They SHOULD be Household Names...

103.

James Cromwell



The first time I ever laid eyes on this talented character actor he was playing Stretch Cunningham, Archie Bunker's co-worker/best friend on All in the Family. This is another actor who has effortlessly carved out an impressive resume from roles on film and television. He received an Oscar nomination for Babe and did an absolutely bone-chilling turn as a corrupt police captain named Dudley Smith in LA Confidential. Anyone who can move from Bunker to Babe deserves a place on this list.

102.

Bobby Cannavale



This handsome and entertaining actor has been quietly toiling in this business with regular and recurring roles on Third Watch, 100 Centre Street, Ally McBeal, Oz, Nurse Jackie, Kingpin, and Will & Grace and has appeared in films like Snakes on a Plane, Romance and Cigarettes, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, and Blue Jasmine...another of those actors you've seen everywhere but never knew what his name was.

James Cromwell is a magnificent actor.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Every Star Trek fan knows who James Cromwell is. We have a sort of reverences for him.

Well... not Cromwell's fault, but he was in ST First Contact which was an excellent movie, but it was the one that ret-conned ST continuity forever by stating that Zefram Cochrane (the man who invented Warp Drive) was a Terran as opposed to an Alpha Centurian.

Up until that point Gene Roddenberry had written that Earth's first contact with aliens was with Alpha Centurians (not Vulcans), and one of them in particular (Cochrane) taught us about Warp Drive which opened up the galaxy to interstellar travel. Interestingly, this change was made right after Roddenberry died - thus without his approval.

Some might argue that punching that hole in the fabric of Star Trek continuity was the beginning of a much larger de-threading that allowed such people as J.J. Abrams to completely destroy the continuity as we knew it.

But when it comes to Cromwell, all I know is "That'll do pig, that'll do."

Check out L.A. Confidential in film and Six Feet Under on tv.

I have been reading the reactions to this list thus far and feel the need at this time to reiterate exactly what this list is about. Mofos are, of course, not going to think of anyone on this list as not being household names, but you all have to remember that you are film and television buffs and this is your passion. You pride yourself on knowing the name of that actor who played that particular part in that particular film and your passion for drinking in this knowledge has you almost taking the knowledge that you have accumulated for granted and that everything you know is assumed and just because an actor is known to you does NOT make the actor a household name. Everyone on the planet has heard of Eddie Murphy and can name or has seen at least one of his movies, but not everyone knows where they've seen Jonathan Banks or Bobby Cannavale or Patricia Clarkson or Frances Fisher is. These are working actors who have worked consistently for a long time but their names don't ring a bell in the average Joe the way Eddie Murphy's does. As much as you might like to think otherwise, if you asked 10 people on the street who these actors are, they might recognize the face, but I'm sure 9 out of 10 people wouldn't know the actor's real name, or if you showed the same 10 people 8x10 glossys of any actors on this list, I would bet my next paycheck that they would not be able to tell you the actor's real name and THAT is what this list is about. So please keep this in mind as the countdown continues...

I understand what you're saying, (and I could be wrong, but I assume that post was meant mostly for me).

I agree with you about most of the people in this thread, I just thought that a few of these people were better known than they might be. Not just familiar faces, but I thought most people, (not just movie and TV buffs), would recognize their names too.

101.

William H. Macy



One of the hardest working actors in the business, I think this guy was in every other movie made during the 1990's, most famous for his Oscar nominated role as the slimey Jerry Lundergaard in Fargo. He also had featured roles in Air Force One, Boogie Nights, Mr. Holland's Opus, Wag the Dog, Pleasantville, A Civil Action, Thank you for Smoking, and Bobby. He is currently starring on the Showtime series Shameless. Macy is not the only actor in his household who will be making an appearance on this list.

I was not referring to you specifically, I just think a lot of people are misunderstanding what this list is about. These people are well known...they're famous...but they are not household names...to some the difference is a very slim thread but there is a difference just the same.

