# Ever confuse one actor for another? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 18, 2026, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757 "2026-07-18T01:25:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/21 "2026-07-18T14:56:17Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > Vincent Schiavelli. Seeing Vincent Schiavelli’s name reminds me of very awkward moment in live TV where Ryan Seacrest was asking _Jeffrey Tambor_ about a movie he was in when it was actually _Schiavelli_ in the role. The movie was _Ghost_ ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/22 "2026-07-18T15:16:19Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I had remembered Gene Hackman played one of the characters. Speaking of Gene Hackman, I sat all the way through the blind man scene in _Young Frankenstein_ thinking “Boy, they really aged up Robin Williams convincingly!” ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/23 "2026-07-18T15:29:25Z")
Dylan McDermott and Dermot Mulroney, whose similarity prompted at least one _Saturday Night Live_ sketch, and I’m pretty sure the two of them even showed up together on _SNL_ at some point after to extend the joke even further. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XGqSn5Cnw74/maxresdefault.jpg "Dylan McDermott or Dermot Mulroney - SNL") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGqSn5Cnw74) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/24 "2026-07-18T15:32:34Z")
Lee Marvin and James Coburn. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/25 "2026-07-18T15:34:27Z")
Steve McQueen and Paul Newman ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/26 "2026-07-18T15:35:12Z")
Me too! 🙂 > [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > Lee Marvin and James Coburn. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/27 "2026-07-18T15:42:57Z")
A sound-only example: I distinctly remembered Zooey Deschanel voicing Audrey in _The Lorax_, but it was actually Taylor Swift. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/28 "2026-07-18T15:45:06Z")
**‘Ever confuse one actor for another?’** All the time. My wife never knows whether I’m joking. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/29 "2026-07-18T15:48:19Z")
We have this discussion all the time at our house, but it usually goes something like this: My wife: Hey, isn’t he that guy? Me: What guy? MW: That guy that was in that movie! You know…that one. M: Him? No, I think he’s the other guy, the one we always think is THAT guy. MW: Are you sure? I think HE was in the OTHER movie. M: I dunno…they all look the same to me. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/30 "2026-07-18T15:58:30Z")
I always confuse Edward Norton with John Cusack. They’re both about my age, we’re all Gen-Xers, and I saw both in many films, and when I think back of those films, I never remember exactly who of both played in it. I know they don’t really look alike, nor do their names have a resemblance, but my confusion is real. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/31 "2026-07-18T16:03:10Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > Lee Marvin and James Coburn. Me too! They’re absolutely the same person. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/32 "2026-07-18T17:06:40Z")
I remember when I was watching _The Sopranos_ for the first time. I found it a little odd that Brent Spiner was playing the role of an Italian mafioso. It took me a while to figure out that it wasn’t this guy [![](https://southpark.wiki.gg/images/thumb/BrentSpiner.jpg/300px-BrentSpiner.jpg?f967a3) ](https://southpark.wiki.gg/images/thumb/BrentSpiner.jpg/300px-BrentSpiner.jpg?f967a3) playing Furio Gunta, it was this guy [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODA3NTBhZTItODY1NC00OTNiLTljZTQtOTRhYWI2NzYwMjY2XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODA3NTBhZTItODY1NC00OTNiLTljZTQtOTRhYWI2NzYwMjY2XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg) who is Italian-American actor Federico Castelluccio. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/33 "2026-07-18T17:10:07Z")
Watching the end credits for **Blues Brothers 2000** , I was surprised to learn that the impressive female vocalist in the Louisiana Gator Boys was Koko Taylor and not James Brown in drag. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/34 "2026-07-18T17:19:43Z")
Jennifer Holland (Peacemaker), Vanessa Kirby (Fantastic Four) and Desi Lydic (Daily Show) Also: I saw a photo from an article about an actress from _The Rookie_ who died and thought it was Bridget Regan, who plays Monica. It was Annie Wershing who played serial killer Rosalind Dyer. And speaking of _The Rookie_, I can never tell the difference between Shaun and Aaron Ashmore. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/35 "2026-07-18T17:39:47Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > Character actors Taylor Negron and Vincent Schiavelli For me, it’s Vincent Schiavelli and Richard Libertini. And James Franciscus, James Farentino, and Tony Franciosa. Yeah, they don’t really look alike, but try to remember who was in what film! ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/36 "2026-07-18T18:25:28Z")
James Franciscus was in _Longstreet_ and that teacher drama show from the early 1960s. Tony Franciosa was in _A Face in the Crowd_. I don’t remember anything James Farentino was in, but I remember he was married to Michelle Lee. Which reminds me of another pair I always mix up: Bobby Darrin and James Darren. Both Italian singer/actors who changed their names. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/37 "2026-07-18T18:26:50Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > James Franciscus was in _Longstreet_ and that teacher drama show from the early 1960s. Tony Franciosa was in _A Face in the Crowd_. I don’t remember anything James Farentino was in, but I remember he was married to Michelle Lee. The MST3K Gang once riffed on this in one ep. ---
**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:** [July 18, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/38 "2026-07-18T18:27:06Z")
Years ago hair guy Jose Ebert, whom I had never heard of, had an infomercial about some of his hair supplies. I thought to myself, ’ What is Taylor Negron doing an infomercial with a fake name?’ ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/39 "2026-07-18T19:24:42Z")
I cannot tell Javier Bardem and Jeffrey Dean Morgan apart, I’d have to rely on accent. I can definitely tell them apart, but I want Keith David and David Keith to do something together. > [@Gyrate](#): > > And while I don’t know about Terry Crews (who does play a fantasy nerdboy in _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_), I do know Henry Cavill is a hardcore Warhammer 40k fan. > > Could be fun. When he was less well-known, Terry Crews did a video series about building a PC with his son. Of course he already did a “secret dork” thing playing an aggressive basketball player who loves Vanessa Carlton in _White Chicks_. A “bad” movie I unironically love. Cavill also did the Witcher due to being a fan of the games if not the books. Some speculation he wasn’t happy with the changes, but I haven’t followed that internet drama. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757/40 "2026-07-18T19:48:58Z")
Claire Danes, Kate Hudson, Bridget Fonda. I can never remember which one of them was in that movie from the 90s I just thought about when I’m trying to get to sleep. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-confuse-one-actor-for-another/1031757.md?page=3)