# Long-running characters closely associated with a non-originating actor **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, movies\ **Created:** [September 2, 2022, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799 "2022-09-02T07:10:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/21 "2022-09-02T14:24:53Z")
Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels were The Lone Ranger and Tonto for years on television and are, I’m pretty sure, the actors most closely associated with those roles, but there were others who played them earlier on radio and in film serials. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/22 "2022-09-02T14:30:23Z")
Adam West was NOT the first person to play Batman. (I would pick him over Christian Bale as the iconic Batman because West is almost always remembered as being “Batman” while Bale has a more diverse career.) ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/23 "2022-09-02T14:31:23Z")
Christopher Reeve is probably the most iconic _Superman_ even though he was NOT the first to play him. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/24 "2022-09-02T14:33:43Z")
Nick Fury (in the MCU and in Marvel Comics) is played by Samuel L Jackson. His comic book representation was purposely changed to look like SLJ before he was cast in the part for the MCU. But David Hasselhoff first played Fury in a Fox made-for-TV movie in 1998. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2022, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/25 "2022-09-02T14:34:27Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels were The Lone Ranger and Tonto for years on television and are, Moore was in a contract dispute in 1952-3, and The Lone Ranger was played at that time by John Hart. So Moore didn’t even have the part completely to himsdelf in that time. A lot of “iconic” characters don’t have a single actor identified wiyth the part, and in many of these cases multiple other people played the role. I would include among these Sherlock Holmes Tarzan Fu Manchu The Frankenstein Monster Hercule Poirot Nero Wolfe I wouldn’t include these characters and actors in this thread for that reason > [@](#): > > I am not sure which actor would be **MOST** associated with playing Sherlock Holmes–Basil Rathbone and Benedict Cumberbatch being the two most obvious and neither one was the first to play him. You leave out Jeremy Brett? Iconoclast! ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/26 "2022-09-02T14:35:24Z")
In addition to Dracula, a lot of the classic movie monsters from the 1930s and 1940s must have had much earlier originating roles. Off the top of my head, there’s Frankenstein’s monster, which most people today probably still associate with Boris Karloff. But [Thomas Potter Cooke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cooke_%28actor%29) gave over 350 performances of the character in the long-running play _Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein_, starting in 1823. Karloff wasn’t even the first film actor to play the monster; that honour goes to [Charles Stanton Ogle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Stanton_Ogle) (1910). ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/27 "2022-09-02T14:37:43Z")
To many TV viewers, Roger Moore is the iconic Simon Templar, aka The Saint. But George Sanders had played him eight times in movies in the 1930s and 1940s. And Louis Hayward played him first. Warren William played Perry Mason on film, long before Raymond Burr on TV. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/28 "2022-09-02T14:39:32Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > A lot of “iconic” characters don’t have a single actor identified wiyth the part, and in many of these cases multiple other people played the role. I would include among these > > Sherlock Holmes > Tarzan > Fu Manchu > The Frankenstein Monster > Hercule Poirot > Nero Wolfe > > I wouldn’t include these characters and actors in this thread for that reason I’d disagree with you for the Monster and Hercule Poirot. The respective performances by Boris Karloff and David Suchet have left an indelible impression on the characters in the popular imagination. Ask 100 people to name the man who played Poirot, and I guarantee you nobody is going to say “Albert Finney”. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2022, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/29 "2022-09-02T14:43:20Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > I’d disagree with you for the Monster and Hercule Poirot. The respective performances by Boris Karloff and David Suchet have left an indelible impression on the characters in the popular imagination. Ask 100 people to name the man who played Poirot, and I guarantee you nobody is going to say “Albert Finney”. And I’d disagree with your disagreement. Lots of people would say Finney or, more likely, Peter Ustinov or Kenneth Branaugh. I don’t agree with it – David Suchet, in my opinion, nailed the role. But I think that more people (at least in the uS) saw Ustinov or Branaugh in the role. Boris Karloff was the originator of the Universal films role, but only played it three times. Lon Chaney, Jr., Bela Lugosi, and Glenn Strange played the monster, with Strange ultimately playing it more times than Karloff. And both Karloff and Suchet had predecessors in the roles. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2022, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/30 "2022-09-02T14:49:18Z")
