Do you know what Joker, Lara Croft, James Bond, and Sherlock Holmes have in common other than being absolute legends? They’ve all been played by different actors over the years!
That’s right! Often, when we think of a character from a movie or TV show, we picture just one person in that role. But when it comes to successful productions or adaptations, remakes are made and different talents get cast to keep things fresh or attract a diverse audience. Just think of how the character portrayal of Batman has changed dramatically over the years — from the campy version of the 1960s TV show to the dark and brooding version played by Christian Bale in the 2000s. The character evolution has been fascinating to watch.
You might think you know everything about your favorite films and characters, but trust us, you haven’t seen it all until you’ve witnessed the interpretations and nuances that different actors have brought to the table. Some have become so closely associated with their characters that it can be difficult for subsequent actors to shake off their shadows and make that movie role theirs without getting ripped apart by the audience. But whether you’re a fan of the original casting or enjoy seeing a fresh take on an old favorite, you’ve got to admit that most of these remakes kept the standards of their predecessors without sacrificing the originality of their newer talents.
As we take a trip down memory lane, we’ll look at the many faces of some of the most beloved characters in film history. From Superman to Robin Hood, we’ve rounded up a list of actors who played the same role, each with their own personal twist!
This post may include affiliate links.
Jeremy Brett, Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, Henry Cavill — Sherlock Holmes
Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, David Tennant, Matt Smith — The Doctor (Doctor Who)
Just 4 here? David Tennant for me, but each brought their own personality to the mix
Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig — James Bond
Roger Moore? Did Bored Panda forget about him? He was James Bond in 7 films.
Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland — Spider-Man
Brian Cox, Anthony Hopkins, Gaspard Ulliel, Mads Mikkelsen — Hannibal Lecter
Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, Joaquin Phoenix — Joker
Richard Harris, Michael Gambon — Albus Dumbledore
Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Cate Blanchett — Queen Elizabeth I
Alec Guinness, Ewan Mcgregor — Obi-Wan Kenobi
Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Gary Oldman, Luke Evans — Dracula
The classic and immortal Christopher Lee will always be Dracula for me, however I do like the Gary Oldman version too
Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, Robert Pattinson — Batman (Bruce Wayne)
Michelle Pfeiffer, Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway, Zoë Kravitz — Catwoman (Selina Kyle)
Graham Chapman, Nigel Terry, Sean Connery, Bradley James — King Arthur
George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Henry Cavill, Tyler Hoechlin — Superman
Linda Hamilton, Emilia Clarke — Sarah Connor
Im sorry, i love Emília Clark, drop dead gorgeous tallented actress, but, Terminator is nothing widout Linda Hamilton.
Eric Bana, Edward Norton, Mark Ruffalo — Hulk
David Rintoul, Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Matthew Rhys — Mr. Darcy
Winona Ryder, Saoirse Ronan — Jo March
Chris Evans, Michael B. Jordan — Johnny Storm
Baahhh, all i see here is Captain América and Black Panther's cousin.....
Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, John Krasinski — Jack Ryan
Angelina Jolie, Alicia Vikander — Lara Croft
Bahhhhhh, i loved them both, as an action star hands down Anjelina Jolie, as a movie faithfull to the source material Alícia Vikander, they where both great in the part, but lets face it, Anjelina hás a presence that Alícia does not, at least yet. ( Plus not a fair comparison, since Alícia's character os supose to be a very Young Lara Croft, wille Anjelina's is supose to be the Lara that most of us grew up knowing)
Errol Flynn, Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Cary Elwes — Robin Hood
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Evan Peters — Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff)
Im divided here i like them both, but the One in the bottom had more to do in the movies, the other dude's job was just to annoy Hawkeye and die.... Not a fair comparison.
Ian Holm, Martin Freeman — Bilbo Baggins
Love them both! They portraying different ages like so many on this list. Apples and oranges.
