Tunnel Vision: Actors Who You Could Never See Outside of That One Role

[RubyWoo72]

Tom Felton: He played Malfoy. Yeah, had like the same personally as the guy in planet of the apes lol.

Yep, thank you. And yes, it seems he was typecast across genres. Lol

[Aquarius]

James Rebhorn did a lot of work in a lot of movies and tv shows that I watched over the years, but I still couldn't quite get over the fact that he'd played Bradley Raines on The Guiding Light--a character who'd molested (maybe raped--it's been so long, I forget exactly) his teenage step daughter.  It got better over the years, but it was always in the back of my mind. 

 

Oh my god, yes!  Even my brother will still say "That's Bradley!" when he appears.  The way I remember it, Bradley attacked Beth that one time.  I will never ever forget the scene of her crying in the shower.  Yep, that dude will always be Bradley to me.

 

Ted Danson will always be Sam Malone. 

 

Steven Weber will always be Brian Hackett. 

 

Gillian Anderson will always be Scully. 

 

Laura Innes will always be Weaver.

 

(edited because "remember" is sort of the the opposite of "forget")

Edited July 24, 2014 by Aquarius

[Neurochick]

He had a longer tenure as DS9's Captain Sisko, but for me Avery Brooks will always and forever be Spencer For Hire's Hawk.

Totally, my ex-bf was a Spenser junkie and we watched the first episode.  Even when I saw Brooks giving a speech here in NYC years later, I kept seeing Hawk. 

 

And Tom Felton played a douchebag in "Belle" and is still playing one in "Murder in the First."

Edited July 23, 2014 by Neurochick

[cynicat]

Meg Ryan is still Betsy from As the World Turns...even after all these years and all her movies.  However, her crappy plastic surgery is going a long way in helping me break the link

[GreekGeek]

Lucille Ball will always be "Lucy." Her last name varied, but she was always the goofy schemer whose antics often involved slapstick. Even when she took on a serious role, like a homeless woman in "Stone Pillow" or (going back to her youth) a paraplegic in "The Big Street," some of her facial expressions were pure "Lucy." 

[kiddo82]

I don't watch much Castle but when I do catch an episode, the actress who plays Lanie will never not be Liberty Washington from My Name is Earl.

[RubyWoo72]

Carroll O'Connor was always Archie Bunker, not the Sheriff with the Southern accent.

[Shannon L.]

Watched a movie last night with Ty Burrell in it and it didn't work for me--I still only saw Phil Dunphey.

[ABay]

The L&O episode with Stephen Colbert...Cognitive dissonance! Cannot watch!

[spaceytraci1208]

I will always (affectionately) refer to Guillermo Diaz, regardless of the role, as "Cuban B" thanks to Half Baked

http://youtu.be/BChMEKf300Q

[Bort]

Buffy as well. She's Buffy. I always have to think 2 seconds before remembering SMG's name. 4 to remember it in full.

For SMG, it went even further back for me, it took me a long time to shake my association with her as Kendall from All My Children. The show recasting the role with someone competent that I liked is what I think finally severed that link.

[SistaLadybug]

JK Simmons as Vern Schillinger in Oz- a character that was pure evil, and even when he plays a good guy (and he does often) I'm still remembering him burning a swastika into Beecher's ass.

And Christopher Meloni will always be Chris Keller to me.  His transition to Stabler was a hard one for me (and having him play criminal and cop at the same time was mind-blowing) but the most jarring was when I looked up to find him on Sprout (or one of those other kids-only networks), reading a story to the kids.  Yes, I know he's an actor and isn't actually a crazy killer or whatnot but I was like, "...Who thought having Keller do this was a good idea?"

Also: As a Baltimorean, Idris Elba will be Stringer Bell forever and ever.

[Actionmage]

Robert Knepper will always be T-Bag from Prison Break to me. Mr. Knepper is probably a very nice man, but he was so vividly T-Bag, that it's hard to not see that character first. Likewise, Wade Williams will always be Bellick and Rockmond Dunbar will be C-Note to me first.

 

Matthew Perry will always be Chandler Bing to me. I've liked other projects he's done, but Chandler is the first thing that comes to mind.

[Haleth]

For me, it's the entire cast of LOST. I will never be able to see any of the actors as anyone but their LOST characters (even Nikki & Paolo who I hated). I'm the one who will watch something & OMG it's Sawyer, or Boone (even though Ian Somerhalder will also be forever Damon). My Mother & BF will attest to that.

 

Like Evangeline Lilly in The Hobbit movies, where she is still annoying.

[blueray]

Adam Baldwin should be on this list too, I seriously never seen him play anything but a CIA (or military) character.

