# Actors who appear only in photographs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084 "2016-01-24T16:01:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084/1 "2016-01-24T16:01:45Z")
Catching up on my DVR I saw two examples of actors who did not return to a series but were shown in photographs. In Luther there was a picture of Alice Morgan. In Heroes Reborn it was the cheerleader. Do the actors get paid to use their photograph? Can they refuse to let it be used? Is it different from case to case? I know the two examples I saw would probably be very different since one is on BBC. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084/2 "2016-01-24T16:17:39Z")
Interesting idea! First one to pop into my mind was John Forsythe in _Charlie’s Angels_. Was he ever more than a voice and a photo in that show? ---
**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:** [January 24, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084/3 "2016-01-24T16:36:22Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Interesting idea! First one to pop into my mind was John Forsythe in _Charlie’s Angels_. Was he ever more than a voice and a photo in that show? In that case, he got paid, since he was voicing the role. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084/4 "2016-01-24T19:44:57Z")
Isaiah Washington, who played Preston Burke for the first three seasons\* on Grey’s Anatomy, got upset when a “newspaper clipping” showing his face was used in a S04, E14, lawyers were called, etc. Apparently, his people never noticed that they re-used a wide shot clip from an earlier show that has him walking across the hospital walkway bridge in S04, E04. - See [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiah_Washington#Dismissal) for why he was fired. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084/5 "2016-01-24T22:59:07Z")
Denholm Elliott appeared as a statue in the latest Indiana Jones movie. I think there was a picture too, though. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084/6 "2016-01-24T23:08:26Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Interesting idea! First one to pop into my mind was John Forsythe in _Charlie’s Angels_. Was he ever more than a voice and a photo in that show? In the original 70s series I don’t remember there ever being a picture of him. There were cutaway ‘scenes’ of him speaking on the other end of the phone line always surrounded by scantily clad beauties, but they only showed the back of his head. And I can guarantee it was not actually Forsythe but merely a stand-in. There was an episode were Charlie gets kidnapped. He explains it happening in the opening scene, again over the speakerphone. I don’t remember seeing it, but even thought the ‘Angels’ wind up saving him they somehow maintained the gag that nobody ever actually saw him the whole time\*!\* ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084/7 "2016-01-24T23:22:19Z")
Michael Gambon appeared in a painting as Dumbledore after the character died. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084/8 "2016-01-24T23:22:48Z")
Actors and models all sign some kind of a contract/release to give permission for their image to be used. The details of what can be used, where it can be used, and whether any additional compensation is required would vary from one case to another. It’s a negotiation between the producer and the talent (and their agents). It’s very common for releases to be quite broadly worded, even including the use of images, voice and video in promotional releases, making-of and DVD extras without additional compensation. (Or, perhaps with compensation, at a rate defined in the contract.) If the producer wanted to re-use footage or photos for a purpose not covered in the original release, then they would need a separate release to be signed. Presumably there’d be additional compensation involved as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084/9 "2016-01-24T23:29:54Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Michael Gambon appeared in a painting as Dumbledore after the character died. He also appeared in the movie and the painting is somewhat moving. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084/10 "2016-01-24T23:55:34Z")
Buffalo Bill’s first victim in Silence of the Lambs was only shown in pictures. Starling found polaroids of her in her bedroom, they were hidden in a music box. ---
**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:** [January 25, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084/11 "2016-01-25T01:45:31Z")
Sheryl Lee in _Twin Peaks_, although she might have been in a flashback or two. Martin Milner in the unsuccessful _Route 66_ relaunch. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084/12 "2016-01-25T02:27:27Z")
Only slightly related…Michael Sarrazin only appears in a photo at the end of “The life and times of Judge Roy Bean” ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-appear-only-in-photographs/744084/13 "2016-01-25T02:33:04Z")
Jock Ewing in Dallas appeared as a painting in many of the episodes after Jim Davis died.