How many examples are there of the same actor being brought back into a series to play a totally different character? I don’t mean the Evil Twin Plot Device. I am not so much interested in one off characters as I am examples of major or important supporting characters.
The ones I can think of off the top of my head: MAS*H, Harry Morgan plays a crazy general in one episode and is brought back as Col Henry Potter. Dennis Franz plays Det Benedetto (I think that was the name) in a major story arc. Benedetto is corrupt, obnoxious and a huge asshole. After he offs himself they bring back Franz as LT Buntz, basically the same character but this time not corrupt but still an asshole. And for all the geeks, Jeffrey Combs has played about 50 different characters in the Star Trek universe, including some very important supporting characters. Of course you can’t see its him under some of the makeup.
Law & Order is known for this. I think most of the series regulars first appeared in a single-episode role as a drug dealer or defense lawyer or something. The example that comes immediately to mind is ADA Borgia who had played a stripper in one episode before she came on as a regular character. Lt. Van Buren also appeared, I think as the mother of a victim.
Not on the same show, but in the same “universe”: John Mahoney, Frasier’s dad on “Frasier,” appeared on “Cheers” as jingle writer Sy Flembeck.
I think there are one or two more from MASH, but danged if I can think of them right now.
Garret Dillahunt played Jack McCall and Francis Wolcott on Deadwood.
Fresh Prince of Bel Air did this a lot, but I can’t remember which actors they were.
Bethany Joy Galeotti played “teenage Reva clone” (don’t ask) on Guiding Light (though at the time she was calling herself Joie Lenz), and was so popular with the audience that when they later recast Michelle Bauer, they brought her back in that role.
The show Law & Order is quite famous for doing this, mostly with secondary characters, but they did do this with Jerry Orbach, whose first role on the show was as a public defender named Frank Lehrman before they brought him back as Detective Briscoe.
Well in Cheers Frasier mentions that his dad was dead. I think he said he was a shrink too. In the episode when Sam visits Frazier in Seattle he explains it away by saying he was mad at his father at the time.
Most tv shows wind up using a known repertory troupe of actors for minor character roles. The petty criminals on Barney Miller hardly changed from year to year; only their hilarious hijinks did. You can find examples on most long-running sitcoms and dramas.
Nothing new either. Producers have always relied on known quantities who were easy to work with and gave good performances. You can find examples back into the 50s.
One example of a major supporting character switch from the 1950s was Doris Packer on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. She played Warren Beatty’s[!] mother, Mrs. Milton Armitage, in the first season. When they got rid of Beatty (or he left, accounts differ), she came back as Steve Franken’s mother, Mrs. Chatsworth Osborne, Sr. I think they didn’t even bother to change the set of her home.
A few years later, Carl Reiner played a variety of weird characters on The Dick Van Dyke Show before deciding to give life to the previously never-seen Alan Brady.
Dang, you kind of scooped me with the L&O reference. Yep, Annie Parisse played Jasmine Blake before coming back as Alexandra Borgia, and S. Epatha Merkerson was Denise Winters before becoming Lt. Van Buren.
Except two of those petty criminals, Ron Carey and Steve Landesberg, later upgraded to police officers themselves.
Jeffrey Tambor played George Bluth, and later his twin brother Oscar, on Arrested Development. I assume the writers created Oscar because Tambor’s character was always in jail or in hiding, and they wanted to have him interact with more of the cast more often.
ETA: This isn’t really ‘brought back,’ and for that matter, it’s sort of the reverse of the ‘evil twin’ thing. D’oh.
You came up with the best example though. Can’t believe I forgot Lennie!
Jack Garner was all over The Rockford Files and its follow-up movies. Checking the IMDb I count at least 18 characters.
Also in the Law & Order universe, Diane Neal was a defendant on an episode of SVU before becoming that show’s ADA.
Babylon 5 had a number of actors who played various roles, although the only one I can remember now is Wayne Alexander. who played Lorien, a Drakh, a Drazi, and a Soul Hunter.
The Nero Wolfe series did this, with a small group of actors reused over and over again as different characters. Not just for bit roles either. Fun stuff seeing the FBI director from last week being a barber or bartender this week.
I heard a great trivia question once. Who is the only actor to play a Klingon, a Vulcan, a Romulan, and a Gorilla.
Three of those were within the same fictional universe.
Mark Lenard[del]?[/del]
In response to the OP, the gorgeous Ruta Lee appeared 5 times on Perry Mason as 5 different characters.
Edit: removed question mark.
That would be Marc Lenard.
The original Doctor Who has several actors who appeared as one character and then showed up later as a series regular. The most notable is Colin Baker, who played a guard in one episode then Doctor himself. There was also Nicholas Courtney, playing Bret Vyon (who gets killed off) and the Brigadier (appearing with at least four doctors). Ian Marter was a bit player in one story and a companion for a year and a half and Lalla Ward was a princess in one story and the Doctor’s companion the very next episode. Finally, John Leeson was the voice of K-9, and also guest starred in front of the camera. And Philip Madoc appeared in several episodes as various characters.
The great Vito Scotti played several different characters who were scared away from The Addams Family. He also showed up on Gilligan’s Island as three different characters.
Reno 911! does something similar, but not quite, with its cast. Not only do they play their regular roles as deputies but frequently they’ll play a recurring complainant or subject. It’s not quite the same as the OP is looking for but it’s…uh, yeah it’s not the same thing.