The Best Actors Whose Names You Might Not Know
by mjjsgirl80-51-380587 | created - 16 Jan 2012 | updated - 01 Jun 2012 | PublicThese are all actors that have impressed me, but never seemed to make A-List (or sometimes even B-List) status.
1. Brad Dourif
Actor | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Gaunt character actor Brad Dourif was born Bradford Claude Dourif on March 18, 1950 in Huntington, West Virginia. He is the son of Joan Mavis Felton (Bradford) and Jean Henri Dourif, a French-born art collector who owned and operated a dye factory. His father died when Dourif was three years old, ...
From films like One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Urban Legends, and Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers to TV spots like "Beyond the Sea" (The X-Files) and "Desperate Souls" (Once Upon a Time) this character actor has never disappointed me
2. Andy Serkis
Actor | War for the Planet of the Apes
English film actor, director and author Andy Serkis is known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for such computer-generated characters as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001-2003) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), ...
The man whose face is seldom seen, but creates movie magic we all love
3. Giovanni Ribisi
Actor | Boiler Room
Antonino Giovanni Ribisi is an American actor who was born in Los Angeles, California. His parents both have careers in the entertainment industry. His mother, Gay Ribisi (née Landrum), is a talent manager for actors and writers, and his father, Albert Anthony Ribisi, is a musician. He has a twin ...
More people might know his name now, but some might still be in the dark. Mr. Ribisi mostly plays supporting roles and had a recurring role on the sitcom Friends. The only main character I've seen him play though was in the Boiler Room. I've always been impressed by his ability to take on just about any character trait
4. Elias Koteas
Actor | The Thin Red Line
Elias Koteas was born on March 11, 1961, in Montreal, Canada. Both his parents are of Greek descent. Elias attended Vanier College in Montreal before leaving to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in 1981, of which he is a graduate. He also attended the Actors Studio in ...
I first saw him as Molly's brother Stuart in Look Who's Talking Too and his character was mostly the stock dumb character; however, I've recently seen him in supporting roles in movies like A Haunting in Connecticut and Dream House and television shows like Unforgettable and CSI: NY and I've been very impressed. He really has a good range of emotion.
5. Rob Benedict
Actor | Supernatural
Rob Benedict is an actor best known for his roles in TV and films including "Felicity", "Supernatural" and the movie Waiting...
Born and raised in Columbia, Missouri, Benedict received a degree in Performance Studies from Northwestern University. After graduating, his passion for theater lead him to...
In all honesty I haven't seen the movies that are listed under his "best known for" on this site. I am more familiar with his television work. He was wonderful as the Prophet in Supernatural and is even better as The Invisible Prince on the new show Touch. I have found both these performances the perfect balance of humorous and touching.
6. Nathan Fillion
Actor | Castle
Nathan Fillion was born on 27 March 1971 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is the son of Cookie (Early) and Bob Fillion, both retired English teachers, and has an older brother, Jeff. His father is of French-Canadian descent, and his mother is of English, German, Finnish, and Norwegian ancestry. In ...
Best known by Sci-Fi fans for his work in Serenity, this actor was marvelous in the very non-science fiction role in the movie Waitress. His performance was both funny and moving and I was very impressed.
7. William B. Davis
Actor | The X Files
William B. Davis was born on January 13, 1938 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor and director, known for The X-Files (1993), The X Files (1998) and Stargate SG-1 (1997). He has been married to Emmanuelle Herpin since 2011.
While X-File fans will know this name as the actor who played the famous and infamous Cigarette Smoking Man, those who did not watch that show might not know him. He has been in many other things, including Passengers, The Messengers, and Look Whose Talking (as well as an episode of Fear Itself directed by John Landis). He always gives a great performance
8. Dennis Boutsikaris
Actor | Better Call Saul
Dennis Boutsikaris is an American character actor who has won the Obie Award twice. He is also a narrator of audio-books, for which he has won 13 Golden Earphone Awards and 8 Audie Awards. He won Best Audiobook of the Year from Amazon for his reading of American Gods.
Boutsikaris was born in Newark,...
I was really impressed with his roles as psychiatrists in both The Dream Team and an episode of Monk
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