50 Greatest Character Actors: 10 – 6

10. Don Cheadle

There’s something politically incorrect about the fact that one of the most prominent black actors of our time has, for the most part, played criminals. That observation might be more unsettling if it weren’t for the fact that what we remember about these characters is not that they’re criminals, but that they’re three-dimensional, intensely engaging personas that even when given only a few minutes of screen time, like his drug dealer in Bulworth, practically make the films they’re in. And within that seemingly confining trope, Cheadle has conveyed menace (Out of Sight), cool (Devil in a Blue Dress), and buffoonery (Ocean’s Eleven). And he’s no slouch on the other side of the law (Traffic). And, for something completely different, is there anything sadder than Buck Swope’s puppy dog eyes in that ridiculous headdress at the Boogie Nights costume party?

Check out: Traffic, Boogie Nights, Ocean’s Eleven, The Hire: Ticker, Out of Sight, ER, Bulworth, Devil in a Blue Dress

(Check out Hotel Rwanda, too, though it’s a lead role and just about kept him off this list).

9. M. Emmet Walsh

This man is the definition of the term character actor. Sure I’ll bend it for a Don Cheadle or a Benicio Del Toro, who’ve had principally supporting roles, but in the dictionary, this is the picture. You get five minutes of screen time. Make it your own. And he does. He fills a niche. Several actually. The grimy gumshoe. The filthy comic relief. Kind of an adult Pig Pen.

There’s his classic Bryant, sending Harrison Ford on his fateful mission in Blade Runner. There’s “Dr. Jellyfingers” in Fletch. There’s his gum-chewing machinist in Raising Arizona. And his sketchy detective in Blood Simple. He’s even mucky as the apothecary in Romeo + Juliet. But if he ever took a shower, would he really be the same M. Emmet we know and love?

Check out (of the 100+ to choose from!): Blade Runner, Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, The Jerk, Romeo + Juliet, Fletch, Twilight, The Mighty Quinn

8. Stephen Tobolowsky

If you want to describe Stephen Tobolowsky to somebody, just mention Groundhog Day and say “Ned? Ned Ryerson?” Everybody gets it. You can also mention Sneakers and say “My voice is my passport.” But forget those nerds. How about the racist mayor in Mississippi Burning? The lonely trick in Where the Day Takes You? The tragic object lesson Sammy Jankis in Memento? There’s something inherently square in his screen persona that somehow contributes to each character he portrays, no matter how un-Ned Ryerson the role. That mayor is racist because nobody likes him. You could cast him anywhere and he’d make that dork truth work to his advantage.

Check out: Memento, Groundhog Day, The Insider, Mississippi Burning, Thelma & Louise, The Grifters, Sneakers, Freaky Friday, Basic Instinct, Spaceballs, Where the Day Takes You

Another lead worth checking: Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party

7. J.T. Walsh

There are two varieties of antagonist in Good Morning Vietnam (besides, y’know, the Viet Cong). There’s Lieutenant Steve (Bruno Kirby), basically an earnest, if misguided, idiot. Then there’s Sgt. Dickerson (Walsh). He’s an altogether different beast. He will kill without compunction if he can get away with it. There’s something behind his eyes that Lieutenant Steve will never have – contempt. When you see J.T. Walsh in a film, look out. You’re dealing with Villain B.

And he does it so well. Each of his characters, almost exclusively ne’er-do-wells, have this seething that goes beyond cartoonish treachery into something darker. Even the precious seconds of screen time he shares with Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade make us glad its Billy Bob who’s getting out that day. His characters seem to be acutely aware of what they’ve become (and they’ve always become – he’s excellent at conveying untold backstory), and they’ve made their peace with it. And that’s far scarier than some dude who’s wishy-washy about his evil.

And wouldn’t ya know it? The one time he does play something resembling a good guy (A Few Good Men), he’s all flawed and conflicted and, well, not long for this world.

What’s more, Fametracker named their “HITG!” feature after this guy.

Check out: Sling Blade, Pleasantville, A Few Good Men, The Negotiator, The Last Seduction, Good Morning, Vietnam, The Grifters, Nixon, Breakdown, Backdraft, Executive Decision, Tequila Sunrise

6. Frances McDormand

Frances McDormand may be the single greatest actress working today and, aside from her debut in Blood Simple, she has yet to have a true lead in a film. (Face it, Fargo is an ensemble piece). Even Fargo, for which she won a Best Actress Oscar, is but one slice of the personas she can portray. Compare that to Mississippi Burning (for which she should have won an Oscar). The relationship she develops with Gene Hackman there is one of the most subtle, sweet, and tragic I’ve seen committed to film. And who else would actor’s director Cameron Crowe trust to portray his own mother? (For some real fun, watch her in Almost Famous and Laurel Canyon back-to-back). And yes, she’s married to Joel Coen, but I think he’d still cast her in 5 of his movies if she didn’t give him the time of day. Look at her in those films alone for an idea of her range.

Check out: Fargo, Almost Famous, Miller’s Crossing, The Man Who Wasn’t There, Lone Star, Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Wonder Boys, Short Cuts, Mississippi Burning, Primal Fear, Something’s Gotta Give, Laurel Canyon

Only five to go! Who will it be? Well, I’ll tell you who it won’t be in the next installment…