# Actors you've personally typecast **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2006, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108 "2006-12-14T09:58:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/1 "2006-12-14T09:58:34Z")
I’m sure we’ve done this before but… I was watching an old episode of CSI and a young, good looking Korean guy was guest starring as a Special Agent. He had the blandest accent (or lack of accent really) and was all geeked up in his Secret Agent suit. Turns out it was Daniel Dae Kim from _Lost_ (Jin). If you’re a fan of the show you’ll know his character walks around all macho-man-like and doesn’t speak a lick of English. It was seriously amusing to see him in that role since I only know Kim AS Jin although his IMDB profile says I missed the 500 other non-Korean-speaking roles he’s had. And of course there’s Hugh Laurie who half of the people know first as the crabby American doctor House, and the other half know him as that incredibly goofy Brit. I was equally as surprised to see him as House as my mom was to see him as Bertie Wooster. Who have you typecast in your mind and are surprised to see out of their “expected” roll? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/2 "2006-12-14T10:20:24Z")
The first time I ever saw Hugh Laurie, he was playing Prince George on Blackadder. The next time I saw him he was in _Flight of the Phoenix._ I thought I recognized the face but I was quite shocked when I checked it on IMDB. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/3 "2006-12-14T10:45:27Z")
[Jim Ortlieb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0651296/) I haven’t seen most of what he’s done, but in the shows I watch, he always seems to show up as a huffy, relatively sarcastic, intelligent guy who’s a weird kind of authority figure. Roswell - alien bodyguard Angel - ancient prophecy translator Felicity - biochemistry professor (figuratively) from hell ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/4 "2006-12-14T13:57:13Z")
I was just talking about this. Over 20 years ago [James Rebhorn](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0714310/) was on a soap opera and played a rapist. He’s played over 75 other roles since then, including many completely benign characters. I however, cannot stop myself from thinking “Ooh don’t trust him he’s a rapist!” whenever he appears on screen. ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/5 "2006-12-14T14:41:57Z")
B.D. Wong. I’ve only seen him as Dr. Wu in _Jurassic Park_ and the psychologist on _Law & Order: SVU_; to me he’s “that one character actor who plays button-down scientist-types.” But an Asian friend once told me he’s quite a well-known figure in the Chinese-American community for his extensive work in live theatre. ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/6 "2006-12-14T14:48:41Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] I was equally as surprised to see him as House as my mom was to see him as Bertie Wooster. Who have you typecast in your mind and are surprised to see out of their “expected” roll? [/QUOTE] I would never have put those two together! My son watches Berty and I assumed it was recently made. But now I see who it is I am amazed. The House guy on talk shows has the miscreant persona. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/7 "2006-12-14T15:18:50Z")
[QUOTE=Autumn Almanac] B.D. Wong. I’ve only seen him as Dr. Wu in _Jurassic Park_ and the psychologist on _Law & Order: SVU_; to me he’s “that one character actor who plays button-down scientist-types.” But an Asian friend once told me he’s quite a well-known figure in the Chinese-American community for his extensive work in live theatre. [/QUOTE] And see, I see B.D. Wong and immediately think about his phenomenal performance as Song Liling in _M. Butterfly_. Funny how we each typecast in our own ways. ---
**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:** [December 14, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/8 "2006-12-14T20:28:46Z")
Try as I might, Kevin Spacey will always be Mel Profit to me. I can’t look at the Flying Congressman from Heroes wihthout thinking of his other show where he slept in a cardboard box. **Oz** single handedly ruined dozens of actors for me. Law & Order - J.K. Simmons will always be Schillinger, a ruthless Arian gang leader. - Christopher Meloni will always be Chris Keller, serial murder of gay men - B.D. Wong = Father Ray - Kathryn Erbe = Shirley Bellinger, first female death row inmate, executed - Dean Winters (also Denis Leary’s cop brother from Rescue Me) will always be Ryan O’Reilly Lost: - Mr. Eko will always be Adebisi - Michael will always be Augustus Hill The Wire - Sgt Carver = Officer Hughes that shot the Governor - Carcetti’s campaign manager = Warden Querms Others - Eamonn Walker will always be Karim Sayid - Lee Tergesen will always be Beecher ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/9 "2006-12-14T20:48:51Z")
[QUOTE=DeVena] And see, I see B.D. Wong and immediately think about his phenomenal performance as Song Liling in _M. Butterfly_. Funny how we each typecast in our own ways. [/QUOTE] Song Liling was played by [John Lone](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0518821/). (Love that film.) ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/10 "2006-12-14T20:50:25Z")
