Comments on: Don't Be That Guy

Don't Be That Guy

fallenposters — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:34:53 -0800

Hey! Isn't that the guy from that movie? The 20 best "that guys" of all time -- according to Cracked. (via)

By: hypocritical ross

hypocritical ross — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:40:34 -0800

Said it in the comments there and I'll say it here again - no "that guy" list is complete without Mike Hagerty.

By: fallenposters

fallenposters — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:41:15 -0800

Ha! I love that guy!

By: cazoo

cazoo — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:42:21 -0800

Cracked is the poor man's Mad

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:43:48 -0800

I like when That Guys become Big Guys, or famous or whathaveyou: like Vincent D'Onofrio. Dafoe, Buscemi, Walken, all That Guys at one point. That Guys are the best. They also beg the question: who are the That Ladys?

By: slogger

slogger — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:45:46 -0800

That was entertaining, despite the fact I reconized about two of them.

By: phaedon

phaedon — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:45:56 -0800

Major omissions: Bruno Kirby, Bolo Yeung.

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:45:57 -0800

I was a fan of Buscemi when he was still That Guy but regretted that he made the transition into a more well-known actor.

By: horsemuth

horsemuth — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:47:24 -0800

#17 is actually a poor man's William H Macy.

By: Prospero

Prospero — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:48:01 -0800

They also beg the question: who are the That Ladys? Amanda Plummer Illeanna Douglas

By: evilcolonel

evilcolonel — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:49:09 -0800

They left out a lot of great "That Guy"s from the past, which makes me wonder if they were using "current" as a criteria. If so, then they are sadly unaware that Lane Smith is no longer with us. I can't argue with their choice of Cromwell, by the way, after his bravura performance as Archie Bunker's work buddy Stretch Cunningham.

By: cortex

cortex — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:51:56 -0800

And Lily Taylor.

By: EarBucket

EarBucket — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:52:56 -0800

I'd like to nominate the chronically underused Will Patton.

By: Bookhouse

Bookhouse — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:56:21 -0800

Cracked is the poor man's Mad That isn't true anymore. Cracked has its own identity now --- it even features articles from Mike "MST3K" Nelson. My favorite That Guy: Brion James. Some may argue that Bladerunner lifts him from that status, but outside the sci-fi world he is That Guy. (And I love James Cromwell -- Dudley Smith!)

By: tula

tula — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:59:43 -0800

A trio of those guys from Deadwood: Brad Dourif, William Sanderson, Jeffrey Jones

By: craichead

craichead — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:00:37 -0800

Is this in some way related to fametracker's Hey, It's that Guy!? Because if not, that's just blatant plagiarism.

By: Bookhouse

Bookhouse — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:01:11 -0800

Also, Salon did I nice tribute to "Those Guys" a few years back, including this spirited defense of Chris "Shooter McGavin" McDonald.

By: fallenposters

fallenposters — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:01:36 -0800

Oh wow, I forgot about Jeffrey Jones. A very serious looking that guy.

By: Skygazer

Skygazer — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:02:42 -0800

David Morse doesn't belong on that list, he's too good of an actor.

By: elendil71

elendil71 — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:05:19 -0800

Glad someone mentioned Brion James Dont forget Brian Thompson... I'm sure I'll think of others.

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:05:23 -0800

#17 is actually a poor man's William H Macy. Before I read the text, I thought it was Macy.

By: krinklyfig

krinklyfig — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:06:20 -0800

cazoo writes "Cracked is the poor man's Mad" It used to be. This incarnation is not related to the former magazine.

By: zoogleplex

zoogleplex — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:06:51 -0800

I love all these guys. Zefrem Freakin' Cochrane, man!!! But hey, what about David Warner? He's got three roles just in Tron alone!

By: maryh

maryh — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:07:40 -0800

There've been so many great character actors... Three of my favorites (at least from the 70's on) are Vincent Schiavelli (RIP), Brad Dourif and William Atherton. Nice to see the 2 living guys are still working steady. And lest we always remember him as a villian, there's James Cromwell as the stoic Yankee pig farmer in Babe.

By: serazin

serazin — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:09:55 -0800

That was surprisingly entertaining. And cortex- THERE IS NO FUCKING WAY THAT THE BRILLIANT YET SUBTLE, QUIRKLY YET COMPELLING, QUIET AND ENDLESSLY COMPLEX LILI TAYLOR IS A "THAT GUY"!!!! SHE FUCKING RULES SO BACK OFF DUDE! (You're just bitter because she played such a shithead on Six Feet Under.)

By: papakwanz

papakwanz — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:10:14 -0800

I don't know about #10... can anyone be a poor man's Tim Allen? Isn't Tim Allen the poor man's Tim Allen?

