Robert Ridgely gives dubious men an ease that makes them worth watching. We rate him as a character actor whose comic assurance also serves drama, though repeated casting as oily charmers can make his abilities look narrower than they are.
Fi1m perspective
Robert Ridgely plays Colonel James, the adult-film producer in Boogie Nights (1997), with a breeziness that makes him easy company without making him admirable. Paul Thomas Anderson wrote the part with him in mind, and the fit makes sense: Ridgely was often cast as men whose charm needed a little inspection. We rate the film highly for its performances and its handling of crowded scenes, even when the rise-and-fall story becomes familiar. Ridgely belongs in that company; he can make a supporting figure register without making the film wait for him.
That was a useful skill in the comedies of Mel Brooks, beginning with his hangman in Blazing Saddles (1974). Brooks repeatedly used him in eccentric or deadpan supporting parts, where the risk was that the oddity became the whole job. Jonathan Demme’s Melvin and Howard (1980) gives the smarminess a recognisable profession: Wally ‘Mr. Love’ Williams is a game-show host. These parts suit him, though a succession of oily charmers can make the actor’s next move too easy to anticipate.
Demme’s Philadelphia (1993) offers a harsher use for that apparent respectability, casting him as Walter Kenton, a homophobic lawyer. We found Kenton unpleasant to spend time with, because Ridgely makes his professional standing and his prejudice sit so comfortably together. It is effective supporting work in a film whose caution can be frustrating: the screenplay leaves too little space for lives beyond the case. The part asks for less comic eccentricity and gives us good reason to look beyond the Brooks roles.
His substantial animation and advertising career used another reliable asset: a robust, booming voice suited to heroes and authority figures. Those roles needed conviction in the voice, something that can be overlooked when remembering the oily hosts and eccentrics. Start with Boogie Nights for the breezy ease, then try Philadelphia for what happens when there is less reason to laugh.
Biography
Robert Ridgely was an American actor and voice artist. Born Robert Ritterbusch on 24 December 1931 in Teaneck, New Jersey, he began his career as a cabaret entertainer before moving into television with guest appearances and a regular role as Lieutenant Kimbro in the series The Gallant Men (1962).
Ridgely appeared in films directed by Mel Brooks, including Blazing Saddles (1974) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), and by Jonathan Demme, including Melvin and Howard (1980) and Philadelphia (1993) as Walter Kenton. His later roles included Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and Boogie Nights (1997) as The Colonel James. He also provided voices for numerous animated television series and specials. Ridgely died of cancer on 8 February 1997 in Toluca Lake, California.
