Who’s Who?
After seeing Ed Wynn in Mary Poppins I got to thinking about all the wonderful Character actors of old. Eons ago, when I was growing up I think I knew their names better than the big stars names.
They were memorable, most were funny, and they were in more movies then you could shake a stick at…and yet without them… there would be no movies!
So I did some photo searches and came up with just a few of the many wonderful character stars of the past… although most who read my blog are young, some of you might like the old black and white movies, so …..
…. how many can you name? (no cheating!)
![cantor[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbQ6P5cSX-AJklqcJAmhjsdeIKu9tYPvIvOBdz9hXvXUxLEw_C623HIX-mdni2eytiTENEi8_MqmvZZLER9cgnYzWJ8kAS8sJ4jF8tpdUWHo_fXwCRTL3Z61zNr7_kC2tXeaD/s1600-h/cantor%25255B1%25255D%25255B4%25255D.jpg "cantor[1]")
![ccobrn[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO76WCuyldRV25DX0S-HAd3G4Bfy0zWgB4DR1wVRR0HwTswfFlzFOoHjQfkxx-sMI8kRLVkc-VK1YJ4Ya3rZzecIzAnX5AWDjnWsZqNiUeUiRwPyYiLyM3dnEGYoNvsd_R2kc7/s1600-h/ccobrn%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "ccobrn[1]")
![judy[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-118LnnH-c5HpCvHEGfiPmZkotxycvsTLieladI0KdLkbaiRAUfZRScDoGOIEfJ-LcsI0txbm3jh5uBjUA_OQI7S7rzyzbq8UPOdHzyMIGAZ9GDTo0DK75CoYuRY9Ke1-cVG/s1600-h/judy%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "judy[1]")
![cuddles[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxh7Iw6XAHJtoI6ytSyRRDCL4BRbmXoyRnO2pgF8UxxJQrixrIzHhvZovrSWyMF_1gxdtKtSBcMrWyxwgQFL_kuCVTm_3BXTpvYgnk_jQbSMNl8Yb6l-ojDmfzUiIxj07kyqq0/s1600-h/cuddles%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "cuddles[1]")
![edna[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhG6Mwkx5cjr22HMI5i-mbLRLoyqi0d-0PPMSx0291Ur-raS2orYxVi8s34n7VufPx3MCmPyExPUPWBiOaknGAtuE4nITr8EpFXtD_j_ssFJm7p52XN4JQ33Xfmo7HbLruDpJu/s1600-h/edna%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "edna[1]")
![fitz[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1glC27_c7V8EbVl9v1mdr4nd7QNQ51IwPUPlPnqQMi89zpWf2CSL3dMnk1dAQmV7rHprZr8JBXAQQXzv_V335-vnBk79za9_zSZd-_twkbswocExAdkP9UMna3xhFVAWDGyno/s1600-h/fitz%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "fitz[1]")
![pat[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfZh4LVR1GWZwPGwCE5iAqknGwV6w937j7LnD7GmyiJXAGo2w299i1ut0-4WfKysnX-HWR3fcN2c8BR73_sJ-ITLLuOx44iQ6NBSRC1NKnGZRxBMIYoRKVTnoPdJ-mAdxe8cd/s1600-h/pat%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "pat[1]")
![imagesCAZ0[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1vMu3zwWpMPOd5zLDr1wW8XyIhap1Jm3XJeXTnANiUOyWyUaZ4Q31h15NN-kD95NGwVUDS3SU8wKB8gcTNWxwwD7nlwI1e7ljdnFYOPH-TXvLoTrMC5P8JIx3I0VtYZ5WuJJ/s1600-h/imagesCAZ0%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "imagesCAZ0[1]")
![zasu[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3NOZ579FRfR9TJBTXYLharkoVZbOJgxwVRKpEmkSy2XldBbe9UxzzJPZtnNaqeQNcIB_iSahMEnHvhmX-so6MqzLXFc2QMAHHA65JJIZxZ4xMsEHO_ia7UTPtpUYu-pSUwOh/s1600-h/zasu%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "zasu[1]")
![gabby[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1OPemvR7SqZNZ3yqv8xQdfwA2_02jZ0sNcUgi0BHJzWfwBqptcPuN5d0gh1tktnpCqDlcX6MqnkGpXqswRqo8ErOTmTlpGr4RcL20HwVBdFBz0URn1EF9IWpWgtlqsvcQsf5/s1600-h/gabby%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "gabby[1]")
![keaton[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dEcU4YGrvhc8SV5BLUUjJ3N6oKy5LGEakrjHiGhP_2KZNVb-MeOCZLaC9Dp_lMRjCATfe77OcVTt4UUPofDEp-n3vd2Y_BmZCiKoqAA9HE8sG06UflmXkY6pGuX4TFA4af4h/s1600-h/keaton%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "keaton[1]")
I hope you got at least a few! Each of the dates by the photo is a link to IMDb for you to find out who they are. While there you might want to scroll down to see the list of movies they were in.
