Bruce McGill: A Tribute to the Man With No Grade Point Average

Pop quiz, hot shots (sorry, 'Speed' was on FX's 'DVD on TV' today, which is co-hosted by a chick who may be among the top 5 hottest pieces of arse in the world....that's a blog post for another day): which legendary actor has shared screen time with John Belushi, Sly Stallone, Al Pacino, Jean Claude Van Damme, Russell Crowe AND Richard Dean Anderson?

The answer: Bruce......Travis......McGill (the title of this post was a pretty good hint)

I've always been a fan; MacGyver was for me, like so many 25-32 year old men, a defining piece of pop culture, and McGill was as essential to the show as pineapple smoke bombs and ridiculous plot twists.

But I was reminded of his greatness while watching 'My Cousin Vinny' this weekend. His 'Vinny' turn is a classic McGill performance - unobtrusive, yet solid and compelling. There's just something about him that separates him from other character actors, something that instantly elevates any scene in which he appears.

Bruce has never gotten to bend over a distraught Halle Berry or play a Hungarian uber-criminal with a limp and a cool name. And that's OK. He's not suited for the rigors of a leading man; to steal a line from Pee Wee Herman, I've seen better heads on boils. But in many ways, Bruce's contributions to his films are equally as significant.

What Bruce offers is peace of mind. When you see that paunchy figure stroll into the frame, bags under his eyes that would make Yasmine Bleeth jealous, you immediately think to yourself, "Hey, this movie can't be that bad." Something about the man inspires trust; he's kind of like the anti-Clint Howard.

Ask yourself this: when was the last time you saw a bad McGill performance? It certainly wasn't in 'The Insider', where Bruce contributes one of the film's top 5 moments by screaming red-faced at a smarmy tobacco lawyer to "wipe that Goddamn smirk off your face!"

And definitely not in "Runaway Jury", where Bruce bites into one of his meatiest roles - Judge Harkin - with relish, commanding the courtroom and striking the perfect balance between hard ass and man of reason.

But for many, Bruce's career will be defined by one of his earliest film roles. He has but a few lines (and one memorable rendition of the William Tell Overture), but it's hard to reflect on the movie's many strengths without thinking of him. The role, of course, is Daniel Simpson Day, a.k.a. 'D-Day', the motorcyle-riding bad ass who embodies the rebellious spirit of the Delta house. He serves as something of a sidekick to John Belushi's more prominently featured (and equally great) Bluto Blutarski, but his moments are his own. Two words - "Ramming speed!!"

Who knows what the future will hold for Bruce McGill? One thing's for certain - as long as Michael Mann keeps making movies, Bruce will never want for work. That means a few more good movies will be that much better and a few mediocre ones will be better than they deserve to be. The man, the myth, the McGill - the legend continues.