By: bobo123

bobo123 — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:11:21 -0800

Funny how many of these guys were on 24 and Prison Break. I think Danny Trejo is the most recognizable name on the list, I think he's just a tad above "that guy" status among even casual cinema fans. Actually not a bad list even though they left off some of my favourites like James Hong and Julian Richings.

By: hawkeye

hawkeye — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:11:38 -0800

You beat me to it, craichead. Fametracker was a great site; sorry to see it on "hiatus."

By: ericb

ericb — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:12:38 -0800

#4 -- Stephen Tobolowsky. There's a film -- Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party -- about his life in show business, often as a supporting actor. Trailer here.

By: briank

briank — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:12:48 -0800

Fred "I'm Running For President" Thompson should be one of those guys, too. He was always in freaking EVERYTHING as the fat and balding captain/general/admiral/bigwig. It's practically the only qualification he has to run for President -- Republican authority figure complex.

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:13:22 -0800

Lili Taylor is a That Lady, despite being fanfuckingtastic. She was in The Haunting, after all, a total That Lady role for her. High Fidelity, too. They can't all be I Shot Andy Warhol... which reminds me... Martha Plimpton! But I digress indie.

By: stinkycheese

stinkycheese — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:15:25 -0800

Brion James, ha ha! That guy rules. There's nothing worse than having an itch you can never scratch. He was great in "Tango & Cash" too. Sorry to heard he's passed on.

By: maryh

maryh — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:16:29 -0800

Whoa, zoogleplex! How could I forget David Warner? 189 credits?? And how did I miss all that animation voiceover? Also, I have a huge soft spot for Time After Time.

By: ericb

ericb — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:18:15 -0800

James Cromwell as the stoic Yankee pig farmer in Babe. Farmer Hoggett and Babe lived (and were filmed) in New South Wales, Australia, not Northeastern U.S.

By: unixrat

unixrat — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:18:18 -0800

It used to be. This incarnation is not related to the former magazine. Or at least "was used to be", since Cracked is dead again, for... the third time? I've lost count. For humor magazines, there's really only MAD and the vanity GAG left, I think.

By: briank

briank — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:18:22 -0800

Plus, the immortal Soon Tek Oh, who played every Asian guy with more than two lines of dialogue on M*A*S*H* and a million other TV shows.

By: cortex

cortex — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:18:22 -0800

Seriously. I love Lili Taylor with all my heart, brillianlty played shitheel turn in Six Feet Under and all. But she's a That Lady, no question.

By: mctsonic

mctsonic — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:18:48 -0800

Where's 'booger'?

By: Bookhouse

Bookhouse — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:18:56 -0800

That Lady.

By: vito90

vito90 — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:19:02 -0800

There's some awfully good actors in there. JK Simmons was fan-fuckingtastic in "Thank You For Smoking".

By: aerotive

aerotive — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:19:19 -0800

Keith David has done voiceover work in a bunch of AAA videogames as well. He's omnipresent.

By: elendil71

elendil71 — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:20:29 -0800

One might also include, in no particular order; M. Emmet Walsh, Bud Cort, Ray Wise, and Lenny Von Dohlen.

By: serazin

serazin — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:20:51 -0800

Harumph. I guess if you call (the old) Steve Buschemi a 'that guy' then folks like Plimpton, Taylor, and Illeanna Douglas are also 'that lady's, but I think they're too interesting to be 'that guys/ladies'. Ya, they are character actors, but not every character actor is a 'that guy'. That guy to me is in everything, yet never makes a strong enough impression that you remember his name. That's why he's 'that guy' instead of 'Steve Buschemi the rat faced wierdo in all the creepy roles'.

By: quin

quin — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:23:57 -0800

What, no Bruce Campbell? He's so 'that guy' that he's been in all three Spiderman movies as completely different characters. And what about Lance Henriksen? Aliens, the Terminator, his own TV show; Millennium, and most people still have no idea who he is.

By: serazin

serazin — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:24:04 -0800

Ya bookhouse - that is indeed the archetypal 'that lady'. I have no idea what her name is, I couldn't even tell you what movies she's been in, but she's instantly and intensely familiar.

By: Bookhouse

Bookhouse — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:24:14 -0800

Luis Guzman had a long career as That Hispanic Guy before gaining name recognition (in Boogie Nights? Traffic?). Check out the credit as First Goon in Miami Vice!

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:24:46 -0800

I've always thought that Zach Grenier would be awesome as David Paymer's evil, badass brother.

By: cortex

cortex — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:26:17 -0800

serazin, you have to account for the fact that your having taken particular notice of someone doesn't make them not That Guy to everyone who hasn't taken particular notice. Steve Buscemi is totally That Guy to anyone who doesn't really know who Steve Buscemi is. He's just that guy. So too Lily Taylor.

