The Washington herald., 1911-02-05
WHAT IS A CHARACTER ACTOR
By WILTON LACkAYE.

To this question I would answer with
out qualification-all' actors who are
worthy of the name. "-e. ..
Technically, character actors are those
cast for parts strongly marked. drawn
on broad lines of comedy, villainy. dot
age. senility, dialect, accent, or eccen-
tricity But are there really any
straight" parts? Is there any lead
ing" part which so lacks salient char
acteristics as not to offer chance for
differentiation?
The doctor. the lawyer. the minister.
and the vicious approach the same situa-
tion not only from different points OF
view, but with a different manner and
Dose.
I once saw a man of some reputation
in three parts in three weeks. a poet.
a jockey, and Romeo. Except for the
costume there was not the slightest diff
ference in his three performances. He
called himself a leading man. Pos
sib,y he was. but he wasn't an actor.
We recognize a professional manner
in a lawyer, a doctor, a business man. q
musician. an artist, a minister, an actor.
a journalist. And We seldom make mis-
takes. When we do we have come upon
an irregular verb, so to speak; a man
who has not the manner consecrated to
his calling.
OF course, there is a certain personality
In every actor of a definite school, but he
is -tat much less an artist if his per-
sonality overrides his impersonation.
There are many actors of whom one
says: He is the same in everything"
II this is true. he Is not an actor.
The genius Of acting is the impersona-
ton of something which does not belong
10 ore. A personal exhibition. however
delightful, has no more to do with 'act-
ing" properly defined, than the exploita-
ton Of a professional beauty. the show
ing of of a pugilist, or a peep at the
ossified man. The selection of this bony
individual for an osseous part might be
considered a triumph for the ''show busi-
ness" but hardly for art.
The difficulty with character actors,
technically so called. is that they are apt
to become welded to the muscular and
outside exposition of a character. Make
mp, costuming, wigs, tricks of manner
are all very well as detail of a whole
well rounded. but they are an imperti-
nence If they detract from the intent of
the part. The character actor is too
apt to engage the audience with the twid-
ding of his thumbs when he should have
mind.
II he has to represent a man who is
dying. for instance. it is Of more i'm
portance how he is dying than ''of
what he is dying. At the same time he
must inform him Of the correctness Of
his action without making his action a
distraction from the dominant thought.
Bertillon has found that OF all the peo-
pie in the world no two are alike. lay
men are hardly at the threshold of dis
tinguishing between individuals. but it
certainly belongs to the artist whose
business II is to know physiognomy
physical characteristics. and psychology,
to inform himself on such points and use
his knowledge in the presentation OF
types. And the public demand is for
some characterization. some difference
between types. He would be a crude play
goer indeed who would be satisfied to find
the same Mr.. Bellew in "Brigadier Ge-
rard'' as in "Raffies;" the same Mr.
Faversham in The Squaw Man. as in
Lord and Lady Algy.''