# Name a movie where two actors play the same character. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 16, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860 "2005-03-16T18:49:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/21 "2005-03-16T20:21:01Z")
**Norma Jean & Marlyn** was an HBO movie featuring Ashley Judd as Norma Jean and Mira Sorvino as Marilyn. I’ve not seen the movie, but apparently they play it like different aspects of Marilyn Monroe’s personality fighting each other for control. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/22 "2005-03-16T20:22:39Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > _Mickey Rooney_ played the young _Clark Gable_ in [Manhattan Melodrama](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025464/)!! Hijack [ **Sampiro** blinks and double checks his gaze to assure that he is seeing correctly, then hurls himself at the ground, grabs her knees, and calls out to his nearest manservant “Slaughter the fatted calf! Bring harpists and flautists and guitarists and harpsichordists from the village! Let the wine pour like rain in Seattle and let there be dancers of Chippendale quality brought forth! Call forth the sprites of Cole Porter and Busby Berkeley and commission from them a new song and dance! She lives! She lives!”} ---
**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:** [March 16, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/23 "2005-03-16T20:22:51Z")
_Norma Jean and Marilyn_ had Ashley Judd and Mia Sorvino playing the same character. An unusual example of an adult character being played as a child occurred in _Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back_. Kevin Smith cast his daughter Harley to play his character, Silent Bob, as a baby. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/24 "2005-03-16T20:24:01Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Loaded Weapon 1, when some plain-looking actress put down her hair and turned into Kathy Ireland. If Casino Royale counts, then it’s the most actors playing a single character ever, particulary at the end. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/25 "2005-03-16T20:24:07Z")
Pretty much any movie featuring magical or sci-fi shapeshifters, too. In ]i]Star Trek III\*, Spock was played by five different actors as the character rapidly aged, plus an extra one credited for “Spock screams”. > [@](#): > > Loaded Weapon 1, when some plain-looking actress put down her hair and turned into Kathy Ireland. 'Excuse me while I change." The pre-Kathy Ireland (named “Spinach Destiny” in the credits) was Allyce Beasley, best known for playing secretary Agnes DiPesto on _Moonlighting_. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/26 "2005-03-16T20:26:03Z")
And so as to post a non-hijack, **Shallow Hal** (not to be confused with BBC’s **Six Wives of Henry VIII** , where amazingly enough the obese and old Henry was indeed the same actor who played the young athletic and shallow King Hal). ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/27 "2005-03-16T20:27:41Z")
Damn, I just remembered. In _South Park, Bigger, Longer and Uncut,_ according to the credits, three actors did the voice for Ike. Though it could be a joke, because Ike doesn’t exactly have a lot lines. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/28 "2005-03-16T20:42:04Z")
The _Doctor Who_ TV movie with Sylvester McCoy & Paul McGann. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/29 "2005-03-16T20:42:12Z")
I can’t think of any movie besides those that have the same character at different ages, but it MIGHT be somewhere in the OP’s interest to know that Robert DeNiro and Marlon Brando both won the Oscar for playing the same character in two different movies: Godfather and Godfather II. (Both played Vito Corleone). I think that’s the only instance of THAT. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/30 "2005-03-16T21:13:34Z")
Big Fish - the main character is played by Ewan McGregor as a young man and Albert Finney as an old man. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/31 "2005-03-16T21:19:45Z")
Plan 9 from Outer Space. Bela Lugosi died of a drug overdose during production and was replaced by a look-alike stand-in partially hiding his face behind the Dracula cape. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/32 "2005-03-16T21:20:54Z")
“American Splendor” had an odd 4-way combination (from IMDB): Daniel Tay as Young Harvey Paul Giamatti as Harvey Pekar Harvey Pekar as Real Harvey Donal Logue as Stage Actor Harvey There were also 3 "Joyce"s and several other characters were duplicated as actors and as themselves. Cleveland will do that to you. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/33 "2005-03-16T21:22:36Z")
> [@Peter Morris](#): > > The _Doctor Who_ TV movie with Sylvester McCoy & Paul McGann. Well, the grandaddy in that category would have to be [_The Five Doctors_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123044/), featuring five incarnations of the character, though the fourth one was kind of a cheat, limited to archival footage. > [@LifeOnWry](#): > > Robert DeNiro and Marlon Brando both won the Oscar for playing the same character in two different movies: Godfather and Godfather II. The feat is somewhat matched by Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart both being nominated for acting Oscars for playing the same character in the _same_ movie; _Titanic_. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/34 "2005-03-16T21:27:53Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > And so as to post a non-hijack, **Shallow Hal** That was Gwyneth Paltrow as both the fat and thin versions of her character; she just used a fat suit for the former. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/35 "2005-03-16T21:33:16Z")
D’oh! I just realized you weren’t talking about her character, but other ones (like the nurse), in which case you are correct. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/36 "2005-03-16T22:07:18Z")
Godfather Series …oooh, good call… Forgot about that one! Plan 9 from outer space…another good one. It can include a series or sequel. Keep them coming. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/37 "2005-03-16T22:15:30Z")
It seemed at times like each of the actresses played each of the female roles in _Mulholland Dr._ ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/38 "2005-03-16T22:30:07Z")
_The Incredible Hulk_ TV movies (Bill Bixby & Lou Ferrigno) _Swamp Thing_ (Ray Wise & Dick Durock) ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/39 "2005-03-16T22:31:27Z")
> [@Kaspar Hauser](#): > > Even if you don’t allow sequels, Darth Vader was portrayed by at least two\* people in _Return of the Jedi_ – David Prowse with the mask on, and Sebastian Shaw with the mask off. > > \*Three if you count James Earl Jones. Four if you count Bob Anderson who did most of the Swordfighting. ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860/40 "2005-03-16T22:38:52Z")
[_Tiresia_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362246/), where the title character is played by both a woman and a man. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-a-movie-where-two-actors-play-the-same-character/294860.md?page=3)