By: adamrice

adamrice — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:28:43 -0800

Lots of great "that guys" (I was also thinking Brion James belonged on that list). Some more nominees: Brian Cox Chris Cooper For "that lady" I'd nominate Judy Miller Swoosie Kurtz

By: ericb

ericb — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:28:53 -0800

Luis Guzman lives in Sutton, Vermont on his farm, Wild Orchard Stables with his wife and five kids.

By: dances_with_sneetches

dances_with_sneetches — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:34:29 -0800

Brian Cox playing Hannibal Lecter before Anthony Hopkins did is enough to make him a "that guy" hall-of-famer. My favorite would be that guy who played Clarence the angel in It's a Wonderful Life. I won't spoil by identifying that guy by his name.

By: serazin

serazin — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:37:28 -0800

So cortex, are you saying that all character actors are That Guys? Fine! Keep living in a FANTASYLAND!!! < /massiveoverreaction>

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:40:18 -0800

Hmmmmmm. I think Cromwell and David Morse are too well-known, honestly -- well, Cromwell is, at least. But I can totally get with Brian Cox taking the top spot. (Ray Wise would qualify, but for some of us, he will always be Leland Palmer. I have to wonder how many cutesy father-of-the-bride type roles this association has cost him over the years....)

By: maryh

maryh — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:41:15 -0800

Almost forgot the multi-talented Tom Noonan, possibly best remembered as the Tooth Fairy serial killer in Manhunter, and ex-husband to "that lady" Karen Young.

By: MtDewd

MtDewd — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:42:16 -0800

#15- poor man's Rosie Perez. yuk I had to look up #1 because I was sure I had never seen him before. I did see The Queen last week but still didn't recognize him. Other than that, there wasn't anything on his list I was sure I have seen. So maybe I don't get out much, but at least I recognize John Heard. He's a 'That Guy'??

By: cortex

cortex — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:44:21 -0800

So cortex, are you saying that all character actors are That Guys? No, some of 'em are just shitty actors.

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:45:09 -0800

William Fichtner is my personal favorite That Guy, the one I scrolled down looking for immediately, because he pops up in really affecting roles in a select few of my favorite movies: Strange Days, Go, Contact. One role like his in Contact can really light up an actor for you when you see him again, but they'll remain a That Guy unless they're a real character actor, which I would say Trejo and McClurg are. So much so, so precisely defined, that I knew how Sherrybaby was going to end when Trejo made his entrance.

By: stinkycheese

stinkycheese — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:45:15 -0800

How 'bout Mako?

By: tula

tula — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:47:00 -0800

Laurie Metcalf

By: Skot

Skot — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:48:19 -0800

A worthy list, nitpicks aside (come on, J.T. Walsh?). I respectfull submit an old favorite of mine, Nick Chinlund, aka Donnie Pfaster.

By: dances_with_sneetches

dances_with_sneetches — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:48:33 -0800

Tony Shalhoub was a "that guy extraordinaire" before making his way to fame as Monk. And why hasn't someone posted the obligatory link to Peter Griffin dressed as Marlo Thomas?

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:49:09 -0800

MtDewd: That's not the best picture of James Cromwell. He's kinda double-chinning there. Babe and LA Confidential are his most memorable pieces, boyo. If you haven't seen LA Confidential, get to it. I wore black for a month when Titanic beat it to the Oscar. (not a challenge given my dress sense, but dammit a gesture nonetheless) William Fichtner is curled up in the fetal position on The Cromwell’s face to make the nose. hahaha

By: quin

quin — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:51:18 -0800

I was going to complain about Danny Trejo being on this list, but it occurred to me that when I try to explain who he is, it inevitably ends up being "He was that guy in Desperado who threw the knives, and he was that guy in Dusk till Dawn who played the bartender. Big guy, lots of tattoos."

By: hifiparasol

hifiparasol — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:52:58 -0800

Where's 'booger'? At the Hollywood Farmer's Market every Sunday. It's weird to know that there's a semi-celebrity that I can pretty much count on seeing once a week. It's also really surprising that the article doesn't mention the absolute ton of VO work Keith David has done. I think most people would recognize him just from that.

By: Bookhouse

Bookhouse — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:54:03 -0800

Danny Trejo is very close to breaking out of That Guy status -- and I hope he does.

By: darksasami

darksasami — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:55:34 -0800

The That Guy concept really eludes me here. I mean, what is the distinction between "character actor" and "That Guy"? Is James Tolkan That Guy? It's who I thought of, but he's kind of a specific That Guy, isn't he? Does that disqualify him? Please, someone enlighten me.

