10 Best Unsung Actors From Each Movie Genre
5. Larry Miller - Comedy
It's incredibly difficult to stand out in an ensemble comedy, particularly if it's assembled by Christopher Guest. The director, along with Rob Reiner and others over the years, has put together a roster of some of the funniest minds in North America. From notables like Harry Shearer and Mike McKean to oddballs wonders like Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara, to even indie ingenues like Parker Posey, have all shone in their own individual way.
It's difficult to pick a favourite, but of the regular stable, the late Fred Willard always made a lasting impression, improving some of the funniest lines in Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind.
But Larry Miller always seemed to exist just outside of the regular gang, best exemplified by his turn in Best in Show. He's not a main character, nor does he show up much at all, he's just a strict military father who is clearly too hard on his son. So he threatens, quite out of nowhere, to gouge his offspring's eye out.
But Miller's work in comedy can also be surprisingly heartfelt, and it's crossed into other genres. His role in The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot, as Sam Elliot's simple-minded brother, is one of the most earnest of its kind.
Outside of Guest films, he's always reliable, like Levy, as the dumbstruck father of a teen daughter, best utilized in 10 Things I Hate About You.