Actors Who Were the Role

Robert Walker in Strangers on a Train

 

You would pick one of them over Baldwin or Ford? I wouldn’t.

 

Yeah, I'll repeat the question: who else has played the character "Tommy" who was in Goodfellas? This thread is about characters that have been played by multiple actors, but one particular actor has stood out as the standard for all others. "Tommy" from Goodfellas was played by Joe Pesci and Joe Pesci only. Capisce?

 

Colombo was also an incredibly well written show. Sir, I just have one more question sir.

 

I'd pick Kraskinski. I think he's very good in the current series on Amazon Prime.

 

I thought it was more like: "oh, just one more thing" .... and BAM!

 

I guarantee you he wouldn’t win a poll, though.

 

No doubt, however the question was asked and I answered it.

 

I would say Daniel Day Lewis' portrayal of Tomas in Unbearable Lightness of Being rose to that level.

 

Val Kilmer is my favorite Doc Holiday.

 

Mitchum never portrayed Sam Spade. People often confuse the movie versions of Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade, since both were portrayed by Humphrey Bogart, both were hard-boiled private investigators, the time frame was similar, both wore trenchcoats and hats, etc.

Nobody portrayed Sam Spade in film after Bogart, though there was an earlier 1931 version of The Maltese Falcon starring Ricardo Cortez as Spade. There was also a radio serial in the late 40s.

Many film actors have taken on Marlowe in addition to Bogart, including Mitchum on two occasions in the 1970s. The reason being is there was much more source material for Philip Marlowe. Dashiell Hammett only wrote one full length novel featuring Sam Spade, although there were some other short stories with Spade. None of those short stories was made into a film. Raymond Chandler completed 7 full Marlowe novels, several of which were made into films over the years.

 

Don't even joke about this.

 

Just so long as it's not Anne Heche.

 

I didn’t realize no one played Sam Spade again after Bogart—except in spoofs, of course, and with an altered name. (I’m thinking George Segal in a '70s comedy whose name I forget.) Thanks for that.

 

That could be the answer to so many questions.

 

Who else has played the role?

 

That movie was called "The Black Bird" and Segal played "Sam Spade Jr.". Awful movie, btw.

 

George Reeves was the definitive Superman for an entire generation of kids. It’s a tough call though because in films and Tv (all live action) there have been seven actors that have played the role.

older Harrison Ford
Younger John Krazinski

 

I was taking the thread title literally, so didn't realize the film had to be a remake.

 

Not so much a "remake" as the character has to have been played by more than one actor. There are tons of iconic roles in films by actors that have happened only once. This thread is about characters like Jack Ryan, Hercule Poirot, James Bond, Bruce Wayne/Batman, etc.

 

Don Knotts as Barney Fife. And while we're in Mayberry Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle.

 

My pick is for Jeff Bridges as The Dude...Lebowski

 

Nice one.

 

This is the point that so many people seem to be missing.

 

I just recently listened to the Gene Roddenberry Behind Star Trek album and Shatner admitted as much. Not that he "owned" that role but that he played Kirk as himself (as he'd like to be in such a fantastical situation, that is). DeForrest Kelly also indicated the same about McCoy.