# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2022, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/61 "2022-09-03T20:26:19Z")
Irene Dunne is not as famous now as she ought to be, considering how well-loved she was in her lifetime. She was the most bankable actress in Hollywood for years. Ironically, since her films were so popular, they are forgotten-- it’s because the more popular a film was the more likely it was to get remade, and all her best films were. Then the remaking studio bought the rights to the original, and withdrew it from distribution, so her best performances were unavailable until they came into public domain in the 1990s. Deborah Kerr is strongly identified with her performances in _An Affair to Remember_, and _The King and I_. Those are both remakes of Irene Dunne films. Yes, I know they are not “long-running,” but they are movies that back in the day got lots of TV play to a lot of fanfare. ---
**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:** [September 3, 2022, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/62 "2022-09-03T20:31:24Z")
Paul Rudd has totally eclipsed Garrett Morris. ---
**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:** [September 3, 2022, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/63 "2022-09-03T20:33:37Z")
Jason Bourne was first played by Richard Chamberlain: > **[The Bourne Identity (1988 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bourne_Identity_(1988_film))** > > The Bourne Identity is a 1988 American mystery action thriller television movie adaptation of Robert Ludlum's 1980 novel The Bourne Identity. The film adaptation was written by Carol Sobieski, directed by Roger Young for Warner Bros. Television with Richard Chamberlain in the title role, along with Jaclyn Smith. It follows the storyline of the original novel, with a run-time of 3 hours 5 min. With commercials added, the running time was extended to four hours. The film was first shown on ABC i Th... ---
**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 3, 2022, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/64 "2022-09-03T23:51:03Z")
She didn’t even have to audition again. Gleason was shown some photos of her in a frumpy housecoat and hired her on the spot: “_That’s_ Alice!” ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/65 "2022-09-05T15:42:48Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > In my mind Norton is the only actor I associate with MCU Banner, since he so _perfectly_ captured the character. I actually had to scroll up and reread your post to remember Ruffalo’s name. Wow, does no one even remember the first Hulk movie? Yes, a legit Marvel film… the one with Eric Bana (and Jennifer Connelly). Directed by Ang Lee, with split screen shots instead of actual depth of characterization. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2022, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/66 "2022-09-05T16:10:50Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Wow, does no one even remember the first Hulk movie? Yes, a legit Marvel film… the one with Eric Bana (and Jennifer Connelly). Directed by Ang Lee, with split screen shots instead of actual depth of characterization. _Nonsensical_ characterization, terrible visual effects, and a climactic final battle where you literally can’t see anything because for some inexplicable reason it was set underwater. We mostly _don’t_ remember it - but either way it’s not part of the MCU. I mean officially; not every movie about a marvel character is. (See: the Ghost Rider movies.) And even if it _was_ part of the MCU, I consider Bana’s Banner a far poorer recreation of the character of Bruce Banner than Norton’s. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2022, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/67 "2022-12-24T17:37:20Z")
Well, I might as well add one more to this thread now that it is Christmas time (I know there is another thread on just this movie). The TV movie Waltons Homecoming had Ben Lawson and Bellamy Young playing the parents John and Olivia Walton, they were quite a contrast to Ralph Waite and Michael Learned in the series. But all of the children carried over to the series and basically grew up on TV in front of the country. The Grandpa Walton character was also played by Edgar Bergen in the movie, who in the series was played by Will Geer. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2022, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/68 "2022-12-24T18:06:27Z")
You guys really disappoint me. Everyone knows that Albert Reed portrayed Grady Wilson on Sanford and Son before Whitman Mayo took over the role. Good goobly goo! > [@CalMeacham](#): > > Bozo the Clown was played by several actors in different parts of the country (Willard Scott famously played him in Washington DC around 1960), Sure, but who played Cousin Cupcake? ---
**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:** [December 24, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/69 "2022-12-24T20:53:47Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > > [@psychonaut](#): > > > > But Falk was not the first actor to play the character; that honour goes to Bert Freed, who took the role for a 1960 episode of _The Chevy Mystery Show_. > > Nothing of my own to add, but this was news to me. I could have sworn I saw this as a Falk _Columbo_ episode, but it was used on _Monk_. > > ["The Chevy Mystery Show" Enough Rope (TV Episode 1960) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0540074/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_121) > > ["Monk" Mr. Monk and the Airplane (TV Episode 2002) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0650624/) It was a Falk episode. It was actually the “second pilot” for the series, which was picked up a few years later. > **[Prescription: Murder (TV Movie 1968) ⭐ 7.9 | Crime, Drama, Mystery](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061496/)** > > 1h 40m | TV-PG > **[Ransom for a Dead Man (TV Movie 1971) ⭐ 7.6 | Crime, Drama, Mystery](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066933/?ref_=ttep_ep1)** > > 1h 38m | TV-PG ---
**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:** [December 24, 2022, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/70 "2022-12-24T21:04:14Z")
I suspect most people (certainly of my generation) consider Adam West to be the original Batman. But he wasn’t; Lewis Wilson was. > **[Batman (serial)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_(serial))** > > Batman is a 1943 American 15-chapter theatrical serial from Columbia Pictures, produced by Rudolph C. Flothow, directed by Lambert Hillyer, that stars Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as his sidekick Robin. The serial is based on the DC Comics character Batman, who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. The villain is an original character named Dr. Daka, a secret agent of the Japanese Imperial government, played by J. Carrol Naish. Rounding out the cast are Shirley Patter Th... Roger Moore also was not the first Simon Templar; Louis Hayward was. (Huh! And I always thought it was George Sanders. ☹ ) > **[The Saint (film series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Saint_(film_series))** > > The Saint (film series) refers to eight B movies made by RKO Pictures between 1938 and 1941, based on some of the books in British author Leslie Charteris' long-running series about the fictional character Simon Templar, better known as The Saint. > A few years after creating the character in 1928, Charteris was successful in getting RKO Radio Pictures interested in a film based on one of his books. The first, The Saint in New York, came in 1938 and was based on the 1935 novel of the same name. I... ---
