The recent death of character actor Ed Lauter reminds us of other recognizable men and women who appear in countless films, TV shows and commercials -- but whose names you probably don't know. People like ... 
James Cromwell has been working in the industry since 1974, so you might have seen his face quite a bit. He might be most recognizable from his role as the farmer in "Babe." 
David Morse has had a few law enforcement roles like this one, when he played Detective Frank Nugent in the film "16 Blocks." He is probably best known, however, for his role as Brutus "Brutal" Howell in "The Green Mile." 
Dean Winters has co-starred on "Law & Order: SVU," and he played Liz Lemon's disastrous boyfriend on a few episodes of "30 Rock." But you probably best know him as Mayhem from the Allstate commercials. 
No one -- but no one -- plays a bad guy like Frank Vincent. He found fame when his character, Billy Batts, was killed in "Goodfellas." 
Fred Ward does grizzled pretty well. According to IMDB, he has appeared in three movies with titles containing states: "Sweet Home Alabama," "Florida Straits," and "The Prince of Pennsylvania." 
Always the best friend but never the star, Judy Greer has appeared in quite a few films, including "The Descendants," and TV series such as "Arrested Development." 
Jon Polito has appeared on countless shows, including "Bunheads" and "The Drew Carey Show." 
David Paymer, left, is recognizable from shows like "The Mentalist" with Simon Baker. 
Hardcore soap opera fans probably recognize James Rebhorn from his stint as Bradley Raines on "Guiding Light," but he has also appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies. 
In 2009, Robert Davi appeared in the action film "Ballistica." Over the years, he has played lots of bad guys. 
J.K. Simmons, seen here with Jane Curtin in the film "I Love You, Man," has played all sorts of roles, including a white supremacist on "Oz" and a therapist on "Law & Order." 
Stephen Tobolowsky was only briefly on "Glee" as the pot-loving teacher Sandy, but he's been around the industry for years. 
Before she found fame as Berta the housekeeper on the CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men," Conchata Ferrell had appeared in a bevy of TV shows. 
"Alien" is just one of the films that has made Harry Dean Stanton so recognizable. 
Edie McClurg has made a career out of playing sweet, ditzy and sometimes nosy characters, including Grace in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." 
David Warner pops up a lot in films, including "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze." 
Peter Stormare's most famous role may be as the murderously quiet Gaear Grimsrud in the film "Fargo." 
We can still hear Ted Levine demanding that "it rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again." The actor, who played Buffalo Bill in "The Silence of the Lambs," has also appeared in multiple TV series and movies. 
Tom Noonan creeped people out in "The House of the Devil," and he often plays offbeat characters. 
Carol Kane appeared with Bill Murray in the movie "Scrooged," which was just one of her many quirky roles. She also played Simka Gravas on the 80s sitcom "Taxi." 
Jennifer Tilly has appeared in several movies, including "Bride of Chucky." 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
