As was made clear by all the worthy omissions from The Ringer’s ranking of the 101 greatest movie performances of the 21st century, when you’re combing through 25 years’ worth of cinema, even A-listers can slip through the cracks. (Justice for Tom Cruise’s work in Collateral—or Edge of Tomorrow, if that’s more your flavor—which didn’t even make our omissions roundup.) But I also wanted to spare a thought for the performers who, by virtue of their extensive IMDb pages, rarely get their flowers. Instead, you know them as that guy from that thing—someone whose name escapes you but whose on-screen presence is unmistakable.
It’s tricky to pin down a strict definition of a Hollywood That Guy™. Are they exclusively character actors? How does one transcend That Guy status? Are they ineligible if they’ve ever landed a starring role? What the hell do we do with Patrick Wilson? But I’m more interested in the feelings they elicit from the audience. For instance, when I brought up the concept of That Guys to my girlfriend, she immediately thought of Holt McCallany—not by name, but by saying, “I love that guy” in reference to Blackhat. (If I had any skills in video editing, I’d have made a Holt McCallany fancam yesterday.) So to celebrate McCallany and the other familiar faces whose supporting roles make a film that much better, I’ve put together the 21st-Century That Guy Hall of Fame.
The Best Movie Performances of the Century
The rules are simple: We’re recognizing That Guy performances from 2000 onward, and while we won’t omit an actor if they had a leading role on television—as per the Holt Mindhunter Clause—the bulk of their filmography needs to be supporting work. (This is why the likes of Patrick Wilson and Jason Clarke, who might not be household names but have starred in movies like Aquaman, The Conjuring, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, missed the cut.) Lastly, while we love TV That Guys like Zahn McClarnon and Paul Sparks, we’re only including actors who also have extensive résumés in film. Without further ado, allow me to introduce the inaugural class of the That Guy Hall of Fame.
Shea Whigham
What you know him from: Kong: Skull Island, F1, First Man, American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook, Joker, Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One, Fast & Furious
If you’ve been inhaling Dad Cinema for the past 15 years, chances are you’ve seen a lot of Shea Whigham. He’s got the kind of face that screams “law enforcement,” and you could make a separate, exhaustive list of all the times he’s played a detective, agent, or special forces operative: Joker, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Kong: Skull Island, Non-Stop, two Mission: Impossible films, three Fast & Furious flicks, and so on. A typical Whigham character presents as a gruff, macho figure—someone who’d be fun to grab a beer with as long as you don’t ask about his politics. Whigham always nails the assignment; on my life, the single funniest film moment of the 21st century is when his character in Skull Island builds up to a heroic sacrifice … only to get absolutely owned by a monster.
Whether or not Whigham is our greatest working character actor, odds are he’s at least your dad’s favorite character actor.
Stephen Root
What you know him from: No Country for Old Men, The Empty Man, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Get Out, Selma, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Tragedy of Macbeth
Some That Guys lean into a familiar archetype; others are so chameleonic that it’s hard to recognize them from movie to movie. Stephen Root falls into the latter category: He’s adept at being goofy (Dodgeball), slimy (No Country for Old Men), or downright sinister (Get Out). That versatility extends to his vocal range, which he can use to adopt a cartoonish Southern accent (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) or frantically rant about bubbles (yes, he’s that fish in Finding Nemo). That Root’s such a malleable performer helps explain why he feels inescapable on our screens, particularly when you factor in his roles on HBO series like Barry, Succession, Boardwalk Empire, and Perry Mason. Not that we’re complaining: Root is the type of actor whose work will, ahem, plant a lasting impression in your mind.