[RubyWoo72]

Adam Baldwin should be on this list too, I seriously never seen him play anything but a CIA (or military) character.

I feel the same way about the actor who played the farmer in Babe. I can't think of his name right now, but he's the same military dude in almost every movie. So I thought he was even more endearing with his, "That'll do, pig; that'll do." I think he passed away quite recently. James - something...

[ABay]

James Cromwell! I remember him first from Hot L Baltimore and then Murder by Death, so I think I'm pre-disposed to think he's going to be funny. Needless to say, I was quite surprised by L.A. Confidential.

Edited August 3, 2014 by ABay

[thuganomics85]

James Cromwell is actually still kicking around.  He's seems to be taking the approach of playing more sinister characters post-Babe. These past few years, he was on American Horror Story: Asylum (didn't see, but I know he won an Emmy for it), Boardwalk Empire, played a corrupt businessman on Betrayal,  and currently in Murder in the First, as a shady defense attorney.  He's one of my favorites, but I will always remember him first from Babe.

 

Currently watching The Strain, and while David Bradley is one of the best things about it, part of me will always think of him as Walder Frey on Game of Thrones.  I keep waiting for his character to suddenly spring a trap and massacre all the CDC members.

 

Part of me will always think of Natalie Dormer first as Ann Boleyn from The Tudors.  Even though she's just as great as Margaery Tyrell on Game of Thrones, every now and then, Margaery will do something that makes me think "Ann would approve!"

[GreekGeek]

I think he passed away quite recently. James - something...

 

I just looked him up and he is still alive. Some more fun facts about him here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000342/bio

I remember him first from Hot L Baltimore and then Murder by Death, so I think I'm pre-disposed to think he's going to be funny.

 

It shows how well rounded he is when I say I don't associate him with comedy, or even with nice guys, at all. Babe was the exception. I tend to associate him with more sinister authority figures.

[Jeebus Cripes]

Robert Knepper will always be T-Bag from Prison Break to me. Mr. Knepper is probably a very nice man, but he was so vividly T-Bag, that it's hard to not see that character first. 

 

A thousand times, this. I was rewatching some old Carnivale episodes one day and he was on the show, very clean cut and not even remotely T-Bagish in any way. I couldn't handle it.

[Haleth]

I think he passed away quite recently. James - something..

 

Were you confusing him with James Rebhorn?  They are actually pretty similar.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Haleth

[jah1986]

A thousand times, this. I was rewatching some old Carnivale episodes one day and he was on the show, very clean cut and not even remotely T-Bagish in any way. I couldn't handle it.

Well my first exposure to Knepper was an early episode of Star Trek: TNG where he was all sweet and supposed to marry Deanna but wound up marrying some other chick. I've never been able to get that image out of my head and wonder what on earth happened to turn him into T-Bag lol.

[RubyWoo72]

Were you confusing him with James Rebhorn? They are actually pretty similar.

Yep, that's who I was thinking about. They really are quite similar, huh? Thanks for that :)

[Shannon L.]

 

Robert Knepper will always be T-Bag from Prison Break to me. Mr. Knepper is probably a very nice man, but he was so vividly T-Bag, that it's hard to not see that character first.

I don't recall ever seeing Robert Knepper in anything else, but he is so damn good in his roll as T-Bag (we just started season 2 of Prison Break) that I can see this happening with me, too.

[DittyDotDot]

Robert Knepper plays dark and creepy rather well. He was on Carnivale, the last season of Heros, the second season of Stargate Universe, and a lot of others that I'm blanking on right now. Most recently he was on Cult last year and again played the creepy creeper to perfection, even though the show wasn't that great.

Edited August 6, 2014 by DittyDotDot

[mansonlamps]

Were you confusing him with James Rebhorn? They are actually pretty similar.

Speaking of wHich, James Rebhorn will always be that creepy pedophile dude that Anthony Lapaglia tormented on Without A Trace to me.

[choclatechip45]

Drake will always be Jimmy Brooks to me.

[Jeebus Cripes]

Robert Knepper plays dark and creepy rather well. He was on Carnivale, the last season of Heros, the second season of Stargate Universe, and a lot of others that I'm blanking on right now. Most recently he was on Cult last year and again played the creepy creeper to perfection, even though the show wasn't that great.

 

He played a villain on Arrow as well, and I just read he'll reprise the role in The Flash.

[callmebetty]

Drake will always be Jimmy Brooks to me.

True story, back when Barack Obama was running for president the first time. I turned to my sister and said during an episode of Degrassi that it was too bad Jimmy wouldn't ever be a big star cause I could see him playing a younger Obama in a made for tv movie. Ha, little did I know.

