# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/61 "2001-10-02T16:28:42Z")
Harry Anderson, _Night Court_ and _Dave’s World_ Maura Tierney, _Newsradio_ and _ER_ Khandi Alexander, _Newsradio_ and _ER_ ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/62 "2001-10-02T18:20:54Z")
Ed Asner also had another series which lasted about two seasons on NBC, _The Bronx Zoo_, and was a regular on _Hearts Afire_ with Markie Post and John Ritter. John Larroquette segued from _Night Court_ to _The John Larroquette Show_ and a multi-season special guest arc on _The Practice_. Ed Begley Jr. was Dr. Victor Ehrlich on _St. Elsewhere_ and is now the electric car driving chef-turned-hairstylist on _Six Feet Under_. Also on _SFU_ is Peter Krause who came to fame as Casey McCall on {i]Sports Night\*. Andre Braugher, Det. Frank Pembleton on _Homicide: Life on the Street_ was Ben Gideon on the ill-fated _Gideon’s Crossing_. His former partner, Kyle Secor, is now on the new series _Philly_. Jon Seda has gone from H:LOTS to _UC: Undercover_. He apparently likes shows with colons in the title. Dean Winters simultaneously played a cop on _Law & Order: Special Victims Unit_ and a convict on _Oz_, as did his co-star Chris Meloni, who also had a role on _NYPD Blue_, as did Sherry Stringfield, who then moved to _ER_ to which she will return later this season. BD Wong, who plays the priest on _Oz_ is now a part of the cast of _Law & Order: Criminal Intent_. (Further investigation will find a great deal of overlap in the the casts of the various Law & Order franchises, Homicide: Life on the Street and NY Undercover, in a weird Michael Chernuchin/Rene Balcer/Dick Wolf actor swapping thing, but that’s a bit OT.) David Schwimmer had a short-lived role on _NYPD Blue_ before moving to _Friends_ and Lisa Kudrow gained her role on Friends because of her ditzy waitress schtick on _Mad About You_. Also on ER (or formerly), Kellie Martin had been the star of _Christy_ and part of the _Life Goes On_ cast prior to portraying the ill-fated Lucy Knight. George Clooney was once a regular on _The Facts of Life_ and the 80’s sitcom _E/R_. Ming-Na was a supporting cast member on _The Single Guy_, Michael Michele is another _Homicide_ refugee and Yvette Freeman, who plays Nurse Haleh, was the snarky assistant on _Working_, which was Fred Savage’s follow-up to _The Wonder Years_. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/63 "2001-10-02T18:34:24Z")
**Law & Order** is nigh-infamous for “same actor, different character” situations. Not only did Jerry Orbach play a lawyer on the show before he was brought back (with a new name) as a cop, but [S. Epatha Merkerson](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Merkerson,+S.+Epatha), who went on to play Lieutenant Van Buren, appeared on the show early on as a lower-income black mother of, as I recall, a murdered child. And then she became Orbach’s boss. What are the odds. Though it wasn’t a “same actor, different character” thing, I did find it funny that James Earl Jones once appeared on **L&O** as an attorney named “Jack McCoy”, a name they later recycled for Sam Waterston’s Assistant DA character. And, so this isn’t a total hijack: A.J. Langer appeared on **My So-Called Life** as Rayanne, and currently appears on NBC’s **Three Sisters**. ---
**Author:** ![frock75](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ad7895/32.png) [@frock75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frock75)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/64 "2001-10-02T18:47:21Z")
Avery Brooks- A Man Called Hawk, DS9, Gargoyles(does that count?) ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/65 "2001-10-02T19:07:21Z")
Patty Duke on The Patty Duke Show. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/66 "2001-10-02T19:23:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Steelerphan \* > **The jury is still out on Scott Bakula, for Quantum Leap and Enterprise.** I would think he already qualifies, based on his recurring role as Ted Shively (Mary Jo’s ex) on Designing Women, and his role as Peter Hunt on Murphy Brown. A few more words on the Lou Grant controversy: I watched every episode of both series, _Lou Grant_ being a personal favorite, and I always felt that Asner was playing the same character he had played on MTM. I never got the impression that the Lou of MTM was an incompetent bumbler. He had to deal with incompetent bumblers (as he did on _Lou Grant_), but he himself was a skilled producer/editor, with a gruff exterior and a heart of mush. Those qualities carried through both series. If we’re including soap performers, since 1984 **David Canary** has done a brilliant job of playing two very different characters on All My Children on a daily basis. And he was Candy on Bonanza. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/67 "2001-10-02T19:33:48Z")
adding a few more to names : Heather Locklear : “The Fall Guy” John Larroquette : “Black Sheep Squadron” Peter Scolari : “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” I think John Astin’s had a number of TV roles – the most famous being Gomez Addams of course (and I think he’s made appearances on the “New Addams Family” which may or may not be successful), but he was also a recurring character on “Night Court” named ‘Buddy’. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/68 "2001-10-02T19:51:26Z")
A horrible thought (horrible in that it might fit, and the fact that I remember it) just occurred to me : Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen : Full House The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley some sitcom which I think was re-tooled into their current show, “So Little Time” All of these went on for at least two years, although I’m not sure if all can truly be labeled, “successful”. ---
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/69 "2001-10-02T19:54:32Z")