This is such a small handful of actors. I do believe that “back in the day” the character actor was as well known as the major stars were! All I know is that when I watch and old black and white movie, and see some of them there… it always makes me smile.
![A9U7JUP[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKLd0b5u-FVNtkIwyi732Fx3_zkZQ3tjFNKuC9IRDvjwROV9ANsi50u-hjRIApGvET2LFnWMlaju1JvH06bphZCm0AB7A5FEhE-bUTpsDSJE74cQWlmGFj4OnhGpsBAwyWPa8/s1600-h/A9U7JUP%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg "A9U7JUP[1]")
posted by DesLily | 7:43 AM
8 Comments:
Well, I'm old enough to know who all of them were---AND, to have 'worked with' two of them in Summer Stock. PLUS, a few other little stories about two others...
I won't give away anyone's name, since I'm first here...!
The "character" actors back-in-the-day were really FANTASTIC!! Truly Brilliant, in fact. It's lovely that you are honoring some of them here, Pat! They deserve to be Honored!
Oh, and BTW: One of those people was a BIG BIG Star on Broadway, before he was ever in films....I actually saw him in a show on Broadway, as a kid---and at the end of the show, he introduced Al Jolson from the audience, who had been long retired---and it was before "The Jolson Story" which brought Jolson to the attention of a whole new generation, including me--Through the Brilliance of Larry Parks (that Broadway "STAR" was E.C.)
Naomi: well I didn't work with them but I know them all also! lol
As far as I am concerned when these people (and many others) were in a movie with a "big star" I always considered the movie to have "a few stars" because I knew them so well and they were in so many movies! So I thought many of them people were major stars anyway , including EC lol..to see any of them on broadway would have been spectacular! Even today an actor (actress) who takes their talent seriously , when not making movies should be doing plays constantly..but some get paid such big bucks now that they sit back and don't act when they don't have to... I don't consider them actors. True actors "want" to be "on" even when they are not. So many of the old movies aren't shown on tv anymore and it's a shame!
TCM...that's the channel to have. It'a ALL old films and NO ADVERTISING...It is GREAT!
TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES, that's the place. They show so many Classic old films, as well as "B" films, too....This channel is a true treasure!
I had fun reading this and seeing your enjoyment in doing this but I sure can't name many! lol
I recognised quite a few but can only name one... the last one. Others - I've seen them in things but can't recall their names right now. I fancy I might have been able to a long time ago. LOL.
Susan: I think the old character actors meant a lot to me because when I was young (when broadway was a prairie) we had but 7 tv channels...and at one time or another each day and night they all showed movies! I don't think there was a time when a movie wasn't on tv! but anyone younger then myself , unless they had a love for old movies would have missed all these fabulous actors, and soooo many more.
Cath: well I don't know what old movies made it across the pond! lol but many of the actors were English! And remember,that was back in the days that they came to america by ship! there were no flights across the pond back then! I still remember in the Stan and Ollie Biography reading how Laurel and Chaplin would come to America to do tours. It all amazes me still.
I recognized them all. Could only name Buster Keaton (maybe if I was home and sitting at my own computer I would have sat longer and thought more) (lily tomlin dopwn there does she count?)
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