(Continued from part 1)
In the first part of the article, we discussed character actors who were honored in the Academy Awards memoriam and a look back at some of their memorable films.
Charles Durning, is another great actor we lost last year. He starred in films such as ; When a Stranger Calls, Two of a Kind, and The Best Little Whore House in Texas. One of his most memorable roles is as Les in Tootsie. He plays a very sincere, sweet man who is lonely after the passing of his wife. He in turn falls for Dorothy Michaels (Dustin Hoffman), whom he believes is an actress on a soap opera along with his daughter, Julie (Jessica Lange). He pursues Dorothy and proposes marriage, but he eventually finds out she is really a man. In the end Les admits Dorothy was okay company, but he could have done without the dancing part. Durning was an excellent supporting actor as he added humor and heartfelt warmth. If you have not seen this film, you have truly missed a gem.
Another actor whose name may not be well known is Leonardo Cimino. He has roles in such films as; Moonstruck, The Freshman, and Waterworld. A memorable role is when he is affectionately known as the "scary German guy," in The Monster Squad. In the film, Van Helsing and his army attempt to open a portal to take the classic universal monsters into limbo. Unfortunately, Van Helsing's team fails, so the monsters will return in 100 years. So, it is up to a group of kids and "the scary German guy"(Cimino), to prevent the monsters from getting an amulet to take over the world with evil. The kids enlist the German, because he is the only person who can read Van Helsing's diary. The diary's instructions on how to open the portal and destroy the monsters is written in German. This a tame, but cute and funny monster film. The acting is great and worth checking out.
It is sad to see the passing of these talented actors, but their work in films will live on.
Where to find these films locally: Video 1
Comments