Mike Starr gives threatening men a matter-of-fact credibility that works in crime films and travels well into comedy. We value his seriousness, though repeated casting by size and appearance can leave him with too little to play.
Fi1m perspective
Mike Starr's deep voice and burly build make him an obvious choice for a heavy. He tends to play the menace seriously, even when the film around him is being ridiculous. That gives the comedy someone who appears to mean business, rather than another performer asking for a laugh. We like this grounded approach, which makes familiar mobsters and tough men convincing without requiring them to be the centre of attention.
His parts as Frenchy in GoodFellas (1990) and Frankie in Miller's Crossing (1990) helped establish him in crime films. Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas remains our strongest recommendation here, for a cast that makes appalling company difficult to leave. Starr adds a credible supporting figure without competing with the leads. There is no need to make Frenchy the reason to see the film to recognise the value of that contribution.
Dumb and Dumber (1994) puts that credibility to a different use, casting him as comic antagonist Joe Mentaliano alongside Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. He gives their foolishness someone to irritate, and plays the menace as though this were a less forgiving sort of film. We laughed at Joe's seriousness amid the double act's stupidity, because Starr keeps the threat credible when the surrounding comedy has abandoned good sense. The jokes repeat themselves, but his approach helps explain why enough of them still work.
His size and appearance have also kept him returning to stereotypical tough-guy parts, and familiarity can make an actor's decisions harder to notice. Ed Wood (1994), with Starr as Georgie Weiss, offered a less clichéd character. That is the direction we would welcome more of: parts that ask him to do something beyond looking dangerous. For the comic value of taking danger seriously, try Dumb and Dumber.
Biography
Mike Starr is an American character actor born on 29 July 1950 in Flushing, Queens, New York City. He is known for supporting roles as mobsters, police officers and other tough characters in film and television.
Starr graduated from Hofstra University. His brother, Beau Starr, is also an actor. He appeared as Frenchy in Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas (1990) and has credits in films including Dumb and Dumber (1994) as Joe Mentaliano, Ed Wood (1994) as Georgie Weiss and The Bodyguard (1992) as Tony Scipelli. Television work includes guest roles in series such as The Office (2005) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999).
