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Which "second string" actors do you like?

German guy

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Are there actors you really like, although they aren't really good and/or hardly ever get more than "second string" roles? Maybe they are even good and you think they're underrated?

I totally like Lance Henrikson, probably due to his leading role in the 90s series "Millennium" by Chris Carter, which was cancelled after three seasons. Apart from that, I remember him from "The Terminator" (1984) where he played a police detective and, of course, his role as android Bishop in "Aliens" and "Alien 3"... and in several B-movies. Not sure if he's underrated, but I enjoy his work.

Another "second fiddle" actor I like is Brad Dourif. He was less lucky than many of the other actors who played fellow patients in "One Flew Over the Cocoo's Nest" regarding later roles, but I think he gave a good performance in "Alien Resurrection" and was probably the best guest actor who ever appeared on "Star Trek: Voyager" (the psychopathic Betazoid in the episode "Meld" ... one of the very few good episodes of that series, IMO). He's probably not a versatile actor, as he always appears a little psychotic, but I think he does that well at least.
 
Christian Slater.
Tom Berenger.
Terrence Howard.
Aaron Eckhart.
To name a few.
 
I like Josh Hartnett in certain roles and in some of them he is horrible, second only to the guy from Jumpers who played Darth Vader in the bad acting category. Hartnett is so introverted that there really has to be an interesting cast around him that he can play off of to carry a role. It makes me wonder how he ever got into acting in the first place. When it works, it works, but when it doesn't, it is really really bad.
 
Edward James Olmos.....from Miami Vice. From Films Like Blade Runner, Wolfen, The Burning Season.

220px-Edward_James_Olmos_Sept_06_crop_face.jpg


I always Considered him a good supporting actor and completely underrated. Although he is one of the Top Latin Actors.
 
Steve Buscemi
Don Cheadle
William H. Macy
 
Another "second fiddle" actor I like is Brad Dourif. He was less lucky than many of the other actors who played fellow patients in "One Flew Over the Cocoo's Nest" regarding later roles, but I think he gave a good performance in "Alien Resurrection" and was probably the best guest actor who ever appeared on "Star Trek: Voyager" (the psychopathic Betazoid in the episode "Meld" ... one of the very few good episodes of that series, IMO). He's probably not a versatile actor, as he always appears a little psychotic, but I think he does that well at least.

Brad Dourif is highly underrated imo.
 
Alot of good names I would have listed so far.

Additionally Rutger Hauer, Yaphet Kotto
 
Edward James Olmos.....from Miami Vice. From Films Like Blade Runner, Wolfen, The Burning Season.

220px-Edward_James_Olmos_Sept_06_crop_face.jpg


I always Considered him a good supporting actor and completely underrated. Although he is one of the Top Latin Actors.

I liked him in Battlestar Galactica.
 
Lee Van Cleef. Good Bad and the Ugly
Carl Malden. On the Waterfront. Streets of SanFrancisco
George Kennedy. Coolhand Luke, Eiger Sanction, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.
Robert Ryan. Bad Day at Black Rock.
 
I do like what some people mentioned here. In addition to those I liked, i have to add:

William Hurt
 
Lee Van Cleef. Good Bad and the Ugly
Carl Malden. On the Waterfront. Streets of SanFrancisco
George Kennedy. Coolhand Luke, Eiger Sanction, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.
Robert Ryan. Bad Day at Black Rock.

Oh yeah.....Lee Van Cleef was an outstanding Supporting actor with Eastwood.



George Kennedy also Ernest Borgnine.

 
Edward James Olmos.....from Miami Vice. From Films Like Blade Runner, Wolfen, The Burning Season.

220px-Edward_James_Olmos_Sept_06_crop_face.jpg


I always Considered him a good supporting actor and completely underrated. Although he is one of the Top Latin Actors.

He was top notch as Adama in BGS.....much better than Lorne Greene in the original
 
Earnest Borgnine. He was never a "leading man" but he was always a great "second stringer".
 
I liked him in Battlestar Galactica.

Yeah, I mean, he was the lead in Battlestar, helped carry the show, a father figure of the show, and it was highly rated, acclaimed, one of the top 10 (or 20 if you hate sci-if) modern TV series. I don't think he's underrated after that! :)
 
He was top notch as Adama in BGS.....much better than Lorne Greene in the original

He was great in American Me. Plus he directed it and it was a True Story. Yeah that cam later and they did change the story a bit form the original.

 
Earnest Borgnine. He was never a "leading man" but he was always a great "second stringer".

Another one from "Bad Day at Black Rock' with Spencer Tracy. Played a bad guy. Years before McHales Navy.
Won an Oscar for "Marty" in which he stared.
 
Gary Sinise
Tom Sizemore
Tom Berringer
Michael Madsen
Harvey Keitel

Pretty much every main actor in Reservoir Dogs
 
Are there actors you really like, although they aren't really good and/or hardly ever get more than "second string" roles? Maybe they are even good and you think they're underrated?

I totally like Lance Henrikson, probably due to his leading role in the 90s series "Millennium" by Chris Carter, which was cancelled after three seasons. Apart from that, I remember him from "The Terminator" (1984) where he played a police detective and, of course, his role as android Bishop in "Aliens" and "Alien 3"... and in several B-movies. Not sure if he's underrated, but I enjoy his work.

Another "second fiddle" actor I like is Brad Dourif. He was less lucky than many of the other actors who played fellow patients in "One Flew Over the Cocoo's Nest" regarding later roles, but I think he gave a good performance in "Alien Resurrection" and was probably the best guest actor who ever appeared on "Star Trek: Voyager" (the psychopathic Betazoid in the episode "Meld" ... one of the very few good episodes of that series, IMO). He's probably not a versatile actor, as he always appears a little psychotic, but I think he does that well at least.

I love both of the guys you mentioned. Really like Lance Henriksen. Did you know that he didn't know how to read until he was 30? Taught himself how to read by reading scripts. Also, was arrested several times for vagrancy, because he ran away from home and hitchhiked across the country from NYC to get to LA.

Some other favorites are Steve Buscemi, Aaron Eckhart, Ray Liotta, Donald Sutherland and John Malkovich.
 
I love both of the guys you mentioned. Really like Lance Henriksen. Did you know that he didn't know how to read until he was 30? Taught himself how to read by reading scripts. Also, was arrested several times for vagrancy, because he ran away from home and hitchhiked across the country from NYC to get to LA.

Yes, I think I read that somewhere. :) His series "Millennium" is certainly one of my favorites (well, at least the first two seasons), and I happened to watch a few B-Movies he played in on tv ... unfortunately, I don't remember which they were. Can you recommend movies he played a leading role in, even if they're bad?
 
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