I'm a fan of Denis, but I'm afraid of him, too. He presents such an ugly description of human nature (God help us: he may be right!), I can only take him in small doses.

As usual, I certainly don't know most of Denis's work. I do know he was in "Demolition Man" (with Wesley Snipes and Sylvester Stallone), although at the time I didn't recognize him. He also stars in "Rescue Me" - not a show I find easy to watch. Of course, he's a comedian as well. He's even done a really good TV ad I've seen - I think it was for satellite TV. ("You missed the game? Don't be that guy!")

"Don't be that person" is a dominating theme in Leary's work. He shows people in their normal, ugly ways. The people don't even realize how horrible they're being, because it's normal for them. Denis's (usually unspoken) appeal: "If you're like them, then don't be that way."

Unlike me, Denis seems to get a real kick out of how pathetic, selfish and inconsiderate people truly are. I think he hates it as much as I do, but he's got a healthier outlook: he can laugh at it. That's why he's a famous multi-millionaire and I'm me. ("Don't be that way," I should obviously be telling myself:))

My favourite Leary role was the Fad King in Wag the Dog with Dustin Hoffman. The movie was very clever and completely hilarious. Fad King's cynical acceptance of the absurd - and his ability to see opportunity in it - is unforgettable. That's when I identified Leary.

Looking good, Denis. Keep smilin'.

IMDb and Wikipedia were sources for this article.