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:57:01 -0800

The That Lady I love best.

By: Skot

Skot — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:00:08 -0800

Oh! Oh! Let's not forget Robert LaSardo, professional menacing dude.

By: chillmost

chillmost — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:08:20 -0800

Seriously? #20 David Morse? I always thought that was Russell Crowe.

By: briank

briank — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:10:59 -0800

How 'bout Mako? Yes, the OTHER Asian go-to-guy whenever Soon Tek Oh wasn't available.

By: NationalKato

NationalKato — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:11:48 -0800

Without Wings Hauser, this list sucks.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:12:37 -0800

69 comments and nobody's mentioned Jane Adams?

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:14:05 -0800

Some of my favorite actors are on that list. I think that Danny Trejo and Peter Strormare should do a buddy cop movie together. Maybe a remake of Dead Heat, with Trejo in the Joe Piscopo role. Two beefs with the list: 1. They left off Robert Loggia. 2. How can you list Keith David and not mention his roles in The Thing and They Live?!

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:14:23 -0800

Bookhouse, not only do I agree with you, but so does Robert Rodriguez. If Rodriguez keeps his promise and makes a full-length "Machete" movie starring Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin, Trejo could be the 2000s' Charles Bronson. I'd love to see that happen.

By: Opposite George

Opposite George — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:15:04 -0800

I have some real problems with this list. Okay, first of all, how could James Hong not make the cut? 312 IMDB credits have to count for something. Second, J.K. Simmons was a good start, but they really should have taken him, Daniel von Bargen and Mitch Pileggi and listed them in one entry as the Hey! It's That Bald Guy! conjoined triplets or something. And to mention Keith David without a nod to his key role in the greatest cinematic oeuvre of all time, namely, John Carpenter's They Live? Don't get me started... I like when That Guys become Big Guys, or famous or whathaveyou How about the opposite? I'll start the list with Orson Welles. I'm sure by the time he was shilling frozen peas half the people watching him had no idea he was once one of the greats.

By: hermitosis

hermitosis — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:16:22 -0800

I can't believe they would try to get you to remember who Dylan Baker is without mentioning his role as the pedophile dad in "Happiness". After seeing that movie, I have had no problem recognizing him or recalling his name. Same with Jane Adams, actually, also in "Happiness".

By: kalimotxero

kalimotxero — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:17:54 -0800

My favorite would be that guy who played Clarence the angel in It's a Wonderful Life. I won't spoil by identifying that guy by his name. I always thought of the actor that played Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life as an old school That Guy.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:18:15 -0800

How can you list Keith David and not mention ~~his roles in The Thing and They Live~~ David Keith? Also: Pamela Reed and *sigh* Judy Greer.

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:20:18 -0800

Opposite George writes "I'm sure by the time he was shilling frozen peas half the people watching him had no idea he was once one of the greats." "Hello. I'm Orson Welles, and I'm here to tell you about Country Farm Green Peas. Country Farm: filled with country goodness and green pea-ness -- Who's writing this?! I quit!" *walks off screen* *walks back* "Maybe a handful for the road." *grabs some peas, walks off munching*

By: O9scar

O9scar — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:24:38 -0800

Where's the love for Clancy Brown?

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:29:18 -0800

David Morse is a great actor to boot. First "that guy" I always think of is the aforementioned Bruno Kirby, and he was fantastic too.

By: Bookhouse

Bookhouse — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:31:17 -0800

I dropped out of this conversation to watch my latest Netflix arrival, American Me, and hey ... William Forsythe!

By: joseph_elmhurst

joseph_elmhurst — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:33:59 -0800

Michael Ironside

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:35:02 -0800

Hell yeah, joseph_elmhurst. I love Ironside.

By: eamondaly

eamondaly — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:44:36 -0800

Trejo could be the 2000s' Charles Bronson. Oh HELL yes.

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:46:00 -0800

Pete Postlethwaite! 80 roles in the last thirty years including Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects.

By: granted

granted — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:46:28 -0800

Hmm. Tom Wilkinson? Can you be a That Guy if you've been nominated for a Best Leading Actor Oscar?

By: Opposite George

Opposite George — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:48:52 -0800

I nominate Six Feet Under as the That Guy show of That Guy shows (does that make it That Show?) Okay, first of all it featured both James "Hey, Arch!" Cromwell and Richard Jennings, both on the list. Then there's: The previously-mentioned Lili Taylor (love of my life.) Ileana Douglas (who I will one day leave Lili for.) Joanna Cassidy (a/k/a Zorah from Blade Runner) Number one on casting directors' "Eastern European" speed dial: Ed O'Ross Anne Ramsay - If she isn't a That Gal I don't know who is. Plus: Robert Foxworth, Catherine O'Hara, Veronica Cartwright, Graham Jarvis and others I'm sure I've missed. Maybe I'm wrong. I dunno -- Just sayin'.

