The 20 Best 'That Guys' Of All Time
A "That Guy" is a B-list character actor who's just talented enough to secure bit parts in a handful of movies every year, but not quite good looking enough to become a brand-name star. Some specialize in playing villains and others in having freaky-enormous chest tattoos, but combined, these brave, barely handsome men have appeared in every single movie produced in the last decade.
#20
DAVID MORSE
You Might Know Him From...
The Rock, 16 Blocks, The Green Mile, Proof of Life, 12 Monkeys, a bunch of other movies where he plays a psychotic government employee.
Special Moves
Being this close to jumping over this desk/car/boulder/pile of corpses and ferociously beating your face into the carpet.
Is a Poor Man's...
Russell Crowe
#19
PHILIP BAKER HALL
You Might Know Him From...
Boogie Nights, Seinfeld, Ghostbusters 2, literally every hour-long TV drama about lawyers. There are honestly too many to list here.
Special Moves
Thinking you're a worthless longhaired hippie punk, and not being afraid to tell you as much to your worthless longhaired hippie punk face.
Is a Poor Man's...
James Coburn. (Needless to say, Hall has been called more frequently now that James Coburn is dead.)
#18
JOAQUIM DE ALMEIDA
You Might Know Him From...
Clear and Present Danger, Desperado, 24, Behind Enemy Lines, his ruthless iron grip on the world of international drug trafficking.
Special Moves
Using his lack of a conscience to rise to power in the ruthless world of drugs/international espionage/banging chicks that are hotter than him.
Is a Poor Man's...
Al Pacino without eyebrows or, alternatively, Gabriel Byrne with a terrible Portuguese accent
#17
DYLAN BAKER
You Might Know Him From...
Spider-Man 2, Kinsey, Road to Perdition, countless shitty TV shows.
Special Moves
Indignantly pointing his finger at people, rubbing their mistakes in their faces, wearing bowties, making people pay (within the law), penis envy.
Is a Poor Man's...
Michael Clarke Duncan
#16
KEITH DAVID
You Might Know Him From...
Men at Work, Road House, Platoon, Barbershop, Armageddon, the 1980 blockbuster Disco Godfather.
Special Moves
Not giving a shit about anything other than completing the duty/assignment/trash pickup assigned to him.
Is a Poor Man's...
Louis Gossett, Jr.
#15
DANNY TREJO
You Might Know Him From...
Desperado, Grindhouse, The Devil's Rejects, xXx, Con Air, Heat, your worst nightmares.
Special Moves
Knife throwing, gun shooting, bartending, and face kicking, all while not speaking and sometimes simultaneously.
Is a Poor Man's...
Rosie Perez
#14
NOAH EMMERICH
You Might Know Him From...
Miracle, Beautiful Girls, The Truman Show, Cop Land, punching your nuts and taking your lunch money in elementary school.
Special Moves
Really swell guys with bad skin, really good friends with bad skin, really husky everymen with bad skin.
Is a Poor Man's...
Chemically burned Jon Favreau
#13
TOM WILKINSON
You Might Know Him From...
Batman Begins, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Patriot, Rush Hour, The Full Monty, being a dead ringer for at least one teacher in every high school in America.
Special Moves
Obese, selfish slobs.
Is a Poor Man's...
Jon Voight
#12
JK SIMMONS
You Might Know Him From...
Spider-Man, Thank You for Smoking, Law & Order (all three, seriously), Oz, The Jackal, poignantly capturing the essence of Ralph Earnhardt in the ESPN Films masterpiece, 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story.
Special Moves
Dispensing tough, well-informed love at top speed, top volume, and top borderline sarcasm.
Is a Poor Man's...
Ed Harris
#11
WILLIAM FICHTNER
You Might Know Him From...
Prison Break, The Longest Yard, Crash, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, The Perfect Storm, Armageddon, 12,348 other movies and TV shows about something that's 40 times more manly than you've ever done.
Special Moves
Pricks in uniform, cowards in uniform, assholes in uniform, shitheads in uniform, douchebags in uniform, fishermen who drown in uniform.
Is a Poor Man's...
Kevin Bacon
My god, where is Brion James?!
ReplyBlade Runner, 48 Hrs, Silverado, Dead Man Walking, Tango & Cash, Fifth Element...
And a poor man's Tobin Bell to boot.
Daniel Von Bargen! The commandant in malcolm in the middle, devil sheriff in oh brother where art thou, a chief of staff in the west wing, George's boss in Seinfeld. I'd have thought he'd be in the top 5 at least.
ReplyWilliam Fichtner is obviously a poor man's Christopher Walken. Though obviously too late to be mentioned in this article, he's fantastic in Drive Angry. Either that or Nicolas Cage was so bad, everyone else, including David Morse in a supporting role, looked so much better by comparison that "pretty good" seems outstanding by comparison.
ReplyI'm going to suggest Fred Willard. His filmography titles reach 230 to date and he's never the leading actor. He's always, That Guy. A fantastic and great guy, but always just, That Guy.
ReplyDavid Morse, James Cromwell, and Lane Smith all one list? Could the cracked writers have any more of my favorite character actors? Probably not because any other actor I like is too prolific for this list.
ReplyKeith David, and no mention of Dead Presidents? For Shame!
ReplyThe Cromwell...Awesome.
ReplyI like Kevin Bacon's acting but I prefer William Fichtner's acting though.
ReplyDanny Trejo and JK Simmons are not "a poor man's" anything. Both these guys more than hold their own and are quite well known.
ReplyWell know, yes. Can carry the weight of an entire movie? Not sure about that one. It would be interesting to give Trejo a try.
JK Simmons is better than Ed Harris.
ReplyCromwell was awesome in Star Trek: First Contact! And... okay, actually, that right there proves that he's decidedly suited as the number one guy on the list. My dad actually thought that Rene Auberjonois was James Cromwell when we were watching an episode of Boston Legal, so, yeah.
ReplyWow, I never knew there were so many guys I recognize so readily and yet have no idea or care about.
ReplyOh no, where's Arnold Vosloo?
ReplyGotta love Da Crom!
ReplyI'm sorry but Danny Trejo is the mayor, he will eat your face off and stab you why laughing just because...great article though
ReplySo does that make Trejo a poor man's Chuck Norris?
^ Trejo's tattoos take care of that role.
Anyone else think that David Morse looks like Simon Pegg??? Just me . . . okay.
ReplyGood call, actually...more like Simon Pegg after six month's at Gold's Gym and a truckload of assertiveness classes.
I mostly like the list, but I wouldn't say that the people on it are less talented than A-listers. Mostly, I'd say they're just not as good-looking. Do you really think that Keanu Reeves is a better actor than every person on this list?
ReplyIt's just further proof that talent and working don't get you everywhere. I mean, some of these guys on this list are exceptional actors, but they'll compete with Keanu's "Whoa".
How the hell did Blake Clark not make this list?
ReplyIf you you don't know who that is, go check imdb and you'll see that yes, you most certainly do.
Oliver Platt deserves a place high on this list. You know him, but God help you if you wanted to remember his name.
ReplyHaha, read my mind.
Keith David? I love that man. Best narrator voice ever. If he's a poor man's replacement, it would be for James Earl Jones, at least in the voice department. Gotta love him as Goliath in Gargoyles. They don't makes kids shows like that anymore.
ReplyKeith David is an incredible voice actor. Whenever I read about a strong male lead in any cartoon or game I immediately think of his voice, thanks to Gargoyles.