TEXAS ACTORS
The following are actors whose work I thoroughly enjoy and one whose father was my neighbor. This is a sampling, not a complete roster. Not all are considered Hollywood A-listers (Tinseltown's loss, quite frankly). I don't care about lists. These folks are good at their jobs.
MARGO MARTINDALE
You've seen her work. She plays one of Sandra Bullock's shop keepers in Practical Magic (1998). She's Claudia in the series The Americans. You might have seen her in the following: The Hours, Million Dollar Baby, Dead Man Walking, The Firm, Lorenzo's Oil, ...First Do No Harm, Eye of God, Win Win, Marvin's Room, Forged, Orphan, The Savages, Hannah Montana: The Movie, August: Osage County, and Paris, je t'aime.
I have seen August: Osage County. She was disturbing in it. I loved her performance.
Martindale was born in Jacksonville, TX which is in East Texas not far from where I grew up. She seems to get a lot of work. Go look her up to see a full list. Watch for her.
FOREST WHITAKER
You know who he is. If you don't, you might live under a rock. Go look him up.
Whitaker was born in Longview, TX, also near my hometown of Tyler. He moved to California before he got stuck in ET, so I like to think of him as a Gregg County refugee. He has a black belt in KenpÅ. He's thinking about having surgery on that left eye ptosis because it affects his vision, not for any reasons of vanity.
BARRY CORBIN
Leonard Barrie (Barry) Corbin was born in Lamesa, TX. That's properly pronounced, la-MEE-suh. I think he lives in Fort Worth at this writing. Between that and Hollywood, I would too. But this assumption is purely conjecture.
I first saw Corbin in the series Northern Exposure as Maurice J. Minnifield. I thoroughly enjoyed him in The Closer when he played Kyra Sedgewick's character's daddy, Clay Johnson.
I recently saw him in No Country For Old Men with Tommy Lee Jones. The scene between the two ("I am overmatched") blew me off the couch. I felt like I was watching my father and my Uncle Jerrell having a conversation, grammar notwithstanding and minus a few cats. Corbin and Jones are just about the only actors who can portray Texans and not irritate my finer native sensibilities with their accents. When they speak, it is the real deal.
Corbin is a Marine who ditched football after 8th grade to study ballet and acting, thus completely earning my respect as a fellow Texan and thespian. Besides, theatre and dance are where the pretty girls are. Semper fi, Barry, you sly dog.
TOMMY LEE JONES
Again, I say: if you do not know who this guy is, you live under a rock.
Jones is old enough to be my daddy, otherwise, I would be teeny-bopper fan girl stupid over him. I'll settle for fan girl, as that is more dignified for a woman of my age. The man has a way about him on the screen that causes me to become briefly Pentecostal in my speech.
I also appreciate him as an actor and an intellectual.
Jones was born in San Saba, TX which is on my drive from Temple to Marfa. He graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas and continues to serve on the board of directors there. He attended and played varsity football for Harvard University. His senior thesis addressed the mechanics of Catholicism in the works of Flannery O'Connor.
I love Jones' work. Agent K/Men In Black ranks as one of my top ten favorite TLJ characters. Ed Tom Bell from No Country For Old Men also ranks in there.
Meeting Jones and discussing character development is on my bucket list.
GEORGE EADS
George is the son of my late neighbor, Cappy. You might know him as Nick Stokes on CSI. Eads was born and grew up in Belton, graduated from BHS and Texas Tech University.
But lets talk about his daddy, Cappy Eads, a retired Bell County attorney. He's now deceased. He was my neighbor when I lived in Salado. Geriatric sphincter. Sore-eyed possum. Back when we had a tornado come through Salado, Cap piled his trash up in my yard, would not move it, and pissed off the neighborhood every now and then for simply being Cappy. What's more, he did not care. He was by-god Al "Cappy" Eads. Who was gonna say him no? Blistered old raisin. Rumor around town was that George gave Cappy all his cast-off vehicles to drive. Can't validate that bit of scuttlebutt, but the man did drive a nice car.
I like George's work. He appears to have quite a lot of talent. I am glad he escaped Central Texas and has gone on to some success. He's pretty. I'm sure he got that from his mama.
