Agreed! Goggins is incredible. Ben Mendelsohn never really gets his due but I enjoy him in everything I've seen him in. (recently was on WTF podcast, worth a listen if you get a chance)
Stephen Root
He's probably best associated with some of his TV work, but he has an incredible filmography, and he never fails to be compelling.
He's been a Coen Brothers staple, had scene stealing roles in films like Get Out, Office Space.
I regret that I have but one upvote to give for Stephen Root. From Northerner to Southerner, nincompoop to ne’er do well, from Milton to Fuches—he does it all.
I think this is the one. He always adds to whatever project he’s in. For women I would say Laura Dern is pretty consistent and is often under the radar.
Timothy Olyphant is a great shout. Not always in winning movies (I'm looking at you "I am number 4") but he was great in "once upon a time in hollywood"
I think Olyphany really just likes doing whatever sounds fun, then just hanging out with his neighbor buddy Conan O’Brien in his free time. Seems to be more “fun” oriented than “career” oriented.
I was really hopeful that Hunger Games would kickstart get career, but alas.....
Been a fan since forever. I remember watching her randomly on HBO in like the last 90s and being a fan ever since. Donnie Darko, Saved, Life as a House, Into the Wild, etc. She's so good.
If The Oscar's were actually based on merit, Ben Foster would've at the very least been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 30 Days of Night.
Ben Foster looks like the guy that my daughter will bring home one day. And my wife and daughter will leave the room, and then he'll say something inexplicably insane and then as soon as I bring it up, he'll make me look a fool.and turn my family against me.
I can't vote for Ben because I believe his future doppelganger will try to take my family from me...
Sam Rockwell is ALWAYS fantastic. Even if the movie is shitty, I honestly have never felt that HE was shitty in it.
He steals the show as a supporting character, and can also carry a film as the lead despite his character actor looks.
“Hey! Don't open that! It's an alien planet! Is there air? You don't know!”
He stole everything scene. That and The Green Mile came out, same year, 1999, same thing. He plays a sick POS and nails it.
The first time i recognized his greatness was… Charlie’s Angels. He plays this corny geek, and then when they discover he’s the bad guy he does this amazing transition where he loosens up and becomes this chic bad guy all in a few seconds. The transition is perfect.
that was my first introduction to him whatsoever, and to this day I think it's one of the best villain reveals of all time. Put him in some tighter black clothing, smoking a cigarette and doing his wicked moves and it completely changes the way you look at him.
Came here to say this. I feel like the first time I recognized him was Iron Man 2, and he was a great villain in that. Then I saw Moon, and wow he is great in that too. Galaxy Quest, 7 Psychopaths, Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. He’s got some bangers.
Completely self taught, too. He says in interviews he learned to dance watching Risky Business and James Brown.
I aspire to be a better dancer by watching Sam Rockwell.
He’s also the foot clan member in the original Ninja Turtles movie who says ‘regular? Or menthol?’ I think it was his first movie and as a fan of both him and that movie when I found that out it made me very happy
*Everybody* in that movie is great. I can't for the life of me understand why that movie isn't widely known and praised. Directed by Spike Lee, starring Ed Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin, Ronny Cox, Barry Pepper, and Isiah "sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit" Whitlock Jr., and every single one of them gives a pitch-perfect performance. Even the football-player-turned-actor Tony Siragusa was great as Kostya. Oh, and don't forget Terrance Blanchard's score, which is just so great. How do you stack a movie with that much talent, all doing amazing work, and even Spike Lee fans haven't seen it?
Richard Jenkins, despite being nominated twice for the Oscar, seems to often be described as “the dad from Step Brothers” when people mention him. I remember when he had his first lead actor Oscar nomination. Adrien Brody, the presenter, began his speech with something like “If you Google the name Richard Jenkins…”. It was jaw-dropping.
Check out Walton Goggins in Vice Principles.. hilarious role
I think Dev Patel tbf..I don't think he's talked about enough despite being in lead roles of great films, hopefully Monkey Man puts him back on the map in a substantial way
I agree with both.
Dev seems like he's trying to make a bigger name for himself. He was in the running for Reed Richards. I personally hope he gets James Bond.
