# 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:** 3
**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 13, 2023, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/41 "2023-07-13T13:15:38Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ve always felt this is the best example because the character had been named Wong long before the actor was cast to play him. One case that fascinated me was Hugo Drax in the James Bond novel _Moonraker_, where he’s described as a “Lonsdale sort of character”. When they finally turned the book into a (pretty awful and puerile) movie, they cast as Drax – Michel Lonsdale. I’ve always wondered if he got the part because of his name. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2023, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/42 "2023-07-13T13:49:18Z")
There was an Australian comedy series called **The Games** ; which starred John Clarke, Bryan Dawe, and Gina Riley. Their characters were, respectively, John Clarke, Bryan Dawe, and Gina Riley. They did the same with lots of the supporting characters, too, but not all. I gather it was something of a subtle joke. The names of characters in a show don’t really matter, so why not just use the names of the actors. The show broke the fourth wall in a couple other ways, too. ---
**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 13, 2023, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/43 "2023-07-13T15:49:24Z")
The first time I read the novel I did a double-take at that. ---
**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 13, 2023, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/44 "2023-07-13T16:53:20Z")
Most of the barflies who got speaking parts on _ **Cheers** _ went by their real first names—Al, Tom, Paul, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2023, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/45 "2023-07-13T17:25:52Z")
_The Partridge Family_: Shirley Jones as Shirley Partridge Danny Bonaduce as Shirley’s son Danny _30 Rock_: Tracy Morgan as Tracy Jordan John Lutz as John Lutz (but it’s not a cameo - similar to how Will Smith plays a character named Will Smith on _The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air_, but the character is not also the rapper The Fresh Prince) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2023, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/46 "2023-07-13T17:30:26Z")
Christian Slater as Slater on **Archer**. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/47 "2023-07-13T17:36:05Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Most of the barflies who got speaking parts on _ **Cheers** _ went by their real first names—Al, Tom, Paul, and so on. Harry the Hat ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/48 "2023-07-13T18:13:27Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > Well, Bob Newhart was never a psychologist, an innkeeper, or a cartoonist, so I think all three of his shows count ,per the OP’s criteria. The first and third shows count. When he was an innkeeper in Vermont, his character was named “Dick Loudon.” Although you can find outtakes on YouTube of various other actors accidentally calling him “Bob.” ---
**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 13, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/49 "2023-07-13T18:20:31Z")
Paul Willson played a couple of other characters named Paul. Tony Danza played more Tonys in addition to the 2 mentioned already, including one that occured right about the same time as Taxi. On top of that he’s played himself or a character based on his common character persona on a number of shows. Also, on The Lucy show Vivian Vance (Ethel from I Love Lucy) play a character named Vivian Bagley and Mary Jane Croft playing Mary Jane Lewis. Croft was also a character with that name on Here’s Lucy and Vance was a character named Vivian Vance. Lucy’s children Lucie and Desi Jr. had parts on Here’s Lucy also, but not using their own names. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2023, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/50 "2023-07-13T20:57:04Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > The first and third shows count. When he was an innkeeper in Vermont, his character was named “Dick Loudon.” Although you can find outtakes on YouTube of various other actors accidentally calling him “Bob.” Ah, but in the 2nd show his name _was_ Bob. As revealed in the final scene of the final episode. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2023, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/51 "2023-07-13T21:30:02Z")
I believe his first name is “Just,” as in, “It’s Just Slater.” ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2023, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/52 "2023-07-14T12:07:29Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Also, on The Lucy show Vivian Vance (Ethel from I Love Lucy) play a character named Vivian Bagley and Mary Jane Croft playing Mary Jane Lewis. I’ve always heard that Vivian Vance only agreed to do the show if her character could be named “Vivian,” because she was tired of everyone calling her “Ethel.” ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2023, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/53 "2023-07-14T12:13:59Z")
The movie “Warrior” had a twofer - Tom Hardy as Tommy Conlon, and Frank Grillo as Frank Campana. ---
**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 14, 2023, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/54 "2023-07-14T14:02:51Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > I’ve always heard that Vivian Vance only agreed to do the show if her character could be named “Vivian,” because she was tired of everyone calling her “Ethel.” I’ve seen that said as well. Mainly that she didn’t want to be called Ethel. Vance also reportedly hated Lucy, but the reality seems to be that everybody that worked for Lucy hated her to some extent and Vance just wanted to continue the relationship on her own terms after I Love Lucy. ---
**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 14, 2023, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/55 "2023-07-14T19:15:46Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Vance also reportedly hated Lucy… Interesting. I remember Lucy speaking warmly about Vance after she died, saying she lost heart in doing sitcoms “without my Viv.” ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/56 "2023-07-14T19:23:23Z")
Vance and Ball had a decades long friendship, that only ended when Vance died of cancer. Vance didn’t care for William Fawley, the actor who player her on-screen husband, Fred. Reportedly, she was at dinner when she heard he had died, and ordered champagne for the whole restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/57 "2023-07-14T19:23:48Z")
Paul Sorvino as Paul Cicero in Goodfellas. ---
**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 14, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/58 "2023-07-14T19:40:09Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Interesting. I remember Lucy speaking warmly about Vance after she died, saying she lost heart in doing sitcoms “without my Viv.” > [@Miller](#): > > Vance and Ball had a decades long friendship, that only ended when Vance died of cancer. I know that was the reality, however the ginned up dislike between the two has been made a better story than that. Vivian Vance certainly hated certain terms of her contract on I Love Lucy, and Lucy was a tough boss, but that didn’t result in hatred of Lucille Ball personally. > [@](#): > > Vance didn’t care for William Fawley, the actor who player her on-screen husband, Fred. Reportedly, she was at dinner when she heard he had died, and ordered champagne for the whole restaurant. She may actually have hated Frawley as much as if they’d actually been married. She didn’t like his style of acting, he didn’t like to put much effort into rehearsal, she was only 2 years older than Lucy but Frawley was 20 years older than her making her seem older as well. She also hated being the butt of the joke in their scenes. And she may have only agreed to be on The Lucy Show if Frawley wasn’t. It wasn’t like Frawley had a lot of friends in Hollywood, Desi Arnaz gave him a chance when no one else would after Frawley promised that he would always show up for work on time and sober. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2023, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/59 "2023-07-14T21:17:28Z")
Reba McEntire as Reba Hart in Reba. Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham in Happy Days ---
**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 14, 2023, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954/60 "2023-07-14T22:01:05Z")
Browsing the TV Tropes page, I am shocked that none of us thought of Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-or-movies-in-which-the-actor-s-name-matches-the-character-s/986954.md?page=4)