Patrick Fischler
What you know him from: Mulholland Drive, Under the Silver Lake, Old School, Hail, Caesar!, The Black Dahlia, American Fiction
Patrick Fischler has the look of someone on the verge of an existential crisis. It’s no wonder, then, that his best roles are playing characters falling apart at the seams. I’m thinking, of course, about Fischler’s memorable appearance in Mulholland Drive as a man haunted by a dream he had about a monstrous figure lurking behind the dumpster of a diner—only for his worst fears to be realized. (In my headcanon, Fischler’s hyper-paranoid cartoonist from the positively Lynchian Under the Silver Lake is the same person.) We technically can’t count Fischler’s scene-stealing work in Mad Men, but it bears mentioning since his character told Don Draper off so iconically that women confronted him about it on the street. When Fischler pops up in a movie, you know you’re in for a good time—even though he’s probably gonna have a bad time.
Danny Huston
What you know him from: The Naked Gun, The Aviator, Children of Men, Marie Antoinette, 30 Days of Night, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Wonder Woman, Game Night
Danny Huston is part of Hollywood royalty—the son of legendary filmmaker John Huston, the half brother of Oscar-winning actress Anjelica Huston—but despite all that pedigree, he’s still very much a That Guy, albeit a pretty great one. Huston’s bread and butter is, and this is intended to be a compliment, leaning into the fact that he has legitimately sinister-looking features. It’s why he’s been, among other things, the leader of a vampire horde (30 Days of Night), a German war criminal (Wonder Woman), a nefarious tech mogul (The Naked Gun), and the guy who experimented on everyone’s favorite mutant (X-Men Origins: Wolverine). Huston brings a devilish charm to many of these roles—characters you know you’re supposed to hate but can’t take your eyes off of. With this body of work, Huston is a unique That Guy variant: He’s That Villain.
Holt McCallany
What you know him from: The Iron Claw, Blackhat, Wrath of Man, Nightmare Alley, Sully, The Amateur, Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning
My fucking king. I haven’t gone out of my way to follow Holt McCallany’s career, but sometimes you just connect with an actor’s filmography. Holt and I have been in lockstep for years. When I rewatched A Perfect Getaway this summer, I did the pointing Rick Dalton meme when Holt showed up for two minutes as “Police Lieutenant” (he deserved a name). He slotted in seamlessly as another one of Michael Mann’s rugged law enforcement characters in Blackhat; please don’t ask me under oath if I cried during his death scene. Holt’s best work to date was playing the monstrous Von Erich patriarch in The Iron Claw, which, in a just universe, would’ve landed him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. He’s aging like fine wine. To the rest of the world, Holt’s a first-ballot That Guy; to me, he’s a superstar of brooding masculinity.
John Carroll Lynch
What you know him from: Zodiac, Sorry, Baby, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Shutter Island, Crazy, Stupid, Love, The Invitation, Ted 2
While this list is made up of performances from only the 21st century, I’d be remiss not to mention how terrific John Carroll Lynch was in Fargo as Marge Gunderson’s kindly husband—the only man in the entire film with an actual core of decency. That Lynch can exude such warmth and kindness (see also: Sorry, Baby) makes his most memorable role all the more unsettling. Fargo notwithstanding, Lynch is perhaps best known for Zodiac, where he plays the man suspected of being the infamous Zodiac Killer, Arthur Leigh Allen. What’s so unnerving is that Lynch makes it really hard to gauge whether we’re looking at a monster in hiding or a flawed but innocent man accused of the unthinkable. (David Fincher asked Lynch to play Allen like he wasn’t the Zodiac Killer, which adds to the eerie ambiguity of the film.)
This is why Lynch is also That Guy From My Nightmares.
Keith David
What you know him from: Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick, Requiem for a Dream, Nope, Barbershop, Crash, The Nice Guys, Cloud Atlas
You might not know the name, but you definitely know the voice. With his trademark baritone, Keith David has featured in countless animated films, series, and video games over the years, including The Princess and the Frog, Coraline, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, Halo, and Mass Effect. David is just as ubiquitous in live-action roles, where his iconic voice can conjure everything from menace (the pimp Big Tim in Requiem for a Dream) to solemnity (not even joking, The Chronicles of Riddick). Of all our inductees, I’d argue David has the most impressive résumé, especially when you consider all the great work he did prior to the 21st century—he’s literally That Guy from The Thing. Regardless, I think we can all agree: Whether you see him or hear him, David levels up every project he’s in.
