Sunday, December 24, 2017

Listing my blessings

Yes, there are actors who are monsters.  But I've found that most are lovely people, passionate abut their work.  A number of readers have asked me say which actor was a pleasure to work with and I can't come up with just one.  Instead I've compiled only a partial list.  As we head into Christmas Eve and Santa determines who's naughty and who's nice, here's an incomplete list of the actors I thought were more than nice.  

Ted Danson
Tom Hanks
Rita Wilson
John Candy
Michael Douglas
Nancy Travis
Alan Alda
Mike Ferrell
Harvey Firestein
Emma Thompson
Harry Connick Jr.
Harry Morgan
Shelley Long
Rhea Perlman
Nick Collasanto
Woody Harrelson
George Wendt
John Ratzenberger
Kirstie Alley
Kelsey Grammer
Steven Webber
Tony Shahloub
Andrew Rannells
Tim Daly
Julie Benz
Crystal Bernard
Amy Yasbech
Adam Arkin
Jane Kaczmarek
Malcolm McDowell
Kurtwood Smith
Kevin Kilner
Patrick Breen
Ed Asner
Jennifer Tilly
Wendie Malick
George Segal
David Hyde Pierce
Jon Tenney
Peri Gilpen
Laura Linney
Aaron Eckhart
John Mahoney
Jane Leeves
Patricia Heaton
Ray Romano
Doris Roberts
Peter Boyle
Brad Garrett
Troy Metcalf
Tracey Ullman
Julie Kavner
Dan Castellaneta
Neil Patrick Harris
Yeardly Smith
Nancy Cartwright
Hank Azaria
Harry Shearer
Laura San Giacomo
Chip Zien
James Farentino
David Clennon
Matthew Letscher
John Astin
Katey Sagal
Tony Randall
William Christopher
Jaime Farr
Jane Seymour
Jules Willcox
Lisa Kudrow
Roz Chao
David Ogden Steirs
Alan Arbus
Loretta Swit
Gary Burghoff
Allison Janney
Paget Brewster
Marcia Wallace
Bob Newhart
John Cleese
Ana Ortiz
Lisa Edelstein
David Spade
David Schram
David Morse
Enrico Colantoni
Former senator Al Franken
Megyn Price
Miquel Ferrer (who I really miss)
Kristen Chenowith
Robert Forthworth
Sanaa Latham
James Tolkin
Kat Denning
Jenna Elfman
Hattie Winston
Terry Ferrell
Alex Desert
Shawnee Smith
Bess Armstrong
Thomas Gibson (yes, he was great with me)
Willie Garsons
William Ragsdale
Sean O’Bryan
Mark Feuerstein
Bess Meyer
Nathan Lane
Joan Plowright
Joel Murray
Paul Dooley
Jack Coleman
Brenda Vaccarro
Tea Leoni
Gilbert Gottfried
Mimi Kennedy
Alan Rachins
Susan Sullivan
Bob Elliott
Steve Landesburg
Victoria Jackson
Jon Lovitz
Rita Rudner
Ever Carradine
Avery Schreiber
Ryan Mitchell
Maggie Lawson
Harriet Harris
Lenny Clarke
…and Moose (Eddie on FRASIER)

17 comments :

Stuart said...

I miss Moose. He made every episode better!

Roseann said...

As Wardrobe Supervisor I've worked with 15 actors on your list. To my list I would add Lily Tomlin, Jean Marsh, Wayne Rogers, Claire Danes, Mary Stuart Masterson, Johnny Depp, Adam Sandler, TeĆ  Leoni, Gerard Depardieu, Robert DeNiro, Amy Irving, Tom Selleck, Brooke Shields. All lovely people whom I would be glad to work with again.

Peter said...

I'm jealous. Not only have you worked with legends but also some of the most beautiful women in the world. Lisa Edelstein. That is one hot lady.

And Julie Benz. And Jane Seymour. And Alison Janney. And...well, you get the idea.

P.S. Have you seen The Last Jedi yet?

Bryan said...

So when you list a cast and leave out one ...

Anonymous said...

How about piano teachers? You didn't mention piano teachers!

Margo Guryan said...

Margo Guryan

Charles H. Bryan said...

That cast of WINGS, though! That is a group that has gone on to have some great careers. Steven Webber recently appeared on MOM, and was very good. He also actually resembles William Fichtner (sp?), whose brother he played. Tim Daly is great on MADAM SECRETARY, and Tony Shaloub is just awesome wherever he goes.

Mike Barer said...

Great list. David Spade and Gilbert Gottfried were a surprise. Most of the actors that I like are on the list.

Todd Everett said...

Looking forward to tomorrow's "naughty."

Peter said...

Rest in Peace to Bugs Bunny animator Bob Givens.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42474282

ODJennings said...

A fun list with a lot of great memories attached.

I was just thinking about David Schramm the other day. I gather he's still active in theater, but you have to give him credit for doing Wings and then walking away from Hollywood forever (its been 20 years since his last IMDB credit so that's forever in my book).

Anonymous said...

Glad to know that a lot of my favorites are yours also. happy holidays! Janice B

Mike Bloodworth said...

I'm glad Eddie/Moose was nice. I heard that "Buck" from Married w/Children was a real cur. And Arnold the pig was a total swine. I also had a comment about Al Franken, but he's got enough problems.
Happy Holidays, Ken! See you next year...probably.

VP81955 said...

And keep in mind quite a few who were mentioned have political beliefs far different than Ken's (Grammer) or are associated with religions many are skeptical about (Elfman is a Scientologist, but Ken has said in the past that's never presented a problem when working with her).

A merry Christmas to all, and to those who aren't Christians, the spirit of the season (in theory, if unfortunately not necessarily in practice).

Markus said...

Maybe this is a friday question. You occasionally praise people you've worked with, including some where you knew early on how good they are (Katey Sagal for instance). No need to name names (unless you insist), but have there ever been promising actors you've worked with early in their careers, who seemed good, nice, hard-working, fun, talented, with a bright future ahead of them, but who became rich, successful, "professional celebrities" later on and it got to their heads, turning them into arrogant scumbags, divas, misanthrops (or whatever) and you're glad you never had to do with them again?

Mike Barer said...

Aaron Paul, Adam West

Mike Barer said...

Jan Smithers, Dawn Wells, Cynthia Geary