# People Who Get Typecast as Histotical Characters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 22, 2005, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627 "2005-07-22T13:15:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [July 22, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/21 "2005-07-22T15:48:13Z")
\*\*Marie Antoinette[/V] **Eleonore Hirt** played her in 1960 and 1982 (22 years apart!) [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0386711/](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0386711/) \*\*Suzanne Bianchetti seems to have played her three times over seven years: [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0080572/](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0080572/) ---
**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:** [July 22, 2005, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/22 "2005-07-22T15:51:20Z")
**Dominique Bresnehard** did **Louis XVI** twice, seven years apart: [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0078712/](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0078712/) **Gilbert Bokanowaski** played him three times in two years. I don’t kniow if it’s related or not: [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0092552/](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0092552/) ---
**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:** [July 22, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/23 "2005-07-22T15:53:14Z")
**Lowell Gilmore** somehow got to be **Pontius Pilate** three separate times: [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0319557/](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0319557/) ---
**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:** [July 22, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/24 "2005-07-22T15:54:35Z")
**Lowell Gilmore** somehow got to be **Pontius Pilate** three separate times: [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0319557/](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0319557/) **Robert Hardy** (Cornelius Fudge from Harry Potter!) plated Pilate twice, thirty years apart!: [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0362735/](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0362735/) ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/25 "2005-07-22T15:58:28Z")
I know it’s not quite the same thing, but **Martin Sheen** apparently seems rather Presidential to casting directors, as he has quite a few roles as either fictional or real Presidents and/or Vice Presidents, including: _The West Wing_ … President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet _Family Attraction_ … President _Medusa’s Child_ … President (U.S.) _The American President_ … Vice President A.J. MacInerney _Kennedy_ … John F. Kennedy **Barry Bostwick** has played George Washington twice; in _George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation_ (1986) and _George Washington_ (1984). Then there’s **Joseph Kilgour** , who played our founding father 4 times; _The Battle Cry of Peace_ (1915), _The Dawn of Freedom_ (1916), _Washington Under the American Flag_ (1909) and _Washington Under the British Flag_ (1909). **Alan Mowbray** played him 3 times; _Alexander Hamilton_ (1931), _The Phantom President_ (1932) and _Where Do We Go from Here?_ (1945), as did **Howard St. John** in _La Fayette_ (1962), _Our American Heritage: The Secret Rebel_ (1961) and _The Patriots_ (1963), and as did **William Worthington** in _Can This Be Dixie?_ (1936), _Marry the Girl_ (1937) and _The Spy_ (1914). ---
**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:** [July 22, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/26 "2005-07-22T15:59:15Z")
I’m sure this one doesn’t count – **Douglas Wilmer** played **Sherlock Holmes** in the series "Sherlock Holmes and the TV series “Detective”, all in 1964-5. He also played him in **The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother** , but almost certainly because of his earlier roles (which were probably related) ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/27 "2005-07-22T16:00:31Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Well, ya _could_, if he appeared in the part in more than one series. Ah, you know what I meant. 😃 However, in 1939, he played the part in Fox’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and The Hound of the Baskervilles. 1942-1946 > [@Marcia Jessen](#): > > Universal decided to make Holmes a contemporary character (i.e. living in 1942 London) and portrayed Holmes fighting Nazi spies and driving a car! This was explained by the following words which appear after the opening credits at the beginning of the first few films: “The character of Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is ageless, invincible, and unchanging. In solving significant problems of the present day, he remains, as ever, the supreme master of deductive reasoning.” Twelve films were then made. He also played the part on multiple different radio show, in many different series. as well as on tv, for example in 5/30/1950 “Sherlock Holmes” (NBC Showcase), or in 5/26/1953 “The Adventure of the Black Baronet,” as Sherlock Holmes (Suspense, CBS)[http://www.basilrathbone.net/](http://www.basilrathbone.net/) Also, according to the very untrustworthy sources on imdb, his voice was sampled for the part of Sherlock Holmes in the film The Great Mouse Detective ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/28 "2005-07-22T18:13:56Z")
Charlton Heston played Andrew Jackson in two different films. He also played Sir Thomas More in a television movie, and several times on stage. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/29 "2005-07-22T18:30:27Z")
[James Cagney](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000010/) played George M. Cohan in 2 movies and on Broadway. The Seven Little Foys (1955) Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/30 "2005-07-22T19:42:19Z")
[Ian Hart](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0001324/) portrayed John Lennon in 2 films: \*\*Backbeat \*\* (1994) and \*\*The Hours and the Times \*\* (1991). Dig this: [William Devane](http://imdb.com/name/nm0001137/) played President John F. Kennedy in \*\*The Missiles of October \*\* (1974) and 18 years later played his father-in-law “Black Jack” Bouvier in \*\*A Woman Named Jackie \*\* (1991). ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/31 "2005-07-22T20:38:14Z")
