Oater charactor actors
 

Watching a "wanted dead or alive" rerun. Warren Oats playing a nasty to the core bad guy.

Anyway, got me to thinking of some of the great character actors often seen in these old TV shows.

My three favorite bad guys, in no particular order are Warren Oats, Bruce Dern, Jack Elam.

Anybody else have a favorite or favorites to list?

The guy who played pappy in The Real McCoys.
I think his name is Huge Brenner.

Walter Brennan

And one of my favorites, Neville Brand.

I’ve always liked Strother Martin.
Geoffrey Lewis was a side kick/bad guy in a lot of oaters. His character drove my truck in the movie “A Painted House.” I had to show him how. Nice guy, but as much of a rough cowboy type as he portrayed, he was kind of a city boy.
Walter Stormare is one of my favorite bad guys, but I don’t recall him being in any oaters.

Lee Van Cleef
Jack Palance
Sam Elliot
Richard Boone
Robert Mitchum
Ernest Borgnine
The guy who played Dr Loveless in "Wild Wild West", Michael Dunn

Not always a bad guy.
But Lee Marvin could do a good job at it.
+1 On Ernest Borgnine
Eli Wallach

Walter Brennan had 3 Oscars.

Strother Martin and LQ Jones..

James Colburn and Charles Bronson did a lot character appearances in 50's Westerns.

Slim Pickens...but later in his career he played good guy more than bad guy.

Andy Devine and Walter Brennan are about equal for me, tie for #1

Thomas Mitchell
John Carradine
Ben Johnson
Dub Taylor

More male than female come to mind for whatever reason

Anne Revere, the mother in National Velvet, always struck me as a great character actor, the mother in Grapes of Wrath too, though I can't remember her name

Danny Trejo is the modern version of that bad dude. And John Goodman sure knows how to turn on the evil. He's a natural in "O' Brother Where Art Thou."

Claude Akins
Albert Salmi
Richard Anderson
Matt Clark
M. Emmet Walsh
Murray Hamilton

L.Q. Jones is a good one, Tabs!

I'm now seen exactly two people use the term "oater". You, and Will Shortz.

Oh yeah, Ward Bond

So many great ones including mentioned here but my friend James Remar, (Ganz in 48 Hours), is a standout. Danny Trejo is the sweetest guy on earth but he's also a legit tough guy. :cool:

Richard Jaeckel, Clu Gulager, Barry Sullivan, Burt Reynolds, Steve McQueen, James Garner, Hugh OBrian, Robert Fuller, John Smith, Ronald Reagan and Doug McClure among so many others.

Some made it big some made a good living by playing guest actor characters. A friend, Harry Landers who passed last October was just such an actor, director, writer.