[annzeepark914]

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss will always be Elaine Benes.  And sorry, Jason Alexander, but you're George Costanza for-evah!  Same with Jerry Stiller...Mr. Costanza.

Delta Burke?  She will always be Suzanne Sugarbaker (but has she retired? haven't seen her in anything lately).

Someone already mentioned David Ogden Stiers...always will be Major Winchester.  Ditto for Alan Alda (altho' he was good in the movie, Four Seasons--almost made me forget Hawkeye).

I don't think Mary Tyler Moore was ever able to not be seen as Mary Richards (even when she appeared in Ordinary People).

Just saw Magic in the Moonlight starring Colin Firth and Emma Stone (or should I say, Mr. Darcy and what's her name from The Help w/o the crazy hair).

And one more...Christopher Walken.  It's hard to see him in a serious role (cause I'm thinking of that skit in SNL "I need more cowbell" or his hilarious role as The Continental) but he almost made me forget all that when he played a mob guy in the movie, Jersey Boys.

Edited September 16, 2014 by annzeepark914

[ToxicUnicorn]

but the most jarring was when I looked up to find him on Sprout (or one of those other kids-only networks), reading a story to the kids.

 

I feel this way about Geordi La Forge (actor LeVar Burton) from Star Trek TNG.  It was always a disconnect to see him on Reading Rainbow ... or anywhere, really, where you are able to see his eyes.

 

Re: Sarah Michelle Gellar as Kendall on All My Children - I stopped watching soaps somewhere during her tenure as Kendall and never watched Buffy, so that association was stuck in my head for a very, very long time.  She started on AMC in 1993 when she was 16 and it was clear she was extremely talented from the beginning.

 

There are a lot of actors from that era that I still see as their soap characters.  Kelly Ripa had a memorable debut as Hayley on AMC when she was 20; I couldn't believe it when she started co-hosting the talk show with Regis.  Nathan Fillion (the Firefly guy, now the Castle guy) will always be a suddenly aged son of Viki Lord Buchanan on One Life to Live, who had enough charisma as a 24 year old to pull off a not too terribly icky May-December romance with the arch-enemy of his multiple personality mother.  And I remember Hayden Panetierre as Lizzy on Guiding Light.  Good grief, she was only 9 then.  (Yes, I surfed the soaps back then.  There weren't that many night time soaps at the time : this was all less than a decade after Dallas Original Recipe left the air.)

 

There are quite a few comedians who are also stuck in a time warp for me.  It's really hard to see Sean Hayes as anyone but Jack MacFarland (Will and Grace) or David Spade as anyone but the David Spade of SNL, or Georgia Engel as Georgette from the Mary Tyler Moore show.  Chris Elliott definitely is the creepy guy from Everyone Loves Raymond.  I'll bet he loves that.

 

I think James Cromwell is very versatile.  I believed him just as much in Babe as I do when he plays a bad guy.  I'm always happy to see him onscreen.

[Wax Lion]

While I can accept her in new roles, whenever I see Ming-Na Wen on TV I think "Look at what Lien Hughes grew up to be!"

[paulvdb]

John Ratzenberger will always be Cliff Clavin. And James Vanderbeek will always be Dawson Leery.

Edited September 16, 2014 by paulvdb

[janie jones]

 Chris Elliott definitely is the creepy guy from Everyone Loves Raymond.

This might be because Chris Elliott is the creepy guy, period.

[Princess Sparkle]

I don't care how long she was on How I Met Your Mother, Alyson Hannigan will always, always be Willow to me.  It's that voice.

[Aquarius]

This might be because Chris Elliott is the creepy guy, period.

 

To me he will always be the creepy guy from Get A Life. 

[MyAimIsTrue]

James Cromwell! I remember him first from Hot L Baltimore and then Murder by Death, so I think I'm pre-disposed to think he's going to be funny. Needless to say, I was quite surprised by L.A. Confidential.

 

No matter what James Cromwell does he'll always be the father in 'Revenge Of the Nerds' to me.

[ChromaKelly]

Michelle Forbes is Ensign Ro no matter what role she is in.

[SistaLadybug]

Michelle Forbes is Ensign Ro no matter what role she is in.

And see ... to me, she's always "Sonny/Solita" from "Guiding Light".

[blueray]

I don't care how long she was on How I Met Your Mother, Alyson Hannigan will always, always be Willow to me.  It's that voice.

I agree. I didn't watch Buffy alway through and I only saw a few episodes of HIMYM. But I still think of her as Willow.

[Wax Lion]

Michelle Forbes is Ensign Ro no matter what role she is in.

And see ... to me, she's always "Sonny/Solita" from "Guiding Light".

 

Hah! Same here!

