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The Face is Familiar

Not Rated
Documentary

Get to know some of Hollywood's most talented character actors, who have supported leading roles in films for decades. Some have even gone on to become stars in their own right. They proudly stand in the shadows of the "stars" of the movies, content to play the roles that lend flavor and depth to the films, with their unique brands of humor, intensity and charisma, leaving lasting impressions on all of us in movie after movie.

06-08-2009
54 min
The Face is Familiar

Main Cast

Veronica Cartwright

Veronica Cartwright

Unknown Character

Veronica Cartwright (born April 20, 1949) is a British-born American actress. She is known for appearing in science fiction and horror films, and has earned numerous accolades, including three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Her younger sister is actress Angela Cartwright. As a child actress, Cartwright appeared in supporting roles in The Children's Hour and The Birds, the latter of which was her first commercial success. She made her transition into mainstream, mature roles with 1978's Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The following year, she played Lambert in the science-fiction horror film Alien, which earned her recognition and a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. She additionally appeared in the films The Right Stuff and The Witches of Eastwick which earned her praise, and in the 1990s, received three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, one of which was for her role on ER and two of which were for her role in The X-Files. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Known For

Luis Guzmán

Luis Guzmán

Luis Guzmán (born August 28, 1956) is an actor from Puerto Rico. He is known for his character work. For much of his career, his squat build, wolfish features, and brooding countenance have garnered him roles largely as sidekicks, thugs, or policemen, but his later career has seen him move into more mainstream roles. He is a favorite of director Steven Soderbergh, who cast him in Out of Sight, The Limey, and Traffic, and Paul Thomas Anderson, who cast him in Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love. He also voiced Ricardo Diaz in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

Known For

John Landis

John Landis

Unknown Character

John Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.

Known For

John C. McGinley

John C. McGinley

Unknown Character

John C. McGinley is an American actor, writer, and producer. He was born on August 3, 1959, in New York City, New York. McGinley is widely recognized for his versatile performances in both film and television, often portraying intense and memorable characters. One of McGinley's most notable roles is as Dr. Perry Cox in the television series "Scrubs," which aired from 2001 to 2010. His portrayal of the acerbic yet compassionate doctor earned critical acclaim and a dedicated fan following. McGinley's performance in "Scrubs" showcased his ability to seamlessly transition between comedic and dramatic moments, making the character one of the show's highlights. Prior to "Scrubs," McGinley appeared in a variety of films, including "Platoon" (1986), directed by Oliver Stone, where he portrayed Sergeant Red O'Neill. He has worked with Stone on multiple occasions, including in films like "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) and "Wall Street" (1987). McGinley's roles in these films showcased his range and versatility as an actor. He has also appeared in other notable films such as "Office Space" (1999), "Any Given Sunday" (1999), "Identity" (2003), and "Se7en" (1995), among others. McGinley's performances often leave a lasting impression, and he has been praised for his ability to bring complexity and depth to his characters. In addition to his work in film and television, John C. McGinley has also made appearances in theater productions. He has performed on Broadway in plays such as "Requiem for a Heavyweight" and "Glengarry Glen Ross." Beyond acting, McGinley has taken on roles as a producer and writer. He co-wrote and produced the film "Colin Fitz Lives!" (1997) and served as an executive producer on "Scrubs."

Known For

Missi Pyle

Missi Pyle

Unknown Character

Andrea Kay 'Missi' Pyle (born November 16, 1972) is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in several films, including Galaxy Quest, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Bringing Down the House, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. She is also the other half of Smith & Pyle, a desert country-rock band, with actress Shawnee Smith.

