# 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:** 5\ **Page:** 7
**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:** [November 8, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/121 "2010-11-08T04:27:06Z")
> [@NetTrekker](#): > > Gavin MacLeod: from snide, milquetoast newswriter Murray Slaughter on Mary Tyler Moore to strong, upstanding captain of the ship on The Love Boat. Sometimes it amazed me that it was the same actor…a credit to his talent, I suppose. I saw him on a Hawaii Five-O rerun a few weeks back, as a sinister con who really wanted to stick it to one of the other inmates, and I had to check IMDB to make sure it was the same actor (and, as it turns out, in a recurring role). He wasn’t like Murray and not like Captain Stubing, but he was pretty damned convincing (and surprisingly portly). ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/122 "2010-11-08T04:43:45Z")
> [@NetTrekker](#): > > Gavin MacLeod: from snide, milquetoast newswriter Murray Slaughter on Mary Tyler Moore to strong, upstanding captain of the ship on The Love Boat. Sometimes it amazed me that it was the same actor…a credit to his talent, I suppose. He also had a recurring role on King Of Queens as Doug’s uncle Stu, playing a well-meaning, if kind of clueless old man. I also know he was in several Christian-themed movies lately, (the kind that Kirk Cameron stars in) but I suppose it may be more due to taking roles that are available to him, rather than a specific religious belief on his part. ---
**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:** [November 8, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/123 "2010-11-08T17:05:38Z")
In an episode of _Star Trek Voyager_, Kurtwood Smith also played a tormented but ruthless alien commander who was willing to use time travel to wipe out entire civilizations. **Annie-Xmas** , I agree with you about Lithgow. An amazing range. He also played a cutthroat thief in the Stallone movie _Cliffhanger_, and was the best thing in that movie. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/124 "2010-11-08T17:36:35Z")
> [@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 LOL’d… if that doesn’t sum up Lifetime movies perfectly, I’m not sure what can. > [@jali](#): > > David Boreanaz as Angel to Bones where he plays a pretty religious FBI agent. I think Boreanaz is a very likeable actor, but I wouldn’t say he has enormous range. Seeley Booth is just a morally upright Angelus. > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > No mention of John Ritter? From Rev. Matthew Fordwick on The Walton’s to Jack Tripper on Three’s Company is quite a 180 degree turnaround. I know the OP excluded one-off roles, but Ritter’s guest role on the Buffy tv-series in a role which could have very easily been over the top (a killer robot playing out a Bluebeard theme) was excellent. ---
**Author:** ![tim\_mcdonough](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@tim\_mcdonough](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim_mcdonough)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382/125 "2011-01-07T17:25:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Richard Thomas went from playing John-Boy Walton to another creepy, wannabe rapist stalking Brooke Shields in I Can Make You Love Me. Not to mention his TV dad Ralph Waite who went from playing the kindly John Walton to the sadistic slave handler Slater on _Roots._ Even more disconcerting was that _Roots_ and _The Waltons_ were on TV at the same time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-actors-who-played-two-roles-180-from-each-other/558382.md?page=6)