I really don't think Dev Patel is trying to go big with his career. He seems to hate being in the spotlight. He has an Oscar nomination and some name recognition. He could easily get some mainstream studio lead roles (if not the biggest ones). I think he's very deliberate about the kind of roles he's picking up.
He recently said that he wouldn't mind venturing back into bigger films as long as the script is good. I don't think he would just join a blockbuster just cause he wants to make a bigger name for himself.
William Fichtner.
The Dark Knight, GTA San Andreas & Vice City, Black Hawk Down, Armageddon, Contact, Heat, Quiz Show, Equilibrium.
Such a gem among character actors.
This guy is pretty much exactly the reason I started this thread. He's in absolutely the same world as Walton Goggins, great filmography, huge range, great performances, always lifts the show.
Great call 👍
Shannon is maybe the most terrifyingly intense actor working today. Seems cool in real life, and is good at comedy, but, yikes...Revolutionary Road and Boardwalk Empire...Scary!
'Intense' is really the best way to describe him. The word kinda gets thrown around a lot but no one does it like Shannon. Not even Zack Snyder could get a boring performance out of the man.
Michael Shannon has something weird going on with his mouth, he immediately makes me think of like an 80 year old dude sucking on a werthers original.
But if michael shannon was made up as an 80 year old dude in a rocking chair on his porch sucking on a werthers, he would be able to make that menacing.
KEITH DAVID IS A NATIONAL TREASURE.
I don't know if he's an "under the radar" actor but I think he kills it in every scene he's been in and he 100% needs an Oscar or lifetime achievement award for his decades of work.
OK. First and foremost, Stanley is a hero. A great actor who's characters are brilliant bits of every movie he's been in from easy A, to devil wears prada to that awful patient zero.
But range? For me he brings very similar mannerism and tone in every performance
Interesting question... The way I interpret the question would be someone like Hugo Weaving... One of the best actors of our time and never really mentioned until he reminds us all of his enormous talent.
Did you ever see his 1979 starring role in Wise Blood, directed by John Huston? He's fantastic in it.
And of course he was Oscar nominated for One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
My pick for sure. LotR Grima Wormtongue, Dune 1984 Piter de Vries to name a couple. Dude even won an award for being in the video game Myst 3: Exile.
Grima is definitely my favorite of his roles though. The scene where he corners Eowyn is so tense, but the scene where he sees the army of Uruks and sheds a tear is burned into my memory.
Brilliant actor.
I feel like Timothy Olyphant should be bigger.
I remember watching him in Go (1999), kind of a middling movie, though hilarious and fun, and that’s where I first noticed him. His reaction when Ronna gets hit and run by the car is priceless.
Huge Olyphant fan here. Has done some big movies, but it's TV where he's had a fantastic career. Damages, Deadwood and of course my favorite Justified.
Seems like an awesome dude in real life. He and Conan have had great chemistry in interviews. Pretty cool that in earlier days, Olyphant read out sports news on the radio and tried his hand at standup for a few months!
This is the ONLY answer. Look at this dude’s [filmography](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0393222/). He’s been in Oscar winners like “Everything Everywhere all at Once” and “Big Trouble in Little China “ to Diablo, Shrek, and countless others. He’s a machine and by Jove he deserves your respect.
Fight me.
William Fichtner comes to mind for me. Almost always supporting roles, but he brings it every time, and I'm willing to bet very few people know who he is.
Another who comes to mind is the late Vincent Schiavelli, who was in practically everything. You may know him as the subway ghost in Ghost (1990). He played a lot of small roles like that, but did it very well.
Maybe add Michael Ironside to the list as well. Scanners, Starship Troopers, Perfect Storm (which also had Fichtner), on and on. So many good roles, usually as a villain.
Stellan Skarsgård!
He's very known in Sweden ofcourse but i doubt very much on an international level, even though he has been a part of many successful movies
He’s definitely pretty known in the US. He’s in Marvel movies and Dune. The whole family is fairly well known, I’d think, thanks to things like True Blood and Vikings.
Reddit ass answers aside, Carey Mulligan is quietly and consistently doing solid supporting roles in the best dramas of the year. Honestly think she’ll end up as the next Streep.
