Vernon was one of those second-tier actors - the ones that are in many movies as secondary characters that push the movie forward, but never quite get to make the star billing.
He was very believable in the roles he played, and that is all any actor could wish for.
I was saddened when he passed away back in ‘05. Another actor in that same vein was Ed Lauter; he passed away last year. Another one of the “good ones”.
Whatever role they played - good guy, bad guy - they did it convincingly and with professionalism. They weren’t drama queens. They were just damn good at what they did.
I miss that type of acting. Many of today’s movies are just pablum.
Brion James was another actor like that. He died in 1999 at age 54.
-PJ