My Favorite Under-Appreciated Actors

Lance Henriksen is a supporting actor, often playing villains or aloof, unapproachable characters. He was a supporting actor in The Right Stuff, Aliens, Terminator, and a host of other sci-fi movies. He has been in bad movies, great movies, and he was the star of the cancelled show Millennium. I always liked Lance Hanreiksen's striking appearance, scratchy voice, and intense eyes.

Additional: He was excellent as the tortured vengeful father in Pumpkinhead. Watch the movie, you'll see what I mean.

Peter Weller has a signature deep voice, and a near unshakable calm demeanor in his acting roles. He has starred in Robocop, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (a cult classic), Naked Lunch, Screamers, and he starred in the cancelled sci-fi show Odyssey 5.

Additional: He's highly educated: with a Master degree from UCLA, and is an adjunct faculty member of history at Syracuse University.

Tony Todd is often overlooked. He has appeared as a guest star in a ridiculous number of shows, most notably in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Deep Space 9 as a reoccurring character. Tony Todd also played The Candyman, which has since become a horror classic. Tony Todd appeared in the remake of Night of the Living Dead (he was the only thing I liked about the movie) and he has co-starred in a host of movies, many of them horror and sci-fi films.

Michael Ironside was easily one of the best choices when casting a villain in the 80's and 90's. He was the sadistic psychic in Scanners (a cult classic that you really must watch) and the violent Richter in Total Recall. Even when playing a sympathetic character (like his role of officer Rasczak in Starship Troopers) he had a certain edginess that made him stand out as a character actor. His angry face and gravelly voice is unique and special.

Roger R. Cross has spent his entire career as a supporting actor. He is incredibly good at it, appearing in more television shows than I have time to mention. Nearly every show I watched and liked in the 90's, he seemed to make an appearance in. He co-starred with Sebastian Spence in the TV show First Wave, and was a supporting actor in Season 4, 5, and 6 of the television show 24. He has also played many supporting roles in movies.

Edward James Olmos has had a long, successful career. It's strange that many 'great actor' lists preclude him. He has played criminals, cops, teachers, punks, military commanders, you name it. He has an interesting face, a static electricity voice, and a very serious stare. Easily one of my favorite actors that don't get enough praise.

Walter Brennan made a career of playing second fiddle to the big stars in some of Hollywood's greatest movies. He played opposite Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, and Spencer Tracy. He seemed to have a form of crippling arthritis later in life, but it didn't slow down his output of work. Walter Brennan had a signature voice, that's difficult to describe in words.

Need a good character actor to die painfully in one of your movies? Look no further than the amazing Bill Paxton! He appeared in The Terminator, Aliens, Near Dark, Predator 2, Navy Seals, and Apollo 13. More recently, he starred in the television series Big Love.

Luke Perry didn't just co-star in Beverly Hills 90210. He also starred in Jeremiah, guest starred in Oz, and co-starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (movie). Luke Perry also has the strange ability to age incredibly slowly over the past 20 years. I'm starting to worry that maybe twenty years from now I'll somehow look older than him.

Peter MacNeill is a name you might not have heard before. This Canadian actor is always playing supporting roles. In his long career, he has had the opportunity to play many different kinds of roles, from ineffective coward to heroic soldier. Most recently, Peter MacNeill appeared in the pilot of the television series Defiance.

Michael Biehn has played both lead and supporting characters throughout his career. He has played soldiers in multiple movies (Aliens, The Abyss, Navy Seals and the Rock come to mind) but he's also played cops, lawyers, and criminals. He was the iconic murdering gunslinger Johnny Ringo in Tombstone, and the heroic soldier Dwayne Hicks in Aliens.

Clancy Brown has played both villain and hero in his career. He has guest starred in many sci-fi shows, and co-starred in many movies. His role of Kurgen in Highlander is classic. He has also co-starred in The Shawshank Redemption, Starship Troopers, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, and The Hurricane.

Casper Van Dien should get a medal for his role as Johnny Rico in Starship Troopers. I'm not sure which assholes gave him a low rating, but I question their sanity.

