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William Shakespeare (among others) said "There are no small parts*--". William Shatner may have said it too, but the longhair with the tights was first, or so the reports go. In this feature we will explore what it really means to be an actor working in Motion Pictures and Television.
Broad public acknowledgment may have eluded some who find their way to these pages, or perhaps they may have brushed against what is referred to as stardom by virtue of one or more remarkable performances. However for many, the rewards of plying their craft in a field which has allowed them to earn a living may exceed the burdens of public acclaim. Given the chance, some in this clan might prefer the longevity offered by anonymity over the potential for short lived fame.
These individuals, either by design or fate, have managed to sustain a career by crafting performances which rendered them a good casting choice. They are usually thought of as a face you recognize, but you just can't get the name past the tip of your tongue.
Most of these folks have spent countless hours on stage in theaters ranging from 20 seats to 2000, building characters from the works of Ibsen, to Eliot, to Williams, to yes even Shakespeare, and so many of the modern Playwrights. They have rounded their skills doing drama, comedy, & musicals. Their work is a serious venture.
These people have given us screen performances which quite often were the catalyst that brought an Oscar or Emmy to another and yet they continue to work as "Characters" or "Co-Stars" without the trophies and plaques adorning their mantle.
* Technically, it was Konstantin Stanislavski who coined the phrase "There are no small parts, only small actors", but we like the "William" references just for fun!
Where applicable, each article offers a link to 
where you may obtain additional materials on the subject.
Richard Riehle was born and educated in the Midwest. He got a BA cum laude in Speech and Drama from the University of Notre Dame, an MFA in Theater Arts from the University and a diploma in acting from The John Fernald Academy.
Peter Jason was born on the 22nd of July in Hollywood, California. He spent the next 18 years on the beaches of southern cal mostly in front of his family home on the ocean in Balboa, Calif. Growing up at the beach helped form his easygoing love of life, people, and his pursuit of happiness. He attended Newport Beach Elementary School, Horace Ensign Junior High, and Newport Harbor High School where he performed in his first play, "The Man Who Came To Dinner" playing the lead Sheridan Whiteside.
Robert Newman is perhaps best known for his 28-year run as Joshua Lewis on the longest running program in broadcasting history, Guiding Light. The role garnered him 2 Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
Barbara Niven is one of Hollywood’s busiest actresses. During her career she has appeared in more than 100 film and TV roles, and over 2500 TV & radio commercials. She also served 3 years on the National Board of Directors for the Screen Actors Guild.
Ernie Hudson may be recognizable to many from his roles in the "Ghostbuster" movies and some others, but his record as a working actor in film, television, and as a stage performer certainly earns his place among our list.
Jay Acovone is a versatile actor who is best known for his ability to play authoritative characters such as Mafia bosses, villains, police/military, and lawyers. He was born on August 20, 1955 in NYC, New York, USA. His parents later moved to Mahopac, NY where he graduated from Mahopac High School. While he was always an avid movie fan, it was a chance encounter with a friend, urging him to take part in a play, that set him on a path for a career in acting.
James Whitmore Jr. was born into the home of peripatetic, bombastic and pure actor; James Whitmore and his understanding and charming bride Nancy. Little Jimmy was inundated with the harrowing realities of the performers life.
Eve Gordon's most recent work when this profile was first published was starring in the November 1999 ABC TV movie about the Partridge Family. Eve played Shirley Jones. She also had a recurring role as Felicity's mother on the popular TV series "Felicity". Other episodic work she's done includes "The Practice" and "Party of Five". Eve has starred in three series on Network Television. The first was "Almost Grown", with Tim Daly, created by David Chase, who went on to create "The Sopranos".
Judith Hoag clearly wanted to be an actress from a very early age. It was a positive outlet, a way to channel all of that energy. Her 4th grade music teacher said she was "given to histrionics". Her mother called her "Sarah Heartburn".
After more than fifty years in show business, actress Shelley Morrison, who played the wisecracking Rosario on the hit NBC series "Will and Grace," has more than her share of stories. This veteran of the big and small screen has also augmented her professional life with ties to her family and community that have made her a compelling person as well as a skilled performer.
Life ain't no dress rehearsal.
The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them!
You don't write because you want to say something; you write because you've got something to say.
Do, or do not. - There is no 'try'..
Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by favoring to attempt.
The movies are the only business where you can go out front and applaud yourself.
The problem is not that television presents us with entertaining subject matter,
but, that all subject matter is presented as entertaining.…
The faster I write the better my output. If I'm going slow I'm in trouble. It means I'm pushing the words instead of being pulled by them.
I saw a woman wearing a sweatshirt with 'Guess' on it.
I said, Thyroid problem?
I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.
When you're down and out, something always turns up -- and it's usually the noses of your friends.
The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and I hate very much to leave it.
Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?
The one function TV news performs very well is that when there is no news we give it to you with the same emphasis as if there were.
All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.
Kiss and make up...
but too much makeup has ruined many a kiss.
The remarkable thing about television is that it permits several million people to laugh at the same joke and still feel lonely.
Advise to a young Richard Roundtree
Whatever you do in this business, It's much easier than lifting heavy things.
I don't know anything about music. In my line you don't have to.
What's this business of being a writer?
It's just putting one word after another.
The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense
While attending a Production Meeting
This is no place to ask questions!!
When asked what he thought of William Shakespeare
I'll moider da bum!
Sage Advise to a Young Oregonian, Barbara Niven
If you want to make it in show business, get the hell out of Oregon!
The camera makes everyone a tourist in other people's reality, and eventually in one's own.
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve immortality through not dying.
Television has done much for psychiatry by spreading information about it, as well as contributing to the need for it.
It is difficult to produce a television documentary that is both incisive and probing when every twelve minutes one is interrupted by twelve dancing rabbits singing about toilet paper.
From: "Tuesday's with Morrie"
We must learn to love one another or die.... We must!
Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.
It's kind of fun to do the impossible.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic
The problem with television is that the people must sit and keep their eyes glued on a screen; the average American family hasn’t time for it. Therefore, the showmen are…
I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.
Television enables you to be entertained in your home by people you wouldn't have in your home.
Why should people go out and pay to see bad films when they can stay at home and see bad television for nothing?
From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it.
My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch.
No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer it has chosen.
The difference between sex and love is that sex relieves tension and love causes it.
Imitation is the sincerest form of television.
Sometimes a scream is better than a thesis.
I'll give you a definite maybe.
Seeing a murder on television, can help work off one's antagonisms.
And if you haven't any antagonisms, the commercials will give you some!
I must say that I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a book.
No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else's draft.
I can't wait to one day shoot in Detroit and say 'Let's have this double for Toronto'.
The embarrassing thing is that the salad dressing is outgrossing my films.
To young actor. Eugene Roach on the subject of acting
Don't ever let 'em catch you at it.
Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money.
Women might be able to fake orgasms. But men can fake whole relationships.
