For decades Joel and Ethan Coen have been bringing some of the best and most interesting characters to life on the big screen. They are masters at what they do and one of their secret weapons is how brilliant their side characters are. In every movie they make - especially the comedies - those characters often steal the show. In honor of that, here is our list of some of the Coen Brothers' side characters.
Jesus Quintana (The Big Lebowski)
You can't have this list without Jesus Quintana in The Big Lebowski, played by a Coen Brothers' regular, John Turturro. Though he only has a couple of scenes in the cult classic, they are two of the most memorable scenes in the whole movie - a movie filled with unforgettable scenes and cast members. We'll see you next Wednesday instead! Woo!
Leonard Smalls (Raising Arizona)
One of the weirdest characters in Raising Arizona is Leonard Smalls, played by the legendary '80s character actor Randall "Tex" Cobb. For most of the movie, he's a bounty hunter on the prowl for H.I. (Nicolas Cage), destroying everything whether it's in his way or not. He's a man who doesn't have much to say, but his actions speak louder than words.
Mike Yanagita (Fargo)
You can't help but feel sorry for poor Mike Yanagita (Steve Park) in Fargo. He's clearly very lonely, so lonely, when he meets up for a drink with Marge (Frances McDormand) and it plays out as one of the most awkward scenes in any Coen Brothers movie. His strong Minnesota accident is so comical and his plight so sad that it makes him an unforgettable character even if he's only in one scene.
Mr. Lund (O Brother Where Art Thou?)
Stephen Root is one of the best comedic character actors on the planet and he brings all his talents to the role of Mr. Lund, the radio station owner who first records the Soggy Bottom Boys in O Brother Where Art Thou?. Root plays the blind character in a way that \only he could with a high-pitched voice who is often shaking like a leaf.
Smitty (The Hudsucker Proxy)
One of the truly great things about The Hudsucker Proxy is the old-timey nature of the accents and speech cadences in the movie. All of the actors do such an amazing job, including the great Bruce Campbell. He just oozes 1950s newspaper man. Campbell's back-and-forth conversations with Jennifer Jason Leigh as Amy Archer are some of the best dialog deliveries in the movie.
Weezy Joe (Intolerable Cruelty)
A great actor doesn't need much to make a big impact. One of the most unforgettable characters of the somewhat forgettable Intolerable Cruelty has to be "Wheezy" Joe played by Irwin Keyes. George Clooney's character's awkward encounter with the would-be assassin is one of the best scenes in the movie.
Teller (The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs)
The Coen Brothers often stick with actors they know and trust with their unique dialog. Such is the case with the role of Teller in The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs one of their more underrated movies, played by Stephen Root. It's one of the whackiest characters in their whole catalog, a bank teller who gets into a shootout with Cowboy (James Franco), and armors himself with pots and pans. PAN SHOT!
Dot (Raising Arizona)
Frances McDormand, who happens to be married to Joel Coen, is brilliant at playing characters in her husband's movies. One of her briefest roles is as Dot, the crazy friend of Ed (Holly Hunter) in Raising Arizona. The mother of... who knows, a dozen? children, who just loves babies, including HI and Ed's newly adopted one. She's also just full of helpful advice.
Shep Proudfoot (Fargo)
Shep Proudfoot (Steve Reevis) is a man of few words. He's a mechanic at the car dealership where Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) sells cars and he sets Jerry up with the would-be kidnappers of his wife. But he only knows and vouches for one of them.
C.C. Calhoun (Hail, Caesar!)
One of the best things about a Coen Brothers movie is when Frances McDormand pops in for a quick visit. Take her role as C.C. Calhoun in Hail Caesar. The chain-smoking film editor who cuts a role of film so deftly and quickly, you can't help but be widely impressed. Just make sure she's not wearing a scarf.
Da Fino (The Big Lebowski)
There are so many great side characters in The Big Lebowski that The Dude (Jeff Bridges) is in bed with, playing one side against the other, it's brilliant work. So is the work of Coen Brothers' veteran Jon Polito in his role as Da Fino, The Dude's brother Shamus, or private eye. He's trying to track down Bunny too, but mostly he just seems to be following around The Dude until he finds her.
Mail Room Orienter (The Hudsucker Proxy)
One thing about the Coen Brothers' dialog is that as an actor you better be ready to deliver complicated lines at a breakneck pace. Actor Christopher Darga is amazing in that respect as the Mail Room Orienter. They probably wouldn't have "docked" him for missing a line, but it's a moot point because he didn't miss one in that memorable scene of Norville Barnes' (Tim Robbins) first day on the job.
Thora Thacker and Thessaly Thacker (Hail, Caesar!)
Leave it to the great Tilda Swinton to play not one, but two memorable characters in Hail Caesar! In a list of the Coen Brothers movies ranked from the top, Hail, Caesar would probably fall somewhere in the bottom third, which is too bad because it has some of the best side characters, like Thora Thacker and Thessaly Thacker. The twin reporters, both played by Tilda Swinton as just different enough that no one can tell them apart.
Ben Geisler (Barton Fink)
Tony Shalhoub is another Coen Brothers regular and in Barton Fink, he plays the impossibly loquacious movie producer Ben Geisler. He's too happy, too weird, and too awesome to be in any other movie, but he's perfect for this one. It's another example of the perfect actor meeting the perfect role.
Bear Man (True Grit)
True Grit isn't a comedy, per se, but it still has some memorable characters, none more so than Bear Man played by Ed Corbin. It's the kind of over-the-top character that would be ridiculous in any other movie but fits perfectly in the world of the Coen Brothers. He's a man who's overstayed his welcome in the woods but doesn't stay in the picture long enough for moviegoers.
