Maggie Wheeler

She might not realize it, but Maggie Wheeler is very fortunate.  She's a working actress with a lot of guest starring credits on some major television shows. One of those shows was Friends, where her character of Janice has become almost has famous as the six regulars.

The difference is that the general public does not know her real name. And what makes her such a good actress is that she goes unrecognized from show to show, thus creating an actors dream job.

With her recurring roles on Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, as well as memorable characters on episodes of Seinfeld, How I Met Your Mother and others too numerous to mention, Maggie Wheeler has proven time and time again that she is the real deal.

She is one of those rare actors that consistently delivers top notch performances without audiences ever connecting her with her previous character. Look for the name Maggie Wheeler in the credits, because most likely you won't be able to distinguish her from role to role. She's that good and the reason she's my pick for the day for Not Very Famous...but should be.

Robert Protsky

Although Robert Protsky had leading roles on the Broadway and regional stages, his film and television career was limited to supporting and smaller parts. With actors of his caliber, there is usually at least one stand-out role that defines their lifetime work, but in his case there really wasn't.

The reason is because Robert Protsky was solid in everything he did. He was the ultimate actor, not only giving what was necessary to make the scene work, but also transforming so seamlessly into his characters to the point that you often didn't realize you were watching an actor at work.

Not blessed with traditional leading mans looks, Robert Protsky usually showed up as the judge, doctor, minister, father, grandfather, coach or neighbor. And even though his parts were often small, he was always memorable.

His contributions to Stephen King's, Christine, and the Oscar nominated films, Broadcast News, Dead Man Walking, Far and Away and The Natural, not to mention his numerous guest appearances on many popular television shows like Hill Street Blues and The Practice, make Robert Protsky a true talent whose presence in film, television and theater is greatly missed.

D'urville Martin

Although he had small roles in the Hollywood hits, Rosemary's Baby and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, as well as being cast as Lionel Jefferson in the first two pilot episodes of All in the Family, D'urville Martin made his real mark in the Blaxploitation genre, where he often played the second banana to action star Fred Williamson.

When that era ended, so did his career. And soon after, he died at the young age of 45. Had he lived, I am almost certain that he'd be working today thanks to Quentin Tarantino, who most likely would have cast him in many of his films that so resemble the ones that D'urville Martin was a part of in the 1970's.

From Black Caesar  to Sheba Baby  and Blind Rage  to Dolemite (which he also directed), D'urville Martin had a solid presence which shined in all of his work. He was as good as any actor working today and it's sad that the racial attitudes of the 1970's prevented him and so many other talented actors from getting major Hollywood work.

His films are still around, though, and if you happen to catch one on late night television, you will see for yourself why D'urville Martin is Not Very Famous...but should be.

Wings Hauser

Unless you're a huge fan of the cult movie Vice Squad, you most likely have never heard of Wings Hauser. There is a good chance you've seen some of his work, though, as a guest star in many major television shows that range from Roseanne  to Murder She Wrote and from Beverly Hills 90210  to the mini-series, Kingpin.

However, it's his work in many low budget independent films that puts Wings Hauser towards the top of the list of interesting actors that the world has never heard of. Whether playing the hero or the heavy, he has a certain over-the-top charisma that makes it hard not to notice him.

Although he's had small roles in some mainstream movies, like A Soldier's Story  and Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling, it's the low budget ones where he seems to get the top billing and have the most fun. Most of his films don't have the restrictions of the big studios, which makes discovering Wings Hauser a sheer pleasure for anyone wanting to experience the freedom of an actor.

From Vice Squad  to No Safe Haven, and The Art of Dying  to Rubber, he appears to be an actor that clearly likes where he's at and seems perfectly happy being away from the Hollywood spot light, which makes Wings Hauser my pick for the day for Not Very Famous...but should be.

Jeanette Nolan

Jeanette Nolan was a remarkable character actress that appeared mostly in guest starring roles in a wide variety of television shows from the 1950's through the 1980's. From The Twilight Zone to Gunsmoke and I Spy  to My Three Sons, her presence made average shows good, and good shows even better.

Her best work, however, was as part of the ensemble in the short-lived 1963 anthology program, The Richard Boone Show, where a group of actors would perform a one-hour drama each week as different characters. This really showcased her versatile talent.

From witches to feisty old ladies, and from sweet grandmothers to crazy killers, Jeanette Nolan was in a league all her own. And when watching her work, it appears that she could do no wrong.

She really had the ideal career. A career that started with Orson Welles Macbeth and ended with Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer, with over three hundred television appearances in-between. Jeanette Nolan may not be well known by the mainstream public, but her body of work is proof that she was as good as they get.

Matthew Lillard

In the movie, The Descendants, George Clooney's character is looking for a man named Brian Speer. When he's sees his picture on a billboard he instantly recognizes him. Well, I recognized him also. Only I didn't see the character Brian Speer. Instead, I saw actor Matthew Lillard.

Mainstream audiences have seen him as Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo movies, but that series does nothing to showcase his true talents. He has a quirky intensity that makes his comic roles hilarious and his dramatic ones unique.

Either way you look at it, Matthew Lillard is a talented, unpredictable actor that is fun to watch in everything he does. He's at his very best in the movies, Scream, SLC Punk, The Curve and as a guest star on Law and Order SVU in an episode entitled Ballerina, but you really can't go wrong in watching anything he does.

He's one of those actors that adds a freshness and unique slant to all of his characters and makes each movie he's in a little more interesting. Matthew Lillard has been a working actor for quite a while now, and I don't see him slowing down in the near future, which is good news for any lover of interesting performances.

Paul Dooley

Paul Dooley is one of the great character actors of all time. His performance as the father in the 1979 coming of age classic, Breaking Away, should have gotten him an Oscar nomination, but like so many other great talents before him, his name was no where to be found on the ballot.

We can relate to his characters because we recognize them. We see in him our own fathers, bosses and relatives. There's no Hollywood glitz or phoniness to anything that Paul Dooley brings to the screen. And maybe that's why he's flown under the radar throughout his long career.

Besides Breaking Away, which is probably is best role, Paul Dooley also stands out in Robert Altman's A Wedding, John Hughes'  Sixteen Candles and in Popeye, where he played the hamburger loving Wimpy.

Whether his role is a supporting one or smaller, Paul Dooley shines in everything he does, making him my pick for today for Not Very Famous...but should be.