# Actors who killed (or very nearly so) their careers by taking \*too\* memorable a role. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631 "2004-08-26T17:28:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/141 "2004-10-17T14:35:29Z")
> [@Tenar](#): > > Re: Patrick Stewart, it took me awhile to accept him as Captain Picard because I saw him first as Sejanus in “ **I, Claudius**.” On the flipside: I saw him in “A Fall of Eagles” where he played Lenin. This was while TNG was running. Very odd. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/142 "2004-10-17T15:48:42Z")
There’s a difference between people who will always be known for a role and people who couldn’t get other roles because of a memorable role. Patrick Stewart will certainly always be known as Captain Piccard, but if anything this has helped him land roles like Professor X, which has made him additional millions. That’s the other thing, his fame from Star Trek translates into _much bigger paychecks._ ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/143 "2004-10-17T15:49:59Z")
Although personally, whenever I see him as Captain Picard I think “Isn’t that the guy who played Locutus? Where are all his metal implants?” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nekosoft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c2a13f/32.png) [@Nekosoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nekosoft)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/144 "2004-10-17T18:32:53Z")
I’m thinking John Wayne in The Conqueror… Or did you mean figuratively? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/145 "2004-10-17T18:39:34Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Why bring up **Titanic** to talk about Billy Zane when Kate Winslet will probably be “Rose” forever? Haven’t watched **Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind** , have you? I think the people who enjoy that movie, even though it’ll only be a fraction of the number of people who went to see Titanic, will find Winslet’s role in ESotSM far more memorable. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/146 "2004-10-17T18:51:10Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > The _Happy Days_ “kids” have either succeeded behind the camera (Ron Howard, Henry Winkler) or settled for whatever on-screen work they could get (Donny Most, Anson Williams, Erin Moran). Among the older generation, Marion Ross has had a few fairly notable roles (_Drew Carey Show_, _Brooklyn Bridge_), but her obituary’s headline will say that she was “Mrs. C”. Tom Bosley’s best-known post-Howard Cunningham roles have probably been as the lead in _Father Dowling Mysteries_ and the sheriff in _Murder, She Wrote_. Anson Williams is also producing and directing, I believe. And Marion Ross had a couple of great roles on _Gilmore Girls_, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/147 "2004-10-17T19:41:43Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > Jasmine Guy… [is] having a hell of time finding other roles outside the wholesome kid mold… **Jasmine Guy** at least has the stage as an outlet for her singing and dancing. Lately, she’s playing an embittered grim reaper/meter maid (later police officer) on the cable series _Dead Like Me_ and doing okay. Actually, I think she managed to avoid typecasting from _A Different World_ because she gave her character such an exagerrated accent, distancing herself from that character. Of course, that didn’t help Andy Kaufman, but he was kind of a jerk. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/148 "2004-10-17T19:47:31Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > And Marion Ross had a couple of great roles on _Gilmore Girls_, as well. Plus the recurring role of Drew Carey’s mom. In fact, many of the people listed in this thread didn’t have their careers killed by a specific role; rather some of them were cast as specific characters and then it was later revealed that they didn’t have much range _beyond_ that character. Even then, if there’s money to be made in playing the same basic character over and over, some limited actors were still financial sucesses. I’m lookin’ at **you** , John Wayne and Steven Seagal! ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/149 "2004-10-17T20:48:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by capacitor > Bill and Leonard did alright for themselves after Classic Trek. > Actually, according to their autobiographies, they kind of limped along doing crappy movies, occasional guest-star shots and made-for-TV dreck after Classic Trek. Nimoy landed a regular deal on Mission: Impossible for a while, but was reduced to doing dinner theatre at one point, while wrestling with Paramount to get the rights to his very memorable face (Paramount was still gleefully merchandising Star Trek stuff with Nimoy’s picture on it, for which Nimoy recieved not a dime). > > Neither actor was what you’d call “successful” until allovasudden Star Trek: The Motion Picture was greenlighted, and it occurred to Paramount that they had a potential money machine here… IF they could get the original actors back. Nimoy in particular soaked them for a blue zillion, plus the option of directing his own movies, and Shatner set himself up as a horse breeder and rancher with the money from the movies. Shatner didn’t spend that much time out of the spotlight. He had 8 TV roles in the next four years after Start Trek, starred in a movie with Angie Dickenson (“Big Bad Mama”), then got his own TV series, “The Barbary Coast” which lasted a couple of seasons. Lots more TV appearances before the first Star Trek Movie (plus voice work in the animated series), then after that he had the long-running and popular “TJ Hooker”. Shatner has always had a pretty solid career. Not A-list movie star stuff, but journeyman TV actor stuff. Now he’s got what looks like another hit series with “Boston Legal”. He’s pretty good in it, too. Won an Emmy last year. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/150 "2004-10-17T20:55:39Z")
