Looking at his bio it does state that Gerry Bamman is still active, but from his filmography, it would appear that he might have taken a long break, but he could be coming back at some point. Of course, when a person looks at a filmography it’s easy to assume that it’s not always updated that often. But Gerry is one of the many actors that has a few roles that people remember and as anyone that’s seen Home Alone and its sequel should know, his role as Uncle Frank is one of those that makes people absolutely hate the character since Frank is one of the most miserable characters that a lot of people can remember from one of their favorite childhood movies. He’s rude, obnoxious, he’s a cheapskate, and he definitely plays favorites when it comes to kids since he obviously dislikes Kevin in a big way. But even worse than that, Frank is an opportunist and a thief since if anyone remembers, he did have his wife help him steal silverware from the airline in the first movie. Plus, when Kevin’s parents were stressing out after realizing they’d left him home alone, Frank did his best to cheer them up by stating that he’d forgotten his reading glasses. Yeah, Frank is basically that uncle that you don’t talk to because he’s one of the biggest jerks you’ve ever known in your life. If there are any redeeming qualities to this character they’re hard to see, but the fact is that Gerry plays him so well that one would almost think that this is the way he is in real life. A lot of people would probably say otherwise of the 79-year old though since he is a very talented man.
His role as Herman Grimes in Runaway Jury continued to prove that as he starred alongside a group of other actors that have all been seen in several other movies in supporting or extra roles. He played a blind juror that initially could have been excused from service, but didn’t wish to be excused just because of his condition, and thereby became a person to be respected since he was made the jury foreman and turned out to be one of the most balanced individuals in the room. In a big way, Gerry has proven that he has the kind of talent that it takes to hang with some of the bigger stars, but for one reason or another he’s rarely ever seen as anything but a supporting character in big productions as this appears to be where he’s the most comfortable and can do the most good. This is true of quite a few actors that have the talent and the skill to push limits and create new boundaries with their craft, but still don’t have the right amount of something or other that could elevate them to a new level and enable them to be the big star that their costars often become. A good example is Home Alone since Gerry was one of the more noticeable presences in the movie when it first started out, but then the movie was eventually given over to Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern. Catherine O’Hara did factor in as a big influence, but the rest of the cast was basically there for support.
But like so many others he’s good at what he does and he’s able to create characters that are believable and can get people on board with the place they occupy in a movie or a show and either hate or love them depending on how Gerry works it. This kind of talent is always nice to see since it adds to any production in a big way and is often easy to appreciate even if some folks tend to think of the person as their character more often than not. It’s very likely that people who have seen Gerry out and about over the years have likened him to Uncle Frank, which is pretty common when a person only remembers an actor from one particular role. But it’s very likely that Gerry is nothing like Frank since to be that miserable would be newsworthy and it’s very possible that he’s a decent and kind person, or at least someone that’s not about to go out of his way to be mean to people. The great thing about Gerry that anyone can speak on is that his acting ability is solid and that he’s definitely the type of guy to fit into a role where it’s needed, and when it’s possible to find a role that will fit him like a glove. Personally, I liked him as Herman Grimes since he had just enough attitude that he wasn’t a jerk, but he wasn’t a pushover either. Uncle Frank is a nice memory from childhood, but he’s not the kind of guy you’d want as a family member.
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