bit player

American  

noun

1. an actor having a very small speaking part in a play, motion picture, etc.

---

Etymology

Origin of bit player

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

So as soon as he got to Oklahoma City, Mitchell set about emulating them, studying film of Wiggins and Caruso making the right offensive reads and defensive rotations—the details that can turn a bit player into a regular on a title-winning team.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sauerkraut has long been a bit player in the American diet, topping the occasional hot dog or Reuben sandwich.

From The Wall Street Journal

"The headline in the business section of the Times was: 'Unknown Bit Player Buys Warner Brothers,'" he recalls with a laugh.

From BBC

Playing the basement-dwelling, unpredictable father to Leah Remini’s sharp-tongued New Yorker, Carrie Heffernan, Stiller had the opportunity to flex both his dramatic and comedic muscles, earning his place in the show’s ensemble instead of being relegated to a bit player.

From Salon

Rolls-Royce is a bit player in a market that has powerful and successful leaders, and that rival Pratt and Witney lost $8bn trying and failing to break into.

From BBC