Known For

Daniel Roebuck

Daniel Roebuck

Unknown Character

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Daniel Randall James Roebuck (born March 4, 1963) is an American actor and writer. His best known roles include Deputy Marshal Robert Biggs in The Fugitive and its spinoff film U.S. Marshals, Jay Leno in The Late Shift, and Dr. Leslie Arzt in Lost, as well as numerous Rob Zombie and Don Coscarelli films. He is also known for his role as Cliff Lewis, Ben Matlock's private investigator, on Matlock from 1992 until 1995. Description above from the Wikipedia article Daniel Roebuck, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Bryan Singer

Bryan Singer

Bryan Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and comic book genres for his work on the first two X-Men films and Superman Returns. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bryan Singer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Hal Sparks

Hal Sparks

Unknown Character

Harry Magee 'Hal' Sparks III (born September 25, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, musician, political commentator, and television personality. He is known for his contributions to VH1, hosting E!'s Talk Soup, and his roles as Michael Novotny on the American TV series Queer as Folk, Donald Davenport in Lab Rats, and as the voice of Tak in Tak and the Power of Juju television series and video games. After a successful run with Second City, he began performing at numerous comedy clubs including The Improv, The Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory and at Comic Relief's American Comedy Festival. For five seasons, he co-starred as Michael on the hit series Queer as Folk. His numerous television appearances include VH-1s hit pop culture series I Love the 70s/80s/90s, The Tonight Show, Larry King Live, Charlie Rose, Good Morning America, The View, Politically Incorrect, The Late, Late Show and Hollywood Squares.

Known For

Stephen Tobolowsky

Stephen Tobolowsky

Unknown Character

Stephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American character actor. He is known for film roles such as insurance agent Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day and amnesiac Sammy Jankis in Memento, as well as such television characters as Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood, Bob Bishop in Heroes, Sandy Ryerson in Glee, Stu Beggs in Californication and White Famous, "Action" Jack Barker in Silicon Valley, Dr. Leslie Berkowitz in One Day at a Time, Principal Earl Ball in The Goldbergs, and Dr. Schulman in The Mindy Project. Tobolowsky was born on May 30, 1951, in Dallas, Texas. He studied geology at Southern Methodist University but switched to theater after being cast in a production of "The Crucible." He later attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated with a degree in drama. Tobolowsky began his acting career in the early 1980s, appearing in films such as The Philadelphia Experiment (1984), Nobody's Fool (1986), and Spaceballs (1987). He also had a recurring role on the television series Seinfeld (1989-1998). Tobolowsky's breakthrough role came in 1993, when he played Ned Ryerson in the comedy Groundhog Day. His performance in the film was critically acclaimed, and he has since become one of the most recognizable character actors in Hollywood. Tobolowsky has continued to work steadily in film and television over the years. He has appeared in numerous other films, including Memento (2000), Mulholland Drive (2001), and The Informant! (2009). He has also had recurring roles on the television series Deadwood (2004-2006), Heroes (2006-2007), Californication (2007-2014), and Silicon Valley (2014-2019). In addition to his acting career, Tobolowsky is also a writer and a podcaster. He has written two books, The Dangerous Animals Club (2002) and The Tobolowsky Files (2017). He also hosts the podcast The Tobolowsky Files, in which he tells stories about his life and career.

Known For

Unknown Actor

Unknown Actor

Unknown Character

Known For

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him the second highest-grossing actor of all time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave him an Academy Honorary Award in 2022 as "A cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide". Jackson started his career on stage making his professional theatre debut in Mother Courage and her Children in 1980 at The Public Theatre. From 1981 to 1983 he originated the role of Private Louis Henderson in A Soldier's Play Off-Broadway. He also originated the role of Boy Willie in August Wilson's The Piano Lesson in 1987 at the Yale Repertory Theatre. He returned to the play in the 2022 Broadway revival playing Doaker Charles. Jackson early film roles include Coming to America (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Patriot Games (1992), Juice (1992), True Romance (1993), and Jurassic Park (1993), Menace II Society (1993), and Fresh (1994). His collaborations with Spike Lee led to greater prominence with films such as School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Oldboy (2013), and Chi-Raq (2015). Jackson's breakout role was in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) which earned him a BAFTA Award win and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He further collaborated with Tarantino, acting in Jackie Brown (1997), Django Unchained (2012), and The Hateful Eight (2015). He's known for having appeared in a number of big-budget films, including Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), A Time to Kill (1996), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), The Negotiator (1997), Deep Blue Sea (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Shaft (2000) and its reboot (2019), XXX (2002), S.W.A.T. (2003), Coach Carter (2005), Snakes on a Plane (2006), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), and Glass (2019). He also gained widespread recognition as the Jedi Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005), later voicing the role in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and the video game Lego Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2011). With his permission, his likeness was used for the Ultimate version of the Marvel Comics character Nick Fury; he subsequently played Fury in 11 Marvel Cinematic Universe films, beginning with a cameo appearance in Iron Man (2008), as well as guest-starring in the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He will reprise this role in the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion, which is set to premiere on June 21, 2023. Jackson has provided his voice for several animated films, documentaries, television series, and video games, including Lucius Best / Frozone in the Pixar films The Incredibles (2004) and Incredibles 2 (2018).