Okay, you trumped my Ron Howard and Bill Bixby… but no-one has yet had the temerity to mention… **Richard Dean Anderson**! MacGyver, and Stargate SG-1, as well as General Hospital and the short-lived Seven Brides for Seven Brothers TV series. Ha! ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/70 "2001-10-02T21:14:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheLochNessHump \* > **How about actors who play diffent characters on the same show?** Practically any cartoon fits this query. The Simpsons has dozens of – maybe even a hundred – regular or recurring characters, but a regular cast of maybe five or six. And, of course, Mel Blanc is well known for portraying almost every single one of the original Warner Bros. characters. I believe the old granny who owns Tweety Bird was the only exception; she was voiced by June Foray of Rocky & Bullwinkle fame. ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/71 "2001-10-02T21:20:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheLochNessHump \* > \*\*How about actors who play diffent characters on the same show? > \*\* Jeffrey Combs had two _recurring_ roles on DS9: sleazy Vorta diplomat Weyoun and sleazy Ferengi liquidator Brunt. (Oddly, the former was one of my favorite characters, the latter one of my least favorites… Oh, and another case where the jury is still out is Kevin Sorbo, who played the title role on Hercules and now plays Captain Dylan Hunt on Andromeda. (Hey, both of those are already syndicated… ;)) ---
**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, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/72 "2001-10-02T22:23:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by panamajack \* > \*\*adding a few more to names : > > Heather _Locklear_ : “The Fall Guy” > \*\* That was Heather **Thomas**. mmmm Heather Thomas… ---
**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, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/73 "2001-10-02T22:27:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrVisible \* > \*\*Okay, you trumped my Ron Howard and Bill Bixby… but no-one has yet had the temerity to mention… > **Richard Dean Anderson**! > > MacGyver, and Stargate SG-1, as well as General Hospital and the short-lived Seven Brides for Seven Brothers TV series. > > Ha! \*\* Sorry but I mentioned him back on page 1. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/74 "2001-10-02T22:44:17Z")
Gaaah! Gaaah! Curse you, **bafaa**! Okay… well… um… Richard Dawson! Hogan’s Heroes, and, um… the host of Family Feud. Right? That was a character, right? Richard Dawson, what a character… No? Okay, well… Robert Hegyes! There! Ha! Epstein from Welcome Back Kotter, and he also played Detective Manny Esposito on Cagney & Lacey! There! I got one! Nobody will ever have thought Epstein would go on to another role! (Maniacal laughter ensues.) ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/75 "2001-10-02T23:18:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bafaa \* > \*Originally posted by panamajack \* > \*\*adding a few more to names : > > Heather _Locklear_ : “The Fall Guy” > \*\* > > That was Heather **Thomas**. > mmmm Heather Thomas… Oops, you’re right. I even checked on that, and a quick search mentioned that Heather Locklear had been on the Fall Guy, but now I’ve found out that it was just a guest appearance. In complete agreement on the mmmm. [sub]Why do I remember this stuff? The Olsen-twin sitcom was ‘Two Of a Kind’.[/sub] ---
**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, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/76 "2001-10-02T23:21:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrVisible \* > \*\* > There! I got one! Nobody will ever have thought Epstein would go on to another role! (Maniacal laughter ensues.) \*\* He gave the casting director a note from his mother. ---
**Author:** ![PlanMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2bfe46/32.png) [@PlanMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlanMan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/77 "2001-10-02T23:31:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kinsey \* > **Harry Anderson, _Night Court_ and _Dave’s World_** > > Maura Tierney, _Newsradio_ and _ER_ > Khandi Alexander, _Newsradio_ and _ER_ Harry Anderson also had a recurring role, as a con-man, on _Cheers_ ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/78 "2001-10-02T23:46:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Grace \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Laughing Lagomorph \* > > \*\*Kate Jackson was also the wife on MacMillan and Wife. \*\* > > I thought Susan Saint James playing the wife? She was also in Kate and Allie. \*\* You are right, of course. Mea culpa. (Latin for “I should have checked the IMDB BEFORE posting”). But Kate Jackson did play a policeman’s wife on another 1970’s cop show…The Rookies. Not too surprising that I confused two such attractive ladies. Rrrowrr. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/79 "2001-10-03T12:19:30Z")
Lawrence Hilton-Thomas. Welcome Back Kotter and Alien Nation. ---
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2001, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867/80 "2001-10-03T12:51:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by **psychonaut** \* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by **TheLochNessHump** \* > > How about actors who play diffent characters on the same show? > > Practically any cartoon fits this query. The Simpsons has dozens of – maybe even a hundred – regular or recurring characters, but a regular cast of maybe five or six. And, of course, Mel Blanc is well known for portraying almost every single one of the original Warner Bros. characters. I believe the old granny who owns Tweety Bird was the only exception; she was voiced by June Foray of Rocky & Bullwinkle fame. Actually there are a couple more exceptions, though less well known. June Foray did most of the female character voices for the Looney Tunes set, obviously. However several high WB characters weren’t done by Blanc, most notiably was Elmer Fudd. Elmer Fudd was voiced by radio star Arthur Q. Bryan. In fact in a tribute to him, Bob Clampett redesigned Fudd in the early 40s to look more like Bryan. These were the “fat Fudd” cartoons (_Wabbit Twouble_ among others). Another uncredited voice artist for WB was radio performer and comedian, Stan Freberg. He typically voices the dopey voiced characters like Pete Puma or Junyer Bear (the baby bear in ChucK Jones’s Three Bears series). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-successfully-played-two-characters-on-television/84867.md?page=5)