# Characters hiding under our noses... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 30, 2010, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278 "2010-05-30T10:26:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/21 "2010-05-31T03:13:52Z")
This happens to me all the time. My most recent freak out was when someone pointed out that Ben Linus’s dad on LOST was actually Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite. > [@Zoinks](#): > > Jerry Orbach was on Law & Order once as a defence attorney before he was Lenny Briscoe, his cameo freaked me out when I saw it on syndication. I can’t seem to find corroborating info on IMDB but I know this happened, I still remember how weird the whole episode was. Are you sure it was Jerry Orbach? I believe S. Epatha Merkerson played a crime victim a couple of seasons before she became Lt. Van Buren. ETA: Nevermind, I googled it and he did indeed play a sleazy defense attorney in early L&O. I guess they like to try people out. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/22 "2010-05-31T03:18:38Z")
Actually, the Becky role went back and forth twice, with Goranson and Chalke sharing the role in the 8th season, before Goranson left for good. Via IMDb: > [@](#): > > Although Alicia Goranson returned in the eight season to play Becky, Sarah Chalke, her replacement, still played Becky in some episodes that season. When Goranson left the show again at the end of the season, Chalke took on the role of Becky full time again. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/23 "2010-05-31T03:19:49Z")
And that crazy guy in the [Priceline.COM](http://Priceline.COM) commercials used to play Capt. Kirk on Star Trek. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/24 "2010-05-31T03:34:51Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > This happens to me all the time. My most recent freak out was when someone pointed out that Ben Linus’s dad on LOST was actually Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite. I’ve never seen Lost and didn’t care for Napoleon Dynamite, but when you said Uncle Rico, I knew you were talking about [Jon Gries](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0340973/). To me, he’ll always be the brilliant eccentric Lazlo Hollyfeld in [Real Genius](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089886/). In fact, that’s mine, realizing that the uncle in Napoleon Dynamite was Lazlo. “Did you wanna borrow my pajamas?” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/25 "2010-05-31T03:48:10Z")
> [@](#): > > The original Becky actually returned for the last several seasons. Two other examples of this: Lionel Jefferson was played by Mike Evans on _All In The Family_ and the initial season of _The Jeffersons_. Mike Evans left the series and Lionel was played by Damon Evans (no relation) for three seasons. Then Mike Evans took the role back over in the fourth through tenth seasons. Barbara Bel Geddes played Ellie Ewing on _Dallas_ the first five seasons. Donna Reed played Ellie in the sixth season. Then Bel Geddes came back and played the part for seasons seven through twelve. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/26 "2010-05-31T03:53:55Z")
These two are kind of similar: Katherine Heigl - threw me for a loop when I realized she had played Segal’s daughter in _Under Siege 2_ many years before. Eliza Dushku - I’d seen her in \*Bring It On \*and _BtVS_ long before I realized she was Schwarzenegger’s daughter from _True Lies_. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/27 "2010-05-31T05:12:57Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > These two are kind of similar: > > Katherine Heigl - threw me for a loop when I realized she had played Segal’s daughter in _Under Siege 2_ many years before. > > Eliza Dushku - I’d seen her in \*Bring It On \*and _BtVS_ long before I realized she was Schwarzenegger’s daughter from _True Lies_. [jaw drop] I have to see this again, and soon.[/jaw drop] ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/28 "2010-05-31T05:19:45Z")
> [@AWB](#): > > And that crazy guy in the [Priceline.COM](http://Priceline.COM) commercials used to play Capt. Kirk on Star Trek. He’s not so crazy. I read that that gig has earned him $600M. He was savvy enough to negotiate his salary in shares, rather than dollars. The stock has gone from $1.80 to somewhere in the $300’s. Or so I’ve read. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/29 "2010-05-31T05:20:50Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > The first Becky was fired along with the producer she had an affair with. The second Becky eventually left to go to college and at that time they rehired the original Becky. Wow. I never heard this. Got a cite? ---
