There were a lot of great character actors and actresses on the screen this year. I'll get this ball rolling with "Them".
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James Whitmore was essentially a costar as the policeman who first finds the little girl and was last seen at the 'thon in "Planet of The Apes". He played the central role in the 1962 Twilight Zone episode "On Thursday we Leave For Home" and and overlooked sci-fi/horror film "The Relic" (1997). His long acclaimed career extended from "Battleground" (1949) to "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994) and beyond.
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Fess Parker played the pilot who wasn't crazy just a little unwell. He was most famous as Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. He went on to be a real estate magnate and hotel owner in Santa Barbara
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Leonard Nimoy played an uncredited army sergeant. and was last seen at the 'thon in the 1978 "Body Snatchers". He frequently appeared on "Twilight Zone" and "Outer Limits" episodes as well as playing Mustapha Mond in the TV adaptation of "Brave New World". He did a sci-fi TV series in the 60s that had a few film spinoffs...
Star...something
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Ann Doran played the child psychologist and was also seen at the 'thon in
"It The Terror from Beyond Space" in the Wells Days. She did 500 movies including "You Can't Take it With You and "Rebel Without a Cause" and 1000 TV appearances including the George Reeves "Superman"
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0233352/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t32
William Schallert played the ambulance driver and, although the IMDb doesn't mention it, he played in "Mant" the film within the film "Matinee". "Mant" played the 'thon in the Coolidge days.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0769974/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t55