Actors that make you perk-up

[JediSoth]

In the vein of all our other actor threads, which actors do you see while watching a movie that make you sit up and take notice? Now, I'm not talking about stars that you go see a movie for, I'm talking more like character actors that you may not have known are in the movie.

My list includes:
David Warner
Victor Wong (RIP, Egg Chen)
James Cromwell
Steve Kahan
Nigel Terry
Clint Howard
Julian Glover
Terry Garr


JediSoth

edit: List updated

 

[RaceBannon42]

John Turturro
Harvey Keitel
Tim Roth
Sam Rockwell

Ok well these guys arent so much character actors but they arent generally considered leading men. They pretty much always add quality to even bad movies.

 

[Enchantress]

Hmmm.....well, lets see here.

Christopher Walken
Sean Astin/and any of the other lotr actors
Martin Short
Nathan Lane
Hank Azaria

....I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of them right now.

 

[Zulithe]

Aww I wanted to be the first to list Christopher Walken Love him! Everything he does. The Deer Hunter is still one of my all-time favorite movies.

Clint Howard
Jack Black (though he is mostly a leading man these days)
Bruce Campbell
Luis Guzmán
William H. Macy

could go on and on ... but their names are harder to remember than the upper strata

 

[Krug]

Lindsey Lohan
Steve Buscemi
Eric Tsang

 

[MarauderX]

...Lucy Liu...<meow>

 

[Mark]

Clint Howard
Jack Black (though he is mostly a leading man these days)
Bruce Campbell
Luis Guzmán
William H. Macy

That's a good list, IMO.

I'll add...

Joan Cusack
Christopher Guest
Max Von Sydow
Bonnie Hunt
Don Cheadle

Maybe more later...

 

[Abraxas]

A few that others have mentioned

Steve Buscemi
Bruce Campbell
Bonnie Hunt
Tim Roth
John Turturro

Some others

J.K. Simmons
Kim Catrall (well, not since sex in the city)
Cathy Moriarty
Robbie Coltrane
Brendan Gleeson
John Hurt
Julie Warner

 

[Dark Jezter]

Morgan Freeman
Sean Connery
Arnold Shwarznegger
Steve Buscemi
Samuel L. Jackson
Chow Yun Fat
Mel Brooks
Mel Gibson
Gene Hackman
Tari Garr
Cristopher Walken
John Wayne
Clint Eastwood

 

[orbitalfreak]

Ashley Judd.... Oh, that's not what you meant...

Seriously, anyone from "Geek Genre Entertainment" (Star Trek, LotR, Star Wars, other scifi-fantasy), just to see how/what they're doing in other places. Morgan Freeman is another, 'cuz he plays his parts so well; amazing actor. Christopher Walken, Sam L Jackson, among others.