Known For

Joan Cusack

Joan Cusack

Unknown Character

Joan Cusack (born October 11, 1962) is an American actress. She is the daughter of Nancy (née Carolan) and Dick Cusack. Her father was an advertising executive, writer and actor, and her mother was a math teacher. Her siblings - Susie Cusack, John Cusack, Ann Cusack and Bill Cusack also act. Her family is of Irish descent. Raised in Evanston, Illinois, Cusack was actively encouraged to explore her creativity by her parents, and as a child she joined the Piven Theater Workshop. She went on to learn and perform improvisation at the Story Theater and The Ark. Later she attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating with a bachelor's degree in English. Whilst at university, Cusack took some small film roles, but her big break came after graduation, when she joined the cast of the legendary Saturday Night Live. However, she only stayed for a season before moving on to explore other projects. In 1987, she produced a memorable turn in the acclaimed Broadcast News (1987), and she was Oscar-nominated for her performance in Working Girl (1988). Other notable films include Addams Family Values (1993), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) and In & Out (1997), which earned her a second Oscar nomination. She also provided, superbly, the voice of Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl in Toy Story 2 (1999) and Toy Story 3 (2010). On television, she scored a role on Shameless, with her work garnering her an Emmy nomination. Joan Cusack is married to an attorney, Dick Burke. They have two sons - Dylan and Miles.

Known For

Danny Trejo

Danny Trejo

Dan Trejo (born May 16, 1944) is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, often as hypermasculine characters, villains and anti-heroes. Some of his notable films include Heat, Con Air, Machete, and Desperado, the latter two with frequent collaborator Robert Rodriguez.

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Jane Lynch

Jane Lynch

Unknown Character

Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian, and author. Lynch is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the Fox musical comedy series Glee (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. She also gained recognition for her roles in Christopher Guest's mockumentary films, such as Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006). Lynch had a recurring role in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men (2004–2014), for which she received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as recurring roles in the Showtime drama series The L Word (2005–2009), the CBS police drama series Criminal Minds (2006–2020), the CBS All Access drama series The Good Fight (2017–present), and the Amazon Prime Video period comedy series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–present), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award. Since 2013, she has hosted the NBC game show Hollywood Game Night, which has earned her two Primetime Emmy Awards. Lynch has had roles in numerous mainstream comedy films, such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Role Models (2008), Paul (2011), and The Three Stooges (2012). She has lent her voice to numerous animated films, including Space Chimps (2008), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Shrek Forever After (2010), Rio (2011), Wreck-It Ralph (2012), and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). In 2013, Lynch received the 2,505th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the television category, located at 6640 Hollywood Blvd. Among her numerous accolades, Lynch has received five Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.

Known For

Michael Madsen

Michael Madsen

An American actor, poet, and photographer. He has starred in central roles in such films as Reservoir Dogs, Free Willy, Donnie Brasco, and Kill Bill, in addition to a supporting role in Sin City. Madsen is also credited with voice work in several video games, including Grand Theft Auto III, True Crime: Streets of L.A. and DRIV3R.

Known For

Movie Details

Production Info

Director:
Kevin Burns

Locations and Languages

Country:
US
Languages:
en