Jerry Haleva played Saddam Hussein 5 times. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/32 "2005-07-22T21:05:31Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **William Daniels** was **John Adams** in the Broadway play 1776 and the film, and in the TV movie of John Jakes’ The Rebels (I thought he played Sam Adams, but ythe IMDB credits him as John, too). He also played him in The Adams Chronicles and the 1994 TV movie The American Revolution. Nitpick - in The Adams Chronicles he played John Quincy Adams. George Grizzard played John Adams. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/33 "2005-07-23T00:29:04Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > I know it’s not quite the same thing, but **Martin Sheen** apparently seems rather Presidential to casting directors, as he has quite a few roles as either fictional or real Presidents and/or Vice Presidents, including: > > _The West Wing_ … President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet > _Family Attraction_ … President > _Medusa’s Child_ … President (U.S.) > _The American President_ … Vice President A.J. MacInerney > _Kennedy_ … John F. Kennedy Martin Sheen also played brother Bobby Kennedy in _Missiles of October_ ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/34 "2005-07-23T00:32:30Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > Ian Holm has played Napoleon Bonaparte three times, in a TV movie, and in “Time Bandits” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. He has also played both Himmler and Goebbels. Holm also played Jack the Ripper in _From Hell_. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/35 "2005-07-23T02:13:10Z")
If we’re including “historical characters” who are still alive, I’ll nominate **Jeannette Charles** (picture [here](http://www.garyparkes.com/images/cabaret/jeannette_charles.jpg), IMDB filmography [here](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0153055/)), who has played **Queen Elizabeth II** in at least ten movies and TV shows (and, I suspect, many more that don’t rate an IMDB Entry). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/36 "2005-07-23T03:09:48Z")
Sir Anthony Hopkins has played: Richard I in _The Lion in Winter_ Captain Bligh in _The Bounty_ Hitler in _The Bunker_ Dr Frederick Treves in _The Elephant Man_ Daniel Webster in \*The Devil and Daniel Webster \* (still unreleased) John Quincy Adams in _Amistad_ Ptolemy in _Alexander_ Col. John Frost in _A Bridge Too Far_ Dr. Kellogg in _The Road to Wellville_ Guy Burgess in _Blunt_ Nixon in _Nixon_ C. S. Lewis in _Shadowlands_ Paul of Tarsus in _Peter and Paul_ David Lloyd Geoge in \*Young Winston \* and “The Edwardians” Yitzhak Rabin in _Victory at Entebbe_ Charles Dickens in _The Great Inimtable Mr. Dickens_ Picasso in _Surviving Picasso_ Danton in \*Danton \* (1970) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/37 "2005-07-23T05:20:51Z")
[Edward Hermann](http://imdb.com/name/nm0001346/) has played FDR at least three times and it’s the first thing I think of whenever I see him. Stephen Fry played Oscar Wilde in the (imo) excellent [movie](http://imdb.com/title/tt0120514/), in an episode of the short lived western [Ned Blessing](http://imdb.com/title/tt0106081/), in several audio recordings and on-stage. Though nowhere near as well as Glenda Jackson, Bette Davis played Elizabeth I in two movies and on-stage. Judith Anderson also played her several times on screen and on stage (and with Charlton Heston caused one of the weirder stage couplings of all time as Elizabeth and Essex). ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/38 "2005-07-25T09:33:00Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > I know it’s not quite the same thing, but **Martin Sheen** apparently seems rather Presidential to casting directors, as he has quite a few roles as either fictional or real Presidents and/or Vice Presidents, including: > > _The West Wing_ … President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet > _Family Attraction_ … President > _Medusa’s Child_ … President (U.S.) > **_The American President_ … Vice President A.J. MacInerney** > _Kennedy_ … John F. Kennedy I’m fairly confident that the character AJ MacInerney was _not_ the vice president. IMDB doesn’t say if he had a title, but his actions in the movie were more like a Chief of Staff (like Leo on “The West Wing”). One: The VP doesn’t spend _anywhere_ as much time at the White House that AJ did. Two: The VP is rarely if ever as involved in the policy details of the administration. Three: This exchange from the movie:\* **President Andrew Shepherd:** Is the view pretty good from the cheap seats? **A.J.:** What? **President Andrew Shepherd:** Because it occurs to me that it twenty five years, why have I never seen YOUR name on a ballot? Why A.J.? Whare are you always one step behind ME? **A.J.:** Because if I wasn’t, you’d be the most popular history teacher at the University of Wisconsin! **President Andrew Shepherd:** Fuck you! \* AJ’s never been on a ballot; i.e., he’s never run for an office, even VP. ---
**Author:** ![MikeTheTiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@MikeTheTiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeTheTiger)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/39 "2005-07-25T17:42:09Z")
[QUOTE=Shayna] I know it’s not quite the same thing, but **Martin Sheen** apparently seems rather Presidential to casting directors, as he has quite a few roles as either fictional or real Presidents and/or Vice Presidents, including: _The West Wing_ … President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet _Family Attraction_ … President _Medusa’s Child_ … President (U.S.) _The American President_ … Vice President A.J. MacInerney _Kennedy_ … John F. Kennedy He also played the evil president predicted to start WW III by Christopher Walken in “The Dead Zone”. ---
**Author:** ![MikeTheTiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@MikeTheTiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeTheTiger)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627/40 "2005-07-25T17:45:00Z")
[QUOTE=MikeTheTiger] > [@Shayna](#): > > I know it’s not quite the same thing, but **Martin Sheen** apparently seems rather Presidential to casting directors, as he has quite a few roles as either fictional or real Presidents and/or Vice Presidents, including: > > _The West Wing_ … President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet > _Family Attraction_ … President > _Medusa’s Child_ … President (U.S.) > _The American President_ … Vice President A.J. MacInerney > _Kennedy_ … John F. Kennedy > > He also played the evil president predicted to start WW III by Christopher Walken in “The Dead Zone”. Make that “presidential candidate”. The future envisioned by Walken was that he would start WW III if elected. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-get-typecast-as-histotical-characters/313627.md?page=3)