Underappreciated Actors: Ed Lauter
Filed Under (Movies) by admin on 25-04-2009
Tagged Under : Ed Lauter, Underappreciated Actors
This underappreciated actor made his mark originally as a villain cast regularly across from 1970s hero Charles Bronson. Due to his imposing appearance, Ed Lauter made an effective antagonist, and was cast against Bronson in Breakheart Pass, Death Wish III, The White Buffalo and Death Hunt.
Possibly his most memorable turn as a villain came as the prison guard counterpart to Burt Reynolds’ hero in the football classic The Longest Yard. Lauter also made a strong impression in a sports film as former hockey player and head coach to Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves in Youngblood, one of the definitive films on the sport.
Lauter would also specialize as tough cops, military officers and police captains, including roles in Fat Man and Little Boy, Born of the 4th of July, Extreme Justice, The Tuskegee Airmen, Thirteen Days and True Romance.
Other notable film appearances include The French Connection II, Cujo, Revenge of the Nerds II, School Ties, Seabiscuit, Leaving Las Vegas and Raw Deal opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Like so many actors on this list at one point or another, Ed Lauter ended up briefly wearing a Star Trek uniform in a TV guest appearance. His TV guest appearances also included roles on The X-Files, Magnum P.I., Miami Vice, Charlie’s Angels, The A-Team, Law and Order, ER, and Millennium. He was also, along with Burt Reynolds, the only actor from the original film to reappear in the Adam Sandler-based remake of The Longest Yard.
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