Editing Character actor (section)

==Overview==
[[File:The Wizard of Oz Margaret Hamilton Judy Garland 1939.jpg|thumb|Character actress [[Margaret Hamilton (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 of the West|Wicked Witch]] in the 1939 film ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]''.<ref name=MH>{{cite news|first=Susan|last=King|date=28 May 2010|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/uncategorized/wicked-witch-of-the-west/|title=Hats off to the Wicked Witch of the West and Margaret Hamilton|access-date=2 September 2015|quote=...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.}}</ref>]]

In contrast to [[leading actor]]s, they are generally seen as less glamorous.<ref name=twsNYActingSchool/><ref name=twsTVTonight/><ref>{{cite news|first=Craig|last=McLean|date=21 September 2013|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/22/james-mcavoy-filth-irvine-welsh|title=James McAvoy: 'There will be people who walk out of the cinema I'm sure|access-date=7 August 2014}}</ref><ref name=twsForeman>{{cite book|title=A Practical Guide to Working in Theatre|first=Gill|last=Foreman|date=2009|publisher=[[A & C Black]]|location=London, England|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p185iMLoK7UC&dq=%22character+actor%22+theater&pg=PA47|page=8|isbn= 9780713687675|quote=... 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.}}</ref> While a leading actor often has the [[physical attractiveness]] considered necessary to play the [[Romantic interest|love interest]],<ref name=twsUSAToday2/> a character actor typically does not. In fact, some character actors are known for their unusual looks. For example, Chicago character actor William Schutz's face was disfigured in a car accident when he was five years old, but his appearance after reconstructive surgery helped him to be distinctive to theater audiences.<ref>{{cite news|date=28 May 2009|first=Trevor|last=Jensen|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2009/05/28/william-schutz-1961-2009/|title=William Schutz 1961–2009: Veteran character actor on Chicago theater scene|access-date=7 August 2014|quote=...When he was 5, a horrific car crash ... reconstructive surgeries followed, yet could not entirely match the right side of his face with the left...}}</ref> Generally, the names of character actors are not featured prominently in movie and television advertising on the [[Marquee (sign)|marquee]], since a character actor's name is not expected to attract film audiences.<ref>{{cite news|date=23 March 2014|first=Brian|last=Lowry|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2014/03/23/james-rebhorn-remembering-the-quintessential-character-actor/|title=James Rebhorn: Remembering the Quintessential Character Actor|access-date=7 August 2014|quote=Rebhorn worked constantly, but seldom above the marquee.}}</ref> Some character actors have been described as instantly recognizable despite their names being little known.<ref name="Indiewire 2013-07-03">{{cite web|date=3 July 2013|website=[[Indiewire]]|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2013/07/oh-that-guy-15-character-actor-villains-you-love-to-hate-96358|title=Oh, That Guy: 15 Character Actor Villains You Love To Hate|access-date=7 August 2014|quote=...oversized personalities and penchant for playing villainous goons made them unforgettable (even if you couldn't quite place their names)}}</ref> They are colloquially referred to as "that guy",<ref name="Indiewire 2013-07-03" /><ref name="twsYahoo" /> or "that guy" actors,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eu.houmatoday.com/story/news/2010/08/11/eddie-marsan-a-go-to-actor-for-that-guy-roles/26929370007/|title=Eddie Marsan, a go-to actor for 'that guy' roles|last=Anderson|first=John|date=11 August 2010|website=[[The Houma Courier]]|access-date=20 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://eu.starnewsonline.com/story/news/2013/12/05/ben-on-film-that-guy-actor-lauter-dies-quietly/30949429007/|title=Ben on Film - 'That guy' actor Lauter dies quietly|date=5 December 2013|website=[[Star-News]]|access-date=20 March 2024}}</ref> as in the 2014 documentary ''[[That Guy Dick Miller]]'';<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/03/movies/review-that-guy-dick-miller-pays-tribute-to-a-character-actor.html|title=Review: 'That Guy Dick Miller' Pays Tribute to a Character Actor|last=Rapold|first=Nicolas|date=2 April 2015|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=20 March 2024}}</ref> with a prime example of a "that guy" actor being [[John Carroll Lynch]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gazette.com/arts-entertainment/colorado-native-john-carroll-lynch-on-being-a-that-guy-actor-a-broncos-fan-and/article_d9975102-2524-11eb-ae9c-43362aa25eb7.html|title=Colorado native John Carroll Lynch on being a "that guy" actor, a Broncos fan and his new ABC series|last=Terrones|first=Terry|date=15 November 2020|website=[[The Gazette (Colorado Springs)|The Gazette]]|access-date=20 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/that-guy-the-actor-everyone-recognises-but-no-one-can-name-1.4481303|title=That Guy: The actor everyone recognises but no one can name|last=Clarke|first=Donald|date=15 February 2021|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|access-date=20 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/john-carroll-lynch-on-playing-the-president-a-killer-c-1818773751|title=John Carroll Lynch on playing the president, a killer clown, and the Coen brothers' warmest character|last=Dowd|first=A.A.|date=27 September 2017|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=20 March 2024}}</ref>

