Actors that played a Different Character....

[McGillicuddy]

Name actors that played characters (usually re-occurring characters) of sit-coms and then were re-cast to play a different character throughout the series.

On Bewitched Paul Lynde (Uncle Arthur), Alice Ghostley (Esmerelda), and Bernard Fox (Dr. Bombay) all played different characters when they first appeared on the show.

I Love Lucy Elizabeth Patterson (Mrs. Trumble) played a different character at first.
I Love Lucy Mary Jane Croft, played 2 different characters before she became Betty Ramsey.

The Golden Girls Harold Gould played Arnie before he was re-cast as Miles Webber.

(This happens all the time in soap operas so exclude them.)

[Marvo301]

On M*A*S*H Harry Morgan first appeared as General Bradford Hamilton Steele before being cast in the regular role of Col. Sherman Potter.

[Rezny@gmail.com]

On "Matlock",Nancy Stafford (Atty.Michelle Thomas on the NBC episodes)played call girl Caroline Nathan in the first season NBC episode "The Seduction",Kari Lizer(whatever happened to her?)who played Cassie Phillips,in the second season NBC episodes played rock singer Margaret "Angel"DeNello,whom Matlock reluctantly but successfully defended in the first season NBC episode "The Angel".and James MacEachin who played Lt.Frank Daniels in the NBC pilot "Diary of a Perfect Murder",and the first season NBC 1986 episodes "The Professor","The Don""The Chef" and "The Sisters",and later on as a derelict in the ABC last season "Matlock"episode "The Assault".

[biffbronson]

I'm sure you're aware of Kari Lizer's show The New Adventures of Old Christine...!

Here are a couple of Matlock entries: Brynn Thayer played defendant Roxanne Windmere before getting her regular role as daughter Leanne. And Daniel Roebuck had a few roles on the series before becoming regular Cliff Lewis.

[tv star collector]

A few that immediately come to mind:

Ken Curtis (Gunsmoke)
Billy Bob Thornton (Evening Shade)

[KurtfromPitts]

Ted McGinley played a character in a Married...With Children episode before becoming Jefferson D'Arcy.

[waichingliu81]

alfonso ribeiro had a guest role in in the house as fresh prince's carlton and later became dr maxwell stanton

[Brad]

Jon Lovitz guested twice on NewsRadio as two different characters before becoming a regular as Max Louis. That's a total of three characters.

[treky]

on "ALL IN THE FAMILY" Vincent Gardenia played Jim Boman in the episode where the Jeffersons moved next door to the Bunkers, and the husband in the episode where Edith contacted a couple who turned out to be "swingers" before becoming Frank Lorenzo in the 3rd season, and Bert Mustin played the security guard at Archies plant before becoming Mr. Quigley in 2 or 3 episodes.

[Stuck In The '70's]

on "ALL IN THE FAMILY" Vincent Gardenia played Jim Boman in the episode where the Jeffersons moved next door to the Bunkers, and the husband in the episode where Edith contacted a couple who turned out to be "swingers" before becoming Frank Lorenzo in the 3rd season, and Bert Mustin played the security guard at Archies plant before becoming Mr. Quigley in 2 or 3 episodes.
Alan Melvin also guest starred as a Polish cop in the episode where Archie ended up in jail during the Vietnam War protests. He later of course was Barney Hefner.

[Zoneboy]

Jack Dodson played an insurance adjuster on The Andy Griffith Show before being cast as Howard Sprague

Forrest Compton played Captain Brinson on Gomer Pyle USMC before he was cast as Colonel Gray

[JamesG]

Jordan Charney played a minor character in one episode of "Three's Company" before becoming 'Mr. Angelino'.

[robyrob]

Lynda Goodfriend first appeared on Happy Days as Ralph's date Kim, then returned as LoriBeth, whom Richie eventually married

Crystal Bernard first appeared as a one-time character "Mikki" a new girl in Joanie's class, then retruned later that season as Howard's niece KC on Happy Days.

Al Molinaro played Al on Happy Days, and occasionally would play his brother Anthony, the priest.

Linda Purl played Richie's girlfriend Gloria in the second season of Happy Days, then returned to play Fonzie's girlfriend Ashley Pfister in the 10th season.

[treky]

Alan Melvin first appeared on "THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW" as an old army friend of Robs, Harrison Harding, in the first season episode "HARRISON B. HARDING OF CAMP CROWDER, MISSOURI" then replaced Marty Ingles as Sol Pomerantz in flashback episodes to when Rob was in the army.

