# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/21 "2010-10-26T13:00:47Z")
> [@Glory](#): > > J.K. Simmons - Vern Schillinger on Oz vs. Dr. Emil Skoda on L&O:SVU. Also, Christopher Meloni, who caused a lot of physical grief for ol’ Vern as a gay sociopath inmate with a murder rap in _Oz_, to playing a good guy cop on one of the _L&O_ franchise shows. (I think it’s SVU, also.) ---
**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:** [October 26, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/22 "2010-10-26T13:13:30Z")
A pre-_Glee_ Jane Lynch played Charlie Harper’s therapist on _2 1/2 Men_, and Spencer Reid’s psychotic mother on _Criminal Minds_. Not on TV, but David Morse played good cop Brutus “Brutal” Howell in the movie _The Green Mile_, then bad cop Michael Tritter on _House_. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/23 "2010-10-26T13:17:49Z")
Neil Patrick Harris as Doogie Howser and then later Barney Stinson ---
**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, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/24 "2010-10-26T13:28:01Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > 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) I was going to say that, but it was too long to explain that he played several levels of “George,” including idiot Prince George. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/25 "2010-10-26T13:56:06Z")
Ted Levine played serial killer Buffalo Bill on _Silence of the Lambs_ and then played Capt. Leland Stottlemeyer on _Monk_. StG ---
**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:** [October 26, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/26 "2010-10-26T13:57:07Z")
Speaking of Hugh Laurie, how about Stephen Fry? From comedy to Jeeves to Dr Gordan Wyatt on Bones. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/27 "2010-10-26T14:00:35Z")
Rowan Atkinson played the hyper-verbal Blackadder (at least in seasons 2 through 4) and the non-speaking Mr. Bean. This might be breaking the one-shot rule, but Walter Koenig played the naive/idealistic Checkov and the recurring character Bester on Babylon 5, who was a cynical bureaucrat in a nasty government agency (that bordered on a police state). ---
**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:** [October 26, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/28 "2010-10-26T14:08:11Z")
Mark Harmon, known for playing good guys Robert Caldwell on St. Elsewhere and Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS, also played Ted Bundy in the TV movie The Deliberate Stranger. ---
**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:** [October 26, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/29 "2010-10-26T14:09:39Z")
Nancy Marchand played both the aristocratic newspaper owner Margaret Pynchon on _Lou Grant_, and the coldblooded Mafia mom Livia Soprano on _The Sopranos_. Two extraordinarily different roles. > [@astorian](#): > > …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… He also played Eric Baker, the Governor of Pennsylvania, in a recurring role on _The West Wing_, and did a good job in the role. It was strongly implied in the series finale that he would become Vice President under President Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits). > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > …Not on TV, but David Morse played good cop Brutus “Brutal” Howell in the movie _The Green Mile_, then bad cop Michael Tritter on _House_. He also played a good but very unlucky doctor on _St. Elsewhere_, and George Washington in the HBO miniseries _John Adams_. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/30 "2010-10-26T14:17:29Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Ted Levine played serial killer Buffalo Bill on _Silence of the Lambs_ and then played Capt. Leland Stottlemeyer on _Monk_. > > StG Wow. I never made the connection until now. Thanks! > [@astorian](#): > > 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. It might be argued that his affluent, generous, cynical-but-ultimately-wise dad on \*Modern Family \*is a polar opposite to his \*Married With Children \*work. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/31 "2010-10-26T14:17:32Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > 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.** _ She’s also the kick-ass heroine Leela from Futurama, so that’s three roles 120 degrees from one another… ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/32 "2010-10-26T14:20:23Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > How about 7th Heaven vs The lifetime movie “The Babysitters Seduction.” I turned on the TV one day to find Rev Camden raping Felicty. I love lifetime movies. Where else can you see stuff like this? Or Kevin Arnold beating on DJ Tanner? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/33 "2010-10-26T14:21:44Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Thomas Gibson was the goofy, yuppie husband on the sitcom _ **Dharma and Greg.** _ Now, he’s an all-business FBI profiler on _ **Criminal Minds.** _ Alan Rachins played humorless conservative laywer Douglas Brachman on **LA Law** , and hippie burnout Larry Finklestein on **Dharma and Greg**. ---
**Author:** ![Silent\_Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@Silent\_Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silent_Kal)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/34 "2010-10-26T14:35:49Z")
Garret Dillahunt as the disheveled, mentally feeble Jack McCall \*and \*the intelligent, sociopathic Francis Wolcott on Deadwood. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/35 "2010-10-26T14:59:31Z")
Johnny Galeki was the cool boyfriend David on Roseanne. Now he’s the nerdy Leonard on The Big Bang Theory. Maiyim Bialak was Blossom. Now she’s Sheldon’s not-girlfriend on The Big Bang Theory. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/36 "2010-10-26T15:01:29Z")
Sarah Jessica Parker - Square Pegs to Sex in The City. Steve on Blue Clues played a criminal on Law And Order. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/37 "2010-10-26T15:04:44Z")
One more; David Boreanaz as Angel to Bones where he plays a pretty religious FBI agent. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/38 "2010-10-26T15:29:27Z")
Timothy Omundsun played the effete, clueless Brom Garrett on “Deadwood” and then the bearded town mayor/warlord/asskicker Phil Constantino on “Jericho” In between I think he played the smarmy yet intelligent Lt. Lassiter on “psych” which did sort of bridge the gap. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/39 "2010-10-26T15:34:12Z")
> [@jali](#): > > Johnny Galeki was the cool boyfriend David on Roseanne. > Now he’s the nerdy Leonard on The Big Bang Theory. David was cool? No he wasn’t. He was a huge dork. Leonard is smarter than David, and science oriented rather than artsy, but they’re pretty close to the same character. ---
**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:** [October 26, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/40 "2010-10-26T15:36:09Z")
> [@jali](#): > > Steve on Blue Clues played a criminal on Law And Order. More infamously, he played a man who killed his child and the committed suicide in **Homicide**. It raised some uproar. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382.md?page=3)