The Oldenburg International Film Festival will honor actor and writer Don Keith Opper, best known for his role as Charlie McFadden in the Critters franchise, with a tribute program at this year’s event.
“Don Keith Opper won the hearts of audiences with his recurring role as the bumbling small-town outcast who sets out to save our planet and others throughout each of the [Critters] sequels,” the festival said, announcing the tribute. “His warm and affectionate portrayal of the character, imbuing this unlikely hero with a deep sense of dignity, is a hallmark of the actor and writer’s body of work. Many of Opper’s most significant successes as a performer are also those in which he contributed as a writer.”
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After early stage work with the Los Angeles’ Theater Company Group alongside his brother Barry Opper, who would later produce many of his films, Don Keith Opper joined Roger Corman’s New World Studios as a set designer and second unit director. He contributed to Battle Beyond the Stars, Corman’s space-set reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, before developing Android with Barry Opper, co-writer James Reigle and director Aaron Lipstadt.
Premiering in 1984 after a two-year delay during which the filmmakers bought back the rights from Corman, Android became a festival success and cult favorite. Opper’s performance as Max, an android longing to be human, drew critical praise. Roger Ebert likened the film to early works by George Lucas, Martin Scorsese and John Carpenter, while The Washington Post described it as “a small miracle made in 20 days” that succeeded largely because of Opper.
In Wayne Wang’s 1987 neo-noir Slam Dance, Opper appeared alongside Tom Hulce, Virginia Madsen and Harry Dean Stanton, playing the melancholic killer Buddy, a role that formed the film’s emotional center.
The Oldenburg tribute will feature screenings of Android, Critters, Slam Dance and Critters 2. Don Keith Opper will attend alongside his brother Barry.
The 2025 Oldenburg festival runs Sept. 10-14.
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