[Snowprince]

I feel this way about Geordi La Forge (actor LeVar Burton) from Star Trek TNG.  It was always a disconnect to see him on Reading Rainbow ... or anywhere, really, where you are able to see his eyes.

 

Re: Sarah Michelle Gellar as Kendall on All My Children - I stopped watching soaps somewhere during her tenure as Kendall and never watched Buffy, so that association was stuck in my head for a very, very long time.  She started on AMC in 1993 when she was 16 and it was clear she was extremely talented from the beginning.

 

There are a lot of actors from that era that I still see as their soap characters.  Kelly Ripa had a memorable debut as Hayley on AMC when she was 20; I couldn't believe it when she started co-hosting the talk show with Regis.  Nathan Fillion (the Firefly guy, now the Castle guy) will always be a suddenly aged son of Viki Lord Buchanan on One Life to Live, who had enough charisma as a 24 year old to pull off a not too terribly icky May-December romance with the arch-enemy of his multiple personality mother.  And I remember Hayden Panetierre as Lizzy on Guiding Light.  Good grief, she was only 9 then.  (Yes, I surfed the soaps back then.  There weren't that many night time soaps at the time : this was all less than a decade after Dallas Original Recipe left the air.)

 

There are quite a few comedians who are also stuck in a time warp for me.  It's really hard to see Sean Hayes as anyone but Jack MacFarland (Will and Grace) or David Spade as anyone but the David Spade of SNL, or Georgia Engel as Georgette from the Mary Tyler Moore show.  Chris Elliott definitely is the creepy guy from Everyone Loves Raymond.  I'll bet he loves that.

 

I think James Cromwell is very versatile.  I believed him just as much in Babe as I do when he plays a bad guy.  I'm always happy to see him onscreen.

For the entirety of ST:TNG's run, I could not watch LeVar Burton and not see young Kunta Kinte of Roots.

[Aquarius]

For the entirety of ST:TNG's run, I could not watch LeVar Burton and not see young Kunta Kinte of Roots.

 

I had to do it in reverse, having never seen Roots until a few years ago.  It was disconcerting to say the least.

[SistaLadybug]

From reading Tom and Lorenzo today, I realized that James McAvoy will always and forever be Mr. Tumnus to me.

[Snow Apple]

Laurie Metcalf is awesome, but she'll always be Aunt Jackie from Rosanne.

[topanga]

 

I had the hardest time accepting that Matthew Fox's character was named Jack. I called him by his Part of Five name 'Charlie' for the longest, which could get confusing because there was a Charlie on LOST, too.

I honestly think that's why I could never get into Lost. My brain refused to accept Matthew Fox as anyone except Charlie Salinger.

[Actionmage]

And see ... to me, she's[Michelle Forbes] always "Sonny/Solita" from "Guiding Light".

 

Poor Josh! He just couldn't get away from loving women with Dissociative Identity Disorder, could he? Sonni, then Annie, and eventually, even Reva!

[DearEvette]

 

I know Ron Howard is an accomplished director with an impressive repertoire, but dude is always gonna be Richie Cunningham to me.

 

Opie!

 

See for me, he is Opie Cunningham.  Because through the Magic of TV  Richie is just Opie all grown up,  they are actually the same person even in tvland.  Even when he was in that Jamie Fox/T-Pain music video (Blame it on the Alcohol) I said, 'Wow, Opie Cunningham is hanging out with Jamie Fox, Rudy Huxtable and Ashley banks in a rap video."

[Kromm]

See for me, he is Opie Cunningham.  Because through the Magic of TV  Richie is just Opie all grown up,  they are actually the same person even in tvland.  Even when he was in that Jamie Fox/T-Pain music video (Blame it on the Alcohol) I said, 'Wow, Opie Cunningham is hanging out with Jamie Fox, Rudy Huxtable and Ashley banks in a rap video."

Heh.  I get that too, although it does take a little mental gymnastics/open thinking, since the dates don't work at all. Mayberry is very clearly played as contemporary to when it was broadcast (1960-1968--and we even clearly see Mayberry visibly move into the 70s in the Andy Griffith Show spinoff, Mayberry RFD), and Happy Days of course not (it roughly represents 1957-1958 so, but on infinite replay since even though the show was on for a decade, we never see the cultural changes to the 60s--although we DO see some of those on Laverne & Shirley). 

 

I dunno.  Maybe Opie is some long lost little brother the Cunninghams shipped out for adoption.  I mean we already know of one other son they simply made evaporate (Chuck).

Edited September 22, 2014 by Kromm

[Snowprince]

Just like oldest son Mike (Tim Considine) on My Three Sons. He just disappeared in a puff of smoke, never to be seen again.