# TV Actors successful in sitcoms and dramas **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575 "2012-03-02T20:10:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/41 "2012-03-03T03:05:34Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Hugh Laurie started out in comedy, though not sitcoms per se, before starring in _House._ (Love love love _Jeeves and Wooster_ with Stephen Fry as the former and Laurie as the latter.) > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > _Blackadder_ wasn’t a sitcom? Yes, it was. He’s a perfect candidate. > [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Ron Howard had two hit shows. Happy Days and Andy Griffith. > > Don Knotts also. Three’s company and Andy Griffith. > > John Ritter is another with more than one show. 😕 ---
**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:** [March 3, 2012, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/42 "2012-03-03T03:34:54Z")
John Forsythe in **Bachelor Father** and **Dynasty** (plus **Charlie’s Angels** ) Robert Young in **Father Knows Best** and **Marcus Wellby, MD**. Carl Betz in **The Donna Reed Show** and **Judd for the Defense** Art Carney in **The Honeymooners** and **Lanigan’s Rabbi** Eddie Albert in **Green Acres** and **Switch** Buddy Ebsen in **The Beverly Hillbillies** and **Barnaby Jones.** ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/43 "2012-03-03T05:13:28Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Garret Dillahunt played evil men in three separate crime procedural dramas that I’ve seen - White Collar, Burn Notice and Life, the latter two roles being only for a few episodes, but the characters were significant - and was a one-off guest actor in lots of others too (I don’t know if he was always a bad guy, but I suspect he was). He was also the main terminator in both seasons of The Sarah Connor Chronicles. He was excellent at being a sociopath. > > And then he became the loveable Dad (and Grandad) on Raising Hope. He also played two different characters on _Deadwood_, neither one a nice guy at all. The first character he played killed Martha Plimpton’s (Virginia on _Raising Hope_) father’s character in an early episode, and in season two, he played a serial killer with very weird sexual tastes. And he’s had a couple of one-shot roles on one or more of the Law & Orders. I know he very convincingly played a creepy child molester in an episode of the SVU version. And now he’s Burt! ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/44 "2012-03-03T05:35:45Z")
George Clooney had roles in sitcoms like _E/R_, _The Facts of Life_, and \*Roseanne \*before he was on _ER_. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/45 "2012-03-03T05:48:43Z")
James Garner in Maverick and then in The Rockford Files, although I suppose it could be argued that those were dramadies of a sort. Richard Belzer, of course, is actually a stand-up comic when he’s not on Law & Order. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/46 "2012-03-03T07:24:21Z")
Gerald McRaney - **Major Dad** (sitcom), **Simon & Simon, The Promised Land, Jericho,** and **Deadwood** (dramas). Judd Hirsch - **Taxi** and **Numb3rs**. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/47 "2012-03-03T11:03:28Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Thomas Gibson - _Criminal Minds_ and _Dharma and Greg_ OMG, I can’t believe I didn’t recognise him. It’s been a few years between the shows, but all the same, it’s a sign of hod good acting that I totally didn’t associate the two roles at all. > [@Sally\_Mander](#): > > He also played two different characters on _Deadwood_, neither one a nice guy at all. The first character he played killed Martha Plimpton’s (Virginia on _Raising Hope_) father’s character in an early episode, and in season two, he played a serial killer with very weird sexual tastes. > > And he’s had a couple of one-shot roles on one or more of the Law & Orders. I know he very convincingly played a creepy child molester in an episode of the SVU version. > > And now he’s Burt! Yeah - his whole career was basically playing psychopaths, until RH. Maybe there’s hope for Mark Sheppard (Badger in Firefly/a bad guy in everything else) yet. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/48 "2012-03-03T11:17:58Z")
Khandi Alexander - _News Radio_ and _CSI: Miami_ Adrienne Barbeau - _Maude_ and _Carnivale_ Meredith Baxter - _Family_ and _Family Ties_ Dabney Coleman - _Buffalo Bill_ and _Boardwalk Empire_ Mike Farrell - _MASH_ and _Providence_ ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/49 "2012-03-03T12:06:20Z")
The Commish was not exactly a sitcom, but did have a lot of humour. Compare Michael Chiklis as Tony Scali to his later role in The Shield. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/50 "2012-03-03T13:00:02Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Yeah - his whole career was basically playing psychopaths, until RH. Maybe there’s hope for Mark Sheppard (Badger in Firefly/a bad guy in everything else) yet. Mark Sheppard was a good guy in Doctor Who and I would argue he’s a good guy in Warehouse 13, though I don’t know if he’s been in it past the first two seasons. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a comedy though, I think he’d be good in the right role. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/51 "2012-03-03T13:16:23Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Alan Alda - _MASH_ and _The West Wing_ He also played a dramatic role on _ER_. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/52 "2012-03-03T15:13:37Z")
My current fave in this category: Christine Baranski. Mostly comedies but currently a regular on _The Good Wife_. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/53 "2012-03-03T16:00:04Z")
Mark Sheppard did not play a bad guy on _Battlestar_. Amoral, maybe, but not bad. And he is frakking hilarious in person. Someone brought him a beer at a Dragon\*Con panel and he handed it off to his co-panelist stating, “No, I’m allergic to alcohol. I break out in handcuffs.” (Apparently he’s something like 20 years sober.) ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/54 "2012-03-03T16:00:37Z")
I camed up with a whole new list overnight, although some of them have since been mentioned. Tim Reid (WKRP in Cincinnati/Simon & Simon/Frank’s Place) Susan Sullivan (Falcon Crest/Dharma & Greg) Swoosie Kurtz (Sisters/Mike & Molly) Rene Auberjonois (Benson/Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) Kristy McNichol (Family/Empty Nest) William Daniels (Knight Rider [not sure how to classify that one]/St. Elsewhere/Boy Meets World) Jeff Conaway (Taxi/Babylon 5) Heather Locklear (Dynasty/T.J. Hooker/Melrose Place/Spin City) Ethan Philllips (Benson/Star Trek: Voyager) Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun/Brothers & Sisters) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/55 "2012-03-03T17:53:40Z")
So is this thread about actors that were _excellent_ in both a comedy and a drama or simply actors that have performed in both genres? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/56 "2012-03-03T19:16:20Z")
The title specifies “successful.” ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/57 "2012-03-04T01:30:27Z")
Elisha Cuthbert in 24 (drama) and Happy Endings (sitcom) Connie Britton on Spin City (sitcom) and American Horror Story (drama) Heather Locklear, also on Spin City, as well as TJ Hooker and Melrose Place (dramas) Jenni Garth on both versions of 90210 (drama) and also What I Like About You (comedy) Lori Laughlin on Full House (sitcom) in addition to the 90210 reboot John Stamos also on Full House and also on ER (drama) Jorge Garcia on Becker (sitcom) as well as Lost and Alcatraz (dramas) Also on Becker, Terry Ferrell, who of course was on Star Trek Deep Space 9 (drama) Tim Daly on Wings (sitcom) and Private Practice (drama) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/58 "2012-03-04T09:42:19Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > The title specifies “successful.” I know that but a lot of the examples given I would rate at less than successful ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/59 "2012-03-04T14:34:16Z")
Has anybody mentioned Ernest Borgnine for comedy-McHale’s navy and drama-Airwolf? Both shows ran for several years. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575/60 "2012-03-04T15:00:28Z")
How did it happen that Ernest Borgnine never took a bit part on Star Trek just so he could be billed as “Borg Nine”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-successful-in-sitcoms-and-dramas/614575.md?page=4)