# 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:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mars\_Horizon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mars_horizon/32/2804_2.png) [@Mars\_Horizon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mars_Horizon)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/61 "2018-07-19T10:50:47Z")
**Ashley Judd** (Frida, Double Jeopardy, and in keeping with the thread premise, Twin Peaks & Missing) appeared in two ST:TNG episodes back in 1991. ---
**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 19, 2018, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/62 "2018-07-19T14:34:51Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > also played a Dr. in Dirty Dancing , the father of Jennifer Grey’s character And the mother was played by Kelly Bishop, who went on to play Emily Gilmore in _Gilmore Girls_ ---
**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 19, 2018, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/63 "2018-07-19T16:33:33Z")
> [@Fleetwood](#): > > U.S.S. - United States Ship. Yes, I knew that, thank you. What I was wondering was, why is the term applied to vessels like gunboats and submarines? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/64 "2018-07-19T19:56:15Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > How on earth did they explain the ears? Mechanical rice picker accident, I imagine. ---
**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 19, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/65 "2018-07-19T20:21:24Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Mechanical rice picker accident, I imagine. Ah, of course! The old mechanical rice picker ploy. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/66 "2018-07-19T20:43:31Z")
[Richard Anderson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Anderson) had a long career as a character actor, including a role in _Forbidden Planet_ before becoming Oscar Goldman, head of the OSI on _The Six Million Dollar Man_. Tom Baker played the evil sorcerer in _The Golden Voyage of Sinbad_ Leslie Nielsen played a violent “john” in the Streisand move _Nuts_. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/67 "2018-07-19T22:50:48Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Also Peter Capaldi. He wasn’t the first though! In the old series Lalla Ward played a princess during an episode, then Romana deliberately regenerated into her likeness and discussed it with the Doctor. Also Colin Baker played a Galifreyan captain of the guard for the Fifth Doctor, then went on to become the Sixth Doctor, though I think the likeness was unremarked on in the series. ---
**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 19, 2018, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/68 "2018-07-19T23:21:39Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Ah, of course! The old mechanical rice picker ploy. Second time this month! ---
**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 20, 2018, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/69 "2018-07-20T01:49:19Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Second time this month! It is over used, but suckers still fall for it. ---
**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 20, 2018, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114/70 "2018-07-20T03:49:56Z")
Georgia “Georgette Baxter, nee Franklin” Engel as “Jean,” Lyndsey McElroy’s mother, on _ **Two and a Half Men** _. As an aside, Annie Potts and Carol Kane played the mothers of Judith and Melissa, Alan Harper’s wife and receptionist, respectively. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spotting-series-actors-in-minor-roles/818114.md?page=3)