Freddy Reidenschneider (The Man Who Wasn't There)
The Man Who Wasn't There is among the most underappreciated films the Coen Brothers have made, maybe because it's in black and white. Whatever the reason, it's too bad because as always the characters are great. Take, for example, Tony Shalhoub as Freddy Reidenschneider. He's a man with a seemingly bottomless stomach and it's so fun to watch.
Ted (Burn After Reading)
Burn After Reading has one of the more unique casts in the Coen Brothers' library. In addition to regular Frances McDormand, the cast includes Brad Pitt and John Malkovich, who are not in any other Coen Brothers films. They are both perfect in their roles, as is Richard Jenkins, the owner of the gym where Pitt and McDormand work.
"Big Dan" Teague (O Brother Where Art Thou?)
John Goodman is in a lot of Coen Brothers movies, and with good reason. He's one of the best at delivering their lines and this is never more evident than in O Brother Where Art Thou? where he plays "Big Dan" Teague (or The Cyclops analog from Homer's Odyssey). His gift for gab, which he so eloquently shows in conversation with Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) is a high watermark in the movie.
Chet (Barton Fink)
Barton Fink isn't the first Coen Brothers movie to feature Steve Buscemi, but it is his most memorable entrance, climbing through a trap door in the floor and silencing an ever-ringing bell at the front desk of a hotel. He plays a bellhop, and while it's not as meaty of a role as some of his other turns in Coen Brothers flicks, it's still fantastic.
H.I.'s Cellmate (Raising Arizona)
Though it's one of the smallest roles in Raising Arizona, H.I.'s cellmate in prison is completely unforgettable. If do don't have his line about eating sand in your head right now, you should immediately go rewatch the movie.
Buzz (The Hudsucker Proxy)
Do you like a good joke? Because that's what Buzz (Jim True) has and boy does he have a lot of them. They aren't that funny, mind you, but that's what makes them so funny.
The Girls In The Bar (Fargo)
Fargo is filled with so many great characters it's hard to narrow it down to just a few for this list, but we can't leave off the two women Marge meets at the bar. Two women who had a bit of fun with the two bad guys in the movie. If you've ever spent any time in Minnesota, you know just how well they nail that accent and make it hilarious.
Knox Harrington (The Big Lebowski)
Knox Harrington, the visual artist, is only in one scene in The Big Lebowski, but David Thewlis is so good, that he ended up being a fan-favorite. He follows in the great tradition of Coen Brother side characters in that he's somehow both understated and over-the-top at the same time.
Menelaus "Pappy" O'Daniel (O Brother Where Art Thou?)
Like Fargo, O Brother Where Art Thou? is full of crazy accents, only Southern. You can't have a movie like that without a crazy, somewhat racist, somewhat corrupt governor, and Menelaus "Pappy" O'Daniel, played by Charles Durning is just ridiculous enough to actually be believable.
Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy (Intolerable Cruelty)
It's as if actor John Hadary read only the name "Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy" and knew exactly how ridiculous he had to play the part. In an ocean of kooky side characters Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy in Intolerable Cruelty might just be the most insane of all of them. He's only in the movie briefly but he and his dog end out stealing the show in his courtroom scene.
Solomon Schlutz (A Serious Man)
One thing that can make a side character memorable, and something the Coens and their actors are great at, is giving them a distinctive prop. Solomon Schlutz (Michael Lerner) in A Serious Man, for example, has a unique pipe. That pipe drops from his mouth just as he dies in an over-the-top manner, leaving the audience stunned and... laughing. A Serious Man is easily the directing duo's darkest comedy.
Manolo (Burn After Reading)
Once again, in Burn After Reading, the Coens create a character who only has a few lines but is totally unforgettable. Actor Raul Aranas plays the role of the janitor who finds the CD "right there, on the floor" in the ladies' locker room of the gym. Right there, on the floor.
Marty, The Dude's Landlord (The Big Lebowski)
There are a ton of hilarious quotes in The Big Lebowski, but actor Jack Kehler, who plays The Dude's landlord, doesn't need to deliver any of them to be one of the funniest characters in the movie. First in the clothes and mannerisms on display when he tries to collect The Dude's rent and later, most importantly, when he performs his dance quintet that The Dude attends with Walter (John Goodman) and Donnie (Steve Buscemi)
Norm Gunderson (Fargo)
If Fargo is based on a true story, which the Coens insist it is, then I want to meet Old Norm's son-of-a-Gunderson, played by John Carroll Lynch. He's just the chillest dude you've ever wanted to meet and he treats his pregnant wife with a level of respect we should all learn from.
Co-Worker (Raising Arizona)
The late M. Emmet Walsh was a master of character actors, especially in comedies. Though his role as H.I.'s co-worker in the machine shop is brief his story about Bill "mother scratching" Walker is amazing.
Wash Hogwallup (O Brother Where Art Thou)
Just the name Wash Hogwallup warrants inclusion on any list of ridiculous characters. There really isn't much else to argue about, except to add that the character, played by Frank Collison has the full name of Washington Bartholomew Hogwallop. That's a mouthful, even without a pile of stew in it.
The Communist Writers (Hail, Caesar!)
It's part comedy and part tribute when the Coens included a cabal of communist writers who were blacklisted from Hollywood in Hail, Caesar! While they aren't as whacky as some of the other characters on this list, they deserve to be recognized!