By: rtha

rtha — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:49:08 -0800

The Law & Order franchise has been fantastic for Those Guys. I wonder if you can even attain That Guy status these days without a long list of L&O appearances (as 2nd Cop; Defense Lawyer; Perp; Grieved Relative of Murdered Person; Judge; etc.). We often play "who Has This Guy Been In Previous Episodes? when watching reruns (and new eps, too).

By: billyfleetwood

billyfleetwood — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:53:05 -0800

First of all, let me second (or third) that Fametracker wrote the book on That Guy classification. Literally. In response to some of the above comments, being That Guy isn't an automatic crappy actor designation. And it isn't exactly the same as "character actor". Brian Dennehy is a character actor, but he's not a That Guy. That Guy is an actor who has been in enough films to be immediately recognized, but doesn't have name recognition. I've seen every episode of Homicide, and up until this moment thought Zeljko Ivanek was someone else. But i would be the first to say "That Guy who plays the DA on Homicide is awesome" The title of this post places a slightly misleading value judgement on That Guy status. I would argue that That Guys tend to be really great actors. Some of them eventually make the leap. A lot of them should be more famous than their immediately recognizable counterparts. David Morse should be WAY more famous than Colin Farrell. Then again, so should we all. Fametracker has always included women in the That Guy ranks. My favorite female That Guy? Stifler's Mom. I don't know her name, and I'm not looking it up, thus honoring her That Guy achievement.

By: kyrademon

kyrademon — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:53:48 -0800

A friend of mine, Bill Preston, played the decrepit drunken bum in the alley in a whole bunch of movies before he died in the late 90's. His best-known role is helping Jeff Bridges carry a case of beer up the stairs in "The Fisher King" (Bill played "John the Bum".) It was a good career. To me, Douglass Dumbrille, who played mobsters who get one line and then get shot in about 100 movies, will always be a HITG to me. I think his best-known role was the villain in the Marks Brothers' "A Day At The Races", although he got some other sizeable parts from time to time. And let's not forget Bob Desiderio.

By: Pater Aletheias

Pater Aletheias — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:54:05 -0800

It is a problem that I knew 18 of these by name? I think I watch too many movies. Too many movie credits, anyway. And, seriously, I thought James Cromwell was just plain famous now, and has been for a long time. James Rebhorn should get special notice for actually playing a "That Guy" actor in The Game. Great casting.

By: Muddler

Muddler — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:54:12 -0800

Chris Cooper used to be a "that guy" but I think Adaptation really cracked the A list open a bit and Breach sent him right through the crack and into the "actually famous" category.

By: kalimotxero

kalimotxero — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:56:33 -0800

It seems to me that being a That Guy would be a decent way of going through life. You make a decent living, get to work regularly at something you enjoy, receive a modicum of recognition, and don't have to worry about the paparazzi tracking you down. It's not like InTouch Magazine is dying for candid photos of That Guy from Law & Order:SVU.

By: Pater Aletheias

Pater Aletheias — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:57:07 -0800

Hmm. Tom Wilkinson? Can you be a That Guy if you've been nominated for a Best Leading Actor Oscar? And Cromwell was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. I really think an Oscar nod should move you off the list.

By: mckenney

mckenney — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:00:20 -0800

Word on the plagiarizing Fametracker. Cracked sucks.

By: billyfleetwood

billyfleetwood — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:03:10 -0800

Also not having Frank Vincent near the top of the list as the king of The Mafia That Guys is a glaring omission. The Sopranos is like an Italian That Guy Hall of Fame.

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:05:45 -0800

billyfleetwood writes "My favorite female That Guy? Stifler's Mom. I don't know her name, and I'm not looking it up, thus honoring her That Guy achievement." She's also in Christopher Guest's stable of actors. Cool lady.

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:07:11 -0800

I would argue that Terry O'Quinn was a That Guy until Lost.

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:16:40 -0800

Nobody's mentioned Don Cheadle. That guy's been in every single movie ever made. (Though, like Wilkinson, he's no "that guy.") James Rebhorn will always be Beth's abusive dad on Guiding Light.

By: zoogleplex

zoogleplex — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:17:26 -0800

This thread is kickass. Bravo!

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:22:08 -0800

Cheadle's way beyond That Guy status. That was cemented with Hotel Rwanda.

By: hifiparasol

hifiparasol — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:24:41 -0800

I would argue that Terry O'Quinn was a That Guy until Lost. Absolutely, brundlefly. As was Daniel Dae Kim. Not to mention M.C. Gainey and (to a lesser extent) Nestor Carbonell. And whatshisname, Holland Manners from Angel.

