# You first knew actor/actress from a role different from one they're widely known in. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 16, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139 "2015-03-16T19:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/121 "2015-03-20T07:44:58Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Jim Carrey will always be Fire Marshall Bill to me. I remember _The Duck Factory_. Val Kilmer will always be Nick Rivers from _Top Secret_. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/122 "2015-03-20T10:43:03Z")
This may be a bit of a cheat, but [Maggie Lawson](https://www.google.com/search?q=maggie+lawson&biw=1600&bih=799&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=g_cLVZ7AA4qmNuLlgLAK&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ) (Juliet from _Psych_) is from Louisville, KY, of which my hometown is considered. She used to host a local kids’ show, under her actual name. It would be live-action sequences that took various cartoons into and out of commercial breaks. I’ll always think of her from that. Similarly, Jennifer Lawrence is also from this area, and I met her once years ago when she was in town, before her acting career took off (a friend of a friend is friends with someone who knows her). To me, she will always be the girl that apologized to me after accidentally elbowing me in the dick at a party (she was sitting in a chair when someone said her name, and she spun around in the chair to see who it was). Honestly, though, I never made the connection between her at the party and the Oscar winner until someone pointed it out to me. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/123 "2015-03-20T10:57:40Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > When [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcU4t6zRAKg) (“the front fell off.”) went viral a few years ago, I thought “oh, that’s John Clarke from _The Games_,” (in which he played a character named “John Clarke”). Nope, that is and will always be [Fred Dagg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF_gTaRM9UU). ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/124 "2015-03-20T16:52:26Z")
When I first started watching _CSI_, I viewed Jorja Fox mostly as Leonard’s deceased wife from _Memento_. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/125 "2015-03-20T17:29:40Z")
[Jonathan Banks](http://www.avclub.com/article/watch-embreaking-badsem-mike-learn-about-menstruat-84455) (Mike in _Breaking Bad_) ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/126 "2015-03-20T17:36:44Z")
In a case of the opposite of this phenomenon, I rewatched _Major League_ a year or two ago, and was shocked and amused to see that the “Pray To Jobu” Haitian caricature was totally Dennis Haysbert, the POTUS from _24_ and the reassuring guy from the Allstate commercials. Even though I saw _Major League_ many times back in the day, I had never put 2+2 together. :smack: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/127 "2015-03-20T18:33:28Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > [Jonathan Banks](http://www.avclub.com/article/watch-embreaking-badsem-mike-learn-about-menstruat-84455) (Mike in _Breaking Bad_) [Jonathan Banks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEywGpIt0vw) or [Jonathan Banks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dYyyQdjgLI) ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/128 "2015-03-20T18:43:25Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I know that I saw Neeson earlier in **The Mission** and **The Bounty** , but I don’t really recall him from those. **Darkman** was the first movie of his where I noticed him as an individual, rather than as one of a company. I remembered him from both _Next of Kin_ (where he played a hillbilly?) and _High Spirits_ a not-very-good comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/129 "2015-03-20T19:04:15Z")
I thought of a few more. **Katherine Helmond** , **Richard Mulligan** , **Ted Wass** , **Billy Crystal** , and **Robert Guillaume** will always be, respectively, Jessica Tate, Burt Campbell, Danny Dallas, Jodie Dallas, and Benson from _Soap_. (Despite rumors to the contrary, I consider the Benson from _Soap_ and the Benson from _Benson_ to not be the same character.) And **Bill Nye** will always be [Speed Walker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e6h4zLC5U8), the physically-fit superhero, who fights crime while maintaining strict adherence to the regulations of the International Speed Walking Association. Heel, toe. Heel, toe! > [@Penfeather](#): > > Nope, that is and will always be [Fred Dagg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF_gTaRM9UU). I’ve heard of that character, but never really seen anything with him. A local PBS station showed _The Games_ around 2000 and I thought it was brilliant. Clicked on the link; is that his real hair? ---
