Martin Ferrero

Ferrero's men often seem to have something to hide and little confidence in their ability to hide it. He makes that unease funny without asking us to find the character charming. On Miami Vice (1984–1989), his recurring informant Izzy Moreno speaks with a Cuban accent and gets his words wrong. Those malapropisms give Ferrero something more particular to do than simply look unreliable, and his comic timing makes the most of them.

Jurassic Park (1993) gives his nervousness a useful setting, with Ferrero playing the lawyer Gennaro for Steven Spielberg. We were frightened by its creatures because Spielberg first makes us want to stand and stare at them. Ferrero's haplessness supplies a human contrast, and his comic presence gives us a little relief from the suspense. The film's simplified characters are a limitation, but a supporting actor who can establish a recognisable weakness quickly is an asset here. We do not need an elaborate account of Gennaro's inner life for Ferrero to be effective.

In Get Shorty (1995), he plays Tommy Carlo in Barry Sonnenfeld's crime comedy, where conversations and intimidation provide most of the pleasure. It is congenial work for an actor with his small-part comic timing. We recommend the film for its cast, while finding the Hollywood jokes sometimes easy and the suspense slight. Ferrero belongs comfortably in the ensemble, though this is not a part we would use to argue that he was escaping familiar supporting work.

The clerk roles in Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) and Michael Mann's Heat (1995) show how readily he fitted into a film, and how narrowly his contribution could be defined. His later supporting role as Teddy in John Boorman's The Tailor of Panama (2001) continued a career built largely around small appearances. We would have liked more opportunities to see him outside the nervous or shifty parts. Start with Jurassic Park, then try Miami Vice for the pleasure of his mangled vocabulary.