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:24:54 -0800

What the fuck? Where's Dan Hedeya? Where's Wallace Shawn? Where's Paul Rudd? You don't even need to search for their films, they were all in the same goddamn movie together! And Peter Riegert! Peter fuckin' Riegert, people! Who made this list? More importantly, Christ I shouldn't know all of these people!

By: Gary

Gary — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:31:45 -0800

J.K. Simmons is who you hire when you want R. Lee Ermy, but don't want him screaming obscenities trying to toughen up Tobey McGuire.

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:32:06 -0800

Paul Rudd: the only That Guy who could pull this off.

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:33:03 -0800

Argh. More. WHY DO I KNOW THIS? Bob Gunton! Glen Shadix! The portly patron saint of 80's That Guys! Good LORD, people! I would say Jeffery Jones, Stephen Weber, and Ron Perlman, if it was like three years ago. They're all doing better now.

By: John Shaft

John Shaft — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:36:55 -0800

Apropos of John Heard: "with the exception of The Sopranos, which, of course, is the one drop-dead awesome show he’s been on". The writer has plainly never watched "Battlestar Galactica".

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:42:43 -0800

XQUZYPHYR writes "I would say Jeffery Jones, Stephen Weber, and Ron Perlman, if it was like three years ago. They're all doing better now." Jeffrey Jones? Child porn conviction = better? It is nice to see Perlman doing so well, though.

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:46:34 -0800

Also: Al Leong, aka any Chinese guy with a beard in any movie, ever. Curtis Armstrong. Kevin Dunn. Frank Langella, aka the guy you get when you can't afford Christopher Lee. Please, someone help me. I'm begging you. brundlefly: Wow. I completely, completely forgot about that. Okay, wow. Faux pas.

By: space2k

space2k — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:53:50 -0800

What, no Clint Howard?

By: DevilsAdvocate

DevilsAdvocate — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:54:10 -0800

Conchata Ferrell And I agree that Cromwell has moved beyond "that guy" status.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:08:46 -0800

Two words: Dennis Farina. He's in the upcoming You Kill Me with Ben Kingsley as an alcoholic East Coast hit man who goes to San Francisco and enters AA. Plus HITGs Tea Leoni, Bill Pullman, Luke Wilson, and Phillip Baker Hall.

By: stinkycheese

stinkycheese — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:12:24 -0800

Michael Lonsdale?

By: Green With You

Green With You — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:17:49 -0800

For me, there's That Guy who was Max Fisher's headmaster/principle/whatever in Rushmore who was also in Erin Brockovitch. He may not be a That Guy, but I'll be damned if I can tell you his name. Then there's his spiritual cousin who was the head military guy who hates mutants in X-Men 2 who was on his way to being That Guy, except upon looking him up I see that, holy crap, he was Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter? I've been meaning to see that. And of course, by winning an academy award he's definitely removed hisself from That Guy status.

By: lubujackson

lubujackson — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:19:44 -0800

Why not play the "Who's That Guy?" game.

By: Green With You

Green With You — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:25:01 -0800

I'm dumb. Brian Cox was in X-Men 2 and as the headmaster in Rushmore. Albert Finney was in Erin Brockovitch, but not Rushmore. They should be in a movie together, that would really confuse me.

By: hifiparasol

hifiparasol — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:45:15 -0800

Ron Perlman hifiminorcelebritystory #2: A few months ago I stopped myself from running into the street on a red light, moments before Ron Perlman would have smacked into me with his car. The strange thing is that a few weeks earlier, my girlfriend almost hit him with her car at LAX. Living in Hollywood is great, because you get to see these guys all the time, just hanging out. A couple of weeks ago I walked past Neal McDonough, who has achieved the amazing feat of being a "poor man's version" of yet another That Guy, on Larchmont

By: vronsky

vronsky — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:45:49 -0800

John Heard's performance in Cutter's Way made me a lifelong fan. He will never be a "that guy" to me.

By: ericb

ericb — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:45:56 -0800

Two words: Dennis Farina I just watched Empire Falls on HBO-On-Demand this past weekend. I enjoyed his performance in it.

By: hifiparasol

hifiparasol — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:46:58 -0800

OK, grammatically the "on Larchmont" should have come after "a few weeks ago." Also there should have been a period. All these That Guys are making me too excited to write properly!

By: Opposite George

Opposite George — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:48:57 -0800

Fuckin' A yeah to all of the above. For the Academy's consideration, may I submit Mr. Saul Rubinek. And how can we talk about Rushmore without mentioning the great Seymour Cassel?

