Royal Dano's face is probably more recognizable than his name. And even that is tough because he looked and acted differently in practically every role. The one link to familiarity was the quirky, oddball characters he usually played.
He was never the leading man. And quite often his role was smaller than supporting. However, it was his ability to make a minor character memorable is what contributed to so many movies and televisions shows being better than they would have been with a lesser actor.
No matter the medium, or size of the role, Royal Dano owned his moments in the spotlight. From Abraham Lincoln in the television show Omnibus, a bizarre anthology series from the early days of television, to Farmer Green in the cult comedy/horror film, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, one is always surprised at the amount of intensity one actor could add to a character which only occupied a few scenes.
From The Rifleman to Gunsmoke, and The Red Badge of Courage to Moby Dick, with literally hundreds of other equally memorable performances rounding out his career, Royal Dano is genuine "royalty" in the world of the Not Very Famous...but should be.