RIP TORN
Elmore Rual (Rip) Torn Jr. is another Bell County refugee whose work I enjoy. Torn was born in Temple, TX. He is both Aggie and T-sip, having been a member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets before transferring and graduating from the University of Texas (Austin) where he studied theatre. Torn is an Army veteran, and was a 2nd Lt. while stationed at Fort Hood. He served in the Military Police. I heard he went AWOL once to visit family in town.
Men In Black remains among my favorite movies because it's hilarious, creative, and stars two of my favorite Texas thespians. Torn, you will recall, was Agent Zed.
DECEASED
Among the Silver Screen Texans I enjoyed, but who are no longer with us, I list Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, and Patrick Swayze. They died way too soon. Boothe was from Temple. Swayze was from Houston. Paxton was from Fort Worth. Requiescat in pace, gents. You are missed.
So there they all are. Texas actors I think you ought to know if you don't already. Look them up on IMDB and try to catch one of their films or TV shows. You will not be disappointed.
MARGO MARTINDALE
 |
| MARGO MARTINDALE |
I have seen August: Osage County. She was disturbing in it. I loved her performance.
Martindale was born in Jacksonville, TX which is in East Texas not far from where I grew up. She seems to get a lot of work. Go look her up to see a full list. Watch for her.
FOREST WHITAKER
 |
| FOREST WHITAKER |
Whitaker was born in Longview, TX, also near my hometown of Tyler. He moved to California before he got stuck in ET, so I like to think of him as a Gregg County refugee. He has a black belt in KenpÅ. He's thinking about having surgery on that left eye ptosis because it affects his vision, not for any reasons of vanity.
BARRY CORBIN
 |
| BARRY CORBIN |
I first saw Corbin in the series Northern Exposure as Maurice J. Minnifield. I thoroughly enjoyed him in The Closer when he played Kyra Sedgewick's character's daddy, Clay Johnson.
Corbin is a Marine who ditched football after 8th grade to study ballet and acting, thus completely earning my respect as a fellow Texan and thespian. Besides, theatre and dance are where the pretty girls are. Semper fi, Barry, you sly dog.
TOMMY LEE JONES
 |
| TOMMY LEE JONES |
Jones is old enough to be my daddy, otherwise, I would be teeny-bopper fan girl stupid over him. I'll settle for fan girl, as that is more dignified for a woman of my age. The man has a way about him on the screen that causes me to become briefly Pentecostal in my speech.
I also appreciate him as an actor and an intellectual.
Jones was born in San Saba, TX which is on my drive from Temple to Marfa. He graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas and continues to serve on the board of directors there. He attended and played varsity football for Harvard University. His senior thesis addressed the mechanics of Catholicism in the works of Flannery O'Connor.
Meeting Jones and discussing character development is on my bucket list.
GEORGE EADS
 |
| GEORGE EADS |
But lets talk about his daddy, Cappy Eads, a retired Bell County attorney. He's now deceased. He was my neighbor when I lived in Salado. Geriatric sphincter. Sore-eyed possum. Back when we had a tornado come through Salado, Cap piled his trash up in my yard, would not move it, and pissed off the neighborhood every now and then for simply being Cappy. What's more, he did not care. He was by-god Al "Cappy" Eads. Who was gonna say him no? Blistered old raisin. Rumor around town was that George gave Cappy all his cast-off vehicles to drive. Can't validate that bit of scuttlebutt, but the man did drive a nice car.
I like George's work. He appears to have quite a lot of talent. I am glad he escaped Central Texas and has gone on to some success. He's pretty. I'm sure he got that from his mama.
RIP TORN
 |
| RIP TORN |
Men In Black remains among my favorite movies because it's hilarious, creative, and stars two of my favorite Texas thespians. Torn, you will recall, was Agent Zed.
DECEASED
Among the Silver Screen Texans I enjoyed, but who are no longer with us, I list Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, and Patrick Swayze. They died way too soon. Boothe was from Temple. Swayze was from Houston. Paxton was from Fort Worth. Requiescat in pace, gents. You are missed.
So there they all are. Texas actors I think you ought to know if you don't already. Look them up on IMDB and try to catch one of their films or TV shows. You will not be disappointed.
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