James Rebhorn made men in authority convincing through their chilly certainty. We rate him most when sympathy complicates that stiffness, though the succession of authority roles did not always give him enough to do.
Fi1m perspective
James Rebhorn's poker face could make an official seem quietly threatening. He was repeatedly cast as lawyers, doctors and military men, and his ability to turn charm into vindictiveness made those small parts worth watching. We value the economy of that acting, even when the casting did much of the work. Sometimes the character was so familiar that the script scarcely needed to introduce him.
Several supporting roles brought him wider notice in 1992, including the headmaster Mr Trask opposite Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman (1992) and expert witness George Wilbur in My Cousin Vinny (1992). These were jobs whose holders expected to be taken seriously. They illustrate his usefulness to a film, but also the risk of repeatedly asking him to play men who believe they know better.
Roland Emmerich's Independence Day (1996) gives him a particularly clear assignment as Albert Nimzicki, the Secretary of Defence. In a film whose cast makes saving the world surprisingly cheerful, Rebhorn supplies the colder manner of an official accustomed to being heard. We enjoy the film despite its foolish script and overdone patriotism; his familiar severity fits the broad characterisation. It is effective casting, although it offers less to discover in him than the quieter, more awkward company of The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).
Anthony Minghella gives Rebhorn more to work with as Herbert Greenleaf, a wealthy father whose rigidity does not rule out sympathy. We found him unexpectedly touching here, because Rebhorn lets that sympathy remain apparent without making the man less stiff. Matt Damon and Jude Law give the film's envy and social discomfort their force, and Rebhorn supports them without simply supplying another cold official. The film takes its time, sometimes too much, but this is a supporting performance worth giving some attention.
The recurring part of Carrie's father, Frank Mathison, in Homeland (2011) offered a later, rarer sympathetic role outside that official mould. It suggests how much the familiar casting had left unexplored. Start with The Talented Mr. Ripley for Rebhorn, and allow the father as much attention as the younger men.
Biography
James Rebhorn was an American character actor. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 1 September 1948 and died in South Orange, New Jersey, on 21 March 2014.
Rebhorn studied at Wittenberg University and received an MFA from Columbia University. He appeared in over 100 films, television series and plays from the mid-1970s onwards, often in supporting roles as lawyers, officials or authority figures.
His film credits include Mr. Trask in Scent of a Woman (1992), Norwalk in Carlito's Way (1993), Albert Nimzicki in Independence Day (1996), Dr. Larry Banks in Meet the Parents (2000) and Marvin in Real Steel (2011). On television he had recurring roles as Frank Mathison in Homeland and Reese Hughes in White Collar.