**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:** [March 21, 2015, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/130 "2015-03-21T05:46:04Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Whenever I see Jeff Goldblum I always think “Was he Tenspeed or Brownshoe?” > > Not really, but I do tend to think of his obscure work like _Vibes_ or _Earth Girls Are Easy_ or _Transylvania 65000_, rather than his prominent roles like _Jurassic Park_ or _The Fly_ or _Independence Day_. I now remember where I first saw Jeff Goldblum as an actor to take notice of, even though this isn’t how I continue to remember him, re: the OP. It was as the Big Bad Wolf in Shelley Duvall’s _Faerie Tale Theatre_. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/131 "2015-03-21T05:49:26Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I thought of a few more. > > **Katherine Helmond** , **Richard Mulligan** , **Ted Wass** , **Billy Crystal** , and **Robert Guillaume** will always be, respectively, Jessica Tate, Burt Campbell, Danny Dallas, Jodie Dallas, and Benson from _Soap_. (Despite rumors to the contrary, I consider the Benson from _Soap_ and the Benson from _Benson_ to not be the same character.) > > And **Bill Nye** will always be [Speed Walker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e6h4zLC5U8), the physically-fit superhero, who fights crime while maintaining strict adherence to the regulations of the International Speed Walking Association. Heel, toe. Heel, toe! > > I’ve heard of that character, but never really seen anything with him. A local PBS station showed _The Games_ around 2000 and I thought it was brilliant. > > Clicked on the link; is that his real hair? Watch the linked doco, it’s 45 minutes and will give you Fred Dagg in all his genius. And that really was his hair. ---
**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:** [March 21, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/132 "2015-03-21T14:27:52Z")
Ray Liotta as Joey Perini on Another World. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/133 "2015-03-21T18:25:58Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I was one of the handful of people who enjoyed David Hyde Pierce in \*The Powers That Be," \*prior to _Frasier._ Beat me to it. It may just be the three of us in this thread, though. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/134 "2015-03-21T19:22:35Z")
> [@Revenant\_Threshold](#): > > Sean Connery is, of course, the Egyptian guy from Highlander. Or possibly the Russian guy from The Hunt for Red October. > > And Simon Pegg will forever mean Spaced to me, but I imagine that’s not so much an uncommon one for Brits. Big Train, too. For me, Connery is Bond. Always Bond. Pegg is a relaxed, spaced dude playing shoot-em-up video games, drawing cartoons and killing zombies. Philip Seymour Hoffman as George Willis in ‘Scent of a Woman’ and Phil in ‘Magnolia’ (brilliant in both), and David Carradine as Frankenstein in Death Race 2000. Also John Turturro, for me, isn’t Jesus - the earliest films I saw him in were The Color of Money and The Sicilian in the 80s. He’s worked in so many movies since I couldn’t say which I like more. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/135 "2015-03-22T00:50:16Z")
I cannot always see Angelina Jolie as Legs (from _Foxfire_), because she has always been taking on very different public personas, and she left the Legs character behind long ago. _Foxfire_ is anyhow still one of my favorite movies. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/136 "2015-03-22T10:51:13Z")
Micky Dolenz didn’t start off playing drums with silly Monkees; he started playing drums with an elephant when he was Corky, [The Circus Boy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS4uQIjkNsk)! And yeah, Maynard was a pretty cool cat 🆒, and Milton was ok, but Thalia was the real reason for me watching [Dobie Gillis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dF3VUFDmiU). Of course I wouldn’t kick Zelda out of bed for eating crackers, either :eek:. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/137 "2015-03-22T11:00:45Z")
I was a young teenager the first time I saw Malcolm McDowell in a film – _Time After Time_ where he plays the shy, romantic lead. I thought he was sweet, had a teenaged crush on him, so decided to check out this other film he was in, _A Clockwork Orange_. Followed by _if…_ and _O Lucky Man_. I knew Peter Capaldi from _Local Hero_ back when it first came out and was at once bemused and amused years later to see him in _Thick of It_. The reverse was true for Mr Boods, who only knew him as Malcom Tucker, when he first saw _Local Hero_. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/138 "2015-03-22T11:05:50Z")
Judi Dench when I first became aware of her: [www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoorYxtDDVE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoorYxtDDVE) [www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaP9EDTqfyM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaP9EDTqfyM) ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/139 "2015-03-22T11:10:31Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Wait, you thought he was the fifth Doctor? Or the guy who made the hilarious video about trying to sneak into the _Doctor Who_ fiftieth anniversary episode? Or Henry Sharpe on _Law And Order UK_? I’m sorry, you’re wrong: Peter Davison is Tristan Farnon from _All Creatures Great And Small_. The eighth Doctor? Always and forever ‘I’. (which is why if Richard E Grant and Paul McGann ever get any _Doctor Who_ screen time together, it will be painfully obvious that they’ve merely gone on holiday by mistake.) ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139/140 "2015-03-22T11:55:54Z")
One I just thought of: Heather Graham, while I will always appreciate her work as Rollergirl in _Boogie Nights_, will always be Mercedes Lane in [License to Drive](http://jasoncollin.org/2010/03/13/license-to-drive-1988-review/). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-first-knew-actor-actress-from-a-role-different-from-one-theyre-widely-known-in/715139.md?page=8)