What's His Name? - David Morse

David Morse has remained one of the more reliable character actors of the last twenty years.  Like many character actors he sometimes get typecast, but his roles never stick out like a sore thumb.  Morse was one of the many actors on the 80's hit St. Elsewhere, since then he has taken on a large number of supporting roles in notable movies.  The most notable of these was as a prison guard in Frank Darabont's  The Green Mile.  Morse was given a chance to headline a tv drama again several years ago with the CBS show Hack, which lasted all of two seasons.  Morse has also recently been seen in short guest stint on House.  Most recently David Morse was one of three notable cameos in Oscar front runner The Hurt Locker, a role that seemed well suited to his subtle intensity he brings to many of his roles.  Other notable roles below:

The Rock (1996)


The first role I saw Morse in was Michael Bay's The Rock.  I first caught this as an impressionable 8th grader in the late 90's, and while I still maintain it is one of Bay's better movies the movie has lost a bit of its esteem.  Still Morse works really well here as one of Ed Harris' top soldiers who takes over Alcatraz.  Morse always works well as a military guy or cop with a bit of a dirty side and here is not exception.  Morse's character stays loyal to Harris in the end something he seems to deem more important than their mission at hand.

The Negotiator (1998)


Another action/hostage movie that Morse appeared in, this time as a cop.  In my opinion this is one of the more underrated action movies of the 90's, while it runs a little long the performances really help drive the movie.  Aside from Jackson and Spacey, Morse's performance helps keep the tension high on the ground as well.

16 Blocks (2006)


I suppose this movie is a guilty pleasure of mine, where David Morse again plays a cop.  This time Morse is corrupt and is out to kill the witness that Bruce Willis needs to transport to court to testify against several officers.  Morse works well as a villain without having to resort to chewing the scenery.

Other notable movies:

The Crossing Guard - (1995)
12 Monkeys - (1995)
Contact - (1997)
Dancer in the Dark - (2000)
Distrubia - (2007)