**Author:** ![Zoinks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zoinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoinks)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/30 "2010-05-31T05:38:57Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Are you sure it was Jerry Orbach? I believe S. Epatha Merkerson played a crime victim a couple of seasons before she became Lt. Van Buren. > > ETA: Nevermind, I googled it and he did indeed play a sleazy defense attorney in early L&O. I guess they like to try people out. Jesse L. Martin (aka Det. Ed Green) also played a drug dealer named Mouse on a long ago episode of Law & Order. I’ve never seen it, I only know this because he mentioned it once in an interview. > [@Tangent](#): > > Eliza Dushku - I’d seen her in \*Bring It On \*and _BtVS_ long before I realized she was Schwarzenegger’s daughter from _True Lies_. Holy Jesus crap, you’re right! She still has some baby fat too. Take a look peeps: [Eliza grows up on the big screen](http://www.activedollhouse.com/eliza-grows-up-on-the-big-screen/) Oh yeah, there’s apparently [an episode of Miami Vice](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086759/) where a teenaged Julia Roberts shows up as a hooker or something. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/31 "2010-05-31T06:28:50Z")
HOLY SHIT. I just learned that Andy Serkis of Gollum fame was Mr Alley, Tesla’s assistant, in one of my favorite films of all time, _The Prestige_. ---
**Author:** ![MsChilePepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MsChilePepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsChilePepper)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/32 "2010-05-31T10:03:11Z")
> [@Zoinks](#): > > Oh yeah, there’s apparently [an episode of Miami Vice](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086759/) where a teenaged Julia Roberts shows up as a hooker or something. I saw that ep late one night during a bout with insomnia, watching MV on the Sleuth channel. I couldn’t believe it until I checked IMDb. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/33 "2010-05-31T11:02:05Z")
> [@Zoinks](#): > > Jesse L. Martin (aka Det. Ed Green) also played a drug dealer named Mouse on a long ago episode of Law & Order. I’ve never seen it, I only know this because he mentioned it once in an interview. Diane Neal was in an episode of _SVU_ before being cast as ADA Casey Novak; she played one of a trio of women who raped a male stripper at a party. My biggest flashback forehead-slapper was seeing Nigel Hawthorne in _Firefox_. I was a big fan of _Yes, Minister_, where Hawthorne played one of the co-leads. I’d seen _Firefox_ when it came out, but didn’t recognize him until seeing it again years later. It’s not a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo, either; he plays one of the scientists at the Russian air base who helps Clint Eastwood steal a MiG fighter. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/34 "2010-05-31T11:13:33Z")
I must have watched \*\*Animal House \*\*a dozen times. The last one I realized suddenly: _“Holy crap, that’s Mozart!”_ ---
**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:** [May 31, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/35 "2010-05-31T15:41:29Z")
I watched _Lost_ and _Ugly Betty_, both in their entirety, and it never dawned on me that Widmore and Mr. Meade were the same guy until a few weeks ago. It’s not even as if they were very different characters. ---
**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:** [May 31, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/36 "2010-05-31T15:57:37Z")
> [@MsChilePepper](#): > > I saw that ep late one night during a bout with insomnia, watching MV on the Sleuth channel. I couldn’t believe it until I checked IMDb. I remember that too from a bout with insomnia. I remember she had really thick eyebrows. Actually Miami Vice re-runs are awesome for seeing people before they were famous. A weird recognition for me was one day thinking back on sci-fi/fantasy flicks I liked as a kid, and realizing the one older lawyer guy John Cage from Ally McBeal, the one the called The Biscuit, was the lead character in the movie _Dragonslayer_. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/37 "2010-05-31T17:45:48Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > A weird recognition for me was one day thinking back on sci-fi/fantasy flicks I liked as a kid, and realizing the one older lawyer guy John Cage from Ally McBeal, the one the called The Biscuit, was the lead character in the movie _Dragonslayer_. He was also Janosz (the weird little that kept talking to the painting of Vigo) in Ghostbusters II ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/38 "2010-06-01T01:05:08Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > 1. Discovering that Titus’s brother in **Titus** used to be Scut Farkus. I am literally watching Titus in the other half of my browser window. I did not know this. You have blown my mind. For me, it wasn’t until the last year or so that I realized the Captain from Monk was Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/39 "2010-06-01T01:29:00Z")
Here’s one that I’m sure everyone knows but blew my mind when I found out years ago… The older transsexual drag performer in _Priscilla, Queen of the Desert_ is [Terrence Stamp](http://www.rockymusic.org/showimage/73894d0e7173dc4c7e0aa9947df21b31.php), aka General Zod from the Christopher Reeve Superman movies! “Kneel before Bernadette!” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278/40 "2010-06-01T01:48:21Z")
In the “Our Gang” short “Good Bad Boys,” \*Hugh Beaumont has a brief appearance as a judge’s assistant. I’ve seen that short many times and never noticed him. And once I knew, I still never would have recognized him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-hiding-under-our-noses/541278.md?page=3)