Frank Grillo
What you know him from: The Purge franchise, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Superman, Warrior, The Grey, Gangster Squad, Homefront, End of Watch, Zero Dark Thirty
Frank Grillo is That Guy from every action movie you’ve caught on TNT, and it suits him. After all, Grillo is built like a CrossFit instructor, and that physicality is key to many of his most prominent roles. You probably know him best as the mercenary Crossbones (sick name) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where his character was on the receiving end of Captain America’s wrath in The Winter Soldier’s acclaimed elevator fight. I’m also fond of his work in two Purge movies, where he plays a man hell-bent on finding the person responsible for his son’s death before becoming [checks notes] head of security for an anti-purge presidential candidate. (You don’t need to suspend your disbelief when a guy this shredded survives two purges.) In roles big and small—in blockbusters and B movies—Grillo always cuts a memorable figure. Someone find out this man’s fitness regimen.
John Ortiz
What you know him from: Miami Vice, Blackhat, American Gangster, Silver Linings Playbook, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Fast & Furious, Public Enemies, Bumblebee, American Fiction
As a Michael Mann acolyte, John Ortiz holds a special place in my heart. Ortiz has starred in three Mann films—Miami Vice, Public Enemies, and Blackhat—which is tied for the most times that any actor has appeared in his work. It’s within these three roles that you can appreciate Ortiz’s range: He’s been an old-timey mobster (Public Enemies), a straight-laced FBI boss (Blackhat), and a sadistic drug trafficker (Miami Vice) with so many unhinged line readings that are permanently etched in my brain.
Despite appearing in so many blockbusters, Ortiz hasn’t quite eclipsed That Guy status, which is probably the sweet spot if you don’t want to deal with all the trappings of celebrity but still want to rake in the dough. In any case, it’s always a treat when Ortiz pops up in a film, like reuniting with an old friend.
Rob Morgan
What you know him from: Don’t Look Up, Mudbound, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Smile, Brawl in Cell Block 99, Greyhound, Just Mercy
Rob Morgan has perhaps the lowest profile of all our That Guy inductees: His filmography isn’t huge, and he’s appeared in quite a few Netflix productions that are liable to slip through the cracks. But watch enough of Morgan’s work—especially Mudbound and The Last Black Man in San Francisco—and you’ll understand why The New York Times listed him as one of the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century. As Times critic A.O. Scott said of Morgan’s performance in The Last Black Man in San Francisco: “After a few minutes in his presence you understand exactly what you need to know.” That’s the mark of a great character actor—and a That Guy who should be on more people’s radar.
Stephen McKinley Henderson
What you know him from: Lady Bird, Dune, Fences, Lincoln, Civil War, Beau Is Afraid, Manchester by the Sea, Causeway
For a long time, Stephen McKinley Henderson was a Theater That Guy who appeared in several August Wilson plays, including Fences, which earned him a Tony nomination in 2010. Now, however, the 75-year-old’s career has blossomed on the big screen, where he often takes on small but meaningful supporting roles. It’s a testament to Henderson’s performance in Lady Bird as the exasperated Father Leviatch that his most iconic line in reference to a high school theater production—“They didn’t understand it”—has endured as a meme. The only thing preventing Dune: Part Two from being a five-star affair is the fact that Denis Villeneuve omitted Henderson’s Thufir Hawat—king of the dainty parasol—from the final cut. Long may Henderson continue to grace our screens with his warm, paternal presence.
