# TV Actors Who Played Two Roles 180º From Each Other? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 26, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382 "2010-10-26T04:36:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/1 "2010-10-26T04:36:14Z")
By this I mean a TV actor or actress who played a role, (meaning in a series not as a one time shot), where they played totally opposite of their previous role For instance, Larry Hagman, played Major Nelson on _I Dream Of Jeannie_. He was a great guy and very nice. Then he goes on to play JR Ewing, on _Dallas_, one of the most evil and hated people in TV history. Another example is Conrad Bain, he played Arthur Harmon on _Maude_. He was very conservative and old fashioned. Then he switches over to _Diff’rent Strokes_ and Mr Drummond was very liberal and forward thinking. Both Rue McClanahan and Betty White, played opposites of their previous roles on _the Golden Girls_ You see what I mean by playing roles at the opposite end. I mean regular TV series with regularly appearing cast members, not one or two time shots, cause it’s always easy to find actors who do that. I mean Bob Newhart basically played the same guy on both his TV series. ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/2 "2010-10-26T04:44:28Z")
Carrol O’Connor. He played Archie Bunker, a conservative bigot, on _All in the Family_ and then Chief Bill Gillespie, a racially progressive liberal, on _In the Heat of the Night_. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/3 "2010-10-26T04:47:58Z")
Michael C Hall on Six Feet Under and Dexter. ---
**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:** [October 26, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/4 "2010-10-26T04:48:38Z")
Ted Danson’s role as the crotchedy doctor on _Becker_ was quite a change from the jovial Sam on _Cheers_. > [@Markxxx](#): > > I mean Bob Newhart basically played the same guy on both his TV series. Bob Newhart headlined three series; _The Bob Newhart Show_, _Newhart_, and the rather short-lived _Bob_. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/5 "2010-10-26T05:02:39Z")
Stephen Collins 7th Heaven - Rev. Eric Camden No Ordinary Family - Dr. Dayton King spouse watches ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/6 "2010-10-26T05:45:18Z")
Bryan Cranston Hal (Dad) on _Malcom in the Middle_ Walter White on _Breaking Bad_ I half expected this to be the inspiration for the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/7 "2010-10-26T05:54:41Z")
Patrick Duffy ~ now known for Bobby Ewing in _Dallas_, but I fell in love with him as the _Man From Atlantis._ (What can I say, I was 12 years old?) ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/8 "2010-10-26T06:00:36Z")
J.K. Simmons - Vern Schillinger on Oz vs. Dr. Emil Skoda on L&O:SVU. ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/9 "2010-10-26T06:05:54Z")
Bill Cosby ~ _The Cosby Show_ vs. _I Spy_ Then-marrieds Barbara Bain and Martin Landau in their divergent parts in _Mission: Impossible_ versus their sci-fi _Space 1999_ show. (Heck, add Leonard Nimoy to the _Star Trek_ vs. Mission: Impossible\*\* stint.) William Shatner ~\* Star Trek\* vs. _Boston Legal_ ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/10 "2010-10-26T08:21:43Z")
> [@Simplicit](#): > > Carrol O’Connor. He played Archie Bunker, a conservative bigot, on _All in the Family_ and then Chief Bill Gillespie, a racially progressive liberal, on _In the Heat of the Night_. This makes me think of Ed Asner in Mary Tyler Moore and Lou Grant, although that’s probably not what the OP had in mind. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/11 "2010-10-26T09:10:23Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Bob Newhart headlined three series; _The Bob Newhart Show_, _Newhart_, and the rather short-lived _Bob_. He still played to type in Bob, however. (On the other hand, depending how you interpret the Newhart finale, Bob Hartley and Dick Loudin may actually be the same person…) ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/12 "2010-10-26T09:51:41Z")
Michael Chiklis - The Commish vs. The Shield. Both cops, but extreme polar opposites. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/13 "2010-10-26T11:25:20Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > Stephen Collins > > 7th Heaven - Rev. Eric Camden > > No Ordinary Family - Dr. Dayton King > > spouse watches How about 7th Heaven vs The lifetime movie “The Babysitters Seduction.” I turned on the TV one day to find Rev Camden raping Felicty. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/14 "2010-10-26T11:38:43Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Bob Newhart headlined three series; _The Bob Newhart Show_, _Newhart_, and the rather short-lived _Bob_. Four actually: _The Bob Newhart Show_, _Newhart_, the rather short-lived _Bob_ and the equally short-lived _George & Leo_ (which starred Judd Hirsch after Indenpendance Day, so perhaps he was the headliner). ---
**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:** [October 26, 2010, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/15 "2010-10-26T11:39:13Z")
Taking the OP overly literally, Victor Garber from ALIAS is a TV actor who played a role – Jack Bristow, the brutal secret agent who sleeps with hot chicks and excels at torture – that was the total opposite of a previous role, when he’d earnestly played Jesus as a twentysomething song-and-dance man in clown shoes who goes around cheerfully face-painting flower children and playing jaunty piano tunes in GODSPELL. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/16 "2010-10-26T12:14:18Z")
Well, then, Hugh Laurie. Played bubble-headed socialite Bertie Wooster, and sarcastic genius Dr. Crankypants Greg House. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/17 "2010-10-26T12:14:50Z")
Rainn Wilson in Six Feet Under and The Office. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/18 "2010-10-26T12:25:35Z")
Hugh Laurie also played “idealistic upper-class Edwardian twit Lieutenant George” in Blackadder Goes Forth. That’s pretty much the anti-House. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMwXMLQAoSg&p=E751B4E97E47F70D&playnext=1&index=14](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMwXMLQAoSg&p=E751B4E97E47F70D&playnext=1&index=14) Ben Kingsley won an oscar for his portrayal of Gandhi, and was nominated for another for his portrayal of psychopath’s psychopath Don Logan in _Sexy Beast_. And yes, I’m aware those are films and not TV shows, but it’s still the canonical example for me. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/19 "2010-10-26T12:26:11Z")
Thomas Gibson was the goofy, yuppie husband on the sitcom _ **Dharma and Greg.** _ Now, he’s an all-business FBI profiler on _ **Criminal Minds.** _ Ed O’Neil was the loud, uncouth slob Al Bundy for so long that it didn’t quite work when he tried to play Joe Friday on the \*\*\*Dragnet \*\*\*remake. On the other hand, his “wife” Katy Sagal went from lazy bimbo on _ **Married with Children** _ to cold-blooded biker matriarch on _ **Sons of Anarchy.** _ ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/20 "2010-10-26T12:52:11Z")
[Patrick McKenna](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_McKenna) who was excellent at playing Marty Stephens (the hot-tempered, cold-hearted, head floor-trader of the frictional bank of Gardner-Ross) in [traders](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traders_%28TV_series%29), while concurrently playing Harold Green (the geeky nephew of the title character) on the [Red Green Show](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Green_Show). It was literally: wake up; eat breakfast; star in a comedy in the afternoon; star in a dramatic role in the evening… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382.md?page=2)