# Spotting series actors in minor roles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 18, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114 "2018-07-18T01:31:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [July 18, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/1 "2018-07-18T01:31:26Z")
Roger Smith of _77 Sunset Strip_, about 16 years old in the _Wagon Train_ episode, _The Dick Pederson Story._ ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/2 "2018-07-18T03:27:34Z")
George Wendt, NORM!!! of Cheers, as a Marine with a pool ball in his mouth, in an episode of M_A_S\*H. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/3 "2018-07-18T15:09:12Z")
Christina Applegate (Kelly Bundy) in an episode of _Family Ties_ when the younger daughter joined a band. Pre-SNL Adam Sandler on _The Cosby Show_ as one of Theo’s friends in 2-3 episodes ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/4 "2018-07-18T15:28:58Z")
more interesting is an actor who plays a minor role on a show and then becomes a main character on that show in later episodes. For example the guy who played Vito Spatafore on the Sopranos was in an earlier episode playing a customer in a store. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/5 "2018-07-18T15:49:54Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > more interesting is an actor who plays a minor role on a show and then becomes a main character on that show in later episodes. For example the guy who played Vito Spatafore on the Sopranos was in an earlier episode playing a customer in a store. In the first season of _The Avengers_, David Keel (played by Ian Hendry) was the lead, and John Steed (played by Patrick MacNee) was the sidekick. When Hendry declined to do a sequel, they made John Steed the lead character. Back to the OP: John Ratzenberger (Cliff Claven in _Cheers_) as Bill, the Electrician in _House II: the Second Story_. Also appeared in _Superman, Superman II, The Empire Strikes Back, Outland,_ and _Gandhi_. _Krull_ and _Excalibur_ had a lot of British actors who would later become famous. And then there is Patrick Stewart’s infamous role in _Lifeforce._ ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/6 "2018-07-18T15:53:00Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > more interesting is an actor who plays a minor role on a show and then becomes a main character on that show in later episodes. For example the guy who played Vito Spatafore on the Sopranos was in an earlier episode playing a customer in a store. I think the granddaddy of that has to be Harry Morgan as General Bartford Hamilton Steele in an early episode of MASH then coming back to play Colonel Sherman T. Potter for the remainder of the series after McLean Stevenson left. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/7 "2018-07-18T16:00:57Z")
the other day I saw Currie Graham play a “skel/crook” on NYPD Blue and later in the last season he played the Lt./boss of the detective squad. ---
**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 18, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/8 "2018-07-18T16:24:49Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > more interesting is an actor who plays a minor role on a show and then becomes a main character on that show in later episodes. For example the guy who played Vito Spatafore on the Sopranos was in an earlier episode playing a customer in a store. Happened all the time on _Law & Order_. Jerry Orbach was an attorney before becoming Det. Lennie Briscoe. (Greatest TV character ever, by the way.) S. Epatha Merkerson was the mother of a murdered child before becoming Lt. Van Buren. Annie Parisse was a stripper before becoming ADA Borgia. Diane Neal was a rapist on _SVU_ before becoming ADA Novak. > [@mbh](#): > > _Krull_ and _Excalibur_ had a lot of British actors who would later become famous. > > And then there is Patrick Stewart’s infamous role in _Lifeforce._ Stewart was in _Excalibur_, too. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/9 "2018-07-18T16:29:33Z")
Dennis Franz appeared in five episodes of _Hill Street Blues_ as crooked cop Sal Benedetto, then came back after a season to play sleazy but not evil Norman Buntz. Jennifer Tilly played Frasier Crane’s fun-loving girlfriend Candi in _Cheers_, then showed up years later as Frasier Crane’s fun-loving girlfriend Kim in _Frasier_. _Law and Order_ recycled so many actors in different roles that’s it’s impossible to sort them out, but the most notable was Jerry Orbach, who played a defense attorney in one episode before settling in as Lennie Briscoe. ETA: Dammit **Robot Arm**! ---
