JOE HANSARD – CHARACTER ACTOR
Joe Hansard, the actor I’m pleased to spend some time with on this episode of Actors Talk is a wonderful character actor from the New York area. Joe has been a professional actor for several decades and it shows in his presence on the screen. Whether he’s playing one of America’s most wanted, a NY Cop at the turn of the century on THE KNICK or a homeless person on the mean streets of the big city, Joe Hansard brings something special to each role. The label, Character Actor, is a badge of honor, as well it should be. He wears it well.
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Equally at home in mainstream media and the independent film scene, Hansard has years of experience as both lead and supporting player. Known for an eclectic screen persona, his characters span the gamut, from hillbillies to the homeless — a mixed bag of lovable creeps, kooks, cops, etc.
What image comes to mind when you hear the term ‘Character Actor’?
If you’re a fan of the Steven Soderbergh series, THE KNICK, then you’ll recall seeing Joe Hansard recently in his fine turn as Tuggle, a bull dog of a detective who bites off more than he can chew in THIS IS ALL WE ARE, the final episode of season two. Or maybe you caught him as the homeless man in MYSTERIES OF LAURA or on THE WIRE, HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET or one of the many other shows to which he’s contributed his talent.
Joe Hansard – Nature of The Business
It’s the nature of the business that many fine actors, fine character actors in particular, often labor in a kind on anonymity. They are ‘that guy in that thing.’ Or ‘you
know…THAT guy.” Familiar faces who always deliver something interesting in what can be rather pedestrian programming.

They are actors whose faces may ring a bell but whose names, sadly, often escape us. But to the people who produce and cast television and film roles, it is these wonderful actors who can be pivotal to the success of a project.