Imposing character actor often cast in the films of Russ Meyer and Jonathan Demme
Charles Napier, who has died aged 75, was one of Hollywood's most distinctive and imposing character actors. With his blockish head, heavy jaw and formidable stare, he was called upon most often to play no-nonsense heavies. In a career lasting more than 40 years, he appeared in some of Hollywood's most successful films and television series, and was cherished in particular by the directors Russ Meyer and Jonathan Demme, who cast him repeatedly.
Napier resigned himself long ago to the character actor's lot – familiarity without celebrity. "Wherever I go, people will look at me as though they recognise me," he wrote in his autobiography, Square Jaw and Big Heart: The Life and Times of a Hollywood Actor (2011). "They see that square jaw with the big smile. They may not know my name, but they know that face."
He was born in Allen County,...
Charles Napier, who has died aged 75, was one of Hollywood's most distinctive and imposing character actors. With his blockish head, heavy jaw and formidable stare, he was called upon most often to play no-nonsense heavies. In a career lasting more than 40 years, he appeared in some of Hollywood's most successful films and television series, and was cherished in particular by the directors Russ Meyer and Jonathan Demme, who cast him repeatedly.
Napier resigned himself long ago to the character actor's lot – familiarity without celebrity. "Wherever I go, people will look at me as though they recognise me," he wrote in his autobiography, Square Jaw and Big Heart: The Life and Times of a Hollywood Actor (2011). "They see that square jaw with the big smile. They may not know my name, but they know that face."
He was born in Allen County,...
- 10/28/2011
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
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