Actors who played different characters on a TV show

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Monosterio, Sep 29, 2018.

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  1. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    "Trek" is a goldmine of actors who played different parts, especially if you go across series.

    James Cromwell is best-known as Zefrem Cochrane in "First Contact", and he reprised the role on "Enterprise".

    However, he also played both "Prime Minister Nayrok" and "Jaglom Shrek" on "TNG"...
     
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  2. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Animation probably shouldn't be part of the thread or else it'll explode.

    Just "Simpsons" alone would offer dozens of examples!

    It's the OP's call, but I think this thread makes sense when restricted to live action...
     
  3. jjh1959

    jjh1959 Senior Member

    Location:
    St. Charles, MO
    Diana Muldaur -two different characters in the original Star Trek and then Doctor Pulaski in the second season of Next Generation.
     
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  4. vinnie

    vinnie Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    The Odd Couple had several.

    Bella Bruck played Pushover Paige, a replacement secretary for Oscar, a furniture buying lady and a diner patron.

    Phil Leeds played Salty Pepper and a diner patron and an aspiring writer (about to blow the cover off the upholstery business)

    Ogden Talbot played 6 parts:
    - Gloria Moves In (1973) ... Bellboy
    - The Ides of April (1973) ... Postman
    - Natural Childbirth (1971) ... Howard
    - What Does a Naked Lady Say to You? (1971) ... Audience Member (uncredited)
    - Scrooge Gets an Oscar (1970) ... Messenger Boy
    - The Jury Story (1970) ... Juror
     
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  5. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I'm betting a lot of shows through the 80s had many "recurring actors". Heck, "Seinfeld" shows it continued into the 90s!

    I think producers became more conscious of this in the "IMDB Age" and knew that it'd dog them if they used the same actor in different parts.

    With "Odd Couple", Richard Stahl stood out to me because he was so obviously the same actor, if that makes sense. A lot of the time, you forget the actors/small parts, but Stahl had a droll style that made him hard to forget!
     
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  6. vinnie

    vinnie Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    I missed the ultimate Odd Couple recurring actor, Eddie Garret.

    IMDB lists 12 episodes!
    - Felix Remarries (1975) ... Wedding Guest (uncredited)
    - Two Men on a Hoarse (1975) ... Stage Manager
    - Your Mother Wears Army Boots (1975) ... Coach
    - The Bigger They Are (1974) ... Doyle
    - Oscar in Love (1974) ... Party Guest (uncredited)
    - The Big Broadcast (1974) ... Irate Listener
    - The Paul Williams Story (1974) ... Bodyguard
    - The Dog Story (1974) ... Juror (uncredited)
    - A Different Drummer (1974) ... Oscar's Co-worker
    - That Is the Army Mrs. Madison (1973) ... Soldier Two
    - The Hustler (1973) ... Pool Hall Patron (uncredited)
    - A Night to Dismember (1972) ... Party Guest (uncredited)
     
  7. willy

    willy hooga hagga hooga

    Pamela Stephenson played three different characters in UK's The Professionals...

    'Rogue' — Maggie Briggs
    'Stake Out' — Attractive Blonde
    'Old Dog with New Tricks' — Nurse Emma Bolding
     
  8. wayne66

    wayne66 Forum Resident

    Ron Carey also did an episode playing a criminal before he became Officer Leavitt.
     
  9. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    When it comes to M*A*S*H and the same actor returning as a different character Richard Lee Sung is probably the blue ribbon winner- the big, bald Korean who, for example, tries to sell Potter a spot of land for the unit in "Bug Out" (he also sold Frank Burns a watch that ran backwards- "Try other wrist!":laugh:) When the script called for a slightly sleazy Korean local, usually a salesman of some kind, Sung was the show's go-to guy for all eleven seasons.
    As mentioned upthread, both Jerry Orbach and Jeremy Sisto appeared as attorneys on L&O before being added to the main cast as cops. If memory serves S Epatha Merkerson appeared as a victim's mother a couple of years before being cast as Lt. Van Buren as well. There's probably others...
     
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  10. Scooterpiety

    Scooterpiety Ars Gratia Artis

    Location:
    Oregon
    "Do you want to buy a pet shop?"
     
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  11. Scooterpiety

    Scooterpiety Ars Gratia Artis

    Location:
    Oregon
    Annie Parisse played a prostitute on the show before she was cast as ADA Borgia. Michael Imperioli appeared as a murderer before becoming Detective Nick Falco.
     
