# What actor has played the same character ON SCREEN for the longest period of time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994 "2009-02-09T02:39:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/21 "2009-02-09T17:39:16Z")
Mel Blanc was Daffy Duck for 52 years. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/22 "2009-02-09T17:52:32Z")
> [@RiverRunner](#): > > Hmmm, I came in to mention Peter Falk and _Columbo_, but I think he’s beaten out by some of the others mentioned. Not by much, tho. He played Columbo from 1971 to 2003, so that’s 32 years. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/23 "2009-02-09T17:56:33Z")
Chris Noth was Det. Mike Logan in 1990 when Law & Order started, and he’s now playing Logan on L&O: CI. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/24 "2009-02-09T18:03:55Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Chris Noth was Det. Mike Logan in 1990 when Law & Order started, and he’s now playing Logan on L&O: CI. Not for much longer though. It’s been announced that he’s being replaced by Jeff Goldblum from the next season. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/25 "2009-02-09T18:06:47Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > In movies, Sean Connery played James Bond in 1962 and again in 1983 (with Bond films starring himself, Roger Moore, George Lazenby and David Niven in between). Has anybody played lead as a film character for more than 20 years? [QUOTE=lantern] Paul Newman played Fast Eddie Felson in the Hustler in 1961 and then again in the Color of Money in 1986. [/QUOTE] Anthony Perkins ties Newman’s time span. He played Norman Bates in Psycho (1961), Psycho II (1983), and Psycho III (1986). If you include the made-for-cable Psycho IV:The Beginning (1990), Perkins spans 29 years as a lead character. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/26 "2009-02-09T18:38:17Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Dan Castellaneta has voiced Homer Simpson (and others) since '87 (on The _Tracey Ullman Show_), so that’s 22 years. > > I’m sure there are others in the Simpsons franchise that have been there that long too … maybe Yeardley Smith? Julie Kavner also. I got into watching the old Tracey Ullman show just for the two minutes of Simpson cartoons. For those of you too young to remember or didn’t watch the Tracey Ullman Show was a sketch comedy show in the early days of the Fox Network. The Simpsons were only on for about a minute before the middle commercial break and a minute after. Castellaneta and Kavner were very active members of the cast. They got the leads on the Simpsons basically because they were already on the payroll. I don’t remember if Yeardley Smith and Nancy Carwright ever had live actions roles on the show in addition to their brief Simpsons work. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/27 "2009-02-09T18:46:54Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Not for much longer though. It’s been announced that he’s being replaced by Jeff Goldblum from the next season. Dann Florek has been playing Captain Cragen for as long as Chris Noth played Logan, and is still playing him on L&O: SVU. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/28 "2009-02-09T18:59:27Z")
George Clooney has played himself in every movie and TV show throughout his entire career. Perhaps that’s not what you meant though. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/29 "2009-02-09T19:16:10Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > In movies, Sean Connery played James Bond in 1962 and again in 1983 (with Bond films starring himself, Roger Moore, George Lazenby and David Niven in between). Has anybody played lead as a film character for more than 20 years? Harrison Ford has been Indiana Jones since 1981, with the most recent movie coming out just last year. So he’s been the same lead film character for 27 years. The first Rocky movie came out in 1976, and there was one in 2006, so Sly Stallone has been the same lead character for 30 years. Rambo has been almost as long-lived a role, with the first movie in 1982 and the last one just this past year. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/30 "2009-02-09T19:25:38Z")
Just for laughs, consider Alan Hale. He first played Little John in _Robin Hood_ (1922), again in _The Adventures of Robin Hood_ (1938) and in his final film _Rogues of Sherwood Forest_ (1950), all under three different “Robins”, giving him 28 years. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/31 "2009-02-09T20:13:20Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > George Clooney has played himself in every movie and TV show throughout his entire career. > > Perhaps that’s not what you meant though. So did John Wayne. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/32 "2009-02-09T20:32:11Z")
If commercials count, then Andy Griffith and Ron(ny) Howard both played Andy and Opie Taylor beginning in 1960 (including the \*Make Room for Daddy \*episode that introduced the characters), and again last year in an ad for Obama, a span of 48 years. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/33 "2009-02-09T20:33:54Z")
> [@bup](#): > > If commercials count, then Andy Griffith and Ron(ny) Howard both played Andy and Opie Taylor beginning in 1960 (including the \*Make Room for Daddy \*episode that introduced the characters), and again last year in an ad for Obama, a span of 48 years. Is that ad on YouTube? I totally missed that! ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/34 "2009-02-09T20:36:20Z")
Wow, those are lengthy relationships with the same character. I came in to vote for Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes (1984-1994), but I see that he was a mere amateur compared to some of these folks. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/35 "2009-02-09T20:39:58Z")
Kevin McCarthy played Dr. Miles J. Bennell in **Invasion of the Body Snatchers** back in 1956, essentially reprised the character in a really short piece in the 1979 remake, and showed up as him _again_ in a cameo in 2003’s **Looney Tunes: Back in Action**. That’s a span of 47 years. **Raymond Burr** played **Steve Martin** (I kid you not) in the added scenes for the Americanized **Godzilla** in 1956 and reprised the part in 1984 in the Americanized **Godzilla 1985** , a span of 28 years. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/36 "2009-02-09T20:42:02Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Is that [Obama] ad on YouTube? I totally missed that! I can’t get to youtube at work, but if you google ‘Andy Taylor Obama’ you get a couple hundred thousand hits. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/37 "2009-02-09T20:43:41Z")
Of course, Burr also played **Perry Mason** from 1957 to his death in 1993. 38 years isn’t too bad. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/38 "2009-02-09T20:43:54Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **Raymond Burr** played **Steve Martin** (I kid you not) in the added scenes for the Americanized **Godzilla** in 1956 and reprised the part in 1984 in the Americanized **Godzilla 1985** , a span of 28 years. Cause Raymond Burr is a _wild and crazy guy_ ---
**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:** [February 9, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/39 "2009-02-09T20:51:13Z")
Hey – Disney Voice Actors have long careers. **Bill Thompson** voiced **J. Audubon Woodlore** from 1954 to 2002 – 48 years. **Clarence Naish** did **Donald Duck** from 1934 to 1983 – 49 years. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/40 "2009-02-09T20:52:37Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Cause Raymond Burr is a _wild and crazy guy_ I’m imagining Ironside with an arrow through his head, playing the banjo and making obscene balloon animals. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994.md?page=3)