character actor

British  

noun

1. an actor who specializes in playing odd or eccentric characters

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Example Sentences

Back in the late 1950s and 1960s, my dad was a popular character actor who appeared on dozens of TV shows, including “Bonanza,” “I Dream of Jeannie” and “The Twilight Zone.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"I've always been a character actor and I like to submerge myself and try to be somebody else, that's part of the challenge," he said.

From BBC

A career character actor, Madigan has only been nominated for an Oscar once before, in the same category for 1985’s “Twice in a Lifetime.”

From Salon

After “The Godfather” made him a movie star in his 40s, he remained a beloved character actor for half a century, adding “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” to the cultural lexicon.

From The Wall Street Journal

Police found the character actor in his Lower East Side apartment, Deadline reported, after neighbors heard Christmas music playing for days and one of them called authorities and the landlord for a wellness check.

From Los Angeles Times