Kurt Russell, David Keith, Michael Shannon, Austin Butler — Elvis Presley
Walter Huston, Gregory Peck, Daniel Day-Lewis, Billy Campbell — Abraham Lincoln
Jason Robards, Ben Gazzara, Robert De Niro, Tom Hardy — Al Capone
Michael York, Chris O'donnell, Gabriel Byrne, Logan Lerman — D'artagnan
Jodie Foster, Julianne Moore — Clarice Starling
Patrick Stewart, James Mcavoy — Professor X (Charles Xavier)
Ioan Gruffudd, Miles Teller — Reed Richards
Edward Furlong, Nick Stahl, Christian Bale, Jason Clarke — John Connor
Johnny Weissmuller, Ron Ely, Christopher Lambert, Alexander Skarsgård — Tarzan
Dude i see Christofer Lambert i see a Scotsman ( and yes i know he's French, old people like me Will get it lol ) not frikking Tarzan.
Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman — Daario Naharis
Rebecca Romijn, Jennifer Lawrence — Mystique (Raven Darkhölme)
Stamos was hardly an actress in the movies, She was there to do stunts and look sexy in blue látex Paint, Lawrence on the otherhand ( despite her latest blunder ) is a great actress, and actually had something to act on.
Halle Berry, Alexandra Shipp — Ororo Munroe
Jessica Alba, Kate Mara — Sue Storm
Sean Bean, Luke Evans, Liam Neeson — Zeus
Russell Crowe ( alas we never got to see the orgy lol ), on a serious note, Sean Bean wins this One.
Michael Biehn, Anton Yelchin, Jai Courtney — Kyle Reese
Bryce Dallas Howard, Rachelle Lefevre — Victoria
Again, Rachelle Lefevre just seemed darker and more believable.
Alicia Silverstone, Rachel Blanchard — Cher Horowitz
Alicia Silverstone. I could take her rich spoiled girl more seriously.
Famke Janssen, Sophie Turner — Jean Grey
Michael Chiklis, Jamie Bell — Ben Grimm
William Devane, Bruce Greenwood, Greg Kinnear, Michael C. Hall — John F. Kennedy
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Katie Holmes — Rachel Dawes
Jennifer Connelly, Liv Tyler — Betty Ross
Jake Lloyd, Hayden Christensen — Anakin Skywalker
Going through this list , I was really disappointed that BP seemed to leave out most of the original actors from the 1930s and 40s who originated many of these characters.
Totally left out Brando and DeNiro for Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather" I & II. And they both won Oscars for that character role.
Hugh Laurie, Ian Mcarmicheal, David Niven as B. Wooster, gentleman. Hugh did it best!
Overall, not a bad list but I thought it was a bit of a cheat to include groupings where the actors were playing the characters at different ages and different stories in their timelines..
I'm still waiting for a gay Bond, but even if that dream has not been fulfilled yet, I really love the series. Also, there is only one true Joker, the rest is not even close to his level. Funny to see all those previous faces, in some cases, I wasn't aware how many different actors have played the same roles already.
Don't know if everyone else felt the same, but mostly my favourites were from the version I saw growing up
Going through this list , I was really disappointed that BP seemed to leave out most of the original actors from the 1930s and 40s who originated many of these characters.
Totally left out Brando and DeNiro for Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather" I & II. And they both won Oscars for that character role.
Hugh Laurie, Ian Mcarmicheal, David Niven as B. Wooster, gentleman. Hugh did it best!
Overall, not a bad list but I thought it was a bit of a cheat to include groupings where the actors were playing the characters at different ages and different stories in their timelines..
I'm still waiting for a gay Bond, but even if that dream has not been fulfilled yet, I really love the series. Also, there is only one true Joker, the rest is not even close to his level. Funny to see all those previous faces, in some cases, I wasn't aware how many different actors have played the same roles already.
Don't know if everyone else felt the same, but mostly my favourites were from the version I saw growing up
