# disappearing TV characters **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 21, 2000, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318 "2000-07-21T04:06:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Miss\_Creant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Miss\_Creant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Creant)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/101 "2000-11-30T19:26:39Z")
Left because The writers found out that there were no coloured/black surgeons in the Korean war, so they got rid of his character after only the 5th episode. I can’t believe there were ZERO black surgeons in the Korean War, but I’ve been wrong before. Wasn’t Richard Hooker a Korean War Vet? Why would he write something so implausable?(sp?) ---
**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:** [November 30, 2000, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/102 "2000-11-30T19:27:46Z")
IIRC, James Garner played two different characters in one of his series. The original character wasn’t working out so they KILLED HIM OFF. He then came back as a completely new character – the lead in the series, no less. I think it was a relative of the original character. This may have been a revamped version of “Maverick”. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/103 "2000-11-30T19:35:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ben901 \* > \*\*\*\*… where the same actor is used to play a twin, clone, or double, the only instance of same actor, different characters I could find ocurred in _Dallas_ (Kim Foster and Barbara Stock). Any others come to mind??? > > 😃 ben901 😃 \*\* > \*\* Harry Morgan had a one epsisode role in MASH as a lunatic, power-mad colonel, or possibly general, named Steele, that tries to have Hawkeye courtmartialed. Years later he became a regular as Sherman Potter. In the movies, Joe Don Baker was the villian to Timothy Dalton’s Bond in The Living Daylights, but for the past two installments he’s been Pierce Brosnin’s CIA friend. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/104 "2000-11-30T20:34:08Z")
Continuing the “Same character, different actor” theme, how could we forget Darren Stephens on “Bewitched”? Dick York and Dick Sargent. ---
**Author:** ![ben901](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@ben901](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ben901)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/105 "2000-11-30T20:42:17Z")
\*\*Since we’re on the subject, I should mention the Jump the Shark website, which examines the exact point at which various good TV shows started to go downhill (the website’s name comes the episode which marked the beginning of the end for Happy Days, wherein Fonzie jumped the shark on his bike). There are several categories of TV death-moves laid out at this site, including same character/different actors, puberty, singing, making a movie, and (my favorite) associating the show in any way with Ted McGinley (Jefferson D’Arcy on _Married… with Children_. Great site for this topic–very funny. 😃 ben901 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ben901](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@ben901](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ben901)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/106 "2000-11-30T20:48:55Z")
_This is quite a long thread, but most of the more popular same character/different actor instances were mentioned on page 1 or 2 (i.e., \* Bewitched, Roseanne, The Jeffersons, The Partridge Family, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, My Three Sons, Seinfeld and_ Hogan’s Heroes.\* 😃 ben901 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ben901](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@ben901](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ben901)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2000, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/107 "2000-11-30T20:51:53Z")
\*\*Ooooops… sorry for screwing up the link. Try this: > **[Entertainment and Celebrity News, TV News and Breaking News](https://www.tvguide.com/news/)** > > Read the Latest Entertainment and Celebrity News, TV News and Breaking News from TVGuide.com 😃 ben901 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/108 "2000-12-01T04:51:31Z")
hm… if we take non regulars who had significant roles, Dennis Frantz played a dirty cop who got killed before coming back as Buntz in Hill Street Blues. William Campbell was Trelane on Squire of Gothos and Koloth in The Trouble with Tribbles (Star Trek) Mark Lenard was the Romulan commander in Balance of Terror before he played Spock’s father in Journey to Babel (Star Trek). ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/109 "2000-12-01T07:17:36Z")
Laura Palmer on Twin Peaks was never played by anyone other than Sheryl Lee. The person who posted that might have reversed the idea of same actor/different character, since Lee also played Laura’s cousin Maddy, who looked exactly like her, except with black hair instead of blonde. Also, the Fonz jumped the shark on waterskis. He jumped a row of something (buses?) on his bike, but that was earlier. ---
**Author:** ![DRY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@DRY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DRY)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/110 "2000-12-01T10:08:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rilchiam \* > \*\*Laura Palmer on Twin Peaks was never played by anyone other than Sheryl Lee. The person who posted that might have reversed the idea of same actor/different character, since Lee also played Laura’s cousin Maddy, who looked exactly like her, except with black hair instead of blonde. > \*\* Rilchiam beat me to pointing this out. **Donna Hayward** was played by a different actress in the Twin Peaks: Fire, Walk With Me movie than in the series. ---
**Author:** ![LCP2972](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@LCP2972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LCP2972)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/111 "2000-12-01T12:43:20Z")
QUOTE:On the Simpsons, Selma gave her name as Selma Bouvier McClure Hutz Terwilliger. The marriage to Lionel Hutz was never shown or explained. Since Phil Hartman, who voiced the character, was killed, it never will be. UNQUOTE there was an episode where they got married they broke up because Selma’s sister was so depressed that Selma went back to live with her. …or something ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/112 "2000-12-01T15:32:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LCP2972 \* > \*\*there was an episode where they got married > they broke up because Selma’s sister was so depressed that Selma went back to live with her. > …or something > \*\* No that was when she was dating Principal Skinner, and they never got married, he just proposed. ---
**Author:** ![LCP2972](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@LCP2972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LCP2972)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/113 "2000-12-01T16:35:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by xizor \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by LCP2972 \* > > \*\*there was an episode where they got married > > they broke up because Selma’s sister was so depressed that Selma went back to live with her. > > …or something > > \*\* > > No that was when she was dating Principal Skinner, and they never got married, he just proposed. \*\* wait a minute, I remember Skinner now that you bring it up,but what about McClure? Didn’t she get it on with him, too? oh yeah and let us not forget Sideshow Bob…who almost blew her up. I need to recant my original post on this subject, I had confused Hutz with McClure. my humble apologies. carry on… ---
**Author:** ![Curate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Curate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curate)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/114 "2000-12-01T18:12:58Z")
Does dissapearing/morphing species count? I recall one episode of one of the later Star Trek series where the main characters travelled back on time to the “Trouble With Tribbles” incident. One of the travellers mentions the different appearance of the Klingons to Worf, who replies with something like “We don’t like to talk about that.” ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/115 "2000-12-01T18:41:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ben901 \* > \*\*Other instances of same character, different actors: > [list][li]Mr. Wilson, _Dennis the Menace_[/li] \*\* I’m really taxing the synapses here, but I thought the actor who played the original Mr. Wilson (George) died, and the second Mr. Wilson (John) was supposed to be his brother. ---
**Author:** ![conway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@conway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conway)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/116 "2000-12-01T19:00:10Z")
The guy who plays Lenny Briscoe in Law and Order played a defense attorney in some episodes early on. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2000, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318/117 "2000-12-01T20:59:53Z")
The wonderful character actress Doris Packer played the rich, snooty mother of Milton Armitage in the first season of Dobie Gillis. Milton disappeared, to be replaced by Chatsworth Osborne in later seasons, and Packer was back as his mother. So there you have a disappearing character and a re-appearing actor. By the way, Warren Beatty never mentions that he played Milton Armitage. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disappearing-tv-characters/26318.md?page=5)