Whitman Mayo

Whitman Mayo is most remembered by his signature role of Grady, in the sitcom, Sanford and Son. That character was one of many recurring roles on that show, but due to contract disputes with its star, Redd Foxx, the Grady character was thrown into the spotlight and was forced to carry many episodes during the latter part of the run.

Though Foxx was missed, it is clear by those many episodes, that Whitman Mayo could have been more than just a second banana. He kept a mainstream show afloat when its star went AWOL and fans will always remember and cherish his warm, humorous style.

And while the character of Grady gave him some instant recognition, it also typecast him for the rest of his career. He did appear in films like Boyz n the Hood, but Hollywood was reluctant to let him branch out. However he still managed to have a career in television appearing in many shows like Trapper John MD, Hill Street Blues and ER just to name a few.

This wonderful character actor is mostly forgotten today, but for a brief period in time he was a star and for many of us will always remain one, making Whitman Mayo my pick of the day for Not Very Famous...but should be.

J. T. Walsh

The name, J. T. Walsh may not ring a bell, but unless you're a movie hermit, you've seen this underrated supporting actor many, many times. Often cast as the creepy white collar type, he made audiences hiss and squirm throughout his short but memorable film career.

I first noticed him on Broadway in Glengarry Glen Ross, playing the role that Kevin Spacey had in the movie. Spacey was good, but I would have rather seen Mr. Walsh revive his wonderfully layered performance that he brought to the stage as the sleazy office manager.

He had the curse of often being typecast as the heavy, which brought him a lot of work, but not always the variety that most actors seek. Whatever role he was offered, though, he played to perfection. His brief but memorable appearance as a mental patient in Sling Blade and his staring role as the crazed truck driver in Breakdown are two of the scariest, intense characters ever put on film.

Whether it was his role as the opposing attorney in the television remake of Miracle on 34th Street, or the troubled witness who kills himself in A Few Good Men, or the contributions he made to the movies, Red Rock West, Nixon, The Client, The Negotiator and so many others too numerous to mention, make the late J. T. Walsh the pick of the day for Not Very Famous...but should be.

Dabbs Greer

Modern audiences will remember Dabbs Greer mostly as the older version of Tom Hanks in The Green Mile, but what many fail to realize is that this versatile actor had equal contributions in Hollywood projects for over fifty years.

He was practically a mainstay in network television for most of his career as he guest starred in an endless number of popular shows that included The Loretta Young Show, The Rifleman, The Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, Lassie, Peyton Place, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Perry Mason, The Fugitive, The Brady Bunch, Bonanza, Ironside, Gunsmoke, The Incredible Hulk, Picket Fences, Diagnosis Murder and believe it or not, that doesn't even begin to cover his work.

Outside of The Green Mile, audiences may remember him from The Little House on the Prairie, where he played the recurring role of Reverend Alden for several seasons, or from the memorable episode of LA Law as the man addicted to licking frogs.

Dabbs Greer is as much a part of television history as Lucy is. It's very hard to watch a season of your favorite show from the past and not see him in some capacity.  He was a true actor and complete ensemble player. He may be gone, but his work will live forever.

Kay Lenz

Even though she had acted as a child and appeared briefly in the George Lucas classic, American Graffiti, it was her first major role in the film, Breezy,  that put Kay Lenz on the map. It's a star making performance, but this interesting little film about love and loneliness never quite caught on with the critics or public.

Had Breezy  been more successful it could have sky rocketed Kay Lenz to instant fame. Instead it left her to fend for herself in a sea of mediocre made-for-television movies and episodic TV.

She has managed to land a few mainstream film roles in between her many television gigs like House and Death Wish 4, but unfortunately some of her her best work is in movies few people have seen, like Fast-Walking, A Gun, A Car, A Blonde and the aforementioned Breezy.

She is still working today and if you should happen to catch her name in the credits, it will be worth your time to watch whatever she's in, as she has the ability to turn an average show into a good one.  Kay Lenz is a heavyweight performer with a lightweight resume and under different circumstances she would not be featured in this blog.

John Diehl

If fame were earned by the talent of the artist, then John Diehl would be a Hollywood superstar. But in this world of reality television and pretty faces, he's spent thirty plus years in the business supporting the star instead of being one.

This has made him a working actor who is able to bring spice and variety to each individual role, opposed to the movie stars who become famous for playing the same types over and over again. In fact, as actors go, John Diehl has had quite the career.

His early work is typical of a good up and coming actor with small but memorable roles in films like Stripes and Escape From New York. And like most supporting actors, these films led to more work, most notably, the laid back detective, Larry Zito, in the first three seasons of Miami Vice.

And although his roles haven't gotten much bigger, John Diehl's resume has grown with small but crucial contributions in The Client, Pearl Harbor, Lost Souls, Mo' Money and Stargate, just to name a few.

