John Savage

Today, John Savage's resume is full of movies that most people have never heard of. This wasn't always the case, though, as his early film career included several big films, including the Oscar winning, The Deer Hunter, which he was wrongly overlooked for an Oscar nomination.

In fact, his early films, many of which are forgotten today, are full of overlooked performances. Check out The Killing Kind, The Onion Field, The Deer Hunter, Hair, The Amateur and Inside Moves, if you would like to see for yourself the beauty and innocence that this talented actor can bring to a project.

In fact, all of those films previously mentioned showcase the innocent and tortured emotions that John Savage does so well. It seems that the mainstream movies of today care less about the characters and more about the movie stars that embody them. And as this shallow attitude has grown in Hollywood, the roles that actors like John Savage did so well, seemed to have dried up.

He still works as an actor, but the films he's been in of late have done little to put him back on the track he was on in the late 1970's and '80's. One can always hope that this trend will reverse, but if and when that ever happens, it's good to know that the earlier works of John Savage are still around to view and appreciate for years to come.

Roscoe Orman

Most actors don't choose their fate and when Roscoe Orman started acting professionally in the early 1970's, I'm sure he never guessed that his legacy would be that of playing Gordon on Sesame Street.

It was Sesame Street, though, that might have saved this actor from mainstream obscurity, as was the fate of many of his talented peers from that time period. And while he seems such a natural in the role of Gordon, his other roles have proven that his acting talents could have taken his career in a much different direction.

Roscoe Orman burst onto the movie scene in 1974 as the title role in the blaxploitation classic Willie Dynamite. And from there appeared on the stage as well as in several television shows like Sanford and Son and Kojack.

His starring role in Willie Dynamite as well as smaller parts in F/X  and New Jersey Drive are proof of this actors talents. And the fact that he ended up on Sesame Street  is just the reality of being an actor.

This fate has let Roscoe Orman become a positive influence to kids everywhere. And while I can't imagine him not playing Gordon, it's hard not to wonder what he would have done as an actor had the Sesame Street  job not come around.

Ray McKinnon

Ray McKinnon was hard to forget as Linc Potter, the Assistant U.S. Attorney on Sons of Anarchy and may also be remembered as Reverend H.W. Smith on Deadwood, but those two shows don't begin to showcase his unique talent. As an actor, writer and producer, he's been involved in some wonderful projects that sadly have fallen under the Hollywood radar.

His most high profile role was probably as Coach Cotton in The Blind Side, and even though mainstream audiences may have enjoyed his performance, that role was nothing compared to the work he's done in smaller projects, especially with his own company, Ginny Mule Pictures, which he runs with another actor that is Not Very Famous, Walton Goggins.

In 2001, Ray McKinnon was recognized and awarded an Oscar for his short film, The Accountant, which he wrote, directed and starred in. Unfortunately with that being a short, it remains largely unseen by the average movie-goer, as well as some of his other must-see feature-length films like Randy and the Mob, Chrystal and That Evening Sun.

As an actor, the real talent of Ray McKinnon lies within his ability to stay true to his characters. Whether his role is large or small, his performance is always honest, making his good guys flawed and his bad ones human. Check out his work. He's the real deal.

Seymour Cassel

A member of John Cassavetes stock company of actors, Seymour Cassel has been an actor in independent films long before they were a popular part of pop culture. And he still today continues to support the independent scene with his talents.

Not that he hasn't been involved in mainstream fare. He's had Hollywood roles in everything from Dick Tracy to Indecent Proposal, but it's the smaller films that he's received the most exposure like In the Soup with Steve Buscemi and the classic low budget masterpieces of John Cassavetes.

And it was through the Cassavetes films that Seymour Cassel has been able to soar, even getting an Oscar nomination in 1968 for the marital drama, Faces. Although he's considered a supporting actor, his best work was as an unconventional leading man in another John Cassavetes film, Minnie and Moskowitz, which is a one-of-a kind love story that is like no other ever made.

Talents like Seymour Cassel make movies richer, smarter and more fun for the viewer. His work, especially the ones from the Cassavetes era are well worth the effort to seek out and view. And after viewing, it's easy to understand why Seymour Cassel is Not Very Famous...but should be.

ADDENDUM

Seymour Cassel passed away on April 7, 2019. His work in the films of John Cassavetes, is worth your time in seeking out. What you will find is an actor that was given the freedom to explore and brave enough to do it.

