Who is that guy?
Who is that guy? Oh, its Wallace Shawn!
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Wallace Shawn is one of those classic character actors that everyone knows, but know one knows his name. His distinct persona and especially that comical voice and articulation he’s mastered so well has appeared in many a favorite films. Early in his career, Shawn appeared in two great films, Manhattan and All that Jazz. However, my opinion is that his breakout role was in a little bitty movie that isn’t even a blip on the radar for most people. My Dinner with Andre (1981) stars Shawn and Andre Gregory, as themselves, having a very long and intellectual dinner conversation on broad areas of philosophy. Sounds good, right? Well, it is if you take it for the dialogue-driven gem it is meant to be. Shawn appeared in Strange Invaders (1983), one of my favorite movies when I was young. In Crackers (1984), Shawn played Turtle, a pawn shop owner who’s business is the target of an impossible criminal scheme. Probably my favorite Wallace Shawn role is as Vizzini in The Princess Bride (1987). Vizzini is the ego-maniacal Sicilian with a Napoleon complex, Hell-bent out staging a war between two feuding kingdoms. He employs Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) and Fezzik (Andre the Giant) to assist in his plot. Below is one of many bits of dialogue from this memorable movie: |
| Inigo Montoya: You are sure nobody’s following us? Vizzini: As I told you, it would be absolutely, totally, and in all other ways inconceivable. No one in Guilder knows what we’ve done, and no one in Florin could have gotten here so fast. – Out of curiosity, why do you ask? Inigo Montoya: No reason. It’s only… I just happened to look behind us and something is there. Vizzini: What? Probably some local fisherman, out for a pleasure cruise, at night… in… eel-infested waters… |
| Wallace Shawn has appeared in a great many movies, too many to list them all here. However, there are some must-see movies that showcase his talent, which are listed below: |
| Harold DeVoto in Deal of the Century (1983) … Father Abruzzi in Heaven Help Us (1985) … Masked Avenger in Radio Days (1987) … Simon Carr in Shadows and Fog (1992) … Sibor in Mom and Dad Save the World (1992) … Mr. Little in Meteor Man (1993) … Vanya in Vanya on 42nd Street (1994) … Mr. Wendall Hall in Clueless (1995) … the voice of Rex the Dinosaur in Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999) … Marty in Vegas Vacation (1997) … George Bond in The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001) … the voice of Gilbert Huph in The Incredibles (2004) … and Baron Von Westphalen in the upcoming release of Southland Tales |
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