If his name is unfamiliar, his face is unmistakable.

And if his big-screen roles in The Deer Hunter, Basic Instinct and Crimson Tide dont stir memories, his prolific output on the small screen including, Law & Order, Stargate SG-1 and Greys Anatomy   may do the trick.

Anyone who has spent time casually watching films and TV over the past four decades is bound to have seen at least one performance by veteran actor George Dzundza.

However, he would probably disapprove of a listing of all his credits. After all, those projects are behind him, and something the character actor learned long ago was always to look forward.

And thats what Dzundza, a longtime patron of Cannon Beachs Coaster Theatre, is doing. He is looking forward to the March 14 opening of Noel Cowards Present Laughter which Dzundza is directing.

When the theater approached him to direct a play, Dzundza chose the comedy of manners written in 1939 and first staged in 1942 from among three given to him.

I felt it had enough complications and difficulties to make it worthwhile, he said. Its got beautiful language. The language is difficult but simple … It requires skill on the actors part, and fortunately, we have some skilled actors.

The title alludes to a song in Shakespeares Twelfth Night, sung by the wise clown Feste, (What is love? tis not hereafter; / Present mirth hath present laughter…)

Present Laughter runs through April 19 and features many actors from previous Coaster productions.

Courage and sacrifice

With one more week of rehearsals to go, Dzundza sits patiently in a couch positioned center-stage as lighting designer Mick Alderman adjusts the work lights to eliminate the shadows on the directors face.

Meanwhile, Amanda Payne, who plays Daphne, tries on different dresses for Dzundzas appraisal. When she emerges from the dressing room wearing a Girl Scout costume-in-progress, Dzundza and Patrick Lathrop, executive director of the Coaster, determine the period-authentic length of her skirt.

Dzundza has many more directorial decisions to make before opening night. But in this moment with stage hands and cast members buzzing around him, seeking his advice and approval Dzundza is content. He is at home.

Im blessed with a great many young, and not too young, people who are truly gifted, and theyre working their butts off, he said.

Because the cast and crew have jobs elsewhere, every hour spent volunteering at the Coaster, a nonprofit organization, is a sacrifice, and he knows it.

That kind of sacrifice doesnt happen in the professional theater. People dont do that, said Dzundza, who has performed on Broadway and spent years on the road, directing and acting in countless productions. These are not aspiring professionals; these are dedicated amateurs and I mean that in the best sense: Theyre doing it because they love it.

Unlike a show on Broadway, which can involve weeks of previews for test audiences before it officially opens, these kids are going in cold against an audience.

I dont think anybody would understand the kind of courage that it takes to be able to step onto the stage, not knowing where the laughs are going to be, not knowing how the audience is going to respond, Dzundza said. An audience tells you what works and doesnt work. Theres no doubt: If they laugh, they think its funny; if they dont laugh, they dont. Its that simple.

A remarkable thing about the theater, Dzundza said, is that each audience member views a play from his or her perspective.

You and I can go to a theater and watch the (same) play at the (same) time, and you will see a different play than I do, because your eyes are the editor, your eyes control what you see in that play, he said. Its what makes it such a very intense personal experience for an audience. Its absolutely individual.

Films, on the other hand, are two-dimensional projections where the director controls everything that the audiences sees and, therefore, what they focus on.

Youre forced to see (the directors) vision. When you watch a play, you see your own vision, he said. Everybodys watching the same things, but its where their eyes go that controls what they feel. And their eyes go to what they care about.

Professional vs community theater

Dzundza lives with his wife of 33 years, Mary Jo Vermeulen, in Netarts. Together, they have three children and two grandchildren.

After attending St. Johns University, he studied acting under some of the great American theater teachers and directors of the 20th century, including Stella Adler and Harold Clurman.

Dzundza has starred in many still-popular plays from Neil Simons Come Blow Your Horn and The Odd Couple to Joseph Kesselrings Arsenic and Old Lace.

In a career spanning nearly 50 years, Dzundza has lived in New York and Los Angeles and traveled to England, Israel and Africa. He has acted alongside Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, Jason Robards and other notable leading men.

And now Dzundza is done with professional theater.

I dont want to act anymore. I dont want to deal with the professional theater at all. Im over the virus. It took a long time to get it out of my system, but its pretty much gone, he said. Ive achieved everything Ive ever wanted to achieve in terms of being a professional.

Now that hes pushing 70, he hopes to pass along his knowledge and skills to those who can most appreciate it.

For Dzundza, community theater is where its at.

I have no skills outside of this. This is what I can do, he said. And I wanted to help these young actors, and younger actors as well, to give the best kind of performances they can, and entertain an audience here, and contribute to the community that way. I feel thats an important responsibility of every person that lives somewhere.

About 25 years ago, when Dzundza was on vacation in Oceanside, he saw a man who was severely handicapped using two canes to maneuver his mangled body. I felt such pity for him, he said.

A short time later, the man leaned over to the actor and said, Excuse me, Mr. Dzundza, I cannot tell you how much pleasure you have given me over time.

It changed the way I saw the responsibility of the actor to the audience, Dzundza said. Sometimes we need to laugh. Times are hard. Things are difficult in this world. Sometimes its good to just turn around and have a giggle about something.