**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:** [July 18, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/10 "2018-07-18T16:34:12Z")
John McIntire played a survivor from a previous wagon train as a guest star on Wagon Train. When Ward Bond died in 1960, McIntire took on the role of wagon master Chris Hale. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/11 "2018-07-18T16:36:08Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > more interesting is an actor who plays a minor role on a show and then becomes a main character on that show in later episodes. For example the guy who played Vito Spatafore on the Sopranos was in an earlier episode playing a customer in a store. I caught a rerun of Star Trek TNG the other night with Marc Alaimo playing a _different_ Cardassian, before his long-running stint as Gul Dukat. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/12 "2018-07-18T16:37:44Z")
Kathryn Card first appeared on _I Love Lucy_ as cleaning lady in one episode, but came back the next season in a semi-recurring role as Lucy’s daffy mom. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/13 "2018-07-18T16:54:28Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I caught a rerun of Star Trek TNG the other night with Marc Alaimo playing a _different_ Cardassian, before his long-running stint as Gul Dukat. Gul Macet. (It’s been retconned in the novelverse to say that they were cousins. IDENTICAL COUSINS.) ---
**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:** [July 18, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/14 "2018-07-18T16:59:33Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Gul Macet. (It’s been retconned in the novelverse to say that they were cousins. IDENTICAL COUSINS.) Is that sort of thing common among Cardassians? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/15 "2018-07-18T17:27:26Z")
It’s hard keeping up with the Cardassians ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/16 "2018-07-18T17:42:36Z")
Peter Falk, TV’s Columbo, was a Fidel Castro clone in the Twilight Zone episode “The Mirror.” George Takei was in the Twilight Zone episode that takes place in the attic with an evil samurai sword. And Elizabeth Montgomery, as a fetching brunette, was in the TZ episode about a post-apocalyptic town where a lone female Russian (?) soldier meets a lone American soldier (who was Charles Bronson!) Now that I think about it, Twilight Zone is rife with examples. Also from Star Trek, James Doohan, Bill Shatner, and Leonard Nimoy all had Twilight Zone appearances. Doohan was one of the townspeople in the town that had all the high tech and stayed secret; Nimoy was a soldier; Shatner was a in at least two as an airplane passenger that sees a monster on the wing and the husband where a couple is trapped by a fortune-telling machine that promises dire consequences if they leave town. ---
**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 18, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/17 "2018-07-18T17:57:38Z")
In early episodes of _Hill Street Blues_, David Caruso had a recurring part as the leader of an Irish street gang. Supposedly when he was cast in _NYPD Blue_, Stephen Bochco (who produced both shows) didn’t remember him. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/18 "2018-07-18T18:36:10Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Gul Macet. (It’s been retconned in the novelverse to say that they were cousins. IDENTICAL COUSINS.) You can lose your mind, when cousins are two of a kind! Less than a year before _Happy Days_, Henry Winkler appeared as Rhoda’s date in an episode of _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_. ---
**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 18, 2018, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/19 "2018-07-18T18:48:12Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > John Ratzenberger (Cliff Claven in _Cheers_) as Bill, the Electrician in _House II: the Second Story_. > Also appeared in _Superman, Superman II, The Empire Strikes Back, Outland,_ and _Gandhi_. And _ **Firefox** _. > [@](#): > > And then there is Patrick Stewart’s infamous role in _Lifeforce._ I first knew him as Sejanus in _ **I, Claudius** _. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/20 "2018-07-18T19:05:40Z")
I watched _Gilligan’s Island_ repeatedly when I was a kid; so it was hard for me to take _Rebel without a Cause seriously with Jim Backus(Thurston Howell III - the millionaire from Gilligan’s Island_) playing Jim Dean’s father. It’s also weird watching Leslie Nielsen in _The Forbidden Planet_ after his later career turn to absurd comedy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114.md?page=2)