# Movies in which the same actors play multiple roles - and which has the most? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 13, 2008, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148 "2008-05-13T08:19:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/21 "2008-05-13T16:59:40Z")
In **Back to the Future II** , Michael J Fox plays his son and his daughter (as well as himself) in 2015. In **III** , he plays his great grandfather in 1885. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/22 "2008-05-13T17:09:14Z")
Tony Randall in [7 Faces of Dr. Lao](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057812/) Maybe not the most, but a contender. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/23 "2008-05-13T17:17:45Z")
Millicent Martin plays four roles in **Stop the World, I Want to Get Off.** ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/24 "2008-05-13T17:32:26Z")
The play [“Elsinore”,](http://www.canadianshakespeares.ca/Production_Shakespeare/SearchPublicShowPlay.cfm?PlayID=671) adapted by Robert LePage is a one-man version of “Hamlet”. The play within a play is done as a ‘puppet’ show with a lute, a recorder and a horn, and the stage manager and assistant stage manager are used as body doubles, but all the spoken lines are done by the same performer. Not a film, I realize, but, in my opinion, all the more impressive for that. ---
**Author:** ![phil417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6bbea6/32.png) [@phil417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phil417)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/25 "2008-05-13T17:33:17Z")
If memory serves, Jerry Lewis did a comedy back in the 1960’s,\* The Family Jewels\*, in which he played seven different characters. The plot was something along the lines of a young orphaned heiress chooses among six uncles to live with. JL played all six, as well as her chauffeur/close pal. Love, Phil ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/26 "2008-05-13T17:36:28Z")
I haven’t counted them all up, but Monty Python’s _The Meaning of Life_ has multiple actors playing multiple roles. Same with quite a few Python films, actually. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2008, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/27 "2008-05-13T17:51:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Tony Randall in 7 Faces of Dr. Lao > > Maybe not the most, but a contender. I was a little disappointed to learn that Randall didn’t play the “Abominable Snowman” – he didn’t want to get in the heavy, sweaty costiume, especially since you couldn’t see his face. On the other hand, he does appear in the background of one scene totally _sans_ makeup, in the audience, so he does play seven roles in the film. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/28 "2008-05-13T18:02:27Z")
Cheech Marin had 3 rôles in _From Dusk Till Dawn._ ---
**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:** [May 13, 2008, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/29 "2008-05-13T18:09:06Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] Dick Van Dyke in _Mary Poppins_. [/QUOTE] Refresh my memory. I only remember him playing Bert. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/30 "2008-05-13T18:17:01Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] Refresh my memory. I only remember him playing Bert. [/QUOTE] He also played Mr. Dawes, the old guy at the bank. ---
**Author:** ![williambaskerville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@williambaskerville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williambaskerville)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/31 "2008-05-13T18:22:17Z")
Deborah Kerr played 3 different girls in the The Life And Death of Colonel Blimp. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/32 "2008-05-13T18:26:18Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] I was a little disappointed to learn that Randall didn’t play the “Abominable Snowman” – he didn’t want to get in the heavy, sweaty costiume, especially since you couldn’t see his face. On the other hand, he does appear in the background of one scene totally _sans_ makeup, in the audience, so he does play seven roles in the film. [/QUOTE] [Nitpick]Actually, it’s _six_. The Loch Ness Monster was played by a guppy in a fish bowl (small version) and a stop-motion animated model (large version).[/Nitpick] Useless trivia about **The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao** : Peter Sellers was the first choice for the role(s) but he was too busy so Randall was hired instead. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/33 "2008-05-13T18:32:20Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] He also played Mr. Dawes, the old guy at the bank. [/QUOTE] Ah…okay! We saw the first half of the movie this past weekend (we had an event to attend so we didn’t have time to watch the second half), and I didn’t remember seeing him as anyone but Bert in that half. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/34 "2008-05-13T18:39:35Z")
[QUOTE=NDP] [Nitpick]Actually, it’s _six_. The Loch Ness Monster was played by a guppy in a fish bowl (small version) and a stop-motion animated model (large version).[/Nitpick] Useless trivia about **The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao** : Peter Sellers was the first choice for the role(s) but he was too busy so Randall was hired instead. [/QUOTE] It took me a long time before I realized that the seventh face (in the movie) is Medusa. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/35 "2008-05-13T18:40:33Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] He also played Mr. Dawes, the old guy at the bank. [/QUOTE] For which he’s credited as “Nackvid Keyd,” (an anagram) at least on the soundtrack. I seem to recall that the film including the same credit but don’t remember if it unscrambles. To go off-premise for a moment, the play _The Mystery of Irma Vep_ has eight characters that are played by two actors. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/36 "2008-05-13T18:52:44Z")
I don’t see an embargo on identical twins so I propose Jeremy Irons as Beverly & Elliot Mantle in _Dead Ringers_ and Louis Hayward (amongst others) as King Louis XIV & Philippe of Gascony in _The Man in the Iron Mask_. ---
**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:** [May 13, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/37 "2008-05-13T18:53:18Z")
> [@](#): > > For which he’s credited as “Nackvid Keyd,” (an anagram) at least on the soundtrack. I seem to recall that the film including the same credit but don’t remember if it unscrambles. Not only does it unscramble, it does so with animated letters. You gotta watch the film – this is arguably an early example of “things at the end of the credits you have to see” ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/38 "2008-05-13T19:02:10Z")
Jack Lemmon in _The Great Race_, as both Professor Fate and Crown Prince Hapnick and… …Professor Fate pretending to be Prince Hapnick. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/39 "2008-05-14T02:18:37Z")
Lupino Lane made film in 1929 called [_Only Me_](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0248263/) in which he plays 24 roles. I haven’t seen it, but here’s the IMDb description: “A well-dressed but inebriated man decides to attend a variety show at the Palace Theatre. During the show, both he and the performers are continually harassed by a practical joke-loving boy who is sitting in a box seat near the stage. Soon the inebriated man himself begins to cause disruptions, with his overly emphatic opinions of the various acts.” ISTR this being cited as holding the record for most roles by the same person in a single film. But if **from\_a\_to\_z** is right about Keaton’s film, either my source or my memory is wrong. (Won’t be the first time.) ---
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2008, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148/40 "2008-05-14T02:32:40Z")
Jackie Chan and Jet Li, both, in The Forbidden Kingdom [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-same-actors-play-multiple-roles-and-which-has-the-most/449148.md?page=3)