# Actors and characters that share first names **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926 "2011-09-28T20:59:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/21 "2011-09-29T00:15:34Z")
Sam Trammell plays Sam Merlotte on True Blood. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/22 "2011-09-29T01:58:26Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Tons. > > Most sitcoms that are ‘vehicles’ for comedians do this. > > Andy Griffith / Andy Taylor. > > Lucille Ball / Lucy Ricardo. > > Bob Newhart / Bob Hartley. > > Jerry Seinfeld / Jerry Seinfeld. > > Danny Thomas / Danny Williams. > > Are you just yanking our chains, **Bricker**? It’s not quite the same, but Cybill starring Cybill Shepherd as Cybill Sheridan. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/23 "2011-09-29T03:09:31Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > It’s not quite the same, but Cybill starring Cybill Shepherd as Cybill Sheridan. Hmm, that sounds like exactly the same… And regarding Creed Bratton as Creed Bratton: As Creed Bratton said in one episode where he was making fake IDs: “The first identity I ever stole was Creed Bratton’s.” ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/24 "2011-09-29T03:13:04Z")
Daniel Day Lewis as Daniel Plainview (_There Will Be Blood_) James Spader as James Ballard (_Crash_) ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/25 "2011-09-29T03:19:04Z")
(All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy)[sup]_X[/sup]_ ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/26 "2011-09-29T03:22:16Z")
I remember (mainly because I had a huge crush on her as a kid) that Susan Richardson played Susan Bradford on “Eight Is Enough”. The character name was borrowed from the book the show was based on. Sandy Duncan played lead character Sandy Hogan on “The Hogan Family”. You may remember the show started as “Valerie” in which the lead character Valerie Hogan was played by…Valerie Harper. Did this show’s producer have any imagination at all? ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/27 "2011-09-29T03:54:33Z")
Just about everyone on _Curb Your Enthusiasm_, even the ones who aren’t playing themselves. I’m still not sure if Wanda Sykes is playing herself or just a character named Wanda. ---
**Author:** ![JessMagic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@JessMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessMagic)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/28 "2011-09-29T05:02:04Z")
Rik Mayall played Rick on _The Young Ones_. I don’t think we ever learn Rick’s surname. Taking a slight detour here, but worth mentioning because it’s really funny. In _Extras_, Ricky Gervais’ Seinfeldian sitcom, Keith Chegwin appears as himself. Chegwin is cast as “Alfie” in _When The Whistle Blows_, the show-within-a-show. However, “Alfie” has to be renamed “Keith” as Chegwin is unable to grasp the concept that he is playing a character with a different name to his. OK, I probably haven’t explained that well, and I’ve kinda confused myself. Also, I’m now thinking about how best to explain Keith Chegwin to U.S. Dopers… ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/29 "2011-09-29T05:10:11Z")
> [@JessMagic](#): > > Rik Mayall played Rick on _The Young Ones_. I don’t think we ever learn Rick’s surname. He also played Richie Rich in Filthy Rich and Catflap, Richie Richard in Bottom, and Rest Home Ricky in Shock Treatment. An interesting variant on this is Andrea Parker playing Miss Parker on The Pretender (I miss that show). ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/30 "2011-09-29T12:42:17Z")
Bill Paxton playing Bill Henderson on Big Love. ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/31 "2011-09-29T13:01:59Z")
Dave Foley playing Dave Nelson and Joe Rogan playing Joe Garelli on _NewsRadio_. “Your last name is Garelli?” ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/32 "2011-09-29T13:18:12Z")
Woody Allen has been playing a character named “Woody Allen” for a few decades now in many media. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/33 "2011-09-29T13:19:38Z")
Lisa Cuddy/Lisa Edelstein (House MD) Tracy Morgan/Tracy Jordan (30 Rock) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/34 "2011-09-29T13:22:56Z")
::shrugs:: TV Tropes has an entire page dedicated to this, at [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheDanza](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheDanza) – covering pretty much everything here, and yards more: Gabe Kaplan as Gabe Kotter, Ricky Schroeder as Ricky Stratton, Tracy Morgan as Tracy Jordan, Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, and so on. They seem to have missed Tom Selleck as Tom Magnum, though. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/35 "2011-09-29T13:47:35Z")
> [@Oly](#): > > (All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy)[sup]_X[/sup]_ Are you referring to the actor who played Jack Napier in the original Batman movie? What’s that guy’s name again? ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/36 "2011-09-29T13:56:07Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Bill Paxton playing Bill Henderson on Big Love. Bill Paxton as Private Bill Hudson in Aliens. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/37 "2011-09-29T13:56:50Z")
There’s the case of Pelle Hvenegaard playing the title character in the Swedish film **Pelle the Conqueror**. Hvenegaard was actually named for the character he played: his parents were fans of the original book. By the time the movie was shooting, he was 11, and old enough to play the role. Just added this to TVtropes. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/38 "2011-09-29T13:58:25Z")
If we’re bringing movies into it, John Lithgow was the only actor named “John” who played a Lectroid in Buckaroo Banzai. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/39 "2011-09-29T14:11:26Z")
Willard “Will” Smith played William “Will” Smith in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ---
**Author:** ![Rattlehead02](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rattlehead02/32/3944_2.png) [@Rattlehead02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rattlehead02)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926/40 "2011-09-29T14:38:43Z")
> [@JessMagic](#): > > Rik Mayall played Rick on _The Young Ones_. I don’t think we ever learn Rick’s surname. > > Taking a slight detour here, but worth mentioning because it’s really funny. In _Extras_, Ricky Gervais’ Seinfeldian sitcom, Keith Chegwin appears as himself. Chegwin is cast as “Alfie” in _When The Whistle Blows_, the show-within-a-show. However, “Alfie” has to be renamed “Keith” as Chegwin is unable to grasp the concept that he is playing a character with a different name to his. > > OK, I probably haven’t explained that well, and I’ve kinda confused myself. Also, I’m now thinking about how best to explain Keith Chegwin to U.S. Dopers… I have no clue who Keith Chegwin is, but that bit was hysterical. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-and-characters-that-share-first-names/597926.md?page=3)