Daniel von Bargen
Within the Hall of Fame of ‘That Guys’ in cinema, there are the break-out performers, those who have managed to transcend that second glance from the audience. This ‘God Tier’ of ‘That Guys’ have managed a mainstream level of recognition. Lance Henriksen, Stephen Tobolwsky, Dan Hedaya and Philip Baker Hall are among those that even your parents would recognise.
A perfect storm of distinctive physical features, a diverse and compelling approach to expressing characters, and most of all, a seemingly endless scroll of IMDB film and TV credits, reflecting their rich and varied careers.
Putting in the work, having fun with the characters and managing to dodge typecasting is the
‘How to Succeed as a ‘That Guy’ in Hollywood’ playbook.
One actor, who in terms of household recognition may have not broken through to the mainstream, but has definitely made a lasting impact on the films and tv shows he starred in, is Daniel von Bargen.
Like all great character actors, he is so watchable in whatever he is in. And he’s not afraid to turn on the ham, whether for fun or drama. He has an intensity in all his dramatic performances which can be both explosive or understated, but you always get that feeling there’s something bubbling underneath, waiting to come out, and sometimes you’re lucky he does.
His standout feature, though, is his voice. No doubt weathered from decades of tobacco smoke and hard liquor, there’s a quiet growl peeking out of every sentence, and when he shouts you really get the hairdryer treatment. His particular American accent is hard to place, a hint of a drawl just plays out words now and again.
He has been in numerous major TV shows and films; you can see the full list of credits here.
But a few performances stand out, with one particularly strange beast where he got more of a starring role and a chance to show off. His performance in ‘Basic Instinct’ is a masterclass in showing how a lesser-known actor can hold their own against an A-list movie star. As an Internal Affairs cop, who’s clearly waiting for Michael Douglas’ ‘Nick’ to slip up, von Bargen plays ‘Nilsen’ as an uber-heel. Continually baiting and negging ‘Nick’ till he snaps, leading to a delightful confrontation and pissing contest in who can overact best between Douglas and von Bargen.
Against Type
Von Bergen in his guest run as ‘Kruger’ in Seinfeld, almost seems to predict the hapless leaders we’ve now all got to live with on a daily basis. It’s much more fun to watch than to live through though, and von Bargen delights in a rare chance for him to show off his comedic chops.
“When you start becoming a commodity because of your face or your stature or whatever, those opportunities become fewer and fewer. So it’s nice to get on a comedy and have people go, “You’re funny!’”
— On his role in Seinfeld (1989)
Standout Performance
In 1993, von Bargen got a chance to play a bigger role, starring as the main antagonist in a TV movie called ‘Scam’. It's a curious film and I'd love to find out how it came to exist. Clearly, a B-Movie, with an A-Movie cast, starring Christopher Walken, Lorraine Bracco, Miguel Ferrer, Martin Donovan and, of course, Daniel von Bargen. What we get is a real slice of pulp, with a very simple story about con artists all trying to out-grift each other. Von Bargen gets to play a gangster, Albert Magliocco, and revels ordering his hoods around, shouting at a nervous geek and duelling with Christopher Walken in a ‘Who can chew on the scenery more than me’ contest.
It’s not a great film, in fact, the entertainment value comes from its oddness and over-the-top performances, with von Bargen’s out-of-control crime boss and Walken’s gloriously shifty con artist. It’s worth a watch for that alone, as there’s not much more to it, but as I said earlier, it’s a curious entry in all of their CV’s.
Most Quotable Line
In Scam there's a string of hilariously over the top lines from his character throughout, but there's a scene near the end when he's realised Christopher Walken's character has finally run out of tricks, and isn't who he says he is.
Fleeting Glimpse
Von Bargen appears in the 1995 film 'Crimson Tide', but much like Tony Sirico's (Paulie Walnuts from The Sopranos) appearance in 'Cop Land', it's a role that has no dialogue, is on screen for only a moment but provides a human emblem for the impending threat ahead.
Playing the ultranationalist, Vladimir Radchenko, who leads his own military and sets a chain of events in motion leading to near nuclear war with the U.S.A. His character is shown ranting at a podium for a few moments to off-screen cheers.
The beauty of 'That Guys' is that, unlike major movie stars, they appear in many more films and tv shows, leading to a huge variety in audiences having familiarities with them. I've just picked a few performances based on my own viewing habits and random things I've caught on TV (like Scam), but other audiences may be familiar with von Bargen through Super Troopers, Malcolm In The Middle or O Brother, Where Art Thou?
So next time you feel like you've spotted a 'That Guy' and you really like them or their performance, look at what other films and TV shows they've been in, and let that take you on a journey outside of the algorithmic suggestions we're bombarded with every day.
