Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Timothy Carey

Timothy Carey was a true American original. His intense, often over-the-top portrayals were both disturbing and fun to watch at the same time. And the only thing predictable about his characters were the fact that they were unpredictable. Always.

From Elia Kazan to Stanley Kubrick, Timothy Carey appeared in films by some of the most famous directors of the twentieth century. And no matter how large or small the role, he always managed to get noticed.


He achieved cult status for his part as the rock 'n roll Evangelist, Clarence Hilliard, in the 1962 independent film, The Worlds Greatest Sinner, which he also wrote and directed. Other unforgettable performances were in Bayou, Paths of Glory, Fast-Walking and as Nikki Arcane, the horse assassin with the cold heart, in The Killing.

Unlike some of the younger talent of today, Timothy Carey was natural and unforced with his strange and quirky characters. His performances make some of his older films seem more modern and  his newer ones  more hip. He has yet to be replaced and I doubt ever will.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Maggie Wheeler

She might not realize it, but Maggie Wheeler is very fortunate.  She's a working actress with a lot of guest starring credits on some major television shows. One of those shows was Friends, where her character of Janice has become almost has famous as the six regulars.

The difference is that the general public does not know her real name. And what makes her such a good actress is that she goes unrecognized from show to show, thus creating an actors dream job.


With her recurring roles on Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, as well as memorable characters on episodes of Seinfeld, How I Met Your Mother and others too numerous to mention, Maggie Wheeler has proven time and time again that she is the real deal.

She is one of those rare actors that consistently delivers top notch performances without audiences ever connecting her with her previous character. Look for the name Maggie Wheeler in the credits, because most likely you won't be able to distinguish her from role to role. She's that good and the reason she's my pick for the day for Not Very Famous...but should be.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Robert Prosky

Although Robert Prosky had leading roles on the Broadway and regional stages, his film and television career was limited to supporting and smaller parts. With actors of his caliber, there is usually at least one stand-out role that defines their lifetime work, but in his case there really wasn't.

The reason is because Robert Prosky was solid in everything he did. He was the ultimate actor, not only giving what was necessary to make the scene work, but also transforming so seamlessly into his characters to the point that you often didn't realize you were watching an actor at work.


Not blessed with traditional leading mans looks, Robert Prosky usually showed up as the judge, doctor, minister, father, grandfather, coach or neighbor. And even though his parts were often small, he was always memorable.

His contributions to Stephen King's, Christine, and the Oscar nominated films, Broadcast News, Dead Man Walking, Far and Away and The Natural, not to mention his numerous guest appearances on many popular television shows like Hill Street Blues and The Practice, make Robert Prosky a true talent whose presence in film, television and theater is greatly missed.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

D'urville Martin

Although he had small roles in the Hollywood hits, Rosemary's Baby and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, as well as being cast as Lionel Jefferson in the first two pilot episodes of All in the Family, D'urville Martin made his real mark in the Blaxploitation genre, where he often played the second banana to action star Fred Williamson.

When that era ended, so did his career. And soon after, he died at the young age of 45. Had he lived, I am almost certain that he'd be working today thanks to Quentin Tarantino, who most likely would have cast him in many of his films that so resemble the ones that D'urville Martin was a part of in the 1970's.


From Black Caesar  to Sheba Baby  and Blind Rage  to Dolemite (which he also directed), D'urville Martin had a solid presence which shined in all of his work. He was as good as any actor working today and it's sad that the racial attitudes of the 1970's prevented him and so many other talented actors from getting major Hollywood work.

His films are still around, though, and if you happen to catch one on late night television, you will see for yourself why D'urville Martin is Not Very Famous...but should be.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Wings Hauser

Unless you're a huge fan of the cult movie Vice Squad, you most likely have never heard of Wings Hauser. There is a good chance you've seen some of his work, though, as a guest star in many major television shows that range from Roseanne  to Murder She Wrote and from Beverly Hills 90210  to the mini-series, Kingpin.

However, it's his work in many low budget independent films that puts Wings Hauser towards the top of the list of interesting actors that the world has never heard of. Whether playing the hero or the heavy, he has a certain over-the-top charisma that makes it hard not to notice him.


Although he's had small roles in some mainstream movies, like A Soldier's Story  and Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling, it's the low budget ones where he seems to get the top billing and have the most fun. Most of his films don't have the restrictions of the big studios, which makes discovering Wings Hauser a sheer pleasure for anyone wanting to experience the freedom of an actor.

From Vice Squad  to No Safe Haven, and The Art of Dying  to Rubber, he appears to be an actor that clearly likes where he's at and seems perfectly happy being away from the Hollywood spotlight, which makes Wings Hauser my pick for the day for Not Very Famous...but should be.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Jeanette Nolan

Jeanette Nolan was a remarkable character actress that appeared mostly in guest starring roles in a wide variety of television shows from the 1950's through the 1980's. From The Twilight Zone to Gunsmoke and I Spy  to My Three Sons, her presence made average shows good, and good shows even better.

Her best work, however, was as part of the ensemble in the short-lived 1963 anthology program, The Richard Boone Show, where a group of actors would perform a one-hour drama each week as different characters. This really showcased her versatile talent.


From witches to feisty old ladies, and from sweet grandmothers to crazy killers, Jeanette Nolan was in a league all her own. And when watching her work, it appears that she could do no wrong.

She really had the ideal career. A career that started with Orson Welles Macbeth and ended with Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer, with over three hundred television appearances in-between. Jeanette Nolan may not be well known by the mainstream public, but her body of work is proof that she was as good as they get.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Matthew Lillard

In the movie, The Descendants, George Clooney's character is looking for a man named Brian Speer. When he's sees his picture on a billboard he instantly recognizes him. Well, I recognized him also. Only I didn't see the character Brian Speer. Instead, I saw actor Matthew Lillard.

