Notable Horror Character Actors

Hey...Don't I Know You?

Character actors and actresses are the backbone of horror movies. They're rarely the heroes or even the celebrated villains, but without them, horror movies wouldn't be the same. After all, who would die? Here are some of the familiar faces you might remember from your favorite fright flicks.

Michael Berryman

Michael Berryman
Photo: Michael Buckner / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
  • The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1985)
  • The Devil's Rejects
  • Deadly Blessing
  • Penny Dreadful
  • Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield

Christa Campbell

Christa Campbell
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • Day of the Dead (2008)
  • The Wicker Man (2006)
  • 2001 Maniacs
  • Mansquito
  • Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep
  • Revamped

Veronica Cartwright

Veronica Cartwright
Photo: Vince Bucci / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • Alien
  • The Birds
  • Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
  • The Witches of Eastwick
  • The Invasion
  • Quicksilver Highway
  • Nightmares
  • Candyman II: Farewell to the Flesh

Keith David

Keith David
Photo: Bryan Bedder / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • The Thing
  • Pitch Black
  • They Live
  • The Puppet Masters
  • Against the Dark

Andrew Divoff

Andrew Divoff
© Live Entertainment
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • Wishmaster
  • Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies
  • Graveyard Shift (1990)
  • Faust: Love of the Damned
  • The Rage
  • Neon Maniacs
  • Xtro 3: Watch the Skies

Brad Dourif

Brad Dourif
Photo: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • Child's Play
  • Halloween (2007)
  • Alien: Resurrection
  • Urban Legend
  • The Exorcist III
  • Pulse (2006)
  • Graveyard Shift (1990)
  • Eyes of Laura Mars
  • Death Machine
  • Nightwatch (1997)
  • Critters 4
  • Body Parts
  • The Hazing

Billy Drago

Billy Drago
Photo: Michael Buckner / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
  • Vamp
  • Tremors 4: The Legend Begins
  • Demon Hunter
  • Seven Mummies
  • Copperhead
  • The Dead One
  • Revamped

Charles S. Dutton

Charles S. Dutton
Photo: Vince Bucci / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • Alien 3
  • Mimic
  • Secret Window
  • Gothika
  • Cat's Eye
  • Eye See You

Frankie Faison

Frankie Faison
Photo: Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • The Silence of the Lambs
  • Red Dragon
  • Hannibal
  • Manhunter
  • C.H.U.D.
  • Cat People (1982)
  • Maximum Overdrive
  • The Langoliers
  • Highwaymen

Phil Fondacaro

Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • Land of the Dead
  • Troll
  • Bordello of Blood
  • Ghoulies II
  • Evil Bong
  • Blood Dolls
  • Hard Rock Zombies

Clint Howard

Clint Howard
Photo: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • House of the Dead
  • Halloween (2007)
  • Ticks
  • Big Bad Wolf
  • The Wraith
  • Ice Cream Man
  • Leprechaun 2
  • Carnosaur
  • The Dentist 2
  • Silent Night, Deadly Night 4

Udo Kier

Udo Kier
Photo: Sean Gallup / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • Suspiria
  • Blade
  • Mother of Tears
  • End of Days
  • BloodRayne
  • Halloween (2007)
  • FeardotCom
  • Shadow of the Vampire
  • Dracula 3000
  • Modern Vampires
  • Andy Warhol's Frankenstein
  • Andy Warhol's Dracula

Geoffrey Lewis

Geoffrey Lewis
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • Salem's Lot (1979)
  • Night of the Comet
  • Wicked Little Things
  • The Devil's Rejects
  • The Lawnmower Man
  • Trilogy of Terror II
  • Fingerprints
  • Voodoo Moon
  • Moon of the Wolf

Dick Miller

Dick Miller
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • Gremlins
  • Demon Knight
  • A Bucket of Blood (1959)
  • Night of the Creeps
  • The Howling
  • Gremlins 2: The New Batch
  • Piranha
  • It Conquered the World
  • Twilight Zone: The Movie
  • Chopping Mall
  • Dead Heat
  • Route 666

Zakes Mokae

Zakes Mokae
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • The Serpent and the Rainbow
  • Vampire in Brooklyn
  • Body Parts
  • Dust Devil
  • The Island (1980)

Bill Moseley

Bill Moseley
Photo: Vince Bucci / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • House of 1000 Corpses
  • The Devil's Rejects
  • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
  • Repo! The Genetic Opera
  • Halloween (2007)
  • House (2008)
  • Night of the Living Dead (1990)
  • Thr3e
  • The Alphabet Killer
  • Evil Bong

Robert Picardo

Robert Picardo
Photo: David Livingston / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • The Howling
  • Gremlins 2: The New Batch
  • Dead Heat
  • 976-EVIL
  • Jack's Back
  • Munchies
  • A.I. Assault
  • Bates Motel

Pete Postlethwaite

Pete Postlethwaite
Photo: Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • Alien 3
  • The Omen (2006)
  • Dark Water (2005)
  • Ghost Son
  • Split Second

Jurgen Prochnow

Jurgen Prochnow
Photo: Carlos Alvarez / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • In the Mouth of Madness
  • House of the Dead
  • Primeval
  • The Seventh Sign
  • The Keep
  • Ripper: Letter from Hell
  • House of Blood
  • DNA
  • Dark Asylum
  • The Last Stop

John Rhys-Davies

John Rhys-Davies
Photo: Stephen Shugerman / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • Waxwork
  • Anaconda III
  • Anaconda IV: Trail of Blood
  • The Ferryman
  • Sabretooth
  • Chupacabra Terror

Zelda Rubenstein

Zelda Rubenstein
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • Poltergeist
  • Poltergeist II: The Other Side
  • Poltergeist III
  • Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
  • Little Witches
  • Wishcraft
  • Anguish

John Saxon

John Saxon
Photo: Stephen Shugerman / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • A Nightmare on Elm Street
  • Black Christmas (1974)
  • From Dusk Till Dawn
  • Tenebre
  • A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
  • Wes Craven's New Nightmare
  • Cannibal Apocalypse
  • The Girl Who Knew Too Much
  • Blood Beach
  • Trapped Ashes

Danny Trejo

Danny Trejo
Photo: Michael Buckner / Getty Images
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • From Dusk Till Dawn
  • Halloween (2007)
  • Planet Terror
  • Anaconda
  • The Devil's Rejects
  • From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money
  • From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter
  • Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror
  • All Souls Day: Dia de los Muertos
  • Seven Mummies
  • Furnace
  • Slayer

David Warner

David Warner
Typical Role: You Might Know Me From:
  • The Omen (1976)
  • Waxwork
  • In the Mouth of Madness
  • The Company of Wolves
  • From Beyond the Grave
  • Scream 2
  • Body Bags
  • Necronomicon
  • My Best Friend Is a Vampire
  • Ice Cream Man
  • Nightwing