# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Paige\_Turner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8797f3/32.png) [@Paige\_Turner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paige_Turner)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/41 "2009-02-09T23:11:58Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I’m imagining Ironside with an arrow through his head, playing the banjo and making obscene balloon animals. You just made my brain explode. That was not A Nice Thing To Do. _goes back to giggling helplessly_ ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/42 "2009-02-10T02:29:54Z")
[Kiyoshi Atsumi](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0040910/) played the lead character Tora-san on TV and in all 48 of the _Otoko wa Tsurai yo_ series of films. It started in 1968 as a 1-year TV series and then moved to film starting in 1969 and ending with Atsumi’s death in 1996. Had he not died, the series would very likely have kept right on going. At one point, according to [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tora_San), this a Guiness record for longest movie series. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/43 "2009-02-10T02:38:20Z")
Also, Midori Kato has been the voice of [Sazae-san](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0236924/) in the weekly prime-time cartoon of the same name ever since it first aired. The show was celebrating its 20th season back when _The Simpsons_ made their debut, and is still going. ---
**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 10, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/44 "2009-02-10T02:51:02Z")
**Bernard Fox** played Dr. Bombay in the TV series **Bewitched** starting in 1966 (and years later on **Tabitha** ), and played him on the soap opera **Passions** until 2000. That’s 34 years. ---
**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 10, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/45 "2009-02-10T03:01:06Z")
**William Daniels** played **John Quincy Adams** on the Hallmark Hall of Fame in 1952, then played him again on **The Adams Chronicles** in 1976, 24 years apart. He also played **John Adams** in **1776** in 1972 (after playing him onstage since 1970) and again in **The Rebels** in 1979, as well as the TV special **The American Revolution** in 1994. That’s 22 years apart, but it’s a case of one actor playing two members of the same family in two different productions each. Add that he played **Sam Adams** in **The Bastard** in 1978, and he pretty much has the Adams family sewn up by himself. Except that everyone now thinks of Paul Giamatti as John Adams on accounta the HBO series. ---
**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 10, 2009, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/46 "2009-02-10T03:04:34Z")
**Douglas Rain** played **HAL 9000** in 2001 (1968) and 2010 (1984), 16 years apart. I did that just so I could stick all those dates close together. ---
**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 10, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/47 "2009-02-10T03:11:34Z")
**John Carradine** played **Dracula** onstage from the 1930s on for many years. But in the movies, he only played him from 1944 (\*\* House of Dracula\*\*) to 1979 ( **Nocturna** ). 35 years on film, although he played the role much, much longer than that. ---
**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 10, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/48 "2009-02-10T03:42:23Z")
The OP meantions Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain. He first did the role in 1957, aklthough the off-Broadway production opened in 1959. He performed the role most recently this very month, so he’s been doing it for 52 years. The only on-film case of it I can find is the 1967 version, although I could have sworn they broadcast it at least one other time. I can’t believe they simply rebroadcast a 1967 tape when I saw it – but I can’t find any record of another film or tape on the internet. (He appeared in the PBS biography of Twain, but not AS Twain.) [http://www.thegrand.com/HalHolbrook1.asp](http://www.thegrand.com/HalHolbrook1.asp) > **[Hal Holbrook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Holbrook)** > > Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called Mark Twain Tonight! while studying at Denison University. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1966 for his portrayal of Twain. He continued to perform his signature role for over 60 years, only retiring the show in 2017 due to his failing health. Throughout his career, he also won five Primetime Emmy Aw ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/49 "2009-02-10T04:19:34Z")
Y’know, I kind of hope Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy qualify for the OP someday. I want to see where their characters from [Before Sunrise](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112471/) / [Before Sunset](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381681/) wind up 30 years on. (Anyone know if Linklater has plans to revisit these characters down the road?) ---
**Author:** ![Race\_Harley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Race\_Harley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Race_Harley)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/50 "2009-02-10T04:35:11Z")
> [@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 Elvis. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/51 "2009-02-10T10:56:38Z")
Kenny Baker and Anthony Daniels played R2D2 and C3PO from 1977 to 2005, 28 years. Not to mention James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader. Gene Simmons played himself in _KISS Meets The Phantom Of The Park_ in 1978 and still plays himself on _Family Jewels_, 31 years and counting. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/52 "2009-02-10T11:31:34Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > Y’know, I kind of hope Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy qualify for the OP someday. I want to see where their characters from [Before Sunrise](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112471/) / [Before Sunset](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381681/) wind up 30 years on. _Kind of_ hope? I pray for it. Those are two of my favourite movies. > [@](#): > > (Anyone know if Linklater has plans to revisit these characters down the road?) [Ethan Hawke wants to do it](http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/jun/11/featuresreviews.guardianreview26), coming back every ten years or so. Here’s hoping. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actor-has-played-the-same-character-on-screen-for-the-longest-period-of-time/484994/53 "2009-02-10T12:05:43Z")
Peter Sallis has played the role of Norman Clegg in Last of the Summer Wine since 1973. [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=2)