Susan Tyrrell

The world of the Not Very Famous lost an icon a few days ago when Susan Tyrrell passed away on June 16, 2012. Fans of the bizarre know her mainly as Queen Doris of the Sixth Dimension in the cult musical, Forbidden Zone, while Oscar buffs remember her powerful nominated performance as Oma, the alcoholic girlfriend of a down-and-out boxer in John Huston's Fat City.

And while her name may sound vaguely familiar to the mainstream public, her wonderfully strange work is rarely seen by the masses. This is a shame, for her performances in just about every role she played showed a courage and originality that is rarely seen in movies made today.

From Andy Warhol's Bad  to Tales of Ordinary Madness and Fast-Walking  to Cry Baby, and and so many others too numerous to mention, Susan Tyrrell not only added intensity to every scene she was in, but also gave the audience characters that stayed with them long after the movie was over.

Part performance artist and part great actor, Susan Tyrrell brought to the screen the best of both worlds in a manner that was never pretentious or showy. She had this ability to make strangeness seem natural, while somehow always managing to hang a shadow of sadness over all of her characters.

As an actor she was a daredevil and should be an inspiration to any artist stuck in their comfort zone. She will be missed and her work in film should serve as a teacher for those actors not afraid to perform without a net.

Linda Haynes

Linda Haynes only made a handful of movies throughout the 1970's, but was a standout in all of them. Her films were gritty and her characters were often streetwise and strong. She left the business after her last film, Brubaker, with Robert Redford, and years later was discovered in Florida working as a legal secretary.

What happened? The only thing known for sure is that her small body of work is impressive and one can only wonder what kind of career she might have had if she had stuck it out.

Linda Haynes was first noticed in the movie Coffy, as a part of the infamous catfight scene which included Pam Grier, pimps, razor blades and salad. From there she took on major roles in The Nickel Ride, Rolling Thunder and the women's prison drama Human Experiments. And it was through those films that her true talent as an actress emerged.

According to an interview with her, she said she was approached by Quentin Tarantino's casting director to audition for a part in ER  that he was directing. At the time she didn't know who he was and turned down the offer. Hopefully Tarantino won't give up so easily and Linda Haynes can once again appear on the screen where she so rightfully belongs.

ADDENDUM

Steve, a reader of this blog, brought to my attention that Linda Haynes passed away on July 17, 2023. Like so many talented actors profiled here, Ms. Haynes didn't have the acting career that many of us felt she was capable of. The work she left behind, though, is memorable, and I hope others will discover her talents.

Timothy Bottoms

In the early 1970's, Timothy Bottoms appeared to be on his way to becoming a major star. And like so many other good actors, he seemed to disappear into thin air. Not that he hasn't worked. He's had a steady paycheck since 1971 with his film debut as the quadruple amputee unable to speak or hear in the anti-war drama, Johnny Got His Gun.  

It's just that after his brush with fame in the 1970's, he seems to have ended up headlining movies that no one has ever heard of. This seems to happen to a lot of actors and I suppose that most of us will never know why so many rising stars seem to fade for no reason at all.

Certainly I'm not the only one who admired Timothy Bottoms work in The Last Picture Show  and The Paper Chase,  and with such superb past performances it's hard not to wonder, what happened? Especially when you see him in more recent projects and he's just as good, even if the material isn't.

Check out the movies already listed along with 1975's Operation Daybreak, the television mini-series East of Eden and the short lived Comedy Central sitcom, That's My Bush, where he played President George W. Bush, and you will understand why Timothy Bottoms is my pick of the day for Not Very Famous...but should be.

David Clennon

David Clennon has been a working actor on television and in the movies for over four decades. In the 1970's, he appeared in small roles in some of the most critically acclaimed movies of that decade, like The Paper Chase, Coming Home and Being There.

In the 1980's, he guest starred in several hit television shows and his film roles, although still small, started to get some notice with his work in John Carpenters wonderful remake of The Thing as well as Sweet Dreams with Jessica Lange.

However, it wasn't until the early 1990's with the recurring role of Miles, the feared and respected ad agency boss on Thirtysomething,  that people really started to take notice of the talents of David Clennon. It was a role that proved to be so popular he was brought back to revise it in the series, Once and Again.

With the success of Thirtysomething, David Clennon went from being a working actor to a working actor that you notice. And now going back and looking at some of the smaller roles from his past, it's a wonder he wasn't noticed sooner. He's a fun actor to discover. And I suggest you get familiar with his work if you already haven't.

Glynn Turman

Glynn Turman is easily one of the greatest actors the world has NEVER heard of. This intense performer has made a name for himself on stage, in television and in movies and is still going strong today. And yet his name never seems to be on the lips of the mainstream movie going public.

