# Spotting a Familiar Actor in a Surprising Place - Part Deux **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931 "2017-06-26T19:06:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**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:** [August 31, 2017, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/241 "2017-08-31T04:48:20Z")
Five-year-old Ronnie Howard (“Opie Taylor,” “Richie Cunningham”) in “Walking Distance” on _ **Twilight Zone** _ (S1, E5). David Wayne (“The Mad Hatter,” “‘Digger’ Barnes”), Raymond Bailey (“Milburn Drysdale”), Virginia Christine (“Mrs Olsen”), Dick Wilson (“Mr Whipple”), and Joe Flynn (“Captain Binghampton”) in “Escape Clause” on _ **Twilight Zone** _ (S1, E6). ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/242 "2017-08-31T05:06:27Z")
> [@Mixolydian](#): > > Original thread [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=645226): > > Watching “Silence Of The Lambs” recently (my son is into horror flicks these days) and noticed one of the orderlies working in the sub-sub-basement where Hannibal is kept was played by [Frankie Faison](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0265670/?ref_=tt_cl_t13), the Commish from “The Wire”. > > Also, I had forgotten that Samuel L. Jackson was in “Jurassic Park” (along with NEWMAN). Maybe not a familiar actor but the ambulance driver from Silence of the Lambs shown below is Chicago radio personality Buzz Kilman [![](http://img21.mtime.cn/mg/2010/07/10/152906.19424828.jpg) ](http://img21.mtime.cn/mg/2010/07/10/152906.19424828.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/243 "2017-08-31T05:34:50Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > A couple of Doctor Who actors far from a TARDIS > > Patrick Troughton (Classic Doctor 2) played Phineus in _Jason and the Argonauts_, almost unrecognizable with a heavy beard. > > Peter Davsion (Classic Doctor 5) showed up on _All Creatures Great and Small_ His goat was sick or something like that. Troughton also was in “the Omen.” He played the doomed priest who tries to warn Gregory Peck that his adopted son is the spawn of Satan. Then he gets speared through the chest by a church spire. Other “Who” sightings: William Hartnell appears briefly in “Odd Man Out” as a bartender. Jon Pertwee had a bit part in the movie version of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”. Tom Baker played “Rasputin” in “Nicholas and Alexandra.” Christopher Ecclestone and Peter Capaldi were suspects in two different episodes of the “Hercule Poirot” series (with David Suchet). Lalla Ward (Romana #2 and very briefly Mrs. Tom Baker) was a vampire in the early 1970s Hammer horror movie “Vampire Circus” (which is not a bad 70s horror flick, it’s actually worth seeking out.) Louise Jameson (Leela) appeared on the British soap opera “EastEnders”. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/244 "2017-08-31T11:20:18Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > Christopher Ecclestone and Peter Capaldi were suspects in two different episodes of the “Hercule Poirot” series (with David Suchet). Peter Capaldi also played Valmont’s valet in _Dangerous Liaisons_ and a choir director in an episode of _Midsomer Murders_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/245 "2017-08-31T11:52:12Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > Christopher Ecclestone and Peter Capaldi were suspects in two different episodes of the “Hercule Poirot” series (with David Suchet). So was Sean Pertwee, which doesn’t count but should. 😉 Plenty of famous faces pop up in Suchet’s POIROT outings: you can, f’rinstance, see young Michael Fassbender, and, well, he’s instantly recognizable. The only one that threw me was the low-key guy who – wait, what the hell is wrong with his _mouth?_ Sometimes it looks _almost_ normal, but then it’ll look like a puckered scar in need of medical treatment. Heck, he almost looks like – Damian Lewis. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/246 "2017-08-31T13:20:49Z")
One that really surprised me - the guy who played “Elias” on Person of Interest (a character who runs a highly effective criminal underground, and is well-educated and highly intelligent) is the same guy who plays Mathesar, the leader of the Thermians in “Galaxy Quest.” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/247 "2017-08-31T13:28:17Z")
[Jeannetta Arnette](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeannetta_Arnette) has quite an impressive list of TV show credits. Her appearance in the Criminal Minds episode “Riding the Lightning” was absolute perfection. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/248 "2017-08-31T13:28:35Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > Peter Capaldi also played Valmont’s valet in _Dangerous Liaisons_ and a choir director in an episode of _Midsomer Murders_. Also seen on _Midsomer Murders_: Judy Cornwell who played Daisy on\* Keeping Up Appearances\* Stephanie Cole who played Diana Trent on _Waiting for God_ Janine Duvitski who played Jane on _Waiting for God_ ---