Oh, wait! Did B.D. Wong play the role onstage? That would be incredible! ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/11 "2006-12-14T20:54:47Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] Oh, wait! Did B.D. Wong play the role onstage? That would be incredible! [/QUOTE] [Wong](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.D._Wong) originated the role on Broadway. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/12 "2006-12-14T21:06:01Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] Who have you typecast in your mind and are surprised to see out of their “expected” roll? [/QUOTE] Michael J. Fox has spent his entire career playing Alex Keaton (Alex Keaton travels through time, Alex Keaton goes to Vietnam, Alex Keaton runs the NYC government, Alex Keaton gets a job with _The New Yorker_ and does lots of drugs . . .), and I’m sure I will **never** see him out of his expected role even if he makes a full recovery from the Parkinson’s. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Bongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a9adbd/32.png) [@Winston\_Bongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Bongo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/13 "2006-12-14T21:24:29Z")
Paul Reiser. No matter what I see him in, no matter what kind of role he plays, he will always be that rat bastard who was going to let Ripley and Newt get attacked by the facehugger in _Aliens_. I don’t care if he ends up playing the kindest, most gentle character in the history of film, I will still be yelling at the screen, “Don’t trust him! He’s going to betray you! Kill him now!” ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/14 "2006-12-14T22:03:24Z")
Ever since _Fatal Attraction_, I expect things to go badly for anyone who shares screen time with a [Glenn Close](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000335/) character. She could play the title role in _The Mother Teresa Story_ and I’d still get creeped out. ---
**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:** [December 14, 2006, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/15 "2006-12-14T22:28:09Z")
I’ll always hate Eric Balfour because of the character he played on Six Feet Under, burnout jerk “wigger” Gabriel Dimas. I’ll always hate Kathy Bates because of Annie Wilkes in Misery. And I’ve never watched Lost, but I always think of Daniel Dae Kim as Gavin Park, the amoral young attorney from the evil law firm Wolfram & Hart, on Angel. ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/16 "2006-12-14T23:37:37Z")
Jeff Daniels. Cannot take him seriously since Dumb and Dumber. Keanu. Same thing for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. During the Matrix trilogy I half expect him to air guitar and yell “Excellent!”. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/17 "2006-12-14T23:38:16Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Michael J. Fox has spent his entire career playing Alex Keaton (Alex Keaton travels through time, Alex Keaton goes to Vietnam, Alex Keaton runs the NYC government, Alex Keaton gets a job with _The New Yorker_ and does lots of drugs . . .), and I’m sure I will **never** see him out of his expected role even if he makes a full recovery from the Parkinson’s. [/QUOTE] You forgot Alex Keaton dies from cancer and has his head cut off to display in a haunted house… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/18 "2006-12-15T00:08:01Z")
For the rest of his life, no matter WHAT he does, Clancy Brown will Always be the Kurgen from the first Highlander movie to me. Mr. Krabs? The Kurgen does Spongebob. Lex Luthor? The Kurgen versus the Justice League. Carnivale? The Kurgen tries to be a preacher. ER? The Kurgen tries to doctor folk. AS soon as I hear his voice, its the Kurgen. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/19 "2006-12-15T01:08:36Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] I’m sure we’ve done this before but… I was watching an old episode of CSI and a young, good looking Korean guy was guest starring as a Special Agent. He had the blandest accent (or lack of accent really) and was all geeked up in his Secret Agent suit. Turns out it was Daniel Dae Kim from _Lost_ (Jin). If you’re a fan of the show you’ll know his character walks around all macho-man-like and doesn’t speak a lick of English. It was seriously amusing to see him in that role since I only know Kim AS Jin although his IMDB profile says I missed the 500 other non-Korean-speaking roles he’s had. And of course there’s Hugh Laurie who half of the people know first as the crabby American doctor House, and the other half know him as that incredibly goofy Brit. I was equally as surprised to see him as House as my mom was to see him as Bertie Wooster. Who have you typecast in your mind and are surprised to see out of their “expected” roll? [/QUOTE] Laurence Fishburne will always reside in my mind - beating the shitfire out of Angela Bassett’s Tina Turner. I can’t get past it. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108/20 "2006-12-15T02:09:47Z")
I’ve got a challenge along these lines. Go see the new film, _The Good German_ (it opens next week), and see if you recognize someone in the supporting cast (below the top three name stars) from one of the HBO dramatic series. I’m not going to be more specific than this, not even identifying the sex of the person in question, and I’ll admit that part of the challenge arises from a change in appearance. But I was stunned while reading the credits to see a familiar name so I checked when I got home, and sure enough. No cheating and looking it up in IMDb. (Or for that matter, paying too close attention to the film’s opening credits!) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-youve-personally-typecast/384108.md?page=2)