Quinlan's Illustrated Directory
of Film Character Actors
by David Quinlan. Batsford Books. Hardcover. 385
pages. £17.95
 One of our favourite pastimes at The Missing Link is to
see how many names we can put to the faces of those whose roles sometimes offer nothing
more than a brief walk-on part, a few sentences, and then they're gone. On occasion it can
be infuriating when the face is instantly recognisable, but the name is elusive and does
not appear in the credits. This is where Quinlan's directory comes into its own. Here you
will find a great majority of those who grace the screen with their presence and very
often manage to steal the scene away from the starring players.
Many of these character actors and
actresses established themselves in roles just as demanding as the leading players they
frequently upstaged and could also find themselves gainfully employed more often
than many of their more famous counterparts. Their fortune could be made if they adhered
to a particular stereotype, be it a nefarious villain, a femme fatale, a downtrodden
loser, or an aristocratic silly-ass. However, for the actor, it would then become
increasingly more difficult to break for their usual roles if their desire was to elevate
themselves to the front ranks, particularly if their specific stereotype was part of their
attraction.
Quinlan's revised and updated edition of
this most valuable reference work boasts no less than 1,110 actors and actresses, the
majority of whom found their careers spanning over several decades and in every genre
possible. The filmographies are as complete as humanly possible with only a few minor
inconsistencies which is only to be expected from a work of this magnitude, and includes
the subject's work in shorts, television movies and as narrators. Each actor is listed
with the date of their birth and death and a brief career study. Naturally most fans could
probably think of maybe one favourite who hasn't made it into the book and personally I
would have welcomed the entry of Gustav
von Seyffertitz, Maude Eburne, Angelo
Rossitto and John George
who has the enjoyable habit of making his presence felt in the multitude of roles he seems
to have notched up during the first half of this century.
Quinlan has also authored The
Illustrated Directory of Film Stars, Film Comedy Actors, Film
Directors and British Sound Films (1928-1959), all valuable
reference works. I for one would dearly love to see Quinlan put together a directory of
the talent that worked behind the cameras including editors, art directors, lighting and
make-up personnel, although I clearly recognise that this would be a mammoth undertaking.
The Illustrated Directory of
Character Actors is just one of Quinlan's essential works, and a book that I will
refer to time and time again.
Available in the UK click here
Available in the US click
here
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