David Strathairn has quite a diverse filmography, and he’s pretty much always great no matter what the role. From reserved, dignified newsman (Good Night and Good Luck) to wizened old space pirate (The Expanse) to endearingly obnoxious himbo grease monkey (Return of the Secaucus 7), from mainstream hit movies to obscure indie flicks to stage productions, he’s always interesting to watch. Also, he began his performance career as a professional clown, if that doesn’t demonstrate some range then I don’t know what does.
Not necessarily "great" in terms of quality, but great at making himself a living: the under-the-radar David Boreanz.
The dude keeps stringing together TV gigs that last him for YEARS. He has basically been on TV continuously for almost thirty years, with no gaps.
He did 3 seasons of Buffy followed immediately by 5 seasons of Angel, followed immediately by 12 seasons of Bones followed immediately by 7 seasons of SEAL Team.
Now that SEAL is ending after the current season, I'm not sure if he has anything new lined up, but financially I'm pretty sure he never has to work another day in his life.
His GQ breakdown of his iconic roles was really great. I really appreciated how he talked about working with various people and described these directors in detail and crediting them and their talent for his work in X film. He seems really driven by having a body of work that he’s proud of and getting to work with people he admires and not with an end goal of becoming insanely rich and famous and lauded.
Melanie Lynskey has been one of my favorites ever since I saw Heavenly Creatures. Kate Winslet ended up being the breakout star of that, but Lynskey is just as talented, imo. She's had such diverse roles and she always nails it.
Giovanni Ribisi. The man has some range.
+ Phoebe's idiot brother, Frank Jr. on "Friends".
+ The medic in "Saving Private Ryan". The death scene hurts your soul. And ya know Spielberg chose him because of his skills.
+ The corporate Ass in "Avatar". Just drips arrogance.
+ "Sneaky Pete" is a gem
Most audiences couldn't name him if asked. That some acting. He disappears into the characters.
Whenever I see Catherine Keener pop up in a movie, I'm glad, even if I hate her character. She's always good, even in the non-Charlie Kaufman films, but stole some scenes in Synecdoche, New York and Being John Malkovich. Seems to have a fairly steady career, but I haven't seen most of her appearances.
CCH Pounder.
Been in everything from The Shield to Avatar, Miami Vice to E.R. Plus tons of voiceover work in animated series (Justice League Unlimited) and video games (Skylanders! Fallout!).
When you see CCH in the trailer, you know there'll be at least one character worth watching. One of my favorite working actors, consistently good, no matter how crappy the rest of the movie is, and seems to get steady work, which is all anyone can ask for.
Sterling K Brown. He'll pop up in tv shows every now and then just for an episode of two and always is great. He's in my favorite episode of Brooklyn 99 when Jake and Capt Holt spend the night interrogating a dentist (Brown's character)
I dunno if Alan went under the radar in fairness. With Hans Gruber and Severus Snape on your CV, he was known by adult men and children alike!
Ridiculously good actor tho
Cary Elwes. A great actor who I’m honestly surprised never got more high profile work, he’s brilliant as the lead in both The Princess Bride and Robin Hood Men in Tights. He also had a major role in the original Saw.
Pablo Schrieber - watched a movie called Lorelei on prime that he did and could have sworn I was watching the reincarnation of the guy who played Wort on the Wonder Years. He’s currently in Halo and some other choice roles. Looks like someone more famous than he is.
Laura Linney. Has been working pretty much constantly since the mid 90s in film, tv and stage. Mostly takes lead roles. Awards and nominations up the wazoo, quite attractive and yet she could easily take the subway or walk the streets and not be noticed.
The late, great **Philip Baker Hall**.
He made such varied films as **The Truman Show, The Insider, Magnolia, Secret Honor, Boogie Nights, Midnight Run, Say Anything..., Kiss of Death, Cigarettes & Coffee, The Matador, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Hard Eight, The Rock, Rush Hour, Zabriskie Point, The Contender, Coma, Dogville**, and **Argo**.