100.

Jennifer Jason Leigh



Daughter of the late Vic Morrow, this ethereal actress has played a wide variety of roles over the years, including a virginal high school student in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, a psycho in Single White Female, a housewife who makes extra money as a phone sex worker in Short Cuts and as writer/humorist Dorothy Parker in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle. An actress who is constantly challenging herself as an actress and has therefore never been typecast.

99.

Anne Archer



This actress was actually Sam Elliott's leading lady in the previously mentioned Lifeguard and has also appeared in films like Good Guys Wear Black, Narrow Margin, Paradise Alley, Leap of Faith, Patriot Games, Body of Evidence, Short Cuts, and actually received an Oscar nomination for her performance as Michael Douglas' wife in Fatal Attraction, but the average guy on the street still doesn't know her name.

98.

Bryan Cranston



He actually got his start on the daytime drama Loving and then garnered major laughs when he played the emasculated husband/father Hal on Malcolm in the Middle before earning a mantle of Golden Globes and Emmys for his work on AMC's Breaking Bad and he remains on the cusp of household name status.

I love JJL. She's a fantastic actress.

Beth Grant! Like Sexy Celebrity said: Exactly how I am with Beth Grant. My wife got me to watch a movie called Sordid Lives, which was just okay for me, but it forever ingrained Beth Grant in my live as "Hey, that's the woman from Sordid Lives that wears the rubber band on her wrist and snaps it whenever she gets too nervous!"

Love Alfre Woodard in everything she does. I really loved her in a short-lived series called Memphis Beat, co-starring Jason Lee. It was great and should have lasted longer.

Fred Ward is a long-time favorite of mine.

Billy Zane---every time I see him, I think of Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight, as the bad guy of the piece who was actually funny.

Cynthia Nixon---the first time I saw her was in Amadeus and I liked her in her small smart in Baby's Day Out.

Bryan Cranston---the first thing I saw him in was Babylon Five, in Season Four, as a Captain on a view screen who volunteers to go on a deadly mission.

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"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."

Jonathan also had a bit part as a cop in 48hrs alongside Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte.Recently seen in Breaking bad and Better call Saul.

She's looking a bit more like her father in that pic.
No disrespect to the lady,I thought she was great in Miami Blues(with Fred Ward),she also played great parts in Last exit to Brooklyn and The Mens Club.

97.

Viggo Mortenson



This versatile and charismatic actor made his film debut in Witness and has since developed an impressive resume that includes films like The Prophecy, Fresh Horses, The Indian Runner, G I Jane, The Portrait of a Lady, Daylight, 28 Days, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, and, of course, the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Another one of those actors who consistently challenges himself as an actor and can make a film seem a lot better than it really is.

96.

Felicity Huffman



In addition to being the real-life spouse of the previously mentioned William H. Macy, this woman is also a powerhouse actress who has developed a career completely separate from her husband. She made her film debut in the 1990 film Reversal of Fortune, but found a real career in television with major roles in series like Raven, Chicago Hope, and the critically acclaimed Sports Night. But it was her role as Lynette Scavo on Desperate Housewives that really put her on the map, being the only lead actor from the show to win an Emmy. She was also robbed of an Oscar for her performance as a transgendered individual trying to start a relationship with her son in Transamerica. She recently returned to ABC in the limited series American Crime and continues to prove that she is an actress to be reckoned with.

95.

Donnie Wahlberg



Former boy band member and brother of actor Mark Wahlberg, Wahlberg has proven to be a solid actor and, in my opinion, possibly better than his brother. He made his film debut in the Ron Howard film Ransom and has also appeared in Body Count, Southey, The Sixth Sense, Saw II & III, and Righteous Kill. Television audiences have seen him in The Kill Point, Runaway, Boomtown, and is currently playing Detective Danny Regan on the CBS drama Blue Bloods. This is an actor who deserves to be a household name.