What a character!

So, I don't know if this is going to "gel" with my co-bloggers, but I was just having an intriguing conversation and thought it might be one appropriately blog-worthy. It is cinematically valid and hey, we're making this all up as we go along, right?

Well, this was all brought about because I recently watched The Queen, starring Academy Award winner, Helen Mirren. I was so impressed with the care and precision that I felt she applied to her role as Queen Elizabeth. While I'm sure there was, of course, still a considerable portion of herself in the portrayal, she more than convincingly channeled a woman who was born into a position she felt came from God. Asked to deal with the death of an ex-daughter-in-law who did not share the same values in a very public manner, she imbued the queen with appropriate stoicism and emotional strenght. Her ability to craft such a convincing and character left me in awe. Never did I think twice about her not being who she was protraying and it got me thinking about those actors in roles that are less noticed, but equally as well-crafted. We most often call them character actors and there are so many good ones out there. So here are a few of my favorites and why I love them. See if you agree with me or if you can add some more to the list.

#1 Favorite: Christopher Guest

How can you pass on genius like this? Writer, Director, Actor...master of several accents. Just as a sampling of his range, I submit the following roles. (Did you realize these were all played by the same guy?)

- Nigel Tufnel (This is Spinal Tap - playing a British Rock Star)
- Count Tyrone Rugen (The Princess Bride - Yes, he was the 6-fingered man...can you believe it?)
- Corky St. Clair (Waiting For Guffman - Oh my goodness gracious! If you haven't seen this...You simply must. He absolutely couldn't be better than his choreography scene. I'm laughing as I type this. Oh, my sides!)
- Jay Berman (For Your Consideration - This is a pretty boring movie, but his performance was hilarious. Playing a Southern Jewish director. His accent alone makes this movie worth watching. Hm. Well, maybe not the entire thing...but a it makes at least a few scenes worth watching.)

#2 Daniel Day Lewis

Daniel Day Lewis is touted as a lead actor, but I submit that he is more of a character actor or at least that he's both. Here are a few of my favorite roles. Perhaps he should be my first choice, but there is something about the intensity of his devotion to each role that is slightly unsettling, but no less fun to watch.)
- Cecil Vyse (A Room With a View - an effeminate, prissy Brit? Definitely a change from the next role I list here.)
- Christy Brown (My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown - A mesmerizing performance of a man born w/ cerebral palsy who has only the use of his left foot.)
- Hawkeye or Nathaniel Poe (The Last of the Mohicans - Okay the jump from Cecil Vyse to this? Yeah. Pretty astonishing.)

#3 Imelda Staunton
I love her varying portrayals because she does such an enjoyable job of playing smaller roles that could easily go unnoticed. She's gotten a bit more notice since her Oscar nomination, but that same ability to jump from role to role remains.

- Maragaret (Much Ado About Nothing - she's almost unnoticeable here, but when coupled with some of her later roles, it's kind of surprising that it's the same person!)
- Charlotte Jennings Palmer (Sense & Sensibility - She is so funny in this role. My favorite scene is of her running across the room, panting with excitement over some silly frivolity or other. The busy-body daughter of a busy-body? Love it. And don't miss her husband played by Hugh Laurie - another great actor, but one I'm not going to highlight here.)
- Vera Drake (Vera Drake - I haven't seen this film, but I'm impressed by her change from the quiet lady-in-waitingish role in the background to one of a still quiet, but very determined woman in the forefront.)
- Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I am so excited for this role of the loathsome employee of the Ministry of Magic. Having just reread the book, I can only imagine all of the things she will do to make this as despicable a character on screen as she was in the book.)

#4 Johnny Depp

Johnny is one who is distinctly still Johnny from role to role, but he chooses quirky, interesting characters that are not as predictable as, say your average Kevin Costner role (gack!). Some of my faves.
- Edward Scissorhands (Edward Scissorhands - Sweet and innocent with a deathly pallor...oh yeah, and great big scissors for hands. He presents a common element in this character, which is the heart behind the performance.)
- Gilbert Grape (What's Eating Gilbert Grape? - Understated portrayal of a young man dealing with some pretty serious stuff. It's a little more straight than some of his other roles and I like that it's still very real and believable.)
- Ed Wood, Don Juan, Donnie Brasco (Ed Wood, Don Juan DeMarco, Donnie Brasco - okay, I haven't seen any of these, but I mention them because of the difference between them and his earlier roles. Pretty dang impressive, don't ya think?)
- Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean - So much fun to watch him channel a younger, better-looking Keith Richards!)
- Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd - boy he likes to play the title character, doesn't he? Okay, now this one isn't out yet, but this is a very dark role. Sweeney is the protagonist, but one who does some incredibly reprehensible things. I'm interested to watch Johnny play dark. He's done other roles that are not what people expect of him, but I think that's what I respect about him the most...his ability to choose surprising, but appropriate roles for himself.)

Okay, I'd go on, but it's late, I'm tired and I've been holding onto this post for far too long as it is. I know that the female actors are highly under-represented here, but that's where you come in! Who are some of your favorite character actors and why? Do you disagree w/ any of my choices?