Mainstream audiences have seen him as Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo movies, but that series does nothing to showcase his true talents. He has a quirky intensity that makes his comic roles hilarious and his dramatic ones unique.


Either way you look at it, Matthew Lillard is a talented, unpredictable actor that is fun to watch in everything he does. He's at his very best in the movies, Scream, SLC Punk, The Curve and as a guest star on Law and Order SVU in an episode entitled Ballerina, but you really can't go wrong in watching anything he does.

He's one of those actors that adds a freshness and unique slant to all of his characters and makes each movie he's in a little more interesting. Matthew Lillard has been a working actor for quite a while now, and I don't see him slowing down in the near future, which is good news for any lover of interesting performances.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Paul Dooley

Paul Dooley is one of the great character actors of all time. His performance as the father in the 1979 coming of age classic, Breaking Away, should have gotten him an Oscar nomination, but like so many other great talents before him, his name was no where to be found on the ballot.

We can relate to his characters because we recognize them. We see in him our own fathers, bosses and relatives. There's no Hollywood glitz or phoniness to anything that Paul Dooley brings to the screen. And maybe that's why he's flown under the radar throughout his long career.


Besides Breaking Away, which is probably is best role, Paul Dooley also stands out in Robert Altman's A Wedding, John Hughes'  Sixteen Candles and in Popeye, where he played the hamburger loving Wimpy.

Whether his role is a supporting one or smaller, Paul Dooley shines in everything he does, making him my pick for today for Not Very Famous...but should be.

Friday, May 11, 2012

William Atherton

The name might not sound familiar, but modern day audiences will recognize William Atherton's face from Ghostbusters and Die Hard, even though his best work was before and after those popular films.

William Atherton began his career as a leading man in such films as The Day of the Locust, Looking for Mr. Goodbar and Stephen Spielberg's first feature, The Sugarland Express, but for reasons unknown, leading roles dried up and he became more of a supporting player, appearing mostly on television.


His specialty seems to be white collar creepy guys as he has played a lot of them lately, with one of them recently on Law and Order SVU. Whatever the role, though, and whether he plays a good guy or bad one, it's a sure bet his performance will be top notch.

As actors go, William Atherton actually has a dream job. He's a working actor that gets his fair share of interesting characters without dealing with all of the hassles that come with the ultra-famous. Instead, he'll just have to settle with Not Very Famous, and continue to turn out quality work that is always a joy to watch.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Amy Stoch

Amy Stoch, also known as Amy Stock-Poynton, was a working actor in both television and movies in the 1980's and '90's. Her most high-profile movies were Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and its sequel, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, where she played Missy, the hot step-mother. However, those films hardly gave her the chance to prove she was more than just a pretty face.

The made for television Gunsmoke movies where she played the adult daughter of Marshall Dillon, the family film, Beanstalk, and the soap opera, Days of Our Lives, where she played Britta Englund, are much better examples of her talent and versatility.


Amy Stoch still looks good today and manages to pop up in smaller independent films from time to time - most notably, the little seen Amber Rose, where her role as Judy, the troubled wife of a brain-damaged child predator is both heartbreaking and moving.

Like good wine, Amy Stoch has aged well and even though she's hasn't appeared in a major motion picture for years, she certainly has the talent and good looks to still work on a mainstream project. And let's keep our fingers crossed that she'll get that opportunity again.

ADDENDUM

In August of 2019, Amy Stoch wrapped filming on the third installment of the Bill and Ted adventures, titled Bill and Ted Face the Music, reprising her role as Missy. She continues to stay active in acting as well as teaching and should be ready to jump right in to whatever project comes next. She has proven by example to have earned the reputation of a hard working actor that never gives up, while continuing to hone her craft.

Friday, May 4, 2012

David Naughton

Nothing against John Travolta, but he has the career that David Naughton should have had. Like Travolta, he was first noticed on television. Unlike Travolta, the public saw him sing and dance before they noticed his acting abilities.

In the late 1970's, David Naughton was seen by just about every baby boomer in America as the song and dance spokesman for Dr. Pepper. It was almost impossible during that time period not to know the "be a pepper" song  which associated him with the famous soft drink.


It wasn't until 1981 that the public saw he could act when he had the starring role in the John Landis classic, An American Werewolf in London. This was followed by the less successful Hot Dog...the Movie and a couple of short-lived television series, At Ease and My Sister Sam.

David Naughton is still working as an actor, but usually in small roles that go unnoticed. This is a shame for he has the charm for a romantic comedy, the singing and dancing skills for a musical, and the talent to carry a more serious piece. I guess until Hollywood opens her eyes, he will just have to settle for Not Very Famous...but should be.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Don Stroud

If you went to movies or watched television in the 1970's and '80's, then there is a good chance you've seen Don Stroud. Often cast as the heavy, he built quite a resume playing tough guys opposite Clint Eastwood, Jim Brown and other action stars of that era.

He had that rare ability to be both charming and scary, making his characters unpredictable, which added additional tension to any movie or television show he happened to be a part of.


He is probably best known as Captain Pat Chambers on The New Mike Hammer series from the 1980's, but that role never came close in showcasing the raw talent he displayed in some of his earlier efforts like Coogan's Bluff, Death Weekend, tick...tick...tick, The Buddy Holly Story and Bloody Mama, where along with a then unknown Robert DeNiro, they played the crazy sons of gangster Ma Barker, played by Shelley Winters.

Don Stroud is currently retired, but he did recently appear in a small role on the new Hawaii Five-O series, giving us hope that he'll someday return to acting.