**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:** [December 24, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/71 "2022-12-24T21:08:49Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Trapper John (Elliot Gould/Wayne Rogers) Pernell Roberts played the character longer than Gould and Rogers combined. ---
**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:** [December 24, 2022, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/72 "2022-12-24T21:24:23Z")
I remember when _ **Trapper John, MD** _ came out. I thought it was a blatant ripoff of _ **MASH** _. I came up with another idea for a series of my own: _It’s a hundred years after Dodge City, and your favorite GP is back in **Doc Adams, MD**!_ _He’s a Civil War veteran, teamed with young Alonzo Gates, a Spanish-American War veteran._ _Together, they’ll **try** anything to save a life!_ ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2022, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/73 "2022-12-24T21:50:09Z")
My favorite “Simon Templar” was Vincent Price in the 1947 radio series _The Saint_. ---
**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:** [December 24, 2022, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/74 "2022-12-24T22:32:51Z")
Most viewers (at least those below a certain age) only know the version of **Mr. Belvedere** played by Christopher Hewett on the eponymous 80s sitcom, but the character first appeared in a 1947 novel and was played in three movies by Clifton Webb. ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2022, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/75 "2022-12-24T22:54:38Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > One more but not as famous is G Wood. He played Gen Hammond in both the movie and the TV series. Speaking of Generals Hammond (General Hammonds? Generals Hammonds?) _Stargate SG-1_ ran for ten seasons, starring Richard Dean Anderson as Jack O’Neill and Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson, characters originally played in the movie _Stargate_ by Kurt Russell and James Spader respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2022, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/76 "2022-12-24T23:19:22Z")
[Father Mulcahy](https://mashwiki.fandom.com/wiki/Father_Mulcahy) was not played by William Christopher in the first episode of MASH - he was played by George Morgan (if we count the movie, then Mulcahy was played by three different actors - but almost everyone would think of Christopher first). Radio’s [Johnny Dollar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yours_Truly,_Johnny_Dollar) was portrayed by 8 different actors - but Bob Bailey (number 6) is the best known, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2022, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/77 "2022-12-24T23:26:15Z")
A tricky case - Sherman Helmsley was the first and only actor to play George Jefferson. What’s that you say? You remember Mel Stewart playing Mr Jefferson, married to Louise? That was Henry Jefferson, George’s brother. Norman Lear always wanted Helmsley for the part of George, but Helmsley wasn’t available initially, so he created Henry Jefferson, a character who Louise initially pretended was George (but who she admitted later in the same episode was really George’s brother - George being unwilling to eat in the Bunkers’ home). A few episodes later, Henry moved out, and George appeared (apparently willing to at least yell at Archie). ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2022, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/78 "2022-12-25T00:06:21Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Well, I might as well add one more to this thread now that it is Christmas time (I know there is another thread on just this movie). The TV movie Waltons Homecoming had Ben Lawson and Bellamy Young playing the parents John and Olivia Walton, they were quite a contrast to Ralph Waite and Michael Learned in the series. But all of the children carried over to the series and basically grew up on TV in front of the country. > > The Grandpa Walton character was also played by Edgar Bergen in the movie, who in the series was played by Will Geer. I’ll raise you one. It’s actually based upon an earlier movie _Spencer’s Mountain_ (1963) starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O’hara. The names and location were changed, but it’s still based upon the original Earl Hamner book. I think it’s close enough to fall into the purview of the OP. The main characters are Clay and his son Clayboy. I’ll add in Dukes of Hazzard, which was based upon an earlier film called _Moonrunners_ (1975). It even has Waylon Jennings as the narrator. The story of cousins, Grady and Bobby Lee Hagg, who run bootleg liquor for their uncle Jesse Hagg of Shiloh County, it even has a muscle car named after General Lee’s horse. Side interesting trivia. There was a fad in the 70s 80s to create Saturday morning cartoons based upon popular TV shows or characters. Examples include Gilligan’s Island (in space), Brady Bunch Kids, Jackson 5, Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley (who joined the army with the Fonz) and so on. Dukes of Hazzard did one, but it was during the season that Tom Wopat and John Schneider were on strike so they used Coy and Vince. They also did some shorts with Inspector Clouseau to accompany the Pink Panther shorts but it was during the time Alan Arkin was playing the character, so the voice actor (Pat Harrington Jr of One Day at a Time) was playing him as Alan Arkin rather than Peter Sellars. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2022, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/79 "2022-12-25T00:07:48Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > 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. Suchet was Poirot. Ustinov was Ustinov playing Poirot. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2022, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799/80 "2022-12-25T00:30:00Z")
He’s the first Doctor I saw, so I always think of him fondly. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > it’s because the more popular a film was the more likely it was to get remade, and all her best films were. Then the remaking studio bought the rights to the original, and withdrew it from distribution When re-watching _Gaslight_ – the Anton Walbrook/Diana Wynyard version – the TCM host mentioned that MGM tried to have all copies of that version destroyed so their version (Charles Boyer/Ingrid Bergman) would be the only one available. Thank God they weren’t successful, because the Walbrook/Wynyard version was _so_ much better. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-running-characters-closely-associated-with-a-non-originating-actor/970799.md?page=5)