Marshall Bell

Marshall Bell looks as though he expects to be obeyed. The stern bearing and penetrating stare suit the policemen, military officers and intimidating men he is repeatedly asked to play. We rate him as a supporting actor who can establish authority without much fuss. The reservation is straightforward: repeated casting of that sort can make the next character seem familiar before he has had much chance to speak.

His early work runs from his debut as Ronsky in Birdy (1984) to the grieving Mr. Lachance in Rob Reiner's Stand by Me (1986). The latter is a good place to see how that stern presence fits a drama led by younger actors. We were moved by the boys' friendship because the four young leads make their need for one another so persuasive. Reiner sometimes pushes too hard for a response, but the performances are strong enough to withstand it.

Wider notice came with Twins (1988) and Total Recall (1990), bringing comedy and the dual role of George and Kuato into the picture. The comedy matters in a career so often associated with intimidation. Paul Verhoeven subsequently cast him as General Owen in Starship Troopers (1997), continuing a collaboration that includes Total Recall. There is more variety here than the tough-guy description allows, even if another military rank suggests how readily casting returns him to familiar work.

In Bennett Miller's Capote (2005), Bell plays Warden Marshall Krutch, another role with authority attached to its title. The film gives Philip Seymour Hoffman's writer the main attention, and Bell's contribution belongs within the dependable supporting work around him. We recommend the film for its acting and its absorbing account of a writer exploiting other people's trust. The screenplay is more interested in his failings than his talent, a limitation that the performances cannot entirely remedy. Start with Stand by Me, provided the occasional emotional nudge does not put you off.