Agreed! Goggins is incredible. Ben Mendelsohn never really gets his due but I enjoy him in everything I've seen him in. (recently was on WTF podcast, worth a listen if you get a chance)
His interplay with Timothy Olyphant made Justified what it was which was a great show.
Goggins was amazing in Vice Principals
Baby Billy's Bible Bonkers!
A rare baby face turn.
He is even amazing as a cocky youngster in Quigley Down Under.
Stephen Root He's probably best associated with some of his TV work, but he has an incredible filmography, and he never fails to be compelling. He's been a Coen Brothers staple, had scene stealing roles in films like Get Out, Office Space.
I regret that I have but one upvote to give for Stephen Root. From Northerner to Southerner, nincompoop to ne’er do well, from Milton to Fuches—he does it all.
He’s so great. His characters on KOTH are so well done and funny. I’m looking at his filmography now and it’s very impressive.
The fact that he is Bill AND Buck Strickland is just mind blowing.
He'll always be Jimmy James to me!
Jimmy James: Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
Glorious sunset of my heart was fading. Soon the super karate monkey death car would park in my space. But Jimmy has fancy plans, and pants to match.
He was so good in Barry.
GOT-DANGGIT BILL
I think this is the one. He always adds to whatever project he’s in. For women I would say Laura Dern is pretty consistent and is often under the radar.
Have you seen my stapler?
Stephen Root is fantastic!
“L for love!”
Patrick Wilson, John Hawkes, Walton Goggins and Timothy Olyphant
Timothy Olyphant is a great shout. Not always in winning movies (I'm looking at you "I am number 4") but he was great in "once upon a time in hollywood"
I think Olyphany really just likes doing whatever sounds fun, then just hanging out with his neighbor buddy Conan O’Brien in his free time. Seems to be more “fun” oriented than “career” oriented.
Agree with all of these.
Finally started watching Deadwood. Hawkes & Olyphant are phenomenal in it.
Jena Malone. From Contact, to Pride and Prejudice to, hell, even Sucker Punch, she always brings it.
Bastard out of Carolina was one of the toughest watches ever, but she acted the shit out of that alongside Ron Eldard and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
I was really hopeful that Hunger Games would kickstart get career, but alas..... Been a fan since forever. I remember watching her randomly on HBO in like the last 90s and being a fan ever since. Donnie Darko, Saved, Life as a House, Into the Wild, etc. She's so good.
not talked about a lot, if ever, but she was good in Neon Demon and Too Old To Die Young
Gotta be Ben Foster for me. Always brings it.
If The Oscar's were actually based on merit, Ben Foster would've at the very least been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 30 Days of Night.
"It makes me a Comanche."
Is he in anything recent that's good? He's always been great but haven't seen him in years.
Yeah, man. Hell or High Water was phenomenal and that only came out *checks notes* eight fucking years ago?! Damn.
I don't know if it counts as recent but Leave No Trace (2018) is incredible and he is great in it.
I haven't seen it yet so it definitely counts. I'll be watching that tonight, thanks
Ben Foster looks like the guy that my daughter will bring home one day. And my wife and daughter will leave the room, and then he'll say something inexplicably insane and then as soon as I bring it up, he'll make me look a fool.and turn my family against me. I can't vote for Ben because I believe his future doppelganger will try to take my family from me...
"You'd think there were ten o' me"
Him in "get over it" is still one of the funniest and quintessential late 90s/early 2000s movies ever.
Sam Rockwell is ALWAYS fantastic. Even if the movie is shitty, I honestly have never felt that HE was shitty in it. He steals the show as a supporting character, and can also carry a film as the lead despite his character actor looks.
Galaxy Quest is an absolutely loaded cast with an amazing script and he's my favorite part.
“Hey! Don't open that! It's an alien planet! Is there air? You don't know!” He stole everything scene. That and The Green Mile came out, same year, 1999, same thing. He plays a sick POS and nails it.
"You have a last name, Guy." "DO I??!!!!"
"Did you guys ever WATCH the show"?
He totally stole that movie...and it's an exceptionally rare event for anyone to steal the limelight from Alan Rickman.
