# Actors who have taken on characters made famous by another actor **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 17, 2005, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965 "2005-03-17T09:01:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/21 "2005-03-17T17:28:25Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > In the equally good but different category: > Matthau and Lemmon to Klugman and Randall > _The Odd Couple_ Demond Wilson and Ron Glass absolutely flopped like catfish on hot asphalt with it, though. (It’s not a race thing when I say [that](http://imdb.com/title/tt0083454/) was one of the stupidest remakes in history.) Ironically, when Matthau and Lemmon got around to reprising their roles 30 years later people totally associated the roles with Klugman/Randall. (One thing that barbecued the plot was that it would have made more sense for Felix & Oscar’s grandchildren to be marrying each other than for their children.) ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/22 "2005-03-17T17:30:04Z")
Everyone who played Phillip Marlowe had to fight to get out of Humphrey Bogart’s shadow. Robert Mitchum is the only Marlowe since who has made the role his own. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/23 "2005-03-17T17:37:32Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Anyone want to give Robert Downey, Jr. his props for taking on Chaplain’s Little Tramp? He didn’t really play the Tramp—he played Chaplin playing the Tramp, which is different; he didn’t try to reinterpret the character. Which doesn’t take away from his truly impressive performance in the role. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/24 "2005-03-17T20:18:07Z")
Bad: Poor Marky Mark. First he tries to be Charlton Heston, then he tries to be Carey Grant, then he tries to be Michael Caine. Speaking of Michael Caine: swing-and-a-miss, Jude. Good: I loved Nicol WIlliamson’s portrayal of Sherlock Homes in **The Seven-Per-Cent Solution**. Basil who? ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/25 "2005-03-17T20:22:22Z")
Young Fairuza Balk had the uneviable task of playing Dorothy in _Return to Oz_. It is impossible to watch this movie without thinking of Judy Garland, but Fairuza did a great job. She’s a different sort of Dorothy, but of course the Dorothy in the 1939 _Wizard of Oz_ bore little resemblance to the Dorothy of the Oz books. Ironically, Fairuza Balk went on to a series of teen bimbo roles, often appearing as a slutty Goth chick. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/26 "2005-03-17T21:05:25Z")
Simlarly, Stephanie Mills did an great job in the Broadway urban black “take” on The Wizard of Oz, but her movie counterpart, Diana Ross, was too old too pull off such naivete. It was the same problem Lucille Ball had when she took over the Rosiland Russell role of Mame Dennis. Madonna was younger than Patti Lupone when she took the role of Eva Peron, and opinions vary how well she did her part. … I watch a lot of musicals for a straight black male. What’s up with that? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/27 "2005-03-17T21:22:47Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > Simlarly, Stephanie Mills did an great job in the Broadway urban black “take” on The Wizard of Oz, but her movie counterpart, Diana Ross, was too old too pull off such naivete. It was the same problem Lucille Ball had when she took over the Rosiland Russell role of Mame Dennis. Ooh, really good call. Supposedly Cher is going to play the part in a remake of the musical- she’s pushing 60 (well, about 24% of her is anyway) so I’m curious if she can make it work. The great thing about Ros was you could believe her as an intellectual (Lucy you _never_ could and as a lush and as somebody who’d ride bareback during a fox hunt- Lucy was just Lucille Ricardo Goes to Georgia. > [@Askia](#): > > Madonna was younger than Patti Lupone when she took the role of Eva Peron, and opinions vary how well she did her part. I personally liked her performance. She was certainly a damned site better than the dread “I could overplay a corpse” Faye Dunaway was in the role (who in an O-D of optimism felt at 40 that she could convincingly play a 14 year old virgin). ---
**Author:** ![chefjef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e480ec/32.png) [@chefjef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefjef)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/28 "2005-03-18T18:29:11Z")
> [@LifeOnWry](#): > > Kolchak, yes, which brings to mind the upcoming new Kojak, with Ving Rhames in the Telly Savales role. I think that’ll be interesting. I’ve seen promos for that … . looks interesting. Telly Savales is a god, but I think Rhames might be able to fill his shoes. I’m definitely going to check it out. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/29 "2005-03-18T18:35:26Z")
Gloria Swanson will always be Norma Desmond. Take that, Patti, Glenn, Elaine, Betty, Dianne, Rita, Debbie, faith, Helen, Danielle and the rest… ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/30 "2005-03-18T18:44:00Z")
