Charles Napier made policemen, soldiers and officials formidable with a bass growl and a hard stare. We value his economical supporting work, especially when Jonathan Demme gives that authority a less predictable use.
Fi1m perspective
Charles Napier’s bass voice sounds as though it expects to be obeyed. The jaw and the steely gaze help; police officers and soldiers need little introduction when he plays them. We like how quickly those qualities establish a supporting character without requiring a speech about who he is. He is particularly useful when authority is meant to make us uneasy. The limitation is plain enough: another villainous official can leave the actor with little to do beyond looking and sounding like Charles Napier.
He built a steady character-acting career from the 1970s, with four films for Russ Meyer and a recurring association with Demme beginning in the late 1970s. In The Blues Brothers (1980), Tucker McElroy is an irate country-band leader. Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) gives him Marshall Murdock, a villainous authority figure. That severity is useful in both, though the comic part allows us to laugh at a man who expects to be taken seriously.
Demme used him in six films, including The Silence of the Lambs (1991), where he plays Lieutenant Boyle. We were frightened by the film because Demme keeps us close to Clarice Starling as Jodie Foster holds her ground against Anthony Hopkins. Napier’s familiar authority is useful here, though our recommendation begins with those central encounters rather than his contribution. The attraction of casting him is easy to understand: he makes sense as an officer without needing the film to stop and explain him.
Philadelphia (1993) is the more revealing casting choice: Judge Garnett is an against-type dramatic role, while still allowing Napier to play someone accustomed to authority. We find Demme’s drama moving and humane, though the cautious screenplay leaves too little room for the lives beyond the case. Napier’s part was reduced in the final edit, so this is a limited opportunity to see him doing something different. Even so, the judge is a welcome reminder that the voice and face need not always announce trouble. For a less familiar Napier, make time for the judge, but do not expect the film to give him the evening to himself.
Biography
Charles Napier was an American actor. Born in Mt. Union near Scottsville, Kentucky, on 12 April 1936, he served in the US Army before studying art at Western Kentucky University. He began acting in the late 1960s after working as a sports coach and art teacher.
Napier appeared in films directed by Russ Meyer, including Cherry, Harry & Raquel! (1970). He collaborated frequently with Jonathan Demme and played Lt. Boyle in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Judge Garnett in Philadelphia (1993). Other roles include Tucker McElroy in The Blues Brothers (1980) and Marshall Murdock in Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985). He also provided voice work for animated series. Napier died in Bakersfield, California, on 5 October 2011.