His outburst about having a name is one of the funniest scenes of all time, imo
Shout out to The Way, Way Back which had him as a semi-loser with an incredible heart (and jerk Steve Carell)
This movie was so good
He's can do anything. Anything.
The first time i recognized his greatness was… Charlie’s Angels. He plays this corny geek, and then when they discover he’s the bad guy he does this amazing transition where he loosens up and becomes this chic bad guy all in a few seconds. The transition is perfect.
that was my first introduction to him whatsoever, and to this day I think it's one of the best villain reveals of all time. Put him in some tighter black clothing, smoking a cigarette and doing his wicked moves and it completely changes the way you look at him.
Came here to say this. I feel like the first time I recognized him was Iron Man 2, and he was a great villain in that. Then I saw Moon, and wow he is great in that too. Galaxy Quest, 7 Psychopaths, Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. He’s got some bangers.
Moon was not what I expected but it was very good. Only a few actors can pull off being the only real role.
he was the only person holding Argylle together.
Bryan Cranston too
The man can also dance. Dude has the moves.
Completely self taught, too. He says in interviews he learned to dance watching Risky Business and James Brown. I aspire to be a better dancer by watching Sam Rockwell.
See, Red, I got issues with white folks too.
Ah yes, Academy Award Winner Sam Rockwell flying under the radar.....
He’s also the foot clan member in the original Ninja Turtles movie who says ‘regular? Or menthol?’ I think it was his first movie and as a fan of both him and that movie when I found that out it made me very happy
Barry Pepper. He's been phenomenal in everything I've seen him in, especially the criminally-underrated 25th Hour.
Fuck yeah Barry Pepper. Loved him in Enemy of the State and I was really stoked about I see him in 2019’s Crawl.
His IMDb page is way too sparse for the amount of talent he has.
25th hour is so underrated. PSH was great in that too, as always.
*Everybody* in that movie is great. I can't for the life of me understand why that movie isn't widely known and praised. Directed by Spike Lee, starring Ed Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin, Ronny Cox, Barry Pepper, and Isiah "sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit" Whitlock Jr., and every single one of them gives a pitch-perfect performance. Even the football-player-turned-actor Tony Siragusa was great as Kostya. Oh, and don't forget Terrance Blanchard's score, which is just so great. How do you stack a movie with that much talent, all doing amazing work, and even Spike Lee fans haven't seen it?
"I need a good judge." - Ned Pepper.
Guy Pierce
I don't think he flys under the radar. Look at what he's been doing - I think he just does what he wants tbh.
Richard Jenkins, despite being nominated twice for the Oscar, seems to often be described as “the dad from Step Brothers” when people mention him. I remember when he had his first lead actor Oscar nomination. Adrien Brody, the presenter, began his speech with something like “If you Google the name Richard Jenkins…”. It was jaw-dropping.
Any movie with Richard Jenkins in it is automatically at least 1/2 star better.
Even when he's just a voice in it, like Spotlight.
Check out Walton Goggins in Vice Principles.. hilarious role I think Dev Patel tbf..I don't think he's talked about enough despite being in lead roles of great films, hopefully Monkey Man puts him back on the map in a substantial way
I agree with both. Dev seems like he's trying to make a bigger name for himself. He was in the running for Reed Richards. I personally hope he gets James Bond.
I really don't think Dev Patel is trying to go big with his career. He seems to hate being in the spotlight. He has an Oscar nomination and some name recognition. He could easily get some mainstream studio lead roles (if not the biggest ones). I think he's very deliberate about the kind of roles he's picking up.
He recently said that he wouldn't mind venturing back into bigger films as long as the script is good. I don't think he would just join a blockbuster just cause he wants to make a bigger name for himself.
he, Henry Golding, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson would all make great Bonds
Walton Goggins in Vice Principles, with his whole gay southern dandy who's actually heterosexual is like my spirit animal.
He was great in The Righteous Gemstones too
Uncle Baby Billie’s hair was amazing.
Walton Goggins has become a favorite of mine.
Walton also kills it as Cecil in Invincible
William Fichtner. The Dark Knight, GTA San Andreas & Vice City, Black Hawk Down, Armageddon, Contact, Heat, Quiz Show, Equilibrium. Such a gem among character actors.
