# Actors who played the same character in two different versions of the same movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 15, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-played-the-same-character-in-two-different-versions-of-the-same-movie/777252 "2017-01-15T19:21:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-played-the-same-character-in-two-different-versions-of-the-same-movie/777252/61 "2017-01-20T01:24:40Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Various horror movie stars in multiple versions of the same story. Peter Cushing was often Van Helsing. Christopher Lee was often Dracula. > > Peter Cushing also played Sherlock Holmes in a number of different productions. He was in two different versions of _The Hound of the Baskervilles_. One was a cinema movie, the other was a 2-part TV episode > > [The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052905/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_91) > [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0394887/?ref\_=nm\_flmg\_act\_541](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0394887/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_541) Lee, I’ll give you since Count Dracula wasn’t part of Hammer’s Dracula series, but Cushing no, his frequent Van Helsing roles were all a part of the same series (and not even always the same person, at least one was a decendant.) Also not counting his numerous times as Dr. Frankenstein, also all in a Hammer series. > [@Mr.Bill](#): > > Bela Lugosi apparently played Dracula at least 5 times, in 2 feature movies, 1 short movie and 2 TV episodes. > > He also played Ygor in 2 Frankenstein films. > > Son of Frankenstein in 1939 and Ghost of Frankenstein in 1942. Different directors and casts other than himself. Ghost is a sequel to Son (and the rest of the series) doesn’t count as a “different version of same movie” remotely. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-played-the-same-character-in-two-different-versions-of-the-same-movie/777252/62 "2017-01-20T12:43:04Z")
**Billy Bob Thornton** played Karl Childers in both the short film _Some Folk Call it a Sling Blade_ and the feature film expanded from it, _Sling Blade_. **Bruce Campbell** and **Ellen Sandweiss** play essentially the same characters (with different names) in _The Evil Dead_ that they did in the short film _Within the Woods_, both directed by Sam Raimi. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-played-the-same-character-in-two-different-versions-of-the-same-movie/777252/63 "2017-01-20T13:21:19Z")
On UK TV, Kevin Stoney played Thrasyllus in the 1969 series _The Caesars_ and in the 1976 series _I,Claudius_. He was excellent in each. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-played-the-same-character-in-two-different-versions-of-the-same-movie/777252/64 "2017-01-20T13:45:33Z")
Not an actor, but in the same vein: The enormous set of the Paris Opera House built for the 1925 version of **the Phantom of the Opera** was used as the set for the 1943 remake of **The Phantom of the Opera** , although they spent $100,000 to sound-proof it. The set is still in existence, and in use. None of the other versions of _Phantom_ were filmed there. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-played-the-same-character-in-two-different-versions-of-the-same-movie/777252/65 "2017-01-20T14:14:14Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **Billy Bob Thornton** played Karl Childers in both the short film _Some Folk Call it a Sling Blade_ and the feature film expanded from it, _Sling Blade_. I think these should be excluded. There’s just too many of them. E.g., _Cashback_ was a [short](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409799/) turned into a[feature film](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460740/) with the same leads. (Most notably the under-appreciated Emila Fox.) There is also the question of “same movie”. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-played-the-same-character-in-two-different-versions-of-the-same-movie/777252/66 "2017-01-20T15:26:46Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I think these should be excluded. There’s just too many of them. E.g., _Cashback_ was a [short](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409799/) turned into a[feature film](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460740/) with the same leads. (Most notably the under-appreciated Emila Fox.) > > There is also the question of “same movie”. True, but it’s not invariably the case that actors from a short get recast in the feature film version. Look at George Lucas’ **Electronic Labyrinth THX-1138 4EB**. Nobody carried over from there to his feature film **THX 1138**. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-played-the-same-character-in-two-different-versions-of-the-same-movie/777252/67 "2017-01-20T15:35:01Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Not an actor, but in the same vein: > The enormous set of the Paris Opera House built for the 1925 version of **the Phantom of the Opera** was used as the set for the 1943 remake of **The Phantom of the Opera** , although they spent $100,000 to sound-proof it. > > The set is still in existence, and in use. None of the other versions of _Phantom_ were filmed there. Likewise, the 1939 version of Beau Geste (starring Gary Cooper) used the same sets and locations near Yuma, AZ, as the 1926 version (starring Ronald Colman). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-played-the-same-character-in-two-different-versions-of-the-same-movie/777252/68 "2017-01-21T01:51:43Z")
I checked - there were no cast members from the 1930 _Dawn Patrol_ who also appeared in the 1938 remake. But the entire script was reused as is, and many of the sets looked like it too. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-played-the-same-character-in-two-different-versions-of-the-same-movie/777252/69 "2017-01-21T04:04:15Z")
There is a 1932 auto racing movie called “The Crowd Roars” starring James Cagney and Joan Blondell. In 1939 Warner Brothers decided to remake it calling it “Indianapolis Speedway” starring Pat O’Brien and Ann Sheridan. One actor played the same role in both movies: Frank McHugh. > **[The Crowd Roars (1932 film)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crowd_Roars_(1932_film))** > > The Crowd Roars is a 1932 American pre-Code film directed by Howard Hawks starring James Cagney and featuring Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, Eric Linden, Guy Kibbee, and Frank McHugh. A film of the same name was made in 1938 with a different story, starring Robert Taylor. > The driver in the film's auto racing sequences was Harry Hartz, a successful board track and Indianapolis 500 race professional. It was remade in 1939 as Indianapolis Speedway with Pat O'Brien in Cagney's role, Ann Sheridan in Bl... ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-played-the-same-character-in-two-different-versions-of-the-same-movie/777252/70 "2017-01-21T11:45:52Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Not an actor, but in the same vein: > The enormous set of the Paris Opera House built for the 1925 version of **the Phantom of the Opera** was used as the set for the 1943 remake of **The Phantom of the Opera** , although they spent $100,000 to sound-proof it. Heh… the London set for _Cleopatra_ (1963, with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton) was reused by the Carry On crew to make _Carry on Cleo_, (1964 with Sid James and Amanda Barrie). Even some of the costumes were reused. But there were no actors in common, AFAIK. _Infamy…_ ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-played-the-same-character-in-two-different-versions-of-the-same-movie/777252/71 "2017-01-21T13:44:29Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > There is a 1932 auto racing movie called “The Crowd Roars” starring James Cagney and Joan Blondell. In 1939 Warner Brothers decided to remake it calling it “Indianapolis Speedway” starring Pat O’Brien and Ann Sheridan. One actor played the same role in both movies: Frank McHugh. > > [The Crowd Roars (1932 film) - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crowd_Roars_(1932_film)) Now _this_ is some fine trivia! (While people think that remakes are a modern phenomena, in the 30s the rate of recycling scripts was amazing.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-played-the-same-character-in-two-different-versions-of-the-same-movie/777252.md?page=3)