Character actor

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Actor Claude Rains (right) was sometimes a leading actor, sometimes a character actor, often cast as a sophisticated, sometimes "morally ambiguous" man.[1]

A character actor or character actress is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.[2][3][4][5][6][7] The term, often contrasted with that of leading actor, is somewhat abstract and open to interpretation;[8] in a literal sense, all actors can be considered character actors since they all play "characters",[9] but in the usual sense it is an actor who plays a distinctive and important supporting role.[1][10]

The term is sometimes used to describe an actor who plays characters who are very different from the actor's off-screen real-life personality, while in another sense it describes an actor who specializes in minor roles; in either case, character actor roles are more substantial than bit parts or non-speaking extras.

The term is used primarily to describe television and film actors, and is less used to describe theater actors.[11] 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".[12] Actors with a long career history of playing character roles may be difficult for audiences to recognize as being the same actor.[7]

Character 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 in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.[13]


During the course of an acting career, an actor can sometimes shift between leading roles and secondary roles,[15] some leading actors, as they get older, find that access to leading roles is limited by their increasing age. In the past, actors of color, who were often barred from roles for which they were otherwise suited, found work performing ethnic stereotypes. Sometimes character actors have developed careers based on specific talents needed in genre films, such as dancing, horsemanship, acrobatics, swimming ability, or boxing.[19] Many up-and-coming actors find themselves 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 steer the actor to similar roles, some character actors play essentially the same character over and over, as with Andy Devine's humorous but resourceful sidekick, while other actors, such as Sir Laurence Olivier, have the capacity of submerging themselves in any role they play. That being said, some character actors can be known as "chameleons", actors who can play roles that vary wildly. One such example of this is Gary Oldman,[20] some character actors develop a cult following with a particular audience, such as with the fans of Star Trek or The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Character actors tend to play the same type of role throughout their careers,[1] including Harvey Keitel as a "tough and determined guy", Dame Maggie Smith as an "upstanding lady matriarch",[21] Christopher Lloyd as an eccentric, Claude Rains as a "sophisticated, sometimes ambiguously moral man", Abe Vigoda as a "leathery, sunken-eyed" and tired hoodlum on the verge of retirement,[22] Christopher Walken as a "speech maker", Vincent Schiavelli as "the confused guy", Fairuza Balk as a "moody goth girl", Steve Buscemi as "a quirky, smart guy with a mind just outside of reality" and Forest Whitaker as a "calm, composed character with an edge and potential to explode".[1] 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.[23] Character actors can play a variety of types, such as the femme fatale, gunslinger, sidekick, town drunk, villain, whore with a heart of gold, and many others. A character actor's roles are often perceived as being substantially different from their perceived real-life persona, meaning that they do not portray an extension of themselves, but rather a character substantially different from their off-screen persona.[6] Character actors subsume themselves into the characters they portray, such that their off-screen acting persona is practically unrecognizable.[6] According to one view, great character actors are rarely out of work, and often have long careers that span decades,[6] they are also often highly regarded by fellow actors.[24]

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]



  6. ^ a b c d e A Practical Guide to Working in Theatre, Gill Foreman, 2009, A & C Black Publishers, [1], Retrieved 7 August 2014, (see page 48) "... 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".
  11. ^ a b Stephen Tobolowsky, Discovery, What does it mean to be defined as a character actor? Archived 11 August 2014 at, 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 -- parts I play ...Officer Johnson"
  13. ^ Susan King, May 28, 2010, Los Angeles Times, Hats off to the Wicked Witch of the West and Margaret Hamilton, Retrieved September 2, 2015, "...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."
  14. ^ Craig McLean, 21 September 2013, The Observer via The Guardian, James McAvoy: 'There will be people who walk out of the cinema I'm sure', Retrieved 7 August 2014, "Would he rather be a leading man or a character actor?"
  17. ^ 23 March 2014, Brian Lowry, Variety, Chicago Tribune, James Rebhorn: Remembering the Quintessential Character Actor, Retrieved 7 August 2014, "Rebhorn worked constantly, but seldom above the marquee."
  18. ^ Staff, July 3, 2013, Indiewire, Oh, That Guy: 15 Character Actor Villains You Love To Hate, Retrieved 7 August 2014, "oversized personalities and penchant for playing villainous goons made them unforgettable (even if you couldn't quite place their names)"
  19. ^ Matt Schudel, 22 January 2014, The Washington Post, Tom Quinn, boxer and character actor, dies at 79, Retrieved 7 August 2014
  20. ^ "The best chameleon actors". IMDb. Retrieved 14 April 2018. 
  21. ^ Note: early in her career Maggie Smith played leading roles including her Oscar-winning performance as Jean Brodie in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Oscar-nominated role as Desdemona in Othello
  22. ^ Associated Press, January 26, 2016, NBC News, Abe Vigoda, Beloved Character Actor, Dead at 94, Retrieved January 26, 2016