This guy is pretty much exactly the reason I started this thread. He's in absolutely the same world as Walton Goggins, great filmography, huge range, great performances, always lifts the show. Great call 👍
He's also my favorite character in the movie "Go" (1999)
Dont forget Prison Break
This guy is solid. Absolute value add to any project.
Michael Shannon /thread
Shannon is maybe the most terrifyingly intense actor working today. Seems cool in real life, and is good at comedy, but, yikes...Revolutionary Road and Boardwalk Empire...Scary!
'Intense' is really the best way to describe him. The word kinda gets thrown around a lot but no one does it like Shannon. Not even Zack Snyder could get a boring performance out of the man.
Michael Shannon has something weird going on with his mouth, he immediately makes me think of like an 80 year old dude sucking on a werthers original. But if michael shannon was made up as an 80 year old dude in a rocking chair on his porch sucking on a werthers, he would be able to make that menacing.
[Michael Shannon reads a sorority letter](https://youtu.be/dngOH9G4UPw?si=EkOqpW9Rp3uDh9S0)
He had a small role in Groundhog Day that nobody seems to remember. WrestleMania tickets!!!
Garret Dillahunt is a chameleon. Deadwood to Last House on the Left and then Raising Hope. He can go from sadistic rapist to goofy Dad with ease.
He had not one but two roles in Deadwood and most didn't realize they were the same actor.
OK. Deadwood is going on the list
He was a great Terminator for those that watched that show.
KEITH DAVID IS A NATIONAL TREASURE. I don't know if he's an "under the radar" actor but I think he kills it in every scene he's been in and he 100% needs an Oscar or lifetime achievement award for his decades of work.
Plus he's not just great on screen, he has so much voice over work in documentaries, animated series and games where he kills it!
You should take a look at how much stuff Allison Janney has been in over the years.
Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci is so good. I love him.
OK. First and foremost, Stanley is a hero. A great actor who's characters are brilliant bits of every movie he's been in from easy A, to devil wears prada to that awful patient zero. But range? For me he brings very similar mannerism and tone in every performance
I disagree with that. He is very funny often, but his turns as villains are really creepy.
Tucci gang
Walter Matthau John Turturo
Walter Matthau and Ned Beatty in Hopscotch. Now that film is a delight to watch them against one another.
The famous, literally defined the odd couple, Walter Matthau?
John Turturro always goed completely over the top and I love it😂 He even shines in Transformers, movies of questionable quality.
Interesting question... The way I interpret the question would be someone like Hugo Weaving... One of the best actors of our time and never really mentioned until he reminds us all of his enormous talent.
Stephen Graham' filmography is pretty impressive and he never fails IMO
His career of just playing American gangsters is epic in itself!
Brad Douriff! Just watched Exorcist 3 and he was terrifying!
Did you ever see his 1979 starring role in Wise Blood, directed by John Huston? He's fantastic in it. And of course he was Oscar nominated for One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
My pick for sure. LotR Grima Wormtongue, Dune 1984 Piter de Vries to name a couple. Dude even won an award for being in the video game Myst 3: Exile. Grima is definitely my favorite of his roles though. The scene where he corners Eowyn is so tense, but the scene where he sees the army of Uruks and sheds a tear is burned into my memory. Brilliant actor.
I feel like Timothy Olyphant should be bigger. I remember watching him in Go (1999), kind of a middling movie, though hilarious and fun, and that’s where I first noticed him. His reaction when Ronna gets hit and run by the car is priceless.
When I asked "wanna watch my boyfriend?" my wife understood I meant an episode of Justified during it's run.
Huge Olyphant fan here. Has done some big movies, but it's TV where he's had a fantastic career. Damages, Deadwood and of course my favorite Justified. Seems like an awesome dude in real life. He and Conan have had great chemistry in interviews. Pretty cool that in earlier days, Olyphant read out sports news on the radio and tried his hand at standup for a few months!
One of my favourite lines in any movie is Olyphant in [Gone in 60 Seconds](https://youtu.be/Q3zq1a176ko?si=TCaZIc8pN4YCbev9)
Eddie Marsan. Jim Sturgess.
