Hollywood produces plenty of famous movie stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, but many of the best performances in cinema history have come from lesser-known character actors. Even if the person isn't a household name, plenty of the screen's most recognizable faces give great performances without all of the fanfare of mega-stardom.

From legendary screen villains like David Warner to outsiders like Harry Dean Stanton, it is the character actors who usually put in all the hard work to make a movie great. While there are a plethora of unsung screen actors, users on Reddit took to the site to mention their all-time favorites.

Stephen Tobolowsky

Stephen Tobolowsky as Action Jack in Silicon Valley season 3 premiere

A character actor's best asset is when they have a recognizable personality that usually perks up whatever project they're working on. User JoshuaCalledMe mentioned on such a comedic actor when they said "Stephen Tobolowsky is just pure gold".

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Known for his larger-than-life comedic presence, Tobolowsky has had a decades-long career in the comedy field on both sides of the camera. Younger viewers would recognize him as Sandy Ryerson on Glee, but his most iconic film role came alongside Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. He shines best when playing one-off characters on comedy shows, and there were few long-running comedies that he didn't appear on in the '90s and '00s.

David Warner

David Warner in Titanic

Though mostly unsung throughout his career, David Warner's recent passing reminded many viewers just how great he was. User chrismansell summed up the typical audience response to Warner when they wrote "Hands down one of the quintessential 'Oh, him! I love that guy!' actors. Any time he shows up in something it makes me just happy to see him".

Most known as an actor who always plays villains, Warner's suave British accent made him perfect to play an arrogant heel. However, he was so much more than his bad roles, and he never missed an opportunity to play any part that came his way. Whether he was in horror classics like The Omen, or stinkers like Quest of the Delta Knights, he always gave the role his all.

Stephen Root

Stephen Root as Fuches looking surprised in Barry

Comedy seems to be the best place for a character actor to live, but many are good enough to break out of funny roles into something more dramatic. A deleted user gushed about their favorite character actor when they said "Stephen Root is a friggin chameleon...He has such a commanding presence...opposite to his comedy 'aw shucks' bits"

Root became known to the world at large as Milton in Office Space, but he hasn't allowed that part to define him. He's been able to do drama with the same frequency as comedy, but he works best when he can combine the two like in his recent turn as Fuches in Barry.

Harry Dean Stanton

Harry Dean Stanton stands on the edge of the desert in Lucky

Few actors had as wild a career as Harry Dean Stanton, and he rarely received his due during his lifetime. User BarrelAged94 went out of their way to mention Stanton in a discussion about character actors, saying "He's unfortunately not with us anymore but Harry Dean Stanton was the GOAT".

Stanton was a rare actor that starred in small independent films and was even a Hollywood legend who appeared in the MCU. He had a naturalistic style of delivery that never seemed staged or phony, and he dotted the Hollywood landscape for over fifty years. Movies like Alien were perhaps his most visible, but his true power as an actor shone through in obscure films like Paris, Texas, and Repo Man.

Walton Goggins

Last-Days-Ptolemy-Dr-Rubin-Walton-Goggins

For some character actors, it seems as if it is only a matter of time before they break away from the label and become stars in their own right. User Black-Fraction had nothing but good things to say about one such performer, commenting "Walton Goggins, everything he's in is just gold".

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Mostly known for his TV roles, Goggins has a chameleon-like ability to contort himself into any over-the-top character he so chooses. Always somewhat villainous in his role selection, Goggins' turn in the comedy Vice Principals was perfectly juxtaposed with his long-running dramatic series Justified. As the user eluded to, Goggins never fails to elevate whatever material he has to work with.

John Carroll Lynch

John Carroll Lynch in Zodiac

A lot of character actors hang around for a long time before they land a role that comes to define them, John Carroll Lynch is unique in that he has had several. User OrphanScript called out Lynch as a favorite when they said "John Carroll Lynch might be a weird one...but I always enjoy seeing him in stuff, since Zodiac".

From an affable everyman to a sadistic murderer, Lynch has the tools in his repertoire to play nearly any part with conviction. He was already a seasoned actor when he appeared in Zodiac, and it was his subtlety that gave the part its chilling nature. He's kept the horror trend going in shows like American Horror Story, and was even a memorable guest star on The Walking Dead.

Gary Cole

Gary Cole in Veep

Character actors don't necessarily have to be over-the-top, and some land a ton of roles because they can blend into the background perfectly. User Bree7702 summed up the quintessential character actor when they wrote "Gary Cole. He can be a good guy...or he can be a jerk...and plays every character so well".

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Despite not being a household name, Cole is instantly recognizable to nearly any viewer and there is a strong chance he has appeared in something that everyone has seen. His TV credits are a mile long, but he made a name for himself as the smarmy boss Bill Lumbergh in Office Space. A character actor to his core, Cole's career has taken him from the smallest bit parts to huge Hollywood movies with the same frequency.

Ben Mendelssohn

Orson Krennic finds and confronts Galen Erso in Rogue One

The career of the character actor often brings them to huge blockbuster films, but they still manage to maintain their unknown status. A deleted user heaped praise on a character actor, saying "Ben Mendelssohn is insanely underrated, he elevates mediocre movies to good, good movies to great, and makes bad movies at least tolerable".

Mendelssohn mostly stuck to independent films for most of his career until he landed the role of Orson Krennic in Rogue One. His unique look makes him perfectly suited for outsider characters, and he is incredibly adept in villainous roles. Despite his Star Wars appearance, Mendelssohn is still firmly a character actor and recently flexed his muscles in the musical Cyrano.

Judy Greer

Judy Greer in Halloween Kills

Though most character actors attempt to shed that label, some lean into it and make it part of their personality. User santichrist had a very specific reason for loving a character actor when they said "I love Judy Greer, she wrote a book...called 'I don't know where you know me from' because everyone knows her from somewhere".

Greer's career has been incredibly diverse and she has taken her talents from TV comedies like Archer to big-budget horror films like Halloween Kills. Though Greer is mostly known for playing the same character in everything she's in, she does it with such conviction that audiences instantly gravitate to her onscreen charisma.

William Fichtner

Roger van Zant talking on the phone in Heat

Character actors come and go with great frequency, but some stick around and make legendary careers without ever being a big star. User TopperinoKekkerino lamented not seeing as much of their favorite when they said "I don't see too much of him nowadays but I've always loved William Fichtners roles".

With his distinct look and voice, Fichtner was an immediate success as villainous types in movies and TV. His career has taken him from the heights of Hollywood to the smallest roles on TV dramas, and yet he never phones a performance in. Fichtner has starred alongside the likes of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Heat, and he is always more than capable of carrying a scene.

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