Character Actor Spotlight: Elias Koteas

Too many character actors never get their Richard Jenkins moment.

Jenkins enjoyed a rare leading man role in 2008’s “The Visitor” and nabbed an Oscar nomination in the process.

Elias Koteas deserves a similar chance.

The hard-working actor has been a film mainstay since the late 1980s, primarily slotted in the character actor role. His rugged features, just a hair south of classically handsome, lend themselves well to both villains and heroes – and the glorious shades in between.

Consider his flexible turn as a high school tough in “Some Kind of Wonderful” and, decades later, his relentless cop in the new film “Let Me In.”

This year alone he’s popped up in “Shutter Island” and “The Killer Inside Me,” and his 2011 slate appears equally full.

Great character actors never go out of style. And Koteas, with his ability to evoke a tranquil strength touched by sadness should secure him work indefinitely. And, someday, a savvy director will decide Koteas deserves a feature all his own.

(Photo: Veteran character actor Elias Koteas)

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