# Shows or movies in which the actor’s name matches the character’s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** actor-characters\ **Created:** [July 12, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954 "2023-07-12T19:43:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/1 "2023-07-12T19:43:04Z")
Hypothetically, if Tom Cruise played a character named Tom Smith, that would count. Cameos or characters based upon their real lives would not. So neither Ray Romano in “Everybody Loves Raymond”, John Malkovich in “Being John Malkovich”, nor Topher Grace in “Ocean’s Eleven” would count. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/2 "2023-07-12T19:54:15Z")
Tony Danza played characters named Tony in both _Taxi_ and _Who’s the Boss_. ---
**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/3 "2023-07-12T19:56:20Z")
In the 1948 movie **Twilight on the Rio Grande** , Gene Autry plays a character named Gene Autry. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/4 "2023-07-12T20:06:24Z")
In the TV show _The Pretender,_ Andrea Parker played a character named “Miss Parker.” It’s clearly not supposed to be her. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/5 "2023-07-12T20:13:01Z")
If animated shows count, in _Bob’s Burgers_ the character Gene Belcher is voiced by Eugene Mirman (Gene being short for Eugene). ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/6 "2023-07-12T20:15:13Z")
_The Shining_ immediately leaps to mind. Jack as Jack. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/7 "2023-07-12T20:17:54Z")
Tim Allen played Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor in _Home Improvement_. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/8 "2023-07-12T20:20:28Z")
They said that’s what they had to do on Taxi because they couldn’t get him to answer to his character’s name. Maybe he’s as dumb as they say and he still hadn’t figured it out by the time of Who’s the Boss? Nobody’s going to mention I Love Lucy, or The Luci-Desi Comedy Hour, or The Lucy Show, or Here’s Lucy, or Life with Lucy? Did I forget any there? I don’t really think of those as based on the character’s real life. Not sure why the OP thinks Everybody Loves Raymond is based on his real life, I don’t think he was ever a sportswriter. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/9 "2023-07-12T20:25:47Z")
Wong, in Dr. Strange, was played by Benedict Wong. And not quite the same thing, but Men in Black starred Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones, which certainly fit the movie. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/10 "2023-07-12T20:33:24Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Not sure why the OP thinks Everybody Loves Raymond is based on his real life, I don’t think he was ever a sportswriter. And, the character’s name was Ray Barone, not Ray Romano. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/11 "2023-07-12T20:35:09Z")
On _The Office_, even if you don’t count Creed playing Creed you have Oscar playing Oscar, Angela playing Angela, and Phyllis playing Phyllis. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/12 "2023-07-12T20:41:37Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > Not sure why the OP thinks Everybody Loves Raymond is based on his real life, I don’t think he was ever a sportswriter. > > And, the character’s name was Ray Barone, not Ray Romano. I wouldn’t count Ray because he was an executive producer who based the character loosely on his own life. And I was just asking for first names of characters, not matching first and last. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/13 "2023-07-12T20:45:34Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I wouldn’t count Ray because he was an executive producer who based the character loosely on his own life. This would likely also disqualify comedians like Tim Allen and Roseanne Barr, who were also involved in the creation of their TV series, in which they played characters with which they shared first names, and which were loosely based on their standup comedy routines. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/14 "2023-07-12T20:56:07Z")
This far in and no one’s mentioned Woody Harrelson and Woody Boyd on _ **Cheers** _?!? 😲 **Trivia challenge:** What did Woody Boyd have in common with Captain Kirk on _ **Star Trek** _? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/15 "2023-07-12T21:01:55Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > **Trivia challenge:** What did Woody Boyd have in common with Captain Kirk on _ **Star Trek** _? They’re both from Indiana? ETA: Nope! They have the same middle name! ---
**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:** [July 12, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/16 "2023-07-12T21:02:46Z")
No, Kirk is from Iowa. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2023, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/17 "2023-07-12T21:03:47Z")
Which is…? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/18 "2023-07-12T21:04:36Z")
Tiberius! ---
**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:** [July 12, 2023, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/19 "2023-07-12T21:05:30Z")
Yep! And “Woody” is short for… ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2023, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/20 "2023-07-12T21:06:28Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > > > I wouldn’t count Ray because he was an executive producer who based the character loosely on his own life. > > This would likely also disqualify comedians like Tim Allen and Roseanne Barr, who were also involved in the creation of their TV series, in which they played characters with which they shared first names, and which were loosely based on their standup comedy routines. More or less. According to wiki, “Raymond” was based loosely on his life, not his routine. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954.md?page=2)