Which stars had maybe ONE BIG ROLE - that they milked and milked forever?

When did I eat corn?

Schwarzenegger can't order lunch without mentioning he will terminate the avocado dip or something.

James O'Neill/Tyrone

Susan Richardson

If only 9/11 was a movie.

It seems that TV stars who have more than one big role are the exception rather than the rule, OP

So most of them.

Debra Messing.

I agree with R5. Adam West and William Shatner immediately come to mind.

This question should be limited to movies but excluding franchises.

Rowan Atkinson

Carrie Fisher

LOL -- R8 picks one of the few TV stars who actually *did* have more than one hit show

Black Adder and Mr. Bean, R8

Both hits. Both still cult hits. Both Rowan Atkinson.

We'll notify you about our Consolation Round

Tommy Wiseau and "The Room".

Fassbender: Shame

Sharon Stone

I read the title of the thread as, "Which stars had maybe ONE BIG HOLE - that they milked and milked forever?"

Kimmy Gibbler!

Keanu played Christ in half of his movies.

Basically anyone from Twilight.

Queen Elizabeth II

Thank GOD for Tennessee. If it hadn't been for him I'd STILL be doing Peg in Altoona!

John Walsh

Made a zillion dollar career from his kids murder

Only in America

Leonard Nimoy

Fred Gwynne

Jim Nabors

George Lindsay

Ted Knight

Vivian Vance

Bert Lahr

Tony Randall

Lassie...Lol

The ENTIRE Brady Bunch

Lucille Ball..To be honest

Estelle Getty wins hands down, how many different TV shows did she play Sofia?

[quote]The ENTIRE Brady Bunch You forgot to add "with the exception of Jan and Alice

Bela Lugosi

Leonard Nimoy

Margaret Hamilton

Peter Lorre

Adam West

The Simpsons actors

Paul Giamatti

[quote]Tony Randall

Hardly, he had Mr Peepers, broadway shows, the Rock Hudson/Doris Day movies before he came up on Felix.

Really? Over 20 replies and no me?

r24

No, not even close

The cunt Hillary.

Doris Day

John Wayne

Charo

Lucille Ball

Bela Lugosi & Boris Karloff

The cunt r28

I disagree about Leonard Nimoy. He had an ambivalent relationship with Spock, and had a pretty varied career including some success as a director.

Linds

Meghan Markle.

The widows Ono-Lennon and Cobain

And milk she did, until her very last day on this planet...

Susan Lucci

Barbra Streisand owns this thread.

Jennifer Aniston.

John Wayne.

Yul Brynner. The King & I

Tyler Perry - Madea

r40 see r26

Jim Parsons

Joan, G, and M.

Tatum O'Neal

Do we mean role as in character? Or one performance in one movie?

Character actors played their character over and over, often to everyone's pleasure. Thelma Ritter.

OPHELIA CANNON AKA MINNIE PEARL

I have no idea who r36 is. Anybody? It is super irritating when someone posts photos with no text as if we are all on your wavelength.

Miss Donna Douglas, r47

Clayton Moore played the Lone Ranger on TV in the 50s. In the 80s, when he was in his 70s, he sued to still be able to make public appearances as The Lone Ranger wearing the mask.

For you, R47, bless your heart

Mariska Hargitay and Ice T from SVU. Both still milking it!

Sorry kids but Ted Neeley who played Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, which he did on Broadway as well as in the 1973 movie, has continued to play Jesus in the road tour of JCS until as late as last year. He is now 74 years old. Jesus was crucified when he was 33 so ol' Ted has been Jesus longer than Jesus was Jesus.

Sad.

for crissakes who dafuq wants to see a 70 year-old singing and dancing Jesus?

R26, did Ted Turner colorize Yul's nipples?

I just assumed they'd be brown.

Johnny Depp as Capt. Sparrow.

The first two films were good....the rest of them were totally pointless.

I OWN THIS MOTHERFUCKING THREAD...AND...ALL YOU BOWING BITCHES.

Damn! Look at Jesus' veiny, arthritic hand.

Burt Ward- Robin, Batman (1966-1968)

Butch Patrick- Eddie Munster, The Munsters (1964-1966)

Danny Aiello: Brooklyn Italian

59 replies and no one remembered me?

Jack Lemmon

Kevin Costner

Joe Pesci

John Wayne

Johnny Depp

Vin Diesel

Kelsey Grammar

Carroll O'Connor

Depends on what you mean by "stars." People are known for their iconic rolls.

65 posts and nobody mentioned moi?

Garner peaked with Alias 15 years ago and has had a shitastic career as Mrs. Affleck since then.

Oprah.

Yul Brynner in the King and I? I recall a tiny obscure cowboy film he was in...The Magnificent Six maybe?