Over the course of an acting career, an actor can sometimes shift between leading roles and supporting roles.<ref name=twsUSAToday2>{{cite news|first=Elysa|last=Gardner|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/theater/2014/01/04/jude-law-discusses-devotion-to-stage/4178429/|title=Jude Law's new stage: Maturing lead, character actor|date=4 January 2014|access-date=7 August 2014|quote=...one of Hollywood's most prominent rising stars ... the emergence of a great character actor ... beautiful men and women can have the public get past their looks ...}}</ref> Some leading actors, as they get older, find that access to leading roles is limited by their age. Sometimes character actors have developed careers based on specific talents needed in genre films, such as dancing, horsemanship, acrobatics, swimming ability, or boxing.<ref>{{cite news|first=Matt|last=Schudel|date=22 January 2014|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/tom-quinn-boxer-and-character-actor-dies-at-79/2014/01/22/e132a362-7f9f-11e3-95c6-0a7aa80874bc_story.html|title=Tom Quinn, boxer and character actor, dies at 79|access-date=7 August 2014}}</ref> Many up-and-coming actors find themselves [[Typecasting|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 and theatrical agents steer the actor to similar roles. Some character actors are known as "chameleons", able to play roles that vary wildly, such as [[Gary Oldman]]<ref>{{cite web|first=Mark|last=Butler|url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/gary-oldman-oscar-132006|title=Gary Oldman: the 'jobbing actor' whose Oscar recognition is long overdue|website=inews.co.uk|date=5 March 2018|access-date=14 June 2022}}</ref> and [[Christian Bale]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.slashfilm.com/913607/getting-into-character-is-a-punishing-process-for-christian-bale/ | title=Getting into Character is a Punishing Process for Christian Bale | date=30 June 2022 }}</ref>
[[File:Margo Martindale MFF 2016.jpg|thumb|Actress [[Margo Martindale]] is an example of a character actress.]]
Many character actors tend to play the same type of role throughout their careers,<ref name=twsDigitalPolyphony/> like [[Harvey Keitel]] as tough, determined characters; [[Christopher Lloyd]] as eccentrics; [[Claude Rains]] as sophisticated, sometimes morally ambiguous men; [[Abe Vigoda]] as aging criminals;<ref>{{cite web|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=26 January 2016|work=[[NBC News]]|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/abe-vigoda-beloved-character-actor-dead-94-n504621|title=Abe Vigoda, Beloved Character Actor, Dead at 94|access-date=26 January 2016}}</ref> [[Fairuza Balk]] as moody [[Goth subculture|goth]] girls; [[Doug Jones (actor)|Doug Jones]] as non-human creatures; and [[Forest Whitaker]] as composed characters with underlying volatility.<ref name=twsDigitalPolyphony/> [[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.<ref name=twsUSAToday>{{cite news|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=17 October 2013|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/10/16/veteran-character-actor-ed-lauter-dies/2997877/|title=Character actor Ed Lauter dies|access-date=7 August 2014|quote=...long, angular face and stern bearing made him an instantly recognizable figure..}}</ref> Character actors can play a variety of types, such as the [[femme fatale]], [[gunslinger]], [[sidekick]], [[town drunk]], [[villain]], [[hooker with a heart of gold]], and many others.<ref name=twsForeman/> Prolific character actors, such as [[Margo Martindale]], are rarely out of work, and they often have long careers that span decades.<ref name=twsForeman/> They are often highly esteemed by fellow actors.<ref>{{cite news|last=Alvin|first=Klein|date=20 October 1985|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/20/nyregion/theater-a-leading-character-actor.html|department=Theater|title=A Leading Character Actor|access-date=7 August 2014|quote=...consummate professional who evokes admiration and awe in his colleagues...}}</ref>