly, but seldom above the marquee.}}</ref> Some character actors have been described as instantly recognizable despite their names being little known.<ref>{{cite web|date=3 July 2013|website=[[Indiewire]]|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2013/07/oh-that-guy-15-character-actor-villains-you-love-to-hate-96358|title=Oh, That Guy: 15 Character Actor Villains You Love To Hate|accessdate=7 August 2014|quote=...oversized personalities and penchant for playing villainous goons made them unforgettable (even if you couldn't quite place their names)}}</ref> | ||
[[ | During the course of an acting career, an actor can sometimes shift between leading roles and secondary roles.<ref name=twsUSAToday2>{{cite news|first=Elysa|last=Gardner|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/theater/2014/01/04/jude-law-discusses-devotion-to-stage/4178429/|title=Jude Law's new stage: Maturing lead, character actor|date=January 4, 2014|accessdate=August 7, 2014|quote=...one of Hollywood's most prominent rising stars ... the emergence of a great character actor ... beautiful men and women can have the public get past their looks ...}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|first=Matt|last=Schudel|date=22 January 2014|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/tom-quinn-boxer-and-character-actor-dies-at-79/2014/01/22/e132a362-7f9f-11e3-95c6-0a7aa80874bc_story.html|title=Tom Quinn, boxer and character actor, dies at 79|accessdate=7 August 2014}}</ref> Many up-and-coming actors find themselves [[typecasting (acting)|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]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Mark|last=Butler|url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/gary-oldman-oscar-132006|title=Gary Oldman: the 'jobbing actor' whose Oscar recognition is long overdue|website=inews.co.uk|date=March 5, 2018|accessdate=June 14, 2022}}</ref> Some character actors develop a [[cult following]], like the fans of ''[[Star Trek]]'' or ''[[The Rocky Horror Picture Show]]''. | ||
Character actors tend to play the same type of role throughout their careers,<ref name=twsDigitalPolyphony/> like [[Harvey Keitel]] as tough and determined, [[Christopher Lloyd]] as an eccentric, [[Claude Rains]] as sophisticated, sometimes morally ambiguous men, [[Abe Vigoda]] as an aging criminal,<ref>{{cite web|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=26 January 2016|work=[[NBC News]]|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/abe-vigoda-beloved-character-actor-dead-94-n504621|title=Abe Vigoda, Beloved Character Actor, Dead at 94|accessdate=26 January 2016}}</ref> [[Fairuza Balk]] as moody [[Goth subculture|goth]] girls, [[Doug_Jones_(actor)|Doug Jones]] playing non-human creatures, and [[Forest Whitaker]] as composed characters with underlying volatility.<ref name=twsDigitalPolyphony/> [[Ed Lauter]] usually portrayed a menacing figure because of his "long, angular face" which was easily recognized in public, although audiences rarely knew his name.<ref name=twsUSAToday>{{cite news|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=17 October 2013|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/10/16/veteran-character-actor-ed-lauter-dies/2997877/|title=Character actor Ed Lauter dies|accessdate=7 August 2014|quote=...long, angular face and stern bearing made him an instantly recognizable figure..}}</ref> 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. A character actor's roles are often substantially different from their real-life persona.<ref name=twsForeman/> Good character actors are rarely out of work, and they often have long careers that span decades.<ref name=twsForeman/> They are often highly regarded by fellow actors.<ref>{{cite news|last=Alvin|first=Klein|date=20 October 1985|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/20/nyregion/theater-a-leading-character-actor.html|department=Theater|title=A Leading Character Actor|access-date=7 August 2014|quote=...consummate professional who evokes admiration and awe in his colleagues...}}</ref> | |||
==See also== | |||
* [[Commedia dell'arte]] | |||
* [[Stock character]] | |||
* [[Typecasting]] | |||
== References == | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
==Further reading== | |||
* {{cite book |title=Quinlan's Illustrated Directory of Film Character Actors |last1=Quinlan |first1=David |author-link1=David Quinlan (film critic) |year=1995 |publisher=Batsford Press |location=USA |isbn=0713470402 }} | |||
* {{cite book |title=Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting |last=Voisin |first=Scott |year=2009 |publisher=BearManor Media |isbn=978-1-59393-342-5 }} | |||
{{Clear}} | |||
{{Film crew}} | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
[[Category:Acting]] | |||
[[Category:Film and video terminology]] | |||