However, to see the real scope and depth of his work is to watch the first season of The Shield, where he played so memorably the crooked Assistant Chief of Police, Ben Gilroy. This role along with the rest of his colorful characters that he has brought to the screen over the years, make John Diehl a perfect fit for being Not Very Famous...but should be. Check out his work and I dare you to disagree. 

Lee Kinsolving

Lee Kinsolving was one of many of those James Dean / Paul Newman type actors that had early promise in the 1950's and '60's, but ended up in obscurity. His mysterious death at the young age of thirty-six could have pushed him into the limelight, but due to a career that had already faded, left him forever in the land of what could have been.

Like a lot of the better actors, Lee Kinsolving was first noticed on Broadway and like so many of the New York actors at the time, ended up on live television - most notably in the small screen version of the Eugene O'Neill play, Ah Wilderness.

After that, Hollywood came a calling and like so many of his peers, he wound up in memorable episodes of classic shows like Have Gun Will Travel, Hawaiian Eye, The Outer Limits, Gunsmoke and Route 66. And although his television work is quite good, it's in the movies where his career should have landed.

He received a Golden Globe nomination for his moving work in The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, but sadly only made one more movie after that - the teen drama, The Explosive Generation. Lee Kinsolving had the talent and good looks to be a Hollywood movie star, but for reasons most of us will never know, it just wasn't in the cards - leaving him to be forever part of the Not Very Famous...but should be.

Raymond J. Barry

Raymond J. Barry has been around for a long time and even though the mainstream public probably doesn't know his name, his unforgettable work is out there for all to enjoy. Often cast as the father to the leading character, his impressive body of work showcases his ability to portray compassionate, scary and often unpredictable characters that we love, hate, cry for and root against.

Having bounced around from movie to movie for years, he finally got the big break he needed when he was cast as Tom Cruise's father in the Oscar nominated film, Born on the Fourth of July. From there Hollywood took notice and his work in such films as The Ref, Cool Runnings and Dead Man Walking, just to name a few, showcased his ability to not only be remembered, but to be a major part of the ensemble of any film or television show.

His most recent work is on television as Arlo Givens, the bi-polar drug dealer and father to the main character in the underrated drama, Justified. And if you think that Raymond J. Barry can't do comedy, then you should check out his work as the father in Walk Hard - the Dewey Cox Story.

Perhaps, though, his greatest accomplishment is that of Walter Ohlinger, in the little seen, Interview with the Assassin, where he convincingly plays a man who claims to be the second shooter of President John F. Kennedy. Whatever the role, though, Raymond J. Barry proves time and time again why he is Not Very Famous...but should be. Check out his work. You'll be impressed.

Ray Sharkey

Like so many gifted actors before him, Ray Sharkey traded in a promising career for the demon known as drug addiction. His sickness cost him his reputation in Hollywood and eventually led to his death in 1993 from AIDS.

Had he taken a different path, Ray Sharkey could have rewritten the history books when it came to Oscar and Emmy nominations. Instead, we're left with a few brilliant performances, a handful of really good ones and the sad reality of what could have been.

In the 1970's he started appearing in movies like Who'll Stop the Rain, with Nick Nolte and television shows like Barney Miller, but it wouldn't be until 1981 before he would get the role that would really put him on the map - that of the driven rock promoter, Vinnie Vacarri  in The Idolmaker. That role earned him a Golden Globe, and should have gotten him an Oscar nomination, but that didn't happen.

Ray Sharkey  proved once again that he was the real deal in the made-for-television movie, The Ordeal of Bill Carney, were he played a man paralyzed from the neck down trying to be a single father, as well as probably his most famous role - the gangster, Sonny Steelgrave,  in the television hit, Wiseguy.

It was his reckless reputation, though, that made Hollywood leary of giving him good roles in A-list movies, making his resume misleading to the talent that he possessed. Ray Sharkey could have gone far, but his legacy is now more of a lesson to be learned, instead of an artist who should have contributed more.

O-Lan Jones

Unlike many actors, O-Lan Jones has never waited tables.  She has, however, portrayed a waitress in many films that range from Miracle Mile  to The Truman Show  and several in-between. And while the "waitress" character in many films may not be an actors dream role, this gifted performer has managed time after time to turn a one dimensional character into something much, much more.

Probably best known as the Christian neighbor, Esmeralda, in Edward Scissorhands, O-Lan Jones has quite an impressive resume that ranges from a mob wife in Married to the Mob  to Sally Skull, the prostitute with the short fuse in Lonesome Dove.

Primarily a day player, her work goes way beyond that of an actor that usually just shows up in a scene or two. But like the great performer she is, fame has taken a back seat to being an intricate part of many movie and television ensembles.

Her roles are rarely large, but always memorable, like her brief encounter with the two lead characters in Natural Born Killers, where she plays yet another unforgettable waitress. Or the hotel maid in Pacific Heights or the tough female prisoner in Convicted: A Mother's Story, or the...well the list goes on and on, making O-Lan Jones the pick of the day for Not Very Famous...but should be.