10 Henchman Movie Roles Made Epic By Casting

You've likely seen a version of John Farrow's The Big Clock and don't realize it, as Kenneth Fearing's 1946 novel about a newspaper writer trying to solve a murder for which he's about to be framed was adapted with an upgraded Pentagon setting as No Way Out with Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman.

Morgan, best known for his work as Sgt. Potter on M*A*S*H and Bill Gannon on Dragnet, shows up about halfway through the picture. As the actual murderer of his mistress, the editor (Charles Laughton) turns to some unsavory types to handle his mark (Ray Milland) once he is revealed.

Morgan doesn't have a lot of lines, mostly just lumbers around intimidating the lead through the newspaper offices. But Morgan, who only stood at 5'5, was hardly an imposing figure. He always had the wiry frame audiences knew as the elder Sergeant.

Nevertheless, he manages to add a legitimate air of menace, stalking the halls of a newspaper office alongside George Macready. Farrow's decision to dress a character in all black in a black and white film paid off. And it's retroactively unnerving to see a man who was primarily known for his grandfatherly roles or no-nonsense law and order figures play someone who, at a moment's notice, will throw you down an elevator shaft.