The stars might get the attention, but they can’t make movies alone. The supporting roles, often played by character actors might not be household names, but the great ones can elevate a film or TV show just as much as the lead. The great ones also tend to show up seemingly everywhere. This is a list of those actors, the true pros in show business.
Robert Davi
You might know him as one of the Fratelli brothers in the cast of The Goonies (alongside another great character actor, Joe Pantoliano), or as one of the Agent Johnsons in Die Hard, but you definitely know Robert Davi. He usually plays a baddie, as he does as a henchman in the Timothy Dalton-era James Bond flick Licence To Kill.
CCH Pounder
Whether it’s a serious movie like Prizzi’s Honor or an over-the-top movie like Face/Off CCH Pounder is always a welcome addition to any cast. She is a chameleon in her roles, something she continues to be even in the 2020s. In the ’80s and ’90s, she was all over film and TV with shows as varying as 227 and ER among many, many others.
Paul Gleason
If you mess with the bull, you’ll get the horn, as Paul Gleason as Assistant Principal Vernon in The Breakfast Club. Of course, he’s also well-known as part of the wonderful cast in Die Hard as well as playing Mr. Beeks in Trading Places. Sadly Gleason passed away way too young at 67 in 2006.
Carol Kane
Carol Kane is one of the funniest actors in Hollywood and that ensured she always had important roles in a ton of movies. Like playing the Miracle Max’s wife Valerie in The Princess Bride and the hilarious Ghost of Christmas Past in Scrooged alongside Bill Murray. Whether it was Murray or Billy Crystal, or whomever, she can go toe-to-toe with some of the best comedic actors of all time.
Michael Ironside
Michael Ironside is probably best known as Jester in Top Gun, but he’s got literally hundreds of other acting credits, according to IMDB. He’s also appeared in movies like Total Recall, Starship Troopers, Free Willy, and much more. Plus TV shows like V: The Final Battle, ER, and Walker, Texas Ranger.
Edie McClurg
While she’s best known as the secretary in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Edie McClurg is true legend who’s been in many movies. In the ’80s, it seemed like she popped up in every comedy, including Mr. Mom, and Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield, but maybe her funniest appearance is as the rental car agent at the airport in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles who has had enough of Neal Page (Steve Martin).
Stephen Tobolowsky
You might not know his name (which is his passport) but you sure as heckfire know his face. Stephen Tobolowsky is so great at playing annoying characters like “Needlenose” Ned Ryerson in Groundhog’s Day and oblivious characters like Werner Brandes, the hapless employee targeted by the hackers in Sneakers.
John C. McGinley
While he found his biggest success in the cast of Scrubs in the 2000s, John C. McGinley has been working hard in Hollywood for decades, mostly as a comedic character actor. Before Scrubs he was best known for playing one of the Bobs in Office Space. He was also excellent in early dramatic roles in two Oliver Stone classics, Wall Street and Platoon.
Olympia Dukakis
Many years into her career Olympia Dukakis got some of the attention she richly deserved when she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Moonstruck. Both before and after that role, she was a character actor with incredible range in movies like Deathwish, Look Who’s Talking, and Mr. Holland’s Opus.
Keith David
Keith David, not to be confused with David Keith, another great character actor, is a legend at this point. He’s been in Best Picture winners like Platoon, cult classics like They Live with wrestler Roddy Piper, and There’s Something About Mary, Gen X classics like Reality Bites, and everything in between.
William Atherton
Nobody in Hollywood plays disagreeable characters quite as well as legendary character actor William Atherton. Whether it’s in comedies like Ghostbusters and Real Genius, or action movies as a cast member of Die Hard, he always plays guys audiences love to hate. Even in ill-conceived movies like Bio-Dome, Atherton shines. Truly one of the best.
Glenne Headly
Glenne Headly is most well known for her role as the supposed “United States Soap Queen” in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, but in addition to her extensive work on the stage, the late Headly was in dozens of movies. Dick Tracy, Mortal Thoughts, Mr. Holland’s Opus, and movies like ER all benefited from her talents.
Annie Potts
Ghostbusters and Pretty In Pink are the two ’80s movies that Annie Potts is best recognized for, but she’s been in so much more. Of course, she was part of the main cast of Designing Women, but she also played some amazing supporting roles in Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Who’s Harry Crumb?, and as the voice of Peep in the Toy Story franchise.
Kurt Fuller
Between 1987 and 1999 Kurt Fuller appeared in over two dozen movies. He’s become one of the ultimate “that guys” in Hollywood. Usually, he plays a jerk, and wow does he play them well! Like fellow character William Atherton, Fuller is just a genius at playing wholly unlikeable characters like the mayor’s aide in Ghostbusters II among others.
Louise Fletcher
The late Louise Fletcher’s career wasn’t like a lot of other brilliant character actors on this list. Very early in it, she won an Oscar for her performance as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. In the ’80s and ’90s, she was best known for her supporting work in movies like Cruel Intentions, The Boy Who Could Fly, and Firestarter.
James Rebhorn
James Rebhorn, who sadly passed away in 2014, had an incredible career as a character acting, starting in the 1980s. from My Cousin Vinny to Scent of a Woman, to Carlito’s Way to The Game, Rebhorn played some really memorable characters.