By: hifiparasol

hifiparasol — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:55:31 -0800

One thing my girlfriend likes to do is come up with movies where certain actors would play siblings, like John Heard and Ray Winstone, or Nathan Fillion and Donal Logue, or Laura Linney and Laura Dern, or Felicity Huffman and Edie Falco. It's fun.

By: zoogleplex

zoogleplex — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:04:08 -0800

hifiparasol: dude, you hang out on Larchmont? That's right around the corner from my place. I've lived near there for almost a decade now. We've probably seen each other there, ha! And yeah, you see an awful lot of That Guy and That Girl down there. I've seen Neal McDonough down there too. Seems like one of the places stars (even pretty big ones) can go for pizza and not get bugged. I think a lot of That Guy types live in my neighborhood; Mr. Schiavelli was in a building on my street for many years, for instance. th' Wood is a fun place. :)

By: small_ruminant

small_ruminant — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:10:35 -0800

Jeff Kober

By: tehloki

tehloki — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:22:06 -0800

Peter Stormare's career was oh-so-improved by that Volkswagen commercial.

By: gatorae

gatorae — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:26:41 -0800

That Lady: Beth Grant That Guy: Fred Ward That Guy: Willie Garson

By: QuietDesperation

QuietDesperation — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:43:19 -0800

Ages ago (early '70's) I had a book called Who Is That, a picture guide to the character actors of the 1930's and 1940's - Frank Cady, Whit Bissell, Una Merkel, Franklin Pangborn, etc, divided into categories like Busybodies, Gigolos, etc. A wonderful book for old movie buffs.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:44:13 -0800

One thing my girlfriend likes to do is come up with movies where certain actors would play siblings For a good chunk of my life I've been at a loss as to why nobody's made a movie were Kurt Russell and Patrick Swayze play brothers.

By: spartacusroosevelt

spartacusroosevelt — Wed, 30 May 2007 17:04:06 -0800

>That Lady: Beth Grant She is etched in my mind saying: "Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion" People like Kitty Farmer have been saying that to me all my life.

By: hifiparasol

hifiparasol — Wed, 30 May 2007 17:05:54 -0800

Zoog -- my girlfriend is infinitely better at spotting character actors in public than I am, so I'm sure that, lots of times, I see semi-famous people and don't even know it. She's seen everyone short of Tom Hanks on Larchmont. (Of course, she works in The Industry, so she sees famous people all the time, which often works out for me. The day she saw Nathan Fillion, I had the best sex of my life.)

By: jb

jb — Wed, 30 May 2007 17:11:34 -0800

Tom Wilkinson is too recognisable, too well known in Britain to be "that guy".

By: attaboy

attaboy — Wed, 30 May 2007 17:40:42 -0800

Can I get a shout out for Christopher McDonald? 124 movie/TV credits and counting... And just to confirm an earlier thesis, he *has* appeared on one of the Law & Orders -- SVU. Special bonus fact that I didn't know until tonight: he was the voice of the government agent guy in The Iron Giant. Salon did a feature story on him a few years back. "But you probably don't know Christopher McDonald's name, despite the dozens of movies he's stolen from bigger stars."

By: pinespree

pinespree — Wed, 30 May 2007 18:12:35 -0800

Apparently Shooter McGavin is such a That Guy that even comments linking to Salon articles about him go unnoticed... I think he might be my #1 That Guy. I always love his roles, but ten minutes ago I couldn't have told you his name, and hopefully by tomorrow that will be true again.

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Wed, 30 May 2007 18:47:08 -0800

My favorite That Lady. And MAN do I miss JT Walsh. Oh wow, I forgot about Jeffrey Jones. A very serious looking that guy. Actually, Ferris Bueller aside, I think of him more as a very pervy-looking That Guy.

By: hifiparasol

hifiparasol — Wed, 30 May 2007 18:55:35 -0800

That Girl.

By: misha

misha — Wed, 30 May 2007 18:57:01 -0800

Robert Picardo. Everyone knows him as the China Beach guy or the doctor from Voyager guy....he's been in tons of stuff I am too lazy to link to.

By: Devils Slide

Devils Slide — Wed, 30 May 2007 19:05:46 -0800

The Quick and the Dead is a veritable "That Guy" fest: Tobin Bell, Roberts Blossom, Pat Hingle, Keith David, Lance Henriksen, and the late great Woody Strode.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Wed, 30 May 2007 19:48:36 -0800

One thing my girlfriend likes to do is come up with movies where certain actors would play siblings Heh, same. Nick Nolte & Gary Busey, Ron Perlman, & Tom Waits.

By: me3dia

me3dia — Wed, 30 May 2007 20:44:26 -0800

I can't believe they paginated the article so that names were separated from profiles not once but twice.

