Charles Durning

I do not claim to be an aficionado of the work of Charles Durning.  What I can say is this...whenever I saw him in a movie, he was utterly believable.  I suppose with most character actor we all seem to remember how much they did rather than one role.  But for me, I can only think of him in his role as the crooked cop in "The Sting".  He played that role so well.  He was convincing as a mercenary cop, and any scene that he was in was made immeasurably better. 

I also remember his fine work in the brilliant comedy "Tootsie."  He was lovable and vulnerable as a widower who has his heart broken by a cross dresser.  That sentence on its own seems like an oddity, but he made the role truly heartfelt.  And, he was hilarious as the vicious owner of a frog legs franchise determined to hire Kermit as his spokesman in "The Muppet Movie".

Anyhow, he was a great actor, and also an American hero.  He stormed the beaches at Normandy and lived to tell about it.

I'm going to have to watch "The Sting" again sometime soon.