Eddie Deezen
You might not know his name, but you almost certainly know his face. Eddie Deezen is probably most famous for playing Eugene in Grease and Grease II, but in the ’80s he was all over the place. In WarGames, he plays a character named Eddie Malvin and in Punky Brewster he played a recurring character named… Eddie Malvin! Does that mean Punky Brewster and WarGames exist in the same universe?? Whoa!
Martha Plimpton
If you grew up in the ’80s, there’s a good chance that Martha Plimpton was in one of the movies you most remember. Maybe it’s The Goonies, maybe it’s Parenthood, or The Mosquito Coast, but no matter what you probably recognize her from something. She’s still doing it all these years later too.
Miguel Ferrer
Before his death in 2017, Miguel Ferrer was one everywhere, starting in the early eighties on TV shows like Magnum, PI, and CHiPs. He also made his mark as a great character actor in the movies, playing pivotal supporting roles in RoboCop, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Deepstar Six, and dozens of others.
Lupe Ontiveros
The most important and notable role Lupe Ontiveros played in her career was the singer Selena’s murderer Yolanda Saldívar in Selena. She was also a common face in many movies and TV shows in supporting roles, including As Good as It Gets and The Goonies.
Ronny Cox
Ronny Cox, like others on the list, is superb at playing jerks. Maybe his most famous example is Dick Jones, the president of Omni Consumer Products in RoboCop. He’s also famous for playing Lt. Andrew Bogomil in Beverly Hills Cop who starts as a jerk but ends up the ultimate ally. He also appears alongside fellow character actor Michael Ironsides in Total Recall as Gov. Vilos Cohaagen.
Veronica Cartwright
Though she is probably most famous for a ’70s movie, the original Alien, in which she played Joan Lambert. In the ’80s, she was a supporting player in movies like The Right Stuff, where she played Gus Grissom’s wife, The Witches of Eastwick, and Flight Of The Navigator, so if you watched cable in the ’80s, you know you’ve seen her.
Mike Starr
Mike Starr is the definition of a first-rate character actor. In the ’80s and ’90s, he appeared in dozens of movies, often playing some version of a tough guy. Some notable examples include Frenchy in Goodfellas and Frankie in The Hudsucker Proxy. He’s best known for playing Joe, the tough guy who has a heart attack after eating hot peppers in Dumb and Dumber.
Dabney Coleman
When Dabney Coleman died in 2024, we lost one of Hollywood’s great character actors. He played a supporting role in some of the most popular movies of the eighties, including WarGames, 9 to 5, Cloak & Dagger, Tootsie, On Golden Pond, and You’ve Got Mail, for starters. Truly one of the best.
Barry Corbin
Barry Corbin starred as a retired astronaut in Northern Exposure in the early ’90s, but outside of that, he’s had a remarkable career in supporting roles. He plays a general in WarGames, a prison warden in Stir Crazy, and a police sergeant in Under Cover with Jennifer Jason Leigh, which gives you a good idea of what kind of characters he is great at.
David Paymer
David Paymer is another great example of a guy who shows in multiple movies every year. He has a remarkable range, appearing in roles like Ira (half of Ira & Barry) in City Slickers, Dan Enright in the underrated Quiz Show, and Stan Young in Mr. Saturday with Billy Crystal, which landed Paymer an Oscar nomination. He also earned acclaim for playing Leo in Get Shorty and Arthur Stegman in Payback.
Mare Winningham
Mare Winningham, who many will recognize from St. Elmo’s Fire has had an astounding career as a supporting actress on TV, having been nominated for eight Emmys over her career, almost all in a supporting role. She is the exact kind of actress this list is meant to celebrate.
Bill Cobbs
Bill Cobbs’ career started in the early ’70s, but it was in the ’80s and ’90s when he became ubiquitous in movies. In the ’80s he had supporting roles in Trading Places, The Cotton Club, The Color Of Money, Bird, and many others. In the ’90s you might have spotted him in Demolition Man, New Jack City, The Hudsucker Proxy, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, and That Thing You Do!…among others as well.
James Hong
It would be impossible to list all the roles that the great James Hong has played in Hollywood. His career stretches way back to the 1950s and is one of the rare few character actors to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which tells all you need to know. There is no way that any movie lover hasn’t seen and appreciated Hong in multiple movies, like The Golden Child, Big Trouble In Little China, Airplane!, Blade Runner, etc… the list goes on and on. And that’s not even getting into his TV work which includes playing “Bruce” in the legendary Seinfeld episode “The Chinese Restaurant.”
Penny Johnson Jerald
Penny Johnson Jerald is probably best known today for playing Sherry Palmer on 24, but in the ’80s and ’90s, she was everywhere on TV. She had bigger roles on The Larry Sanders Show and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and she made dozens of appearances on other shows as well, in shorter stints.
Dianne Wiest
You might not think of Dianne Wiest as a character actor, as she has two Oscars to her name, which is rarified air, but just shows how amazing she is at disappearing into characters. From Footloose to Hannah and Her Sister to Bullets Over Broadway (the latter two of which she won her Oscars for), she’s been killing it for decades.
Lynne Thigpen
It’s hard to believe Lynne Thigpen died over 20 years ago, but it’s not hard to believe she left such a strong legacy, mostly as a character actor. For many people, she’ll be first remembered as the host of Where In The World Is Carmen Santiago, but she was way more than a game show host. She was all over TV and movies in the ’80s and ’90s and she has been missed ever since she died at only age 54 in 2003.
So there it is, a list of hard-working actors that don’t get the attention of the big stars, but are every bit as talented and dedicated their craft.
