MovieChat Forums > Ragtime (1981) Discussion > Impressive supporting actors

Impressive supporting actors



It's cool to see throughout the movie all the good well-known actors nowadays in minor roles, such as Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Daniels, Fran Drescher, John Ratzenberger, Debbie Allen, and the 'one-armed man' from "The Fugitive".

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They were almost all unknowns at the time.

Its that man again!!

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It's an impressive movie on a number of levels with essentially an all A-class cast. Not an all star cast, but the best actors for the roles. Add to that it was extremely well shot which could only culminate in a really well made film.

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Not to mention Brad Dourif as Younger Brother; he was Wormtongue in the LOTR trilogy, and is an academy award nominee for 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".

And Robert Joy as Harry K. Thaw. He's a brilliant character actor (see the great doc "That Guy, Who was in That Thing"), who I also loved as Jim in "Desperately Seeking Susan"

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Not to mention Jeffrey DeMunn as Houdini

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If you don't blink, you can see Ethan Phillips, later on "Benson" and "Star Trek: Voyager."

He plays the policeman guarding the family house, whose presence Mother is complaining about.

Brad

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Kenneth McMillan was also great as the racist fire chief who set the whole tragedy in motion.

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