He’s definitely one of those actors you see but you don’t see all the time. He’s great at supporting and standing out as one of the more important characters, and he is a memorable character in his own right. A lot of people might not know who he is but that’s largely because a good many millennials might think that the latest version of Point Break is the first and only and Return of the Living Dead is an old film that doesn’t warrant their attention. If you have half a chance though it’d be worth it to see the greatest works of John Philbin from 1980’s and 90’s. He’s not just a bit player in every film, and he does add something.
Here are a few of his best appearances, you might recognize a few.
5. Tom McLaury – Tombstone
This is kind of compilation of on screen characters that Philbin has performed, but the name mentioned is definitely in there. He plays Tom McLaury, a noted Cowboy and a malcontent that doesn’t know when to just keep his mouth shut. That’s okay, it gives Wyatt Earp the perfect chance to show him how to be polite when he yanks McLaury’s pistol from his belt and gives him a solid knock on the head for his troubles.
4. Point Break – Nathaniel
So for all the millennials, this is the definitive Point Break. Nathaniel is one of the ex-presidents that takes to robbing banks to fund their wild and crazy adventures, and he’s one of the few that gets axed before the finale. As Nathaniel he is kind of a background character here, but he’s still integral to the story. Unlike Bodhi most of the crew, including Nathaniel, don’t fully trust Johnny Utah and for good reason.
3. North Shore – Turtle
When Turtle speaks you can choose to listen or not. When he talks about surfing, do your best to listen up. Philbin is a perfect character to act as a surfer considering that he is a surf instructor. He works constantly with actors when it comes to surfing movies and has a wealth of knowledge that he can give to keep them safe and keep the sport enjoyable.
2. The Return of The Living Dead – Chuck
So yeah he was a recurring character in this film and one of the more important ones honestly, but a lot of people seem to have forgotten he was in it in the first place. To be fair a lot of people have actually forgotten about the film itself. Zombie films come and go all the time and it’s very easy to forget what came first in favor of what’s coming out now. Ridiculous as this film was it still stands out as a cult classic in its own time.
1. Children of The Corn – Amos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UA7eigQUjk
There is just something wrong with these kids. Never mind the cult that they belong to and the fact that adults are just about forbidden in this town. He Who Walks Behind The Rows seems to be little more than a powerful, malignant force bent on consuming them one by one as they give praise to it, him, whatever. It’s a creepy and extremely scary story, but the film could stand an update. Not a reboot, but an update.
John Philbin is definitely a good actor to have as a backup and as someone to give advice. His credits are long for someone that’s considered a backup player which means he’s seen and done quite a bit. That’s impressive really.
Follow Us