For a long time “Buster Crabbe” would have been called the definitive Buck Rogers, as he was the definitive Flash Gordon. But lots of others played the roles since. Crabbe didn’t originate either role. He was preceded as Rogers by a slew of radio actors. But he wasn’t even the first Buck Rogers on film – that honor goes to John Dille, Jr., who played him in a short made for the 21933 Chicago World’s Fair Crabbe was the first film Flash Gordon, but he was preceded by the radio version where Gordon was played by another Gordon – Gale Gordon, who was later Lucy’s boss Mr. Mooneyon _The Lucy Show_ ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/31 "2022-09-02T14:52:51Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > A lot of “iconic” characters don’t have a single actor identified wiyth the part, and in many of these cases multiple other people played the role. I would include among these > > Sherlock Holmes > Tarzan > Fu Manchu > The Frankenstein Monster > Hercule Poirot > Nero Wolfe > > I wouldn’t include these characters and actors in this thread for that reason I would add Jesus Christ, Santa Claus, and Ebenezeer Scrooge to THAT list. Too many performances by too many people to narrow it down to just ONE actor. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/32 "2022-09-02T14:57:20Z")
Anthony Hopkins really took the role of Hannibal Lecter to a whole new level in the many years that he played the character (3 movies from 1991 to 2002), but Brian Cox played the role first in Manhunter (1986). ---
**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:** [September 2, 2022, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/33 "2022-09-02T14:59:29Z")
Good catch. I actually preferred Cox’s take on the character. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/34 "2022-09-02T15:57:57Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Although we associated the role of Felix Unger in The Odd Couple with Jack Lemmon (who played him in the film and its years-later sequel) or Tony Randall (who played him on TV and in a TV movie), the role on Broadway was originated by —, Art Carney! And Walter Matthau/Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison. (Matthau played opposite Carney on Broadway.) Less well known are Demond Wilson and Ron Glass as Oscar and Felix, respectively, on the '82–'83 reboot of the TV series, and Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon, respectively, in 2015–2017. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/35 "2022-09-02T16:51:40Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Ask 100 people to name the man who played Poirot, and I guarantee you nobody is going to say “Albert Finney”. 1. You stopped too soon. I’m old enough to remember the film, and the big deal about The Mustache. It was my first Christie. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > Good catch. I actually preferred Cox’s take on the character. Me, too. I thought Hopkins overplayed it, busily munching the scenery (probably with some fava beans). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/36 "2022-09-02T16:55:31Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > > [@CalMeacham](#): > > > > A lot of “iconic” characters don’t have a single actor identified wiyth the part, and in many of these cases multiple other people played the role. I would include among these > > > > Sherlock Holmes > > Tarzan > > Fu Manchu > > The Frankenstein Monster > > Hercule Poirot > > Nero Wolfe > > > > I wouldn’t include these characters and actors in this thread for that reason > > I would add Jesus Christ, Santa Claus, and Ebenezeer Scrooge to THAT list. For many of these, many people are just as likely to think of the original written sources for the characters as to think of any particular actors’ performances. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/37 "2022-09-02T17:26:06Z")
Douglas Croft and Johnny Duncan played Robin in the _ **Batman** _ serials of 1943 and '49, respectively, long before Burt Ward stepped into the role. ---
**Author:** ![RobotDevilDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@RobotDevilDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobotDevilDog)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/38 "2022-09-02T18:03:40Z")
Another from the Marvel universe. Benedict Cumberbatch IS Doctor Strange, and will be identified in that role for many years. But he was not the first actor to play the role. Peter Hooton played the good doctor in a mostly-forgotten TV movie in 1978. Similarly, Clyde Kusatsu played Wong in that production before Benedict Wong took over the role. (Side note: I just now realized that two of the main actors in the Doctor Strange movies are named Benedict. Mind blown.) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/39 "2022-09-02T18:12:21Z")
I always thought vincent price would have been unspeakably great as doctor strange as it always seemed to me that’s who they based the character on in the comic books ---
**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:** [September 2, 2022, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/40 "2022-09-02T18:19:09Z")
He was – Steve Ditko has confessed to that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799.md?page=3)