You know these guys by sight, but you rarely know their names, unless you watch movies again and again, like me. They are character actors. Ther came from Broadway or the Soaps. They are not big stars. They don't get the big parts. But you see them again and again in role after small role.

Perhaps my favorite is James Rebhorn. The reason might be was that he was the first of the character actors that I saw all the time and actually remembered his name. The reason probably is that guy is just damn good at what he does and he impresses the hell out of me.

He played the lawyer Alvin Hooks in Snow Falling on Cedars he was an actor in The Game opposite Michael Douglas. In Basic Instinct he had a small role as a doctor. He normally types into a benevolent professional. Perhaps his finest performance was as the shipping magnate Herbert Greenleaf in The Talented Mr. Ripley, one of my personal favorites.

If you look at his filmography at The Internet Movie Database, you'll find tons of films that Mr. Rebhorn has appeared in, many that you've most likely seen and not noticed him. But when you see him again, maybe in the upcoming hit Cold Mountain, you'll know his name.

If I can manage it, I'm going to try to profile other character actors from time to time, let you know some of my personal favorites.