Can't separate the actor/actress from one specific character

Notice too, that Jonathan Harris was born in 1914. He was to make his appearance in Lost in Space a full half century later. He acted in many things before that. Afterward, he did TV appearances before finally settling in on doing animation voice overs, most likely for that reason.

For most of us, he will always be remembered as Dr. Smith. He did a lot of the conventions.

 

I will always remember him as my dear friend. : )

 

According to IMDB, he did A Bug's Life in '98 and Toy Story 2 in '99. This was just three years before his final curtain call.

He had a full half century as an actor, way more than most.

TV science fiction shows suffered in part due to having horribly small budgets back then. While you can do ordinary TV on those kind if budgets, you just can't do science fiction without realistic and convincing sets and effects.

Though I did not realize it back then, the series probably would not survived as long as it did without Jonathan. Though it was not conceived that way, Johnathan, Billy and the B-9 robot, were the trilogy that was the glue holding the series together.

You would have had a hard time coming up with space oriented story lines without the benefit of a more substantial budget.

As hokey as the series was on its own, I recently learned that part of that came from the network. Bill Mumy did an interview where he explained that people were hot on goofy comedic shows as the 60's progressed. Back then shows like Gilligan's Island, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres and Batman were all goofy and popular. So, they camped up LIS even more so.

 

Leslie Nielsen/Frank Drebin

He still got a few dramatic roles after Airplane, but The Naked Gun sealed him into spoof roles. Which he was happy to do. So basically he got to keep playing a version of Drebin in a bunch of other movies.

That's a good example of the male/female issue though. Daniel Radcliffe has found it impossible to succeed in another role. Meanwhile, Emma Watson has done more, including the megahit Beauty and the Beast. So...

Daniel Radcliffe/Harry Potter

The fact that women less often take the lead may be part of it, but even then, I have a hard time thinking of any who got stuck in one role. Take Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct. As a new face in a very distinct role, she could have been stuck as that character. But she was able to go on doing lots of different roles, and even get Oscar-nominated. Angelina Jolie didn't get typecast as a mental patient or as the Tomb Raider. Jamie Lee Curtis didn't get stuck as a scream queen. Gal Gadot is now getting all kinds of big roles, although it's a little early to see if the audiences accept her outside Wonder Woman. In TV, Mary Tyler Moore, Betty White and Valerie Harper were able to do multiple hit series playing different kinds of characters. In fact, Dick Van Dyke found it much harder to ever break out of his image from The Dick Van Dyke show (but eventually got a hit with that murder mystery show).

Certainly, many guys like Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Douglas have done lots of iconic roles without getting stuck in them. But it's still quite hard to think of a woman who got stuck being associated with only one role. I would say perhaps Julie Andrews, who saw enormous success as the saccharine sweet star of Mary Poppins and Sound of Music, and couldn't parlay it into other types of roles with much success at all.

 

Dan Hedaya will always be Nick Tortelli.

 

Some surprising TV breakouts include Buddy Ebsen as Barnaby Jones and Shatner as Hooker.

I always had some empathy for Elizabeth Shue, who somehow got cast as "the girlfriend".

 

I always wished for a reunion movie, but Irwin Allen would have no part in it..I'm happy we got 3 seasons! would have been great if they ended the series proper, but the cast were sure there was going to be a 4th season.

 

Naw. He just plays that same personality in all his movies.

 

T. J. Hooker - William Shatner. I heard he did some science fiction role too, but that one just never stuck.

 

Yeah, those science fiction shows come and go all the time, nobody remembers them..

 

and I like them all...I am a Ryan fan...

 

All of the Monkees.

Jerry Mathers

I think a lot of actors never got out of a specific character because they were the equivalent of what we call in music, "one hit wonders".

 

Me too. I loved him in Red Notice, but as usual, he plays the irreverent guy that acts like he can't be hurt. I also liked him in 6 Underground.

 

That surprised everyone! As specially the cast. As ratings went, they weren't in danger of being canceled. Everyone was on sumner hiatus and they were notified that the show was canceled. Just like that. So there was no filming a last episode or goodbyes on the set for the cast.

Irwin Allen went on to do The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno and then went on to produce a bunch of less than memorable TV shows.

 

there isn't anything I did not like him in...well there is one movie role he most def didn't act the same in...https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1567437/

 

yes, he had a great opportunity to have a reunion movie and he refused...Billy Mumy tried to get him to do one...he even wrote a script...

 

All I know for sure is that the 1966 Batman movie with Adam West is the best Batman movie.

 

But if it's a serious role he has a beard.

 

Not really. 3 years after Karate Kid she had the lead in Adventures in Babysitting. The BTTF sequels part, she only took because she didn't want to do a big part after her brother's death. I think she had a decent variety of roles in the '90s, especially the Oscar-nominated Leaving Las Vegas. She didn't break out into a big star, but not necessarily because she was typed into one part.

 

Brent Spiner - Data on ST: TNG
Rhea Perlman - Carla Tortelli on Cheers

I was going to say Ted Danson because of Sam Malone, but he really took to his role on Becker (very underrated show, btw).

 

Shelley Long/Cheers

That was a tough one. She fell into only playing stuck-up, prissy types. But she definitely had the ability to do more. Her character in Night Shift was completely different, more of a free-spirited, wild woman.

 

Doing well playing himself on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'

 

Henry Winkler. Fonzie. That is all.

 

that's funny! ; )

 

that's a tough one to agree with...; )