Michael Stuhlbarg
What you know him from: A Serious Man, Call Me by Your Name, The Amateur, Lincoln, The Post, The Shape of Water, Arrival, Men in Black 3, Doctor Strange, Bones and All
This is a potentially contentious pick—can the lead of a Coen brothers movie really be a That Guy?—but I do think Michael Stuhlbarg is one of those actors whom non-cinephiles would recognize without ever being able to name him. He hasn’t been the leading man in enough movies to be quite in the Patrick Wilson/Jason Clarke tier, which I consider the cutoff. (Also, being the star of A Serious Man doesn’t have the mainstream appeal of, say, The Conjuring, even though it’s an infinitely better movie.) Like Root, Stuhlbarg’s greatest strength is his versatility; look no further than his wildly divergent roles in two Luca Guadagnino films as a supportive father (Call Me by Your Name) and a wild-eyed cannibal (Bones and All). Whatever role he inhabits, Stuhlbarg does what the best That Guys are capable of: He keeps you glued to the screen. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to rewatch that speech from Call Me by Your Name again.
Bill Camp
What you know him from: Drive-Away Dolls, Joker, Vice, Dark Waters, Molly’s Game, 12 Years a Slave, Public Enemies, Jason Bourne, Lincoln, News of the World, The Killing of a Sacred Deer
If I logged every movie and TV show I’ve seen over the past decade, I wouldn’t be surprised if Bill Camp was my most-watched actor. A That Guy titan, Camp has shown up in damn near everything, but his specialty is historical dramas (see: 12 Years a Slave, Public Enemies, Lincoln, News of the World). That tracks—Camp just has one of those faces you can imagine existing decades, or centuries, in the past. But it’s one thing for Camp to look the part; time and again, he makes a supporting role feel lived-in, capturing the weariness of someone who’s been through some shit. Along with his wife, noted That Gal Elizabeth Marvel, Camp is one half of a genuine character actor power couple. In other words, they’re That Couple.
John Hawkes
What you know him from: Winter’s Bone, Lincoln, Miami Vice, American Gangster, Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Perfect Storm, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
I’m just gonna say what we’re all thinking: Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln might’ve had the best collection of That Guys in the history of cinema. Anyway, John Hawkes is an interesting pick because he raises the question: Can you still be eligible for the That Guy Hall of Fame if you’ve been nominated for an Oscar, which he earned for his supporting role in Winter’s Bone? I’m saying yes on account of Hawkes himself embracing his That Guy status. “I think to kind of be thought of as that guy or ‘I think I know you from somewhere’ kind of guy is an asset for me,” Hawkes told NPR in 2012. “I have no kind of desire to be a household name. … I’d rather be a mystery.” To that, I’d say: mission accomplished. Hawkes always disappears into a role, making his characters feel like the fabric of the world they exist in. Hawkes shows up for only a few minutes in Miami Vice, but his death—particularly the quiet resignation on his face as he walks into incoming traffic—is hard to shake off.
Oscar nom or not, Hawkes is a That Guy through and through.
Lance Reddick
What you know him from: The John Wick franchise, White House Down, Angel Has Fallen, Jonah Hex, The Guest, Godzilla vs. Kong, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
The late Lance Reddick had a commanding air about him, which explains why he played so many kinds of authority figures, including a general and a Secret Service director in two different movies about a POTUS under attack by terrorists (White House Down and Angel Has Fallen). Thankfully, Hollywood also caught on to Reddick’s sly sense of humor behind all that gravitas; if you can shock Eric André, you can do anything. It’s only fitting, then, that Reddick’s most enduring big-screen role was John Wick’s Charon, a hotel concierge who always seemed to know more than he was letting on and whose mannerly dialogue was layered with meaning. (“How good to see you again so soon, Mr. Wick.”) That Charon meets his end in John Wick: Chapter 4, which arrived in theaters just a week after Reddick’s death, brings an added poignancy to the film, as well as to the legacy of an all-time-great character actor who had so much more to give. A That Guy for the history books.
