Top 50 Character Actors of All Time: 50 – 46

And by all time, I really mean the 90’s, a little 80’s, a little 00’s, a modicum of 40’s, and nothing else, because I’m not that exhaustive and most of the people who contributed grew up with those films.

This is also, I warn you, largely white male. And I encourage you to offer suggestions to bring some color and gender to this list.

I’d like to thank Kevin L., Justin, Amanda, Kevin S., Jeremy, Dr. Fiancée, and all the folks who commented on Kevin’s similar question a ways back. Your ideas have inspired me.

Finally, and I’ll address this in more detail later, there are certain fantastic character actors who have crossed over into the star or near-star status and I didn’t feel it was fair to include them (I’ll give them their own list later). And of course there’s a huge gray area. But generally speaking, the people on this list you’ve never heard of, but seen a lot, or if you have heard of them, it wasn’t in a starring role. Again, that rule will be broken from time to time, and there’s one major figure with but one starring role who didn’t make the list because he exists now in his own stratosphere. I will discuss him later.

But enough apologizing. On with the list!

50. Powers Boothe

Few actors match their name with their screen persona more than Powers Fucking Boothe. Okay, maybe if that was actually his middle name it would fit even better, but it’s still pretty accurate. Whether he’s playing a corrupt politician in Sin City or a corrupt politician in Nixon, you can damn well bet he’s not going to break a sweat when the chips are down. Actually his turn as Alexander Haig is kind of touching as he tries to keep it together while Anthony Hopkins falls apart. Also good if you need a possibly corrupt lawman.

Check out: Nixon, Sin City, Frailty, Southern Comfort

49. Tony Todd

“Okay, we need a scary black man for this role.”
“How about Isaiah Washington?”
“No, I mean really scary.”
“Oh, how about Dennis Rodman?”
“No, I mean this guy’s so scary, he scares BLACK PEOPLE!”
“Bring me Tony Todd!”

The deepest voice in Hollywood, ladies and gentleman. The Candyman himself. A man so bad-ass he actually shoots the crow in The Crow! Although he’ll probably always be remembered as the creepy coroner who gives the half-assed explanation for the deaths in Final Destination, I’ll always remembers his turns on X-Files and, yes, Smallville, that actually let him act a little.

Check out: The Crow, The Rock, Final Destination, Candyman

48. Michael Wincott

Speaking of The Crow, how about a guy who stabs a motherfucker (the wonderful John Polito) and growing impatient with his death gurgle says “Oh, just die already!” and shoots him a bunch of times? Or how about a guy who’s such a personification of evil that the only way to make him look small is to put him in a room with Alan Rickman? Or how about a guy who makes Along Came a Spider vaguely watchable? This gravely voiced mofo has the villain thing down. But watch for a completely different version (three, actually) of the actor in Talk Radio.

Check out: The Crow, Talk Radio, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

47. Vincent Schiavelli

Somewhere between creepy and schlubby lies the magic that is Vincent Schiavelli. From the zonked-out science teacher in Fast Times to the guide for Patrick Swayze’s dead ass in Ghost, he makes disheveled look, well, palatable if not downright entertaining. Even more fun, he kills Terri Hatcher in Tomorrow Never Dies, playing an assassin in a scene the filmmakers wish was written by Quentin Tarantino, but really, really wasn’t.

Check out: Baadasssss!, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, Ghost

46. Tom “Tiny” Lister, Jr.

Big, black, built, cross-eyed motherfucker. If you’ve seen him once, you’ll remember him whenever you see him again. Perhaps his most pivotal role was as Deebo in Friday, but he also played the President of, well, the Galaxy in The Fifth Element. Usually, however, he’s just the muscle. And a lot of it.

Check out: The Fifth Element, Friday, Confidence