Who knows the real reason that he's slipped under the radar, but my guess would be because of his versatility. For example, the people that loved him as Preach in the 1975 coming of age movie, Cooley High, may not of recognized that it was the same actor who played the college kid possessed by a 1940's gangster in the Blaxploitation classic, J.D.'s Revenge.

And those audiences may not have realized that Glynn Turman is also the same actor who played Mayor Clarence Royce  in The Wire, or Alex Prince, Sr. in HBO's In Treatment, for which he won an Emmy Award. Other notable projects of his are the mini-series Centennial, the television movie Buffalo Soldiers and the feature films A Hero Ain't Nothing But A Sandwich, Five on the Black Hand Side, The Inkwell and many, many more.

In watching any Glynn Turman performance it's hard not to notice his energy, intensity and dedication to a role. And if a few other more famous actors could match his level of commitment, the movies of today would be a much more enjoyable experience.

Robert Ginty

Even if he wasn't on the screen for very long, Robert Ginty had a presence that stayed with you. He started out in television doing minor roles in various police dramas, eventually landing a supporting part in the Robert Conrad vehicle, Black Sheep Squadron. And by the time he was cast in a small role in the Oscar nominated, Coming Home, audiences were already somewhat familiar with his face, if not his name.

He then went back to television with another supporting part in The Paper Chase, but it was his starring role as the flame throwing vigilante in the low budget action hit of 1980, The Exterminator, that really set the tone for the rest of his career.

That movie made Robert Ginty an action star of ultra low budget features and straight-to-video fare like Mission Kill, Code Name Vengeance and The Exterminator 2, just to name a few. And even if most of the world didn't know his name, the grind house crowd did. In fact, I believe that without The Exterminator, there would have been no Rambo movies, as Robert Ginty was killing quantities of bad guys two years before Sylvester Stallone was.

Robert Ginty died in 2009 and is mostly forgotten today. His legacy is of a low budget action star, but he was a good actor and with the right opportunities his contributions to the world of movies and television just might have put him on the Hollywood A-list.

Susan Strasberg

One would have thought that the daughter of the famous acting teacher, Lee Strasberg, would have gone on to major stardom either on the stage or in movies, but instead, Susan Strasberg ended up featured in this blog.

She certainly had a promising start, playing the title role of Anne Frank in the Broadway production of The Diary of Anne Frank, as well as having a supporting role opposite William Holden in the movie Picnic, but mainstream fame never followed.

Her most interesting work and probably her most famous was in the Roger Corman low budget classics, The Trip and Psych-Out. And even though those films helped launch the careers of Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Bruce Dern, they only seemed to get Susan Strasberg guest starring roles in many forgettable television shows like Lancer and Marcus Welby, M.D.

She was a talented actress, though, that certainly had the connections to be a part of bigger and better projects, but like so many other gifted performers, it just wasn't in the cards. Susan Strasberg lost her battle with cancer in 1999, closing the book on a promising career that never really took off.

Lenny Baker

Lenny Baker was a major part of the New York City theater scene in the late 1960's and '70's that produced such stars as Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and a score of others. Hollywood called and he spent his way too brief career dividing his talents between the New York stages, television and the movies.

With small but memorable roles in The Hospital  and The Paper Chase, he then went on to star in what would be his signature film role in Paul Mazursky's Next Stop Greenwich Village in which he played the struggling actor, Larry Lapinsky.

That movie earned him a Golden Globe nomination and although he would do some guest starring roles in such television shows as The Rockford Files  and Taxi,  as well as earning a Tony award for the Broadway musical I Love My Wife, his film career was over, for in just a few short years, 37 year-old Lenny Baker would become an early casualty of AIDS.

Who knows what might have been. His work in Next Stop Greenwich Village is proof that he had star potential, but like so many promising actors before him, talent is not always the ticket to stardom.

Bill McKinney

Bill McKinney is mostly known as the sadistic hillbilly in Deliverance, but he had a successful acting career that went way beyond that film.

He appeared in seven movies with Clint Eastwood, which include The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Gauntlet and Every Which Way but Loose, as well as having roles in many popular films of the time like Junior Bonner, The Parallax View, The Shootist, First Blood, Against All Odds and The Green Mile.

He was one of those actors whose parts were often smaller than the supporting ones and yet he always managed to deliver a strong, memorable performance. He had a presence that demanded notice and even though most people never knew his name, they paid attention when he was on the screen.

Bill McKinney worked through his long film career virtually unnoticed by the general public. He was a wonderful actor who had the ability to not only carry a scene, but to also make the leading actor go unnoticed while he did it.