I haven’t seen the stage musical _Chicago_, but I’ve heard the original cast recordings and I thought they sucked compared to the cast of the movie version. Whoever plays Seymour in subsequent live productions of _Little Shop of Horrors_ won’t hold a candle to Rick Moranis. Pierce Brosnan is one of the top two James Bonds of all time (and in some ways, I prefer him to Connery.) Christopher Reeve is the best Superman, but I’m convinced Christian Bale will be far and away the best Batman. Tobey Maguire was an amazing Peter Parker/Spider-Man compared to Nicholas Hammond, who played Spidey in the low-budget '70s made-for-TV movies. I’m sure Johnny Depp will make an excellent Willy Wonka; different from Gene Wilder’s portrayal, but neither will be considered “better.” That said, I think Johnny Depp was the best actor to play Hunter S. Thompson in _Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas_, but Bill Murray still pulled off an excellent (and different) Thompson performance in the lesser-known film _Where the Buffalo Roam_. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/31 "2005-03-18T19:10:24Z")
What about Ed O’Neill taking on Jack Webb’s Joe Friday in the remake of _Dragnet_? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/32 "2005-03-18T19:15:23Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > Good: I loved Nicol WIlliamson’s portrayal of Sherlock Homes in **The Seven-Per-Cent Solution**. Basil who? Can’t argue the point **Dooku** , he was good, but Jeremy Brett _owns_ the role of Holmes. I also immediately thought of Colin Firth as Darcy, too. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/33 "2005-03-18T19:34:15Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > What about Ed O’Neill taking on Jack Webb’s Joe Friday in the remake of _Dragnet_? He also played Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman’s character in _The French Connection_) in some crappy TV movie. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/34 "2005-03-18T19:37:33Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > What about Ed O’Neill taking on Jack Webb’s Joe Friday in the remake of _Dragnet_? Or Dan Ackroyd in the movie? Of course, remaking the Blues Brothers with anyone but Ackroyd and Belushii was a capital offense. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/35 "2005-03-18T19:57:24Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > …Jeremy Brett _owns_ the role of Holmes. I’ll see your Jeremy Brett (R.I.P.), and raise you Edward Hardwicke as Dr. Watson. A totally different conception of Watson than the standard “By Jove, Holmes!” An intelligent professional man, a partner, not a foil. A worthy companion to Brett’s definitive Holmes. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/36 "2005-03-18T20:35:04Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Or Dan Ackroyd in the movie? Of course, remaking the Blues Brothers with anyone but Ackroyd and Belushii was a capital offense. Actually, **Annie** , Ackroyd played the original Friday’s nephew, also named Jack. ---
**Author:** ![jeevmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@jeevmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeevmon)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/37 "2005-03-18T20:43:59Z")
The good: Gary Sinise and Amy Morton as Randle McMurphy and Nurse Ratchett in Steppenwolf’s stage production of “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.” Though it probably doesn’t really count, Brian Dennehy as Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman.” The image I have in my mind of Willy Loman was as played by Dustin Hoffman - the needy nebbish. This was the version that was popular when I first read the play in high school. Dennehy played the part in a completely different way, as the gregarious glad-hander who becomes all the more vulnerable when his flaws are exposed. I was floored. It was that moment that I realized just how brilliant the play was, and how much of a difference an actor can make in how a role is interpreted. Sarah Michelle Gellar taking over the character of Buffy Summers from Kristy Swanson. The very, very, bad: Julia Ormond, Greg Kinnear, and Harrison Ford trying to recreate the roles made famous by Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, and Humphrey Bogart in “Sabrina.” ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/38 "2005-03-18T20:53:27Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Actually, **Annie** , Ackroyd played the original Friday’s nephew, also named Jack. :smack: That should be “also named _Joe_.” Geez, I’m a :wally ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/39 "2005-03-18T20:55:04Z")
> [@jeevmon](#): > > The good: > > Gary Sinise and Amy Morton as Randle McMurphy and Nurse Ratchett in Steppenwolf’s stage production of “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.” Oh, Sinise! While Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney were excellent in the old Of Mice and Men, I think Sinise and John Malkovich were practically perfect in every way in the remake. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965/40 "2005-03-18T23:57:52Z")
I think Robert DeNiro did an excellent job filling Robert Mitchum’s shoes playing Sam Cady in the otherwise shitty remake of _Cape Fear_. Nick Nolte, on the other hand wasn’t fit to lick Gregory Peck’s muddy boots. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-have-taken-on-characters-made-famous-by-another-actor/294965.md?page=3)