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  12. Solitaire1

    Solitaire1 Carpenters Fan

    That is likely true. Just scanning the credit list for Naruto seems to indicate that most of the voice actors due multiple roles. One notable exception is Robbie Risk (Choji Akamichi), just one role - yes, he was Cousin Oliver from The Brady Bunch.

    Shows like Fraidy Cat featured multiple characters but only two voice actors for the entire series. In Wacky Races it seems like most of the character voices (more than 20 characters in the series) were done by three people: John Stephenson, Daws Butler, and Don Messick.
     
  13. questrider

    questrider Forum Resident

    Location:
    Middle, Nowhere
    Speaking of The Brady Bunch, you just jogged my old memory! Herb Vigran played two roles in the series. First, he was Harry in "54-40 and Fight" (1970) who worked at the Checker trading stamps store and sold the TV to the girls after they won the house of cards game.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    Then later he played the Examiner in "The Driver's Seat" (1974) who rode with Marcia while she got her driver's license that she imagined in his underwear to relieve her anxiety.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    Now, those could have theoretically been the same character who just changed jobs from store clerk to DMV examiner over four years but I don't think that's how the parts were written.
     
  14. Sternodox

    Sternodox SubGenius Pope of Arkansas

    And it was incredible how utterly different in each part! It took me a long time to realize that it was the same person.
     
  15. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

    [​IMG]

    Richard Lee Sung played various Korean characters in eleven different episodes of M*A*S*H. He was one of only three actual Koreans to have roles in that series. He was always a delight, whenever he showed up.
     
  16. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

    Here's an odd example of someone who was a regular in a series, who was then written out of the show, and came back as a guest star and different character in the series later on.

    I'm thinking of Joseph Campanella, a regular on the first season of MANNIX as Lew Wickersham, who showed up about four years later in the 1972 episode titled "The Crimson Halo" as Dr. Graham Aspinall.

    [​IMG]
     
  17. vinnie

    vinnie Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Hawkeye: Can you identify yourself?
    Kim Luk: This is me!
     
  18. Anthology123

    Anthology123 Senior Member

    More Star Trek TOS -
    Barbara Babcock played two different characters, one on Taste of Armageddon the other in Plato's Stepchildren.

    More Seinfeld - Rance Howard (Ron Howard's dad) , played a blind man in the episode where George lost his glasses. He also played a farmer that took in Newman in
    the deposit bottle - golf clubs episode.
     
  19. TMRY

    TMRY Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central Texas
    You know, I don't think I caught it until watching some of the bonus stuff on the bd. In the first season he was always so dirty and grimy, and muddy, after Bullock threw him in the street.
    I sure didn't recognize him when he came back later on, cleaned up.
    Great show, hope HBO really does make the movie to complete this series.
     
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  20. Regginold31

    Regginold31 Forum Resident

    Martin Ferrero played an assassin named Trini DeSoto in the pilot episode of "Miami Vice". He later became a semi-regular named Izzy Moreno. Izzy was a weaselly, inept con man whose heart was occasionally in the right place.
     
  21. Scooterpiety

    Scooterpiety Ars Gratia Artis

    Location:
    Oregon
    Before she was my favorite Milf, Amanda Bellows, Emmaline Henry appeared in a different role during the first season of "I Dream of Jeannie".
    Other actors who appeared in two or more different roles on that show:

    Woodrow Parfrey
    Paul Lynde
    Michael Ansara
    Ted Cassidy
    Harold Gould
    Ron Masak
     
  22. Scooterpiety

    Scooterpiety Ars Gratia Artis

    Location:
    Oregon
    Yes. I wish I had a dollar for every appearance Virginia Gregg made in "Dragnet" and "Adam-12".
     
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  23. Scooterpiety

    Scooterpiety Ars Gratia Artis

    Location:
    Oregon
    Vito Scotti made several appearances in different small roles in "Columbo".
     
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  24. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    Forgot about those ones...yeah, lots of examples just from the original Law & Order, never mind the spinoffs!

    You must have me on ignore or something, I mentioned Richard Lee Sung a few posts back:laugh:
     
  25. ianuaditis

    ianuaditis Matthew 21:17

    Location:
    Long River Place
    Christa Miller from the Drew Carey show was George's potential boss at the bra factory in one episode and his doodling girlfriend a few seasons later.
     
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