By: ninjew

ninjew — Wed, 30 May 2007 20:49:43 -0800

There are definitely some that-guy's here. But I'm seeing a few definititely underrated, talented people. RIP, JT Walsh. Cause I don't think he was as pigeonholed as they made him out to be.

By: ninjew

ninjew — Wed, 30 May 2007 20:53:12 -0800

How was he not here? Come ON.

By: gimonca

gimonca — Wed, 30 May 2007 21:07:26 -0800

The ultimate That Guy of all eternity: Charles Napier.

By: hifiparasol

hifiparasol — Wed, 30 May 2007 21:40:11 -0800

It's really too bad JT Walsh is no longer alive -- he'd make an excellent Cheney in the inevitable movie.

By: tula

tula — Wed, 30 May 2007 22:03:31 -0800

A trio from 24: Xander Berkeley, Glenn Morshower- who's played every kind of cop, agent and member of the military, and Eric Balfour, who is on the young side to be that guy, but keeps popping up all over the the tv schedule.

By: Bookhouse

Bookhouse — Wed, 30 May 2007 22:40:01 -0800

Eric Balfour is an excellent choice for That Guy in training. My nominee for the next generation is Adam Goldberg.

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Wed, 30 May 2007 23:09:26 -0800

Bah. Lili Taylor "fans" who don't cite her for Dogfight? Yes, goddammit. I'm going to have the fucking poached salmon, with the son-of-a-bitching rice, and a dirty bastard salad with a shitload of Roquefort dressing. Thank you. And um, who knows what this asshole wants. Of course, this list is really about people who's friends don't know movies. Thus take any young movie watcher and any old movie - It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World or Kelly's Heroes. The test should be: those who you recognize but can't name, yet when you read their name you have no idea who they are. Sam Rockwell was the ultimate That Guy till he started breaking out. Hell, he was That Guy in Galaxy Quest as the almost-nameless redshirt -- he was even named Guy!

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Wed, 30 May 2007 23:19:50 -0800

Oh, and while Chuck Norris has only two speeds, walk and kill, Danny Trejo is permanently set to awesome.

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Wed, 30 May 2007 23:27:06 -0800

A while back I entered Danny Trejo as my answer for who should take over for Bob Barker on The Price Is Right on grupthink.com. Somehow, that answer became a running gag on that site. I may never create a running joke on MeFi, but I have done it somewhere, goddamnit. Trejo is now Grupthink's patron saint.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Wed, 30 May 2007 23:29:30 -0800

Brad Dourif can't be a 'that guy' due to his major roles in movies like Ragtime, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and his work in Deadwood. I don't think Pete Postlethwaite is a 'that guy' either. He was a leading actor in the UK, before trading the size of his roles for the Hollywood booty. He was fantastic in Distant Voices, Still Lives and The Dressmaker (despite being from Warrington and pretending to be a Liverpudlian in both.)

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Wed, 30 May 2007 23:30:07 -0800

goddamn. whose.

By: BrotherCaine

BrotherCaine — Thu, 31 May 2007 00:03:53 -0800

I'm not sure I completely get the "That guy" designation, as it depends how much of a film buff you are. My wife and I watch a lot of BBC productions, and they seem to have an even higher percentage of "that guy" screen time. Jennifer Tilley, Feruza Balk, and Charles S. Dutton. Ron Perlman is definitely not a that guy, I mean if you have a starring role in a widely released movie it should automatically disqualify you. Stormare did three VW commercials, and they were his best work.

By: BrotherCaine

BrotherCaine — Thu, 31 May 2007 01:25:28 -0800

Also, William Fishtner seems more like a poor man's Christian Bale. He reminds me a little of Judson Scott, who is a little too obscure to even be a that guy unless you are really into sci-fi.

By: dong_resin

dong_resin — Thu, 31 May 2007 03:42:57 -0800

ultimate That Girl: Corinne Bohrer. Give the poor woman a bloody show or something already. she's good.

By: Bookhouse

Bookhouse — Thu, 31 May 2007 07:15:50 -0800

Corinne Bohrer Indeed. From Police Academy 4 to Veronica Mars, I've liked her and never, ever been able to name her.

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Thu, 31 May 2007 09:06:37 -0800

Surely when you see someone as odd as Feruza Balk, though, you IMDB the thing you saw her in just to figure out who she is. I did the same with Angelina way back in the "Hackers" days for the same reason. And Jennifer Tilly? Can you escape her impish infamy?

By: tula

tula — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 19:17:34 -0800

A great that lady, you've seen her a hundred times playing a judge, doctor, police officer, person of authority and importance: CCH Pounder.

By: a_s_m

a_s_m — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 03:18:40 -0800

That guy is awesome!! Gary Busey, that is. Or is it Nick Nolte?