The celluloid life of actor Charles Napier is an interesting one. It's not every actor that can say they started out in the films of Russ Meyer sharing the screen with many of his big busted regulars and ending up with a Hollywood career. In fact, he's the only actor that can say that.
He's already famous to anyone familiar with the work of Russ Meyer, from the title role in Cherry, Harry and Raquel to Baxter Wolfe in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Charles Napier had an interesting look and an anything goes attitude that eventually caught the eye of Hollywood. And even though main stream audiences don't know his name, they too have noticed his work in everything from The Blues Brothers to Silence of the Lambs.
Often cast as the cop, sleazy villain or the over zealous military man, Charles Napier owned every role he played while taking stereo typical characters and making them fun and original. And while his performances were never Oscar caliber they were memorable in their own way.
Sadly, on October 5, 2011, Charles Napier passed away at the age of 75. His career went from underground star to Hollywood supporting actor to television, and in the end, straight to video movies, taking his career not only full circle, but full of life as well.
He's already famous to anyone familiar with the work of Russ Meyer, from the title role in Cherry, Harry and Raquel to Baxter Wolfe in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Charles Napier had an interesting look and an anything goes attitude that eventually caught the eye of Hollywood. And even though main stream audiences don't know his name, they too have noticed his work in everything from The Blues Brothers to Silence of the Lambs.
Often cast as the cop, sleazy villain or the over zealous military man, Charles Napier owned every role he played while taking stereo typical characters and making them fun and original. And while his performances were never Oscar caliber they were memorable in their own way.
Sadly, on October 5, 2011, Charles Napier passed away at the age of 75. His career went from underground star to Hollywood supporting actor to television, and in the end, straight to video movies, taking his career not only full circle, but full of life as well.
I recently watched The 4400 and saw him playing a crazy preacher in an episode and thought "Who IS that guy,he looks so familiar!" I waited until the credits rolled, then went to IMDb to see what-all he had been in and it was a long list, many of them shows/movies I had seen. After this post hit my reader, I went back to refresh my memory and it looks like he had a relatively successful career, no superstar but probably worked steady enough to make a decent living...not as good as some other actors, but better than most. He was handsome in a rough-hewn sort of way and his photo should be next to the dictionary definition of "square jaw".
ReplyDeletealot of people do not remember he also stared in an episode of the original STAR TREK series.
ReplyDeleteHis Star Trek turn was in a bad episode, but he, as usual, stole every scene, even from Shatner!
ReplyDeleteHowever, it is in The Blues Brothers that he is most burned into my memory.