How about **Roger Moore**? Sean Connery pretty much managed to leave Bond behind, but that’s because he was a good enough actor to do so. Roger Moore, on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/151 "2004-10-17T21:12:39Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > **Rafe Fiennes** will always be the nazi in Schindeler’s List. I thought he did a great job as Charlie Van Doren in _Quiz Show_ > [@](#): > > **Radar O’Reilly & Father Mulcahy** will always be Radar O’Reilly and Father Mulcahey. Colonel Potter, BJ and Hot Lips, too. I’ll give you this one, but didn’t some of the actors try to catch lightning in a bottle twice with the short-lived _AfterMash_? That may have led to the stereotyping. Although the guy who played Col Henry Blake didn’t too very much after he left _MASH_. And I didn’t know Rosalind Chao was in _Diff’rent Strokes_! She’ll always be Keiko O’Brien to me. Although, I think Matt LeBlanc has pigeon-holed himself. At least the other _Friends_ actors have gone on to other projects, and Jennifer Aniston is not doing too badly in the movie biz. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/152 "2004-10-17T21:15:43Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I thought he did a great job as Charlie Van Doren in _Quiz Show_ > > I’ll give you this one, but didn’t some of the actors try to catch lightning in a bottle twice with the short-lived _AfterMash_? That may have led to the stereotyping. Although the guy who played Col Henry Blake didn’t too very much after he left _MASH_. Hey! McLean Stevenson went on to do the tremendously popular and well-written _Hello, Larry_! Okay, I concede your point… ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/153 "2004-10-17T23:46:56Z")
And the RACSO (Oscar spelled backwards) goes to- Jessica Walter for her slicer-dicer role in “Play Misty For Me” with Clint Eastwood. Rent it for Halloween. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/154 "2004-10-18T07:57:14Z")
I think Tom Baker pretty much killed his career after being the most memorable Doctor Who. Last I saw of him was the fat, camp Elf king in Dungeons And Dragons. Hopefully that movie killed a lot of careers - and yes, Jeremy Irons, I’m looking at you. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/155 "2004-10-18T14:30:10Z")
As much as I love him and worship his brilliance, Bruce Campbell will always be Ash. Brisco runs a close second. I’ll still see him in anything he does, however. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/156 "2004-10-18T17:56:27Z")
Jean Hagen’s brilliant performance as the tone-deaf Lina Lamont in _Singin’ In the Rain_ seems to have done her career little good. _An’ I cyiiiiiiiiint stained 'im!_ ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/157 "2004-10-18T18:21:38Z")
> [@tim314](#): > > Although personally, whenever I see him as Captain Picard I think “Isn’t that the guy who played Locutus? Where are all his metal implants?” > > 😉 i read somewhere that Patrick Stewart’s first ad-lib line on camera as LoB was; “I am Locutus of Borg, have you ever considered owning…a Pontiac?” ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/158 "2004-10-19T10:35:47Z")
I have a feeling that despite her best efforts to the contrary, Sarah Michelle Gellar will always be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I hope to God that despite her best efforts to the contrary, Eliza Dushku will always be Faith the Vampire Slayer. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/159 "2004-10-19T11:18:46Z")
> [@Middlecase](#): > > I think Tom Baker pretty much killed his career after being the most memorable Doctor Who. Last I saw of him was the fat, camp Elf king in Dungeons And Dragons. Hopefully that movie killed a lot of careers - and yes, Jeremy Irons, I’m looking at you. Tom Baker must make shitloads off voiceover work, as well as being a regular guest star on any number of British Sunday night dramas. He’s currently doing the voiceover parts for Little Britain, and is hilarious. Apparently he’s well funny in real life too. I pray for the day when him and Brian Blessed do a film/program together. And possibly fight each other. Shit, i’m going to make a film just so I can cast them two fighting each other in it. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631/160 "2004-10-19T13:07:42Z")
I second the nomination of BELA LUGOSI: he was a fine actor (though hampered by his thick hungarian accent)…the Dracula role was all he had. He was a pathetic character…never made real money, and was broke by the end of his life. Boris Karloff managed toget acting roles into the 1950’s…not sure how he wound up fianancially. And Lon Chaney Jr. had a tragic life. I gues it doesn’t pay to be a monster! Still, it is hard for me to understand how ANy actor who makes it to the movies can wind up poor…if you save and invest your money, shoul;d have something when the agents don’t call anymore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-killed-or-very-nearly-so-their-careers-by-taking-too-memorable-a-role/261631.md?page=9)