You just made my brain explode. That was not A Nice Thing To Do.
goes back to giggling helplessly
Kiyoshi Atsumi 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, this a Guiness record for longest movie series.
Also, Midori Kato has been the voice of Sazae-san 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 / Before Sunset wind up 30 years on.
(Anyone know if Linklater has plans to revisit these characters down the road?)
So did Elvis.
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.
Kind of hope? I pray for it. Those are two of my favourite movies.
Ethan Hawke wants to do it, coming back every ten years or so. Here’s hoping.
Peter Sallis has played the role of Norman Clegg in Last of the Summer Wine since 1973.