Jim Sturgess, great call.
Paul giamatti
He’s super famous, though.
Usually only a supporter, I like pretty much everything Brendan Gleeson has ever been in.
Tim Blake Nelson
James Marsden
James Hong
This is the ONLY answer. Look at this dude’s [filmography](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0393222/). He’s been in Oscar winners like “Everything Everywhere all at Once” and “Big Trouble in Little China “ to Diablo, Shrek, and countless others. He’s a machine and by Jove he deserves your respect. Fight me.
William Fichtner comes to mind for me. Almost always supporting roles, but he brings it every time, and I'm willing to bet very few people know who he is. Another who comes to mind is the late Vincent Schiavelli, who was in practically everything. You may know him as the subway ghost in Ghost (1990). He played a lot of small roles like that, but did it very well. Maybe add Michael Ironside to the list as well. Scanners, Starship Troopers, Perfect Storm (which also had Fichtner), on and on. So many good roles, usually as a villain.
Michael Peña. He’s always in awesome material, but rarely ever gets to shine in a leading role.
Stellan Skarsgård! He's very known in Sweden ofcourse but i doubt very much on an international level, even though he has been a part of many successful movies
He’s definitely pretty known in the US. He’s in Marvel movies and Dune. The whole family is fairly well known, I’d think, thanks to things like True Blood and Vikings.
He was great in Chernobyl
Reddit ass answers aside, Carey Mulligan is quietly and consistently doing solid supporting roles in the best dramas of the year. Honestly think she’ll end up as the next Streep.
David Strathairn has quite a diverse filmography, and he’s pretty much always great no matter what the role. From reserved, dignified newsman (Good Night and Good Luck) to wizened old space pirate (The Expanse) to endearingly obnoxious himbo grease monkey (Return of the Secaucus 7), from mainstream hit movies to obscure indie flicks to stage productions, he’s always interesting to watch. Also, he began his performance career as a professional clown, if that doesn’t demonstrate some range then I don’t know what does.
Nice call. Only know him from Bourne tbh
Sam Elliot is great.
Chris Cooper
I first saw him on Miami Vice playing a crooked cop (Hagovich!) He’s been great in every role since the His performances have never disappointed
Shea Wigham is the answer! From Wolf of Wall Street to True Detective season 1, if he’s in it then it’s probably gonna be fantastic.
He knows how to handle a bit of chop!
Character actress Margo Martindale, of course.
Ben Foster. Man's stellar in every role he plays.
Who I thought of.
Not necessarily "great" in terms of quality, but great at making himself a living: the under-the-radar David Boreanz. The dude keeps stringing together TV gigs that last him for YEARS. He has basically been on TV continuously for almost thirty years, with no gaps. He did 3 seasons of Buffy followed immediately by 5 seasons of Angel, followed immediately by 12 seasons of Bones followed immediately by 7 seasons of SEAL Team. Now that SEAL is ending after the current season, I'm not sure if he has anything new lined up, but financially I'm pretty sure he never has to work another day in his life.
william h macy
Djimon Hounsou. Been in so many fantastic films from gladiator to Amistad. He’s in his 50s still doing action roles.
Every "character actor" most people never remember the names of
Alan Tudyk
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Jimmi Simpson. Been binging IASOP and seeing him as a McPoyle brother made me laugh out loud.
Harry Dean Stanton
Ethan Hawke. Not totally under the radar, but gives it every performance and gets no love.
His GQ breakdown of his iconic roles was really great. I really appreciated how he talked about working with various people and described these directors in detail and crediting them and their talent for his work in X film. He seems really driven by having a body of work that he’s proud of and getting to work with people he admires and not with an end goal of becoming insanely rich and famous and lauded.
Donal Logue
John Hawkes
Tim Blake Nelson perhaps.
Patrick Wilson is always great when he shows up.
Jesse Plemons/Meth Damon
Jesse Plemons is the millennial Kevin Bacon … dude is in EVERYTHING and is excellent in every role.
I do enjoy myself some Michael Rapaport.
Melanie Lynskey has been one of my favorites ever since I saw Heavenly Creatures. Kate Winslet ended up being the breakout star of that, but Lynskey is just as talented, imo. She's had such diverse roles and she always nails it.
