Ugly Character Actors and Why We Love Them

I ended up finally watching the film Champion on Netflix Watch It Now stream off of my XBOX 360. It's the documentary about the life of one Danny Trejo.

For the few people out there who don't know who Danny Trejo is, I'll give you a picture to go by.



Now you remember, don't you? He always plays criminals, former criminals, thugs, grunts and various other angry fellas in such films as Blood In, Blood Out, Desperado, From Dusk Til Dawn... hell, most Robert Rodriguez films have him in them. And it wasn't until after Desperado that they found out that they were actually related.

So the thought of Danny Trejo and how I tend to love him in any role he does (even when the film is shit. I'm looking at you Six Days, Seven Nights), had me thinking of other pug ugly actors who I tend to love every time I see them on the silver screen.

I'm thinking off the top of my head here, so here's a quick Top 10 Ugly Actors We Know and Love.




10)John C. Reilly



Before everyone knew him as either the comedic relief in a Will Ferrel film or actually starring in his own funny fake bio-pic, John used to make his money on stage and in dramatic films, like The Good Girl, Boogie Nights and Magnolia, among others. He's recently been doing more improvisation in movies and TV shows and is voicing one of the lead characters in the Tim Burton produced animated film 9. But one things for sure. He's always looked the same.

9)Robert Z'Dar



Don't get me wrong, I love me some Z'Dar. But he does have an unfortunate chin. The good thing is that he's used it to his advantage over the years, especially as the iconic Matt Cordell aka Maniac Cop. Hell, he even kills Bruce Campbell in the second film. Now that's hardcore. He tends to take smaller roles or villainous parts in straight to DVD flicks, but it's work and he's proven that his face pays the bills.

8)Henry Silva



Henry Silva is more scary than ugly. I'll give him that much credit. But he's so frightening, I still have nightmares of him from Above the Law. Or is that because of my mortal enemy Steven Seagal? It's best not to think about that. He had a hell of a time playing toughs and cops back in the 70's in some fantastic Italian crime films (Almost Human being a prime example). But I'll remember him as the voice of Bane from the Batman animated series.

7)Klaus Kinski



Respect the Klaus. It's that simple. His movies with Werner Herzog are enough to put him on any list. Wait. You say you haven't seen Fitzcarraldo, Aguirre: The Wrath of God or the Nosferatu remake? Well, you better get on that. Many other films features his creepy face which sold tickets alone. And he was completely batshit crazy. What can be better than that?

6)Robert Davi



Ahh, Robert Davi. My earliest memory of him was seeing him hang himself in the movie The Goonies. Of course he was faking it in order to escape jail, but that coupled with him singing opera creeped the hell out of me. He's also been in tons of movies as either a drug dealer or a grizzled cop/FBI agent. That tends to be a recurring theme with 'ugly' actors.

5)Steve Buscemi



You must realize this list is of ugly actors I love to death. If it wasn't, there's no way Steve Buscemi would be on it because any and every movie he's ever been in has always been enjoyable because of him. Yes, even Con Air (come to think of it, Danny Trejo was in that as well. A double whammy!) He's iconic as the weasel in most of his roles. Sometimes with a heart of gold, but usually the creepy guy who will shoot first, ask questions later and collects vinyl religiously while getting hacked up by Peter Stormare (who could have been on this list but was edged out by others more deserving).

4) Gary Busey



The teeth. Those damn teeth haunt my dreams. He used to be a well respected actor. Look no further than The Buddy Holly Story for proof of that. Even in cheesy films like Lethal Weapon and Predator 2, he gave an air of class and fun to them. Now he's become a bit of a joke in recent years. Even though he's been pretty fantastic in the recent Saints Row 2 commercials.

But the teeth. God damn those teeth!

3) Peter Lorre



He's the most iconic actor on this list and for good reason. I love Peter Lorre to death. When I was a kid, I was the only one in my class who knew who he was when featured in any Looney Tunes cartoon. By the time I was 10, I had seen his fantastic turns in the films Arsenic & Old Lace, The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. But it wasn't until I was 18 and in college and finally saw his role in M that showed me he was one of the most underrated actors ever. It's not his fault he was different looking. That's what made him even more special.

2)Geoffrey Rush



Mr. Rush. Some women adore you. I just find you a fantastic actor with an even more fantastic face. At playing pirates that is. Of course he won an Oscar and he did deserve it for Shine, but I believe his best roles come from films that focus on his face and therefore his full acting ability. A great accent also helps deflect it a bit, but to most people out there, he's Barbossa.

1) Clint Howard



What? Were you expecting Ron Perlman? Or maybe Paul Giamatti? See, 'ugly' is a hard concept to go by in the first place. To some people I'm ugly and to others I'm good looking. To each their own. So this list was in no way going to be essential. But we can all agree on one thing. Clint Howard got all the ugly parts in the Howard family. This is why I showcased one of his first roles, in the original Star Trek, mainly because it's amazing to see that he somehow became uglier since then. But I tend to love him in every role he's in. Yes, even The Ice Cream Man.

This article might seem mean spirited, but it isn't. It's actually more on the side of how Hollywood tends to portray ugly in films. Hell, I tried to put in some actresses in this list, but somehow I saw some beauty in all of them. Well, not Sandra Bernhard, but is she really an actress? I remember her stinking up the place on Roseanne.

It's subjective and I want to know of any other actors you love who people tend to think are ugly. List them and let's hope to see their faces in more HD movies sometime soon.