gooseberry

I was raised a movie buff. Both my mom and dad loved movies and loved to know the names of actors and spot and follow them from film to film. And I have picked up the same tendency and sport. But even a movie buff can be stumped by a character actor who appears in so many roles and is so good in them, that you forget the name of the actor (if you ever knew it) and just remember the parts he or she played. Whenever one of these actors would pop up in an old black and white film, they would say, "Look, it's Gooseberry!" Gooseberry was their name for four or five actors who were similar in looks or manner or role, but whose real names eluded them ( I know that one of their Gooseberries was Donald Meek - he looks like a Gooseberry, doesn't he?), but I'm no longer sure who the others were).

Last night as some friends and I were watching Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility, we had a Gooseberry moment. We all recognized a supporting actor in the piece and could name various other shows that he had been in that we had seen, but no one had a clue as to his name. After checking out the cast on IMDb this afternoon, I think the actor we were talking about was Robert Hardy. He looks familiar, doesn't he? When you read his list of roles you will recognize him from many films and televison series. But excuse me if I continue to refer to him as Gooseberry.

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