[James]

On Perfect Strangers Sam Anderson played a bank employee who sold Balki his first checks ("Rainbows!") before becoming Mr. Gorpley, his boss at the Chicago Chronicle.

[biffbronson]

Jack Dodson played an insurance adjuster on The Andy Griffith Show before being cast as Howard Sprague

And the lady who played the regular role as the wife of Emmett Clark (color seasons) also appeared on the series earlier on, such as a saleslady.

[treky]

Steve Landesburg guest starred as a guy posing as a priest in a season 2 episode of "BARNEY MILLER" then became a regular later as Arthur Dietrich.
Likewise, Ron Carey guest stared as a burglar in an episode, before becoming a regular as Levit.

[biffbronson]

Here's a switch:
In the earliest episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, Dub Taylor appeared in the regular role of Postmaster. He returned years later to play a one-shot role as Emmett's relative, breaking him into insurance sales.

And speaking of Taylor, his son Buck Taylor made a Gunsmoke appearance as a different character before landing the regular role of gunshop owner Newly O'Brien (who becomes a deputy).

One more: On My Three Sons, Tina Cole had appearances prior to her regular role as Katie.

[biffbronson]

Once again as far as Gunsmoke, going off-topic from the Sitcoms theme of the original question, James Nusser played some various roles before making dozens of appearances as his regular character "Louie Pheeters."

[TV_on_the_Porch]

Elvia Allman appeared in Petticoat Junction as a snooty columnist in the first season episode 'Night At The Hooterville Hilton', then as Cora Watson in a third season show before taking over the role of Selma Plout in the fourth season. Jonathan Winters was seen in Mork & Mindy as Mindy's uncle prior to becoming their hatchling. Mary Jane croft went through that routine twice with Lucy, most memorably appearing as the lady sitting next to Lucy on the airplane when she's trying to smuggle cheese, then being cast as Connecticut neighbor Betty Ramsey in I Love Lucy. In early seasons of The Lucy Show she could be seen on a very occasional basis as Audrey Simmons, then became the indispensable Mary Jane Lewis when Lucy moved to California in the fall of '65.

[Dr. Thong]

On Law & Order, Jerry Orbach played a defense attorney in the 2nd season and returned in the 3rd as Det. Lennie Briscoe.

On Friends, June Gable played both Joey's agent Estelle and a delivery room nurse during the show's first season. She would continue to play Estelle as a recurring character until season 9.

[JamesG]

On Season 3 of "24" Tony Todd guest-starred as an FBI agent for two episodes.

He came back as a recurring villain character in Season 7 as 'General Juma'.

[Dr. Thong]

On M*A*S*H Harry Morgan first appeared as General Bradford Hamilton Steele before being cast in the regular role of Col. Sherman Potter.

Many years ago, a poster here said they should explain General Steele's episode as a dream of Colonel Potter's because it was too confusing having Harry Morgan in both roles.

:rolleyes:

This person apparently couldn't grasp the concept of one actor playing two separate roles on the same show.

:rolleyes:

[Torgo]

Richard Deacon played Mr. Baxter in the pilot episode of Leave It To Beaver before joining the cast as Fred Rutherford.

[CaliforniaKid]

Ed Marinaro played Antonio Defazio Laverne's Cousin in a Season 5 Episode of Laverne & Shirley and then became a regular character as Sonny St. Jacques the Landlord/Stuntman when they moved to Burbank in Season 6.

[JamesG]

I was curious about the people from "24" because I knew that Tony Todd wasn't the only one. He is perhaps the most well-known because people recognized him the easiest.

The list is too big to list here so here is the full list of actors that played multiple roles on "24":
http://24.wikia.com/wiki/Performers_with_multiple_roles

[andress_jade]

Tamara Tunie played an attorney in an episode of the original Law and Order and then came back and played Dr. Melinda Warner in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

Paul Lynde played several different characters in I Dream of Jeannie several times. One he played a director, another he played a colonel in charge of getting Tony and Roger fit, he also played a guy who worked for the government and Jeannie blinked in a bunch of expensive things.

[megamanj2004]

Before becoming Lt. Norman Buntz on Hll Street Blues and its il-fated spin-off Beverly Hills Buntz, Dennis Franz played the role of detective Sal Benedetto.

[angiefan]

Steve Landburg played man on the phone on Seinfeld
Royal dano played Sylvia webb's dad on Little House on the Prairie and another episode he was Alice's ex husband,Harold.

[angiefan]

Jordan Charney was the voice of Charlie in the episode Baywatch Angels.