For more than 50 years, Home Box Office has repeatedly defended its title as television’s heavyweight champion. It did so by creating the most incredibly convincing characters imaginable. These legendary supporting characters represent what HBO is all about.
1. Al Swearengen: Deadwood
In the South Dakota mining town that hosted the likes of Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok, foul-mouthed bartender Al Swearengen may have been the scariest person. British actor Ian McShane is an accomplished performer, and this is almost certainly his career-defining role.
2. Tyrion Lannister: Game of Thrones
Tyrion Lannister’s mischievous Machiavellianism and vast vocabulary quickly earned him the enduring adoration of fans on a show that is the sum of its supporting characters (many of whom you might argue were the real protagonists) Did.
3. Paulie Gualtieri: The Sopranos
Paulie Walnuts was a mobster who used the wrong words in the wrong situations. She was definitely a gangster, but Kurumi was also a big part of it. the sopranos‘Comic relief.
“A Word to the Wise: Don’t Forget Pearl Harbor!”
4. Jimmy McNulty: The Wire
If you didn’t know that actor Dominic West was born in Sheffield, England, you would have sworn he was a child of Charm City. His turn as self-centered, workaholic (and alcoholic) Baltimore detective Jimmy McNulty remains the archetype of a dysfunctional police force.
5. Ari Gold: The Entourage
A little Ari Gold goes a long way. Fortunately, entourage Showrunner Doug Ellin sprinkled Jeremy Piven’s gold (reportedly inspired by real-life super agent Ari Emanuel) throughout the show. If Ali were to give a Ted Talk, it might be aptly titled “The Art of Abuse.”
6. Omar Little: The Wire
The phrase “It’s coming for the king, don’t miss it” remains one of the most influential quotes from the golden age of television. This warning was one of many memorable words uttered by street poet Omar Little. wireA lone wolf who makes tough criminals look like ordinary sheep.
7. Logan Roy: Inheritance
Logan Roy, a titan of HBO’s 2020s catalog, was perhaps a caricature of real-life media mogul Rupert Murdoch. But Brian’s sometimes menacing (and sometimes pitiful) portrayal of the patriarchal billionaire makes Logan Roy a figure that transcends whatever source material he originates from. became.
8. Junior Sopranos: The Sopranos
In Junior’s words, his nephew Tony “never had the makings of a national team player.” But it’s no debate that Junior’s scathing one-liners, caramel-sweet ways with women, and descent into ultimate paranoia make him one of HBO’s most memorable supporting characters. There’s no room.
9. Calamity Jane: Deadwood
withered tree is a show that thrives on a wealth of characters playing off each other’s controlled mania. Robin Weigert’s Calamity Jane is one of the sparks in the powder keg in Deadwood, South Dakota. She’s a foul-mouthed, sooty-faced cowgirl who doesn’t hesitate to pull a side piece when she feels slighted, which makes her a bona fide scene stealer.
10. Ramsay Bolton: Game of Thrones
If the steady stream of true-crime documentaries proves anything, it’s that Americans are fascinated by society’s sadists.it’s not surprising game of thrones’ Ramsay Bolton is one of the show’s most memorable personalities. Bolton, who was stigmatized as a pet peeve, took out his inner insecurities on others, leaving fans wondering, “When will this man’s karmic reversal come?”
11. Stringer Bell: The Wire
Stringer Bell is an aspirational figure for people who grew up on the streets. wireThe proud Barksdale Crew. But despite winning throughout the show’s early seasons as the first player to wear a Rolex, Stringer’s legalization ambitions would precipitate his downfall.
A walking, breathing, coogi-wearing and staying-in-his-lane testament, Stringer Bell is as much a cautionary tale as a television character.
12. Leon Black: Curb Your Enthusiasm
Leon Black brought out a side of Larry David that many viewers didn’t know about Larry. From giving the nickname “Long Ball Larry” to “You can’t pause the toast, Larry. It’s losing its essence!” Leon Black was the energy of the 5 hours curb your enthusiasmThe season after.
