Larry Miller

Larry Miller makes an overprotective father a useful comic obstacle in 10 Things I Hate About You (1999). His Walter Stratford suits an actor so often cast as men who expect deference. We laughed at the father's protectiveness because Miller makes his certainty look so ridiculous. He gives the romance welcome friction, although Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger provide most of its warmth. The film's patchy plotting is another matter; we would not ask a supporting actor to repair that.

Pretty Woman (1990) gave him his breakthrough as Mr. Hollister, the obsequious manager of a Beverly Hills boutique. Supporting comedy parts became his main work through the 1990s and 2000s, including Dean Richmond in The Nutty Professor (1996). These characters suit his ability to move between condescension and servility. He is particularly useful when a job title gives a man more confidence than he deserves.

His work with Christopher Guest began with Mayor Glenn Welsch in Waiting for Guffman (1996). He returned to Guest's ensemble as Max Berman in Best in Show (2000). A performer whose comic types are quickly recognisable makes sense in an ensemble. The reservation is that we can sometimes recognise the type before we find much else to notice.

In Shane Black's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), his Dabney Shaw adds to the pleasure of the company. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer's sparring remains the chief reason to watch, but a comedy this busy benefits from a dependable actor in a smaller part. The mystery is tangled and the cleverness occasionally tiresome; Miller belongs among the reasons we forgive it.

His speciality does not need to become broader to remain worthwhile. It does need a script that gives the officious man something more to do than announce himself. Start with 10 Things I Hate About You, where Miller's overprotective father has a courtship to get in the way of.