# Actors who have successfully played TWO characters on television **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 2, 2001, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867 "2001-10-02T00:17:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/1 "2001-10-02T00:17:41Z")
Usually when an actor plays one character on a TV Show, then people can’t really buy into them playing someone else. Michael Richards found this to be true. Inevitably, they’ll get a new show, but it will fold after a season (George Wendt). Who has broken the jinx and successfully played 2 characters on long running television shows that at least made it into syndication? Spin-offs don’t count. Some thoughts: Michael J Fox on Family Ties and Spin City Bob Newhart on Newhart and the Bob Newhart Show Mary Tyler Moore on Dick Van Dyke and MTM Lucy on I Love Lucy and Lucy Bill Cosby has made a career playing himself. Shows that people did (or will) have trouble getting out of. Cheers Seinfeld Friends Wings Drew Carey ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/2 "2001-10-02T00:24:50Z")
Jack Klugman on _The Odd Couple_ and _Quincy_ Michael Landon on _Bonanza_, Little House on the Prairie\*, and _Highway to Heaven_ Bea Arthur on _Maude_ and _The Golden Girls_ Sherman Hemsley on _The Jeffersons_ and _Amen_ ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/3 "2001-10-02T00:29:43Z")
Alan Rachins as Douglas Brachman on LA Law and Dharma’s father on Dharma and Greg. Harry Morgan on Dragnet and M_A_S\*H . William Shatner on Star Trek and TJ Hooker. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/4 "2001-10-02T00:31:59Z")
Excellent. I can’t believe I forgot Landon. He’s the big gun of TV rebirths. Also, Carol O’Connor played Archie Bunker and Heat of the Night Marla Gibbs on 227 and Jeffersons ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/5 "2001-10-02T00:33:54Z")
Paul Reiser was on something called “My Two Dads” before “Mad About You.” Gerald McRaney was a Simon on “Simon & Simon” and was Major Dad on “Major Dad.” James Garner’s Bret Maverick wasn’t _exactly_ the same as his Jim Rockford. William Shatner swapped his character’s first two initials and became “T. J. Hooker” after some small success as a character named James T. Kirk. I forget the name of the show, but it will come to me. ---
**Author:** ![TruePisces](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/truepisces/32/13628_2.png) [@TruePisces](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruePisces)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/6 "2001-10-02T00:35:10Z")
I’m often surprised that I don’t see the following actor mentioned in these kinds of lists, since the charcters that he played were so very different. I’m speaking, of course, of Carroll O’Connor, first as Archie Bunker in _All in the Family_ and then as Bill Gillespie in {i]In the Heat of the Night\*. To me, it showed the complete versatility of the actor. [sub]Damn machine being slow on me… it was already said, but I’m saying it again, anyway![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![bafaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@bafaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bafaa)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/7 "2001-10-02T00:38:37Z")
Ted Danson was Sam Malone on _Cheers_ and is Dr. Becker on _Becker_ ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/8 "2001-10-02T00:40:35Z")
Carrol O’Connor is the only person to my memory to win the Emmy for lead actor in a comedy and a drama. (Ed Asner won supporting comedy and lead drama playing the same character). ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/9 "2001-10-02T00:40:57Z")
One exception for _Seinfeld_ would be Wayne Knight who played Newman and then went on to _Third Rock from the Sun_. ---
**Author:** ![bafaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@bafaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bafaa)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/10 "2001-10-02T00:41:18Z")
Lorne Greene was on _Bonanza, Battlestar Galactica, and Code Red_(I think). ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/11 "2001-10-02T00:44:16Z")
Thought of another one… Bruce Boxleitner from Scarecrow and Mrs. King and Babylon 5 ---
**Author:** ![mug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@mug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mug)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/12 "2001-10-02T00:44:52Z")
Tony Danza’s been on three: Taxi, Who’s the Boss? and he’s now on Family Law. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/13 "2001-10-02T00:45:40Z")
Dennis Franz,Jimmy Smits and Rick Scroeder (and soon Mark Paul Gosselor) use NYPD Blue to rebirth their careers. Hill Street Blues, LA LAW, Silver Spoons, and Saved By the Bell. ---
**Author:** ![bafaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@bafaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bafaa)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/14 "2001-10-02T00:46:27Z")
Garry Shandling on _It’s Garry Shandling’s Show_ and _The Larry Sanders Show_. Richard Dean Anderson on _MacGyver_ and _Stargate SG-1_. ---
**Author:** ![DPWhite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/15 "2001-10-02T00:50:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by watsonwil \* > \*\*Carrol O’Connor is the only person to my memory to win the Emmy for lead actor in a comedy and a drama. > > (Ed Asner won supporting comedy and lead drama playing the same character). \*\* The two Lou Grants were very different characters. They merely had the same profession, same name and face. It was just a ploy to get people to watch a newspaper drama to name it after the MTM character. ---
**Author:** ![bafaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@bafaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bafaa)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/16 "2001-10-02T00:50:53Z")
David Hasselhoff on _Knight Rider_ and _Baywatch_. ---
**Author:** ![Swede\_Hollow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Swede\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swede_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/17 "2001-10-02T00:53:35Z")
**Lee Majors** as “The Fall Guy” and the bionic man (I’m sorry, but “The Six Million Dollar Man” just doesn’t cut it any more). ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/18 "2001-10-02T00:54:05Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by DPWhite \* \*\* > [@](#): > > The two Lou Grants were very different characters. They merely had the same profession, same name and face. It was just a ploy to get people to watch a newspaper drama to name it after the MTM character. \*\* I had heard this. Is it literally true? Was he REALLY a different character or was the show just SO different that they were not similar at all? ---
**Author:** ![bafaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@bafaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bafaa)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/19 "2001-10-02T00:54:39Z")
They keep coming to me… Howard Hesseman in _WKRP in Cincinnati_ and _Head of the Class_. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/20 "2001-10-02T00:56:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Swede Hollow \* > \*\ ***Lee Majors** as “The Fall Guy” and the bionic man (I’m sorry, but “The Six Million Dollar Man” just doesn’t cut it any more). \*\* I heard rumors that Chris Rock was in discussion to do a remake of the Six Million Dollar Man. Because Six Million Dollars is SO MUCH less than it used to be, he has all kinds of junk. Nothing ever came of it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867.md?page=2)