Actors don’t start out thinking of themselves as character actors. They just think of themselves as actors. It’s the industry that makes the distinction between a lead and a second banana. Despite their smaller roles, these ladies are killing it when they do get screen time, and have made careers, filled with memorable roles and even Oscar wins, out of being the best female character actors in Hollywood. You recognize these women from your favorite TV shows and great films, even though you might not know their name. But good news! Today is a day for learning!
An actor may toil away as a character actor, blending into an ensemble and then emerge as a lead. It’s a long shot but it does happen. And if an actor works long enough, former stars may be today’s character actors. Women don’t seem to get a shot at longevity as much as some male actors do simply due to how many roles are available. Even as trends in entertainment are heading toward more female-driven shows, female actors tend to find the road a little more bumpy and truncated.
Still, there are a ton of amazing ladies out there, turning out great performances across many genres on both the small and big screens. These talented female character actors deserve recognition, by name! What's the name of that actress you've seen everywhere? Look through the list below and find out! From Margo Martindale, Kim Dickens, Niecy Nash, and Linda Hunt, get ready to learn all about the women behind the supporting female characters who make top TV series and good movies as great as they are.
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Beth Grant
With 182 credits to her name as an actor, Grant has created a huge catalog to pull from with each role. She always approaches the work from a very accessible place and audiences always remember her.
Brooke Smith
Smith was 24 when she, as Catherine Lamb, was at the bottom of that hole in Silence of the Lambs and it was her first big break. Since then, she's brought realness, focus, and honesty to a plethora of roles.
Margo Martindale
“Some things just take time,” Martindale said when she accepted the 2011 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on Justified.
This gem of an actor has always been a standout in both TV and film. It’s the subtle levels that Martindale finds in the characters she plays. She’s also an excellent ensemble player and gives other actors something to work with. Her Claudia on The Americans versus her performance in August: Osage County is an excellent idea of her wide range as a performer.
Tilda Swinton
BAFTA and Oscar winner (for Michael Clayton), Swinton has never played it safe. Even before she stepped outside of the Royal Shakespeare Company, she has chosen gender-neutral, species-optional, and awesomely daring roles. She also gives zero effs about what anyone thinks of her and does what she wants. The world is a better place because Tilda Swinton is in it. She is art.
Michelle Hurst
Hurst is everywhere and always has been. She works in film and TV, making a few lines seem like a whole episode. She’s a force to be reckoned with and that doesn’t require a whole lot of dialogue.
She’s Appeared in Four Nicole Kidman Films and Three with Meryl Streep
She’s played the secretary, the neighbor, the mother, the grandmother, the secret agent, and the accomplice. The east Texan usually maintains her everyman center but it’s the way she handles each role that is the real treat.
Career highlights:
The Millers, The Americans, Masters of Sex, August: Osage County, New Girl, Smash, Person of Interest, Justified, Hung, Orphan, Dexter, The Riches, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Medium, Million Dollar Baby, The Hours, Marvin’s Room, Dead Man Walking
She's the Davie Bowie of Character Actors
She's known for playing both male and female in the gorgeous and groundbreaking Orlando. Largely going for the weirder roles, she’s happy to let her freak flag fly as a vampire, angel, or nobleman.
Career highlights:
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Snowpiercer, Only Lovers Left Alive, David Bowie: The Stars (Are Out Tonight), Moonrise Kingdom, We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Julia, Michael Clayton, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Broken Flowers, Constantine, Adaptation, Orlando
There's a Certain Harry Dean Stanton to Her Approach
Unmistakable from many eras, she was the farm housewife in Rain Man who had to let Charlie Babbitt and Raymond in just in time to watch Wopner. She was the obsessed teacher in Donnie Darko. She is always game for a TV or film role that makes use of her never-ending talent.
Career highlights:
The Mindy Project, The Millers, Bad Words, As I Lay Dying, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Sordid Lives, The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, Justified, Dexter, American Dad!, King of the Hill, Jericho, No Country For Old Men
She Learned to Never Help a Guy Get a Couch Into His Van
She was the actual person down in the hole and the one Buffalo Bill remarks to his dog Precious, “It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.”
Career highlights:
Interstellar, Ray Donovan, Labor Day, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Grey’s Anatomy, Weeds, Crossing Jordan, Melinda and Melinda, In Her Shoes, Series 7, Six Feet Under, Silence of the Lambs
She Might Hug You, but She Might Just Cut You
This actor bobs and weaves like Muhammad Ali, perfectly fine taking a small role on Broad City and making you remember her flirt it up with Hannibal Buress whether or not you remember the rest of the episode. Then, she blew us all away with her role as Miss Claudette Pelage on Orange Is the New Black.
Career highlights:
Orange Is the New Black, Broad City, Frances Ha, Blue Bloods, All Good Things, The Good Wife, Choke, Sherrybaby, Third Watch, Law & Order
