Actors who have taken on characters made famous by another actor

Cafe Society
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I was watching the trailer for the new Honeymooners movie and thinking that Cedric the Entertainer, who presumably has no shortage of good scripts, is gutsy to take on a role so associated (iconic almost) with another actor. Then I remembered I thought the same thing when Raul Julia & Anjelica Huston took on the roles of Gomez & Morticia and quickly made you say “Astin who? Carolyn who?” (though I still prefer Jackie Coogan’s Fester), so it could work.

So who are some other actors (that’s in the gender neutral sense) who have taken on characters originated or “perfected” by another actor and either succeeded brilliantly in redefining the character or failed absolutely miserably?
A few who come to mind:
Successes

Alan Cumming definitely redefined the Emcee in Cabaret, a daunting task considering that Joel Grey originated the role, earned a Tony and an Oscar for it and appeared in revivals on both sides of the Atlantic for it for two decades. Today when you think CABARET you can go with either actor.

Anthony Hopkins so completely refashioned Lecter to the point that even the few people who saw Manhunter (in which Brian Cox was just as cerebral) forgot that there was ever another Hannibal.

Many will disagree with me, but speaking of Hannibal I thought that Julianne Moore’s take on Starling was a very worthy succession. Only in her face-to-face scenes with Hopkins did you miss Foster and that was strictly for continuity sake. She wasn’t as “country” as Foster had been, but her character had undergone a decade more of urban living and frontline law enforcement experience.
Failures

Donna Reed’s “Miz Ellie” on Dallas was an unqualified flop; you just couldn’t believe her as an earthy matriarch more at home at a rodeo than at a gallery opening.

Bronson Pinchot deserves a special spot in Remake Hell for attempting to re-create Stan Laurel to Gailard Sartain’s Oliver Hardy.

I don’t think anybody saw Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood and said “Errol who?”

Klinton Spilsbury’s Lone Ranger made Tonto call him “Kimo Bi-yatch”.

Chow Yun Fat and Jodie Foster are both great actors, but nobody will remember their movie while Yul Brynner’s silk pajamas & Deborah Kerr’s skirts will be flying in The King & I for as long as our Lord in Heaven Buddha makes little gay boys.

He’s a great character actor, but from the cast recording and clips Alfred Molina is unlikely to make anybody forget Topol or Zero Mostel for even a second as Tevye. (I would love to see Harvey’s take on the role).

And speaking of Mostel, while Nathan Lane may do an okay job with Bialystok, there is but one Bloom and Wilder is the portrayer of Bloom.

2

Speaking of Wilder, Johnny Depp has some big shoes to fill playing Willy Wonka in Tim Burton’s upcoming Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

3

I believe Pierce Brosnan did a good job with the Bond character

4

I always felt sorry for Steven Weber for having to follow Jack Nicholson in The Shining.

5

William Hartnell, to
Patrick Troughton, to
John Pertwee, to
Tom Baker, to
Peter Davison, to
Colion Baker, to

all the rest.

6

Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Christian Bale all walk in Adam West’s shadow.

7

Not quite so high-brow. I was discussing a DCU Barbara Gordon story I’d written with a co-worker, and asked her if she knew much about Batgirl.

Her: “Alicia Silverstone?”
Me: “…Dina Meyer.”

8

I’m looking forward to seeing how this Brandon Routh fellow does stepping into Christopher Reeves’s shoes.

Tangential to the subject, I think Tom Welling has done a terrific job playing the younger Clark Kent on Smallville.

9

Over in Metropolis, Christopher Reeve kicked poor George Reeves to the curb (insert murder/suicide joke here) and became the definitive Superman. Dean Cain gave it the old college try, but couldn’t really hold a candle to Reeve.

10

Stupid simulposts!

11

In the equally good but different category:
Matthau and Lemmon to Klugman and Randall
The Odd Couple

12

I disagree – I loved Dean Cain as Superman, and thought Teri Hatcher was also good in that role. (Loved the ep where Noel Neill played her mom!)

13

How can you people miss the big one?

Ewan MacGregor utterly owns Obi-Wan Kenobi. He’s got that so utterly nailed that I halfway think he’s channelling Guinness. I can easily see the man Obi-Wan became in the mannerisms and behavior of the earlier version.

14

Joe Mantegna portrayed Robert B. Parker’s Boston detective Spenser in two made-for-A&E movies. The character was first played in a network series by Robert Urich. I like Mantegna, but Urich will be the actor remembered best for the role.

15

Teri Hatcher definitely took Lois Lane and made it her own.

But I never cared for Kidder as Lois. I found her rather grating.

16

I can not believe no one hasn’t mentioned the original Kolchak, and the new.

Hey, the recent movie of Shaft, does that count? After all, the man on the street is suppost to think of it as a remake of the original Shaft, but Richard Roundtree appears, and makes it clear that the protagonist is his nephew, so it’s not really the same character, is it?

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Kolchak, yes, which brings to mind the upcoming new Kojak, with Ving Rhames in the Telly Savales role. I think that’ll be interesting.

18

Anyone want to give Robert Downey, Jr. his props for taking on Chaplain’s Little Tramp?

Peter Boyle’s -umm- unique take on Frankenstein’s monster.

19

Eddie Murphy completely took over Professor Sherman Klump from Jerry Lewis – and created four other roles, too.

20

Colin Firth absolutely owns the character of Darcy now. I know there must have been many earlier renditions, but the most famous was by Lawrence Olivier, whose performance now pales by comparison to CF’s brooding, earthy Darcy.