Alan Arkin has appeared in around 70 movies. This guy doesn't even understand the word 'retire.' For his role of Captain Yossarian in Catch-22 he should have been knighted (or the American equivalent). A consummate professional, Alan Arkin doesn't need to ham up his roles to get attention. He gives exactly what is needed, and for that, he deserves mad respect.

Albert Brooks probably doesn't get a lot of attention for his acting. He's a successful screenwriter, and director. He wrote and directed the movie Defending Your Life (and excellent movie) and co-starred in Broadcast News. If you haven't seen him as an actor, I suggest you watch Broadcast News.

Wes Studi has an unforgettable face. He played the murderous Magua in Last of the Mohicans, and the modern detective Joe Leaphorn in 'Skinwalkers', and 'A Thief of Time'. Whether he's playing an evil or sympathetic character, his performances are memorable. He appeared in Dances With Wolves, Last of the Mochicans, Heat, Geronimo: An American Legend, and Skinwalkers.

Bokeem Woodbine has been a supporting actor for most of his career. He has played soldiers, hoods, and heroes. He most recently appeared the in 2012 remake of Total Recall. But if you look carefully, you'll see him in a lot of other movies you've probably watched, like The Rock (1995), Dead Presidents (1995), The Big Hit (1998), Ray (2004), and Devil (2010).

James Morrison is a supporting actor that has worked mostly in television. He played supporting and guest roles in The X-Files, Space: Above and Beyond, and 24. He often plays stoic and understated characters.

D.B. Sweeney looked like he was going to be a star in the 80's and the early 90's. I'm not sure what happened, but his career slowed down in the late 90's. Nevertheless, I feel as though his movie roles in Eight Men Out, Memphis Belle, Fire in the Sky, and cancelled TV show Strange Luck show that he has talent.

D.B. Sweeney has also starred in some cheap sci-fi thrillers, and although they're bad, they're fun to watch.

Brad Dourif gave an unforgettable performance as Billy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Since then he has acted in every character role imaginable. He appeared in Dune, Blue Velvet, Alien Resurrection, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

He also guest starred in a good number of television series. If you ever need an unusual role, and an unusual guy to fill that role, you can find him in Brad Dourif.

Charles S. Dutton is a stage, television and movie actor.

He has landed many guest spots on television. He also starred in the television show Roc. It was sort of a situational drama. I really liked the show, but most of the shows I liked in the 90's didn't live very long.

As a movie actor, Charles S. Dutton has the distinction of playing characters that almost always die. If you see Charles Dutton in a horror movie, or monster movie, you pretty much know he's not going to get to see those credits at the end. A great character actor, Charles S. Dutton doesn't ham up his roles to get attention. He gives just enough to be believable.

Lou Diamond Phillips became a star in the 1980's but quickly fell into the role of a supporting actor in the 90's.

I think he does supporting roles better, as he is able to play villains, or unusual characters pretty well. Although you don't see him in big Hollywood productions, Lou Diamond Phillips has been a busy actor for the last 25 years. Recently, he has been a supporting actor in television shows, such as Longmire, and Stargate Universe.

When you hear the name William Sadler, you probably say, "Who the hell is that?" Okay, he's not that famous. But look at his resume. He's been all over the map in television and movies. He often plays twisted characters. And look at that marvelous face! He looks made for unusual roles.

Graham Green has done it all. From voice acting to Sesame Street to movies. He often plays Native Americans, not surprising given his appearance. Graham Greene is almost always playing the supporting character in movies and television shows. He does it incredibly well, whether he's playing a lying swindler or a hero.

Also known as Siddig El Fadil, Alexander Siddig has been acting in Britain and the US for quite some time. He was a regular character in the ensemble cast of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" as the charming Doctor Bashir.

He made guest spots on 24 and Family Guy as well. He also played supporting characters in many movies, including Reign of Fire, and Kingdom of Heaven.

Basically every tv series you watched had this guy in it. Maybe you didn't notice, because he would get killed almost every time on his first episode. But I remember this guy from X-Files, Psi-Factor, and every other Sci-Fi thing for the last 20 years.