**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:** [August 31, 2017, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/249 "2017-08-31T13:58:06Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > Also seen on _Midsomer Murders_: > Judy Cornwell who played Daisy on\* Keeping Up Appearances\* > Stephanie Cole who played Diana Trent on _Waiting for God_ > Janine Duvitski who played Jane on _Waiting for God_ I watched _ **Midsomer Murders** _ for several years before I realized Barnaby’s wife was played by the same actress (Jane Wymark) who played Morwenna Chynoweth in the original _ **Poldark** _: [![](https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.oPKibnPTCdSjWW3_PZSa4QEMD_&pid=Api) ](https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.oPKibnPTCdSjWW3_PZSa4QEMD_&pid=Api) [https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.kgOIjeZbLKl1k8zUOuhVYwEDDC&pid=Api](https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.kgOIjeZbLKl1k8zUOuhVYwEDDC&pid=Api) ---
**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:** [August 31, 2017, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/250 "2017-08-31T14:51:01Z")
I have an odd one. A character actor by the name of Ian Wolfe who finally rose to notice on WKRP as the elderly butler Hirsch for Mrs. Carlson in 1981. I also knew him from many small roles in other 70s sitcoms like Barney Miller and at least 1 Star Trek episode as Mr Atoz. So I’m watching a Lionel Barrymore movie from the 30s and there is this older guy in it that is the spitting image of Ian Wolfe, though maybe a little younger. I wonder if it is his father, sort like it is easy to confused Alan Hale & Alan Hale Jr. But no, it turns out Ian Wolfe was already playing older characters in the 30s, I couldn’t believe it was the same actor. Looks like the movies was On Borrowed Time (1939) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/251 "2017-08-31T15:06:27Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I have an odd one. A character actor by the name of Ian Wolfe who finally rose to notice on WKRP as the elderly butler Hirsch for Mrs. Carlson in 1981. I also knew him from many small roles in other 70s sitcoms like Barney Miller and at least 1 Star Trek episode as Mr Atoz. > > So I’m watching a Lionel Barrymore movie from the 30s and there is this older guy in it that is the spitting image of Ian Wolfe, though maybe a little younger. I wonder if it is his father, sort like it is easy to confused Alan Hale & Alan Hale Jr. > > But no, it turns out Ian Wolfe was already playing older characters in the 30s, I couldn’t believe it was the same actor. > > Looks like the movies was On Borrowed Time (1939) Even earlier ('35), “Mutiny on the Bounty,” with Gable and Laughton. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/252 "2017-08-31T15:14:10Z")
Wolfe actually had two classic _Star Trek_ credits. He was in the Planet of the Romans episode, too: [Ian Wolfe | Memory Alpha | Fandom](http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Ian_Wolfe). Died at age 95! ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/253 "2017-08-31T15:24:39Z")
Not to blow my own horn too much, but did no one notice that I mentioned Ian Wolfe in post #240? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/254 "2017-08-31T15:31:16Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Not to blow my own horn too much, but did no one notice that I mentioned Ian Wolfe in post #240? ☹ But that was thirteen whole posts ago! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/255 "2017-08-31T15:37:25Z")
Christopher Eccleston (Dr. Who) had the lead in the film _Jude_. David Tennant (Dr. Who) has a walk on bit as a “drunken graduate student”. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/256 "2017-08-31T15:41:47Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Not to blow my own horn too much, but did no one notice that I mentioned Ian Wolfe in post #240? ☹ No, I missed it, it is a very long thread and I thought he was obscure enough that I didn’t check very well. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/257 "2017-08-31T15:51:50Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > No, I missed it, it is a very long thread and I thought he was obscure enough that I didn’t check very well. No problem. It _is_ getting to be a pretty long thread, and I suppose I can’t expect everyone to follow my every word with rapt attention. Although it wouldn’t kill you all if you did! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/258 "2017-08-31T15:54:52Z")
^ Once you’re back at the Library and head back in time, we won’t know who you are, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/259 "2017-08-31T16:01:12Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > ^ Once you’re back at the Library and head back in time, we won’t know who you are, anyway. And there’s your explanation for how Wolfe was able to play little old men even back in the 1930s. Time travel! It’s so obvious! Don’t know why we never thought of that before. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-a-familiar-actor-in-a-surprising-place-part-deux/789931/260 "2017-08-31T16:04:20Z")
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