Joining William Hootkins and Pat Morita in character actor heaven: Paul Gleason, who died over the weekend.Gleason had an extensive career in film and TV, but is most recognizable for playing villain Clarence Beeks in Trading Places, principal Richard Vernon (pictured) in The Breakfast Club, and deputy chief Dwayne T. Robinson in Die Hard.
Back when John Hughes made great movies, he did a terrific job writing the Richard Vernon character. While most of his scenes with problem teen John Bender (Judd Nelson) were played for laughs, there's a lot of truth to the hopelessness that modern educators must face. And Paul Gleason's foul-mouthed portrayal is fantastic. He revisited the character in Not Another Teen Movie, where he got to spar verbally with a Judd Nelson look-alike.
Leave comments or your favorite Gleason character quotes here.
1 comment:
Ah, yes. I'd forgotten about Bill McNeal's master plan.
I see it's one of the NewsRadio episodes with Lauren Graham. Apparently, the Season 4 DVD comes out next month.
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