Portraying the Character (CSC)

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Find a peg of reality to weave the fantasy around and then hams it up! The DM doesn't need to be a practiced thespian or stand-up comedian to get good drama or rib-tickling humor out of his NPCs.
The first rule is to relax. If the DM is self-conscious about portraying characters with unusual accents or odd speech patterns, all his characters will sound the same (and will usually be more than a littie boring). Loosen up, don't warty about what your players will think. Even if the performance wouldn't get a standing ovation at a comedy club, the players will enjoy it.
It may help the DM to arrange for games to be held in relatively private settings where the players are his only audience.
Second, be spontaneous. Don't rely on scripts for character dialog. Very few things detract from a game like a DM who reads what his characters say.
Finally, get inside the characters to be portrayed. The DM should get outside himself and imagine how his characters would react to the player characters. Strive for realistic response and actions that serve to advance the play of the game.