FOR 20 years, Lionel Mark Smith yearned to see David Mamet's provocative play "Edmond" as a film. At a birthday party for Mr. Mamet three years ago, when talk again surfaced about casting for "Edmond," Mr. Smith, a veteran actor, suggested a lead. What about William H. Macy?
"I saw the Doody Man a couple of weeks ago," Mr. Mamet recalled saying, referring to Mr. Macy, whose affectionate nickname in the so-called Mamet Mafia is Howdy Doody. "He's beginning to look more like a human and less like a puppet."
To millions of television and film fans who have admired his diverse roles in "Fargo," "Boogie Nights," "The Cooler," "Door to Door" and "Thank You for Smoking," Mr. Macy has always seemed more an actor's actor than a movie star. In "Seabiscuit," he almost stole the movie from the horse, with his comedic turn as the racetrack announcer Tick Tock McGlaughlin.
