# Welcome Back the Original Actor! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2021, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637 "2021-01-04T13:30:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/21 "2021-01-04T20:22:48Z")
Or the _Dukes of Hazzard_ example – functionally, Coy and Vance were filling the same “role” that Bo and Luke did on the show (driving fast, making Roscoe stomp on his hat), but they were new characters. Likewise, when actor Sonny Schroyer (Deputy Enos) left the show, he was replaced by Rick Hurst as “Deputy Cletus” who was just a slight variation. When Schroyer came back as Enos in season 5 they were both briefly on the show together until Cletus was written out. ---
**Author:** ![TiberiusNeroClaudius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@TiberiusNeroClaudius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TiberiusNeroClaudius)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/22 "2021-01-04T21:21:59Z")
William Talman was fired from his role as District Attorney Hamilton Burger on “Perry Mason” by CBS when he was arrested for marijuana possession and lewd vagrancy in 1960. The charges were dismissed and producer Gail Patrick Harris, along with Raymond Burr and a letter writing campaign, convinced CBS to bring Talman back. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/23 "2021-01-04T21:32:39Z")
Mike Evans played Lionel in _The Jeffersons_.He left the show to help Norman Lear develop _Good Times_ and was replaced by Damon Evans (no relation.) Damon Evans left the show to do theater, and Mike Evans returned. Then Mike Evans left the show again and the character was put on a bus. Mike Evans was supposed to return, but the show was cancelled. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/24 "2021-01-04T22:00:13Z")
Frank Gorshin returned as the Riddler for season 3 of _Batman_ after being replaced by John Astin in season 2. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/25 "2021-01-05T01:21:50Z")
Julie Newmar was Catwoman in Batman Season 1. Then the theatrical movie came, and Catwoman was played by Lee Meriweather. Newmar returned for Season 2, before leaving again and being replaced by Eartha Kitt for Season 3. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/26 "2021-01-05T01:51:41Z")
Today’s Batman news seems appropriate for this thread. [https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1159703-report-michael-keaton-will-be-the-dceus-main-batman](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1159703-report-michael-keaton-will-be-the-dceus-main-batman) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/27 "2021-01-05T03:25:04Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Today’s Batman news seems appropriate for this thread. It is, perfect timing. Reading that article and others on what DC’s doing, they’ll have _three_ Batmen (Batmans?) at the same time. Robert Pattinson will star in _Pouty Emo Batman: The Movie,_ and BOTH Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton will play Batman in _The Flash_ movie. I’m just waiting for Adam West to show up in one of those films somehow. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2021, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/28 "2021-01-05T04:30:09Z")
K9, the robot dog owned by Doctor Who, was originally voiced by John Leeson for 2 seasons. After that, he was voiced by David Brierly for 1 season. Then Leeson returned to the role, and has played the role in all subsequent appearances. Stretching it a bit, but all retired Doctor Whos have returned to the role, in multi-Doctor stories, stage plays and audio plays, and other spin-off media. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2021, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/29 "2021-01-05T07:00:50Z")
Billy Dee Williams played Harvey Dent in the 1989 _Batman_. His role in this movie was foreshadowing of the character’s eventual transformation into the villain Two-Face. But when they finally used Two-Face as a villain in 1995 in _Batman Forever_, Tommy Lee Jones played the role. Williams’ return came in 2017 when he voiced Two-Face in _The Lego Batman Movie_. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/30 "2021-01-05T12:12:39Z")
Should be noted it was George Lazenby’s decision not to carry on as James Bond. He had a six film contract on the table waiting to be signed but on the advice of his agent and some arrogance of his own he turned it down. In fact he made his mind up before production ended which is why when he turned up to the premiere of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service he ignored the production company’s demand to look as he did in the movie and instead grew a full beard. He said that he did it because he was no longer Bond and no longer bound to obligations as he was in production. Instead returning to plain old George Lazenby again. It was one of the worst career decisions in acting history obviously. He was not an actor when he got the role (car salesman and male model) so the naivety of thinking he made it as a star after one film regardless that it happened to be the world’s most famous spy caused him to believe he could walk into other kinds of big films too. That was a very foolish decision because he was not hired for his acting credentials since he had none but that he looked the part with good rugged looks and physicality (he did most of his own stunts whereas Connery barely did any). His agent convinced him Bond didn’t have much of a future going into the 1970s since it was counter-culture anti-establishment time and that Bond was a creature of the establishment and subject of several parodies by that point. To some degree his agent was right as Roger Moore’s Bond deviated quite a lot as more humorous and experimental with gadgets and special effects rather than brutality. But Lazenby could have done that instead of fading into obscurity. There’s a great docu-movie about Lazenby called Becoming Bond if you’re interested. It is quite funny and of all the Bond actors he was probably the most Bond-like in real life I’d say. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/31 "2021-01-05T12:47:42Z")
> [@Boycott](#): > > Should be noted it was George Lazenby’s decision not to carry on as James Bond. Nevertheless, Lazenby Did Return (as it always said at the end of those movies) as close to Bond as he could get without actually violating the copyright when he appeared as a British spy driving an Aston-Martin in the TV movie _The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E_.His initials were “JB”. and someone says “It’s just like Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” This was in 1983, the year _Never Say Never Again_ came out, with Connery playing Bond and _Octopussy_, the Eon productions standard Bond film, starring Roger Moore came out. So for one year we had all three Bond actors effectively playing him. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/32 "2021-01-05T14:25:34Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > In **Rosanne** , Alicia Goranson originated the role of Becky. She was replaced by Sarah Chalke. That wasn’t due clashing personalities, nor pay disputes-- it had to do with Goranson wanting to attend a university full-time. I don’t know what happened to bring her back. It had not been a full four years. And she still acted after _Roseanne_. She was on an episode of L&O: SVU, and was excellent. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/33 "2021-01-05T14:27:38Z")
FWIW, Mike Evans had also played Lionel on _All in the Family_. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637/34 "2021-01-05T14:51:55Z")
She’s still playing the part on The Conners, a reboot of Roseanne… Sarah Chalke (Becky 2) was in the first episode of the new series in a different role. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-back-the-original-actor/929637.md?page=1)