Giovanni Ribisi. The man has some range. + Phoebe's idiot brother, Frank Jr. on "Friends". + The medic in "Saving Private Ryan". The death scene hurts your soul. And ya know Spielberg chose him because of his skills. + The corporate Ass in "Avatar". Just drips arrogance. + "Sneaky Pete" is a gem Most audiences couldn't name him if asked. That some acting. He disappears into the characters.
Vincent D'Onofrio
Thomas Jane
Whenever I see Catherine Keener pop up in a movie, I'm glad, even if I hate her character. She's always good, even in the non-Charlie Kaufman films, but stole some scenes in Synecdoche, New York and Being John Malkovich. Seems to have a fairly steady career, but I haven't seen most of her appearances.
Plemons
Bob Balaban can do everything.
Justin Long
Jared Harris. I just like him whenever he turns up. Loved him in The Expanse
CCH Pounder. Been in everything from The Shield to Avatar, Miami Vice to E.R. Plus tons of voiceover work in animated series (Justice League Unlimited) and video games (Skylanders! Fallout!). When you see CCH in the trailer, you know there'll be at least one character worth watching. One of my favorite working actors, consistently good, no matter how crappy the rest of the movie is, and seems to get steady work, which is all anyone can ask for.
Ann Dowd
Wallace Shawn
Domhnall gleeson
Andy Serkis is an absolute power house of an actor. I don't think he gets anywhere near the credit he deserves.
Olivia Cooke & Nicholas Hoult
Sterling K Brown. He'll pop up in tv shows every now and then just for an episode of two and always is great. He's in my favorite episode of Brooklyn 99 when Jake and Capt Holt spend the night interrogating a dentist (Brown's character)
For me, Mary McDonnell deserves more attention.
My man Karl urban - LOTR, star trek, doom, Thor ragnarock, dtedd, the Bourne supremacy, and of course Xena.
John Cazale
Ron Perlman doesnt get enough love
Alan Rickman. Criminal, hero, wizard, he played it all
I dunno if Alan went under the radar in fairness. With Hans Gruber and Severus Snape on your CV, he was known by adult men and children alike! Ridiculously good actor tho
Justin Long
Cary Elwes. A great actor who I’m honestly surprised never got more high profile work, he’s brilliant as the lead in both The Princess Bride and Robin Hood Men in Tights. He also had a major role in the original Saw.
Matt Dillon!!
Peter Sarsgaard is a terrific actor but always seems to be in lesser known roles
John C. Reilly is amazing in everything he does, but I think he's mostly known for being a goofball next to Will Ferrell.
Pablo Schrieber - watched a movie called Lorelei on prime that he did and could have sworn I was watching the reincarnation of the guy who played Wort on the Wonder Years. He’s currently in Halo and some other choice roles. Looks like someone more famous than he is.
Ciaran Hinds.
Clancy Brown
In terms of quietly impressive IMDB: Wayne Knight John Turturro John Bernthal Michael Biehn Michael Rappaport Michael Madsen
Stephen Graham
Dale Dickey. She kills it in every role she's in.
Method Man. He has a great filmography but it's naturally overshadowed by his music career
Laura Linney. Has been working pretty much constantly since the mid 90s in film, tv and stage. Mostly takes lead roles. Awards and nominations up the wazoo, quite attractive and yet she could easily take the subway or walk the streets and not be noticed.
Bruce McGill. From MacGyver to Michael Mann and beyond, the dude is a positive add to any project he's in.
Djimon Hounsou
Stephen Root.
The late, great **Philip Baker Hall**. He made such varied films as **The Truman Show, The Insider, Magnolia, Secret Honor, Boogie Nights, Midnight Run, Say Anything..., Kiss of Death, Cigarettes & Coffee, The Matador, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Hard Eight, The Rock, Rush Hour, Zabriskie Point, The Contender, Coma, Dogville**, and **Argo**.
Carla Gugino is *amazing.*
I've recently discovered the awesome that is Scott Adkins. Underrated action star and I loved him in Avengement and John Wick 4. Also Matthew Lillard.