Ron Rifkin is probably best known for playing lead bad guy Arvin Sloan on Alias for 5 years, and is currently a lead cast member on Brothers & Sisters, and has been in films ranging from The Negotiator and L.A. Confidental, through to Silent Running way back in the day. A great, and very highly respected actor.
Dale Dye is Hollywood's #1 military advisor, and additionally has probably been in just about every major war or military based movie made in the last 20 years - Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, Casualties of War, The Great Raid, Heaven & Earth, Rules of Engagement, not to mention having a recurring role in Band of Brothers. Additionally he has appeared in blockbusters from Outbreak, Under Seige and Starship Troopers, through to Natural Born Killers, Spy Game and Mission: Impossible. He also voiced several of the Call of Duty games. He's a military version of Tracey Walter or Dick Miller, a guy who just pops up everywhere, and seems to be the guy Hollywood hires when R. Lee Ermey, who plays the same kind of roles, isn't available.
The fact that more people aren't familiar, by name, of Pruitt Taylor Vince kinda makes me sad, as he's one of the great character actors of the past 20 years or so, with notable roles in everything from Angel Heart, Mississippi Burning, Wild at Heart, Jacobs Ladder and Natural Born Killers, through to Constantine, Nobody's Fool, Nurse Betty, and the central role in Identity. He's also done great tv work in recurring roles in Murder One and Deadwood. Definitely one of those "that guy" actors who you recognise but many may not know by name.
Jay O Sanders probably made his first real mark in the short lived, but excellent 80's tv series Crime Story, home to a ton of quality character actors who would go on to lengthy careers. He swiftly followed that with notable roles in films as diverse as Tucker, Glory, Mr Destiny, Daylight, Angels in the Outfield and Along Came a Spider. I guess for a lot of people his name might not be too familiar, but he's another face that seems to pop up everywhere.
Bob Gunton is probably best known for his plethora of tv work over the years, with regular or recurring roles on everything from Greg the Bunny, Courthouse, Bip/Tuck, Peacemakers, Judging Amy and Pepper Dennis, through to, more recently Desperate Housewives, 24: Redemption, as well as the upcoming season of 24. Some of his more notable film roles would be in the likes of I Heart Huckabees, Demolition Man, Patch Adams, Broken Arrow, Ace Ventura 2, Glory, and Jennifer 8. Much like Ron Rifkin & Pruitt Taylor Vince, he's also a highly noted theatre actor as well.
Robert Beltran is probably best known for playing Chakotay on 7 seasons of Star Trek Voyager, and for being a bit of a dick (I've met the guy...
), but he's had a lengthy career, acting in everything from cult classics Lone Wolf McQuade, Eating Raoul, & Night of the Comet early in his career, through to cheapie dtv hell in the late 80's and 90's, until he jumped onto the Trek wagon, with only the occasional quality film appearance like Bugsy, Nixon and El Diablo in later years. Don't think I've seen him in anything post Voyager come to think of it.
Not knowing Edward Herrmann? For shame. He's one of the most respected and admired actors of his generation, though to the general public I'm sure he'll always be best known for his role as the head vampire Max in The Lost Boys. Oz fans would no doubt remember him as Beecher's father, while he also played the dad on Gilmore Girls for several years, as well as having notable recurring roles in the likes of St Elsewhere and The Practice. Though a hugely noted stage actor, over the years he has also appeared in the likes of Reds, The Great Waldo Pepper, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Mrs Soffel, as well as more recent films such as The Aviator.
Fyvush Finkel was primarily a stage actor, who turned to tv roles late in his career. He's probably best known these days for his role as the cantankerous teacher Harvey Lipschultz for 4 years or so on the tv show Boston Public, or as small town attorney Douglas Wambaugh on Picket Fences for however many years that show lasted. Some may even remember him as the travel agent from the short lived Malcolm McDowell starring Fantasy Island remake. Very unique and entertaining character actor.
James Karen has been in more movies, and made more tv show appearances than God, but the film I'll forever remember him for is his role as Frank in Return of the Living Dead, which he played to comedy perfection. Most recently he played a major role in The Pursuit of Happyness.
Jon Tenney is probably best known these days for his role on The Closer, as agent Fritz Howard, though has previously been a regular cast member on a great number of shows, including Brooklyn South, The Division, Equal Justice and Get Real. Though primarily a tv actor, he's also showed up in movies like The Phantom and Tombstone.
Marley Shelton is a surprise, as she seems to be pushed as one of the "it girl" actresses of the past couple of years, having appeared in Sin City, Grindhouse, American Dreamz, The Last Kiss and W. She's also starred in Pleasantville and a whole bunch of romcoms and teen movies.
Tony Lo Bianco is one of the group of actors that came onto the scene in the late 60's, alongside Pacino, DeNiro and the like. Though he found his biggest popularity and best roles in that decade, with lead roles in The French Connection, The Seven-Ups, The Honeymoon Killers, God Told Me To and F.I.S.T., he continued to act as a supporting player ever since, though he never got the important roles or the success that he had during the 70's. Great actor though, and his performances in the above mentioned films show how much of a shame it is that he rarely got to play any roles of note in the years since.
John Diehl is another one of those character actors you just see everywhere, though he's probably best known to old school police show fans as Larry Zito on Miami Vice, or more recent cop show fans as corrupt assistant chief Ben Gilroy, on The Shield. He's also showed up in everything Stripes, Mo Money and The Client through to Stargate and Jurassic Park 3.
Though he has been in more things than I can poke a stick at, Tom Bower is one of those names that I wouldn't expect a lot of people to necessarily know, but one of those faces that I'd imagine that everyone has seen, a lot. He seems to be one of the kings of the small, but crucial role, and half his appearances in things for some reason that I've never understood, don't even get credited, but he's one of those character actors who always brings the quality. I'll probably always think of him as the scene stealing Marvin from Die Hard 2, or from his supporting roles in River's Edge, True Believer and Bevery Hills Cop 2, but he's been in everything from Raising Cain, American Me, Clear & Present Danger and The Negotiator, through to Pollock, Hearts in Atlantis, The Postman, the recent Hills have Eyes remake, and Appaloosa, to name but a very few, and both Ed Harris and Bruce Willis have called him one of their favourite actors to work with.
Ric Young is probably hollywood's go to guy when they need an upper echelon 'asian heavy' character, usually playing either a shady asian politician, diplomat, gangster or general, I've rarely ever seen him as a good guy in anything. From his recurring role on Alias as the chinese torturer Dr Zhang, through to his gangster bad guy roles in Kiss of the Dragon, The Corruptor and The Transporter, through to similar roles in everything from American Gangster and The Last Emperor, through to playing one of Lao Che's gangster sons in Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom, he's just mister bad guy pretty much, but he does it extremely well, and usually quite memorably.
Yep, most of those faces that people go "hey it's...'that guy' again..." I actually know the names and history of. Man, I need a life...
