Charles Durning gave authority figures the weight to be taken seriously, then let their bluster or uncertainty show. We rate him for making those familiar supporting parts feel human, and for physical comedy lighter than his build suggested.
Fi1m perspective
In O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), Charles Durning's Pappy O'Daniel is thoroughly persuaded of his own importance. We laughed at the governor's bombast because Durning seems so comfortable letting the man be ridiculous. His stocky presence is useful here: the man looks substantial, however foolish he sounds. Durning commits to the bluster without asking us to find it endearing. It is a good use of an actor who could make an authority figure threatening, welcoming or faintly absurd.
The crooked Lt. Snyder in The Sting (1973) established him in films, and Moretti, the frustrated police negotiator in Dog Day Afternoon (1975), showed what he could do with a less comfortable authority figure. Toughness and vulnerability could sit together without either feeling added for effect. In The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), the official was singing and dancing, with Durning's light footwork giving the comedy an extra pleasure. These were recognisably related parts, and that familiarity could become a restriction. He was not always given a different sort of man to play.
Joel and Ethan Coen found a useful place for that physical confidence in The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), casting him as Waring Hudsucker. We like the film for its performances and elaborate sets, though its old Hollywood manners sometimes feel over-rehearsed. Durning fits the scale of the screwball fantasy, where playing a character broadly is hardly a disciplinary offence. The difficulty comes when the film asks us to care about Tim Robbins's innocent. That remains a weakness even with such enjoyable performers around him.
The later O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the warmer recommendation, with room for Pappy's bluster inside its loose, welcoming comedy. The wandering story leaves some characters short of attention, and George Clooney and the songs remain its chief pleasures. Pappy is the sort of role that might have become routine, but Durning's willingness to be foolish keeps it lively. Follow him with Moretti in Dog Day Afternoon for a man in charge who has considerably less reason to feel pleased with himself.
Biography
Charles Durning was an American actor. He appeared in over 200 films, television shows and plays.
His notable film roles include Lt. Wm. Snyder in The Sting (1973), Moretti in Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Les Nichols in Tootsie (1982), Chief Brandon in Dick Tracy (1990), Pappy O'Daniel in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) and Waring Hudsucker in The Hudsucker Proxy (1994). He received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not to Be (1983). He also earned nine Emmy Award nominations for television work.