13. Titus Pulo: Rome
One of HBO’s most underrated shows, Rome, focused on the relationship between Roman soldiers Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo. Pullo, the lesser barbarian of his partnership, brought charisma, brawn, and brutal strength to a show that faithfully depicted the good, bad, and ugliness of the Roman Empire.
14. Ralph Cifaretto: The Sopranos
To be honest, half of this list is the sopranos His name isn’t Tony. Still, Ralph Cifaretto managed to make it onto the shortlist.
At once charming, rebellious and sadistic, Cifaret suffers perhaps the most memorable death in a drama littered with memorable deaths.
15. Erlich Bachmann: Silicon Valley
mike judge silicon valley It has carved out a unique niche for itself on HBO as an irreverent group comedy with heavy use of technology jargon. TJ Miller’s Erlich Bachmann became the poster boy for the R-rated adaptation of The Big Bang Theory, but it was ultimately the actor’s off-screen antics that caused It became too much for Judge and his crew to tolerate..
16. Zip Rossetti: Boardwalk Empire
Bobby Cannavale solidified his status as a big-bodied dynamo (in a good way) by playing the volatile gangster Gyp Rosetti in the film. boardwalk empire. Seemingly a man’s man, Rosetti’s mother issues and short temper made him an essential character on one of HBO’s best shows.
17. Johnny Drama: Entourage
Johnny drama was the most interesting. entourage, it wasn’t particularly close. Actor Kevin Dillon played Johnny Chase, the less accomplished older brother of acting superstar Vinny Chase. His biological brother Matt Dillon is far more successful in Hollywood than him, so Dillon was basing his work on his experience.
18. Noho Hank: Barry
barry‘s final season left many viewers perplexed and disappointed. However, in general, barry was a huge success and perfectly captured Anthony Carigna’s no-ho hunk. barry‘s outrageous tone.
If you’re creating a comedy show about a hitman, you want a character with a similarly polarizing aura. Noho Hank was just that.
19. Vernon Schillinger: Oz
Premiered in July 1997, oz This is one of the shows that put HBO on the map as a no-holds-barred, gritty alternative to censored network television. J.K. Simmons’ Vernon Schillinger was the menacing leader of the Aryan Brotherhood located at Oswald State Prison.
Simmons is an actor who always attracts attention with his smooth baritone voice and unyielding smile.
20. Errol Childress: True Detective
After following the winding and uncertain road to the end, A real detectiveIn the first season of , viewers come face-to-face with Errol Childress, played by Glenn Fleshler. Childress, who lives in a remote cabin in Erath, Louisiana, turns out to be a monster worthy of being pursued by Woody Harrelson’s Marty Hart and Matthew McConaughey’s Rust Cohle.
21. John Stone: The Night Of
the night of ” is being discussed as HBO’s most underrated show, and John Turturro’s John Stone plays a key role in this ultra-serious exploration of New York City’s criminal justice system. Stone is a criminal defense attorney who suffers from a debilitating skin rash.
Authors Richard Price and Steven Zaillian use Stone as Exhibit A in their “Character Development 101” masterclass.
22. Tanya McQuoid: White Lotus
Jennifer Coolidge is an actress whose looks make you laugh, but she’s never starred in a movie or TV show before. white lotus Coolidge proves he can carry on with his usual dimwitted banter, succumb to one of the most hilarious television passes ever scripted, and play a role for an entire season of television.
23. Johnny Barnes: Deadwood
Far from the main character, Johnny Burns, a sickly bartender, works as the resident punching bag at Al Swearengen’s Gem Saloon. Burns’ character is one of the most reliable sources of levity in a show that has far more comedic twists than expected.
24. Captain Herbert Sobel: Band of Brothers
Captain Herbert Sobel is certainly worthy of respect, as he is a real person who served as an officer in the United States Army during World War II. but, band of brothers Sobel is portrayed in such a bad light that it’s impossible to forget his unparalleled brand of arrogance and futile leadership.
25. Stevie Janowski: Eastbound and Down
Stevie Janofsky, Kenny Powers’ clueless sidekick played by Danny McBride, is the definition of “ride or die.” Fortunately for viewers, Powers never leads the dim-witted sycophant Janofsky into a fatal predicament. Luckily for us, that means we can enjoy the “ride.”