Jon Hamm

"Which stars had maybe ONE BIG ROLE - that they milked and milked forever?"

R70: Connecting Jon Hamm to each of the above thoughts is quite...stirring.

Depp is known for several roles. He will always be Edward Scissorhands first and foremost, so that disqualifies him from this thread.

Despite Lucci's success on Devious Maids, she qualifies Erica Kane. Soaps stars might be the best examples here actually.

George Takei. Same role in TV show, cartoons and movies.

Liza Minnelli

Paul Reubens owns this thread.

Tempestt Bledsoe

Vivica Fox. Independence Day....

Vince Vaughn played Trent from Swingers for nearly 10-15 years. The wise cracking sharp tongued funny sarcastic guy. He retired the genre, actually.

But played it well, I admit.

Sally Struthers

Holland Taylor: Castrating Bitch

Liza Minnelli

Dawn Wells has been milking her Gilligan's Island fame to its final bitter drop. She's done cookbooks, infomercials, and other activities related to her role as Mary Ann some 50 years ago.

Barry Williams owns this thread. He's still doing appearances at colleges across the country as Greg Fucking Brady.

Mary Wilson, former background singer and hand clapper for The Supremes. She's been milking her role of a former Supreme at food truck venues, and other places of pedestrian convergence ever since Diana Ross hightailed it out of the group back in 1970. If you want to see an old Motown act for pennies on the dollar, she's your best bet.

Harrison Ford

Come on- the guy in "American Graffiti", Indiana Jones, "Witness", "Working Girl", the guy in the Tom Clancy movies? They're all just Han Solo!

Jean Stapleton although she was the character before Edith Bunker, so she had it, then got the ONE BIG ROLE and milked it forever. When she did "Hello, Dolly" she sang look at the dingbat now fellas.

Jack Nicholson.

Watching "Casino" on TCM now reminds me of the true owner of this thread: Joe Pesci as the hot-headed little Italian mobster, though that may be more Martin Scorsese's fault, as that's the only role he casts Pesci in.

Butch Patrick...been milking the Eddie Munster character since he was 11.

Joe Pesci is most famous for Home Alone, but everyone knows him from Goodfellas and Raging Bull too. He may play a similar type, but he's not associated with a particular "role."

Macaulay Culkin for home Alone.

Jason Alexander as George in Seinfeld

Alfonso Ribeiro not only just had 1 known role he's a subset as he's mainly known for his Carlton dance

Rhea perlman Carla from Cheers

Hayden Christensen springs to mind for some reason.

Ruth Buzzi

Susan Lucci

Marlo Thomas is still milking her "That Girl" status for all its worth.

[quote]Marlo Thomas is still milking her "That Girl" status for all its worth.

So many people have such nostalgic feelings for that show. It can work both ways.

Big only in her mind. But G does go on and on about Alex.

I thought G was good in Jagged Edge. As I recall, that film gave birth to the shock ending that everyone began using after that. That is to say the "dead" body suddenly springs back to life for more mayhem.

Sally Kirkland OWNS this fucking thread!

Paul Lynde--queeny snarky guy.

Pearl Bailey--sassy black woman

Carmen Miranda--Carmen Miranda

Fernando Lamad--self-adoring Latin Lover

Christopher Reeve. If it hadn't been for that horse-riding accident that made everyone feel sorry for him out of nostalgia, his career was over.

This schizophrenic thread needs clarification.

From the title, I assumed it would be actors who had a single role as in a single character or performance, but most of the posts have just listed an actor’s name with no role attached. Johnny Depp? I don’t even know what character or role this is about.

And many of those names seem to steer the thread toward actors who play the same type or even variations on themselves in multiple performances. See r100.

r102 has stated her boundaries.

LMM!!!

SJP in Sex and the City. Yes, it turns 20 next year and she still want's to milk it dry. I know she had done things before, but that show was her BIG break after essentially playing the "Carrie" role over and over since she was a teenager.

Ryan Reynolds should have taken a break after Green Lantern. Who keeps giving him roles?

These two douche bags have been on that Supernatural show for pushing on 20 years. Have never seen it and I can live with that. The long haired one only came up on my radar because he likes to torment service people using his social media super powers.

How did Parsons ever make It? Butt ugly, unpleasant voice. No talent or range. He played Sheldon in that aids movie. Girl has zilch appeal of acting a ability on o e of the all time dumbest sitcoms. Same quality as full of shit house.

I'm going to write this now, so I don't have to write it later...a role is different than a type. All actors get cast according to type and will play the same type until they age out of it and become another type which they will then always get cast as and so on and so forth until they die. That is not the same as milking one big role ala Susan Lucci or Donna Douglass

[quote]Paul Reubens owns this thread.

He's typecast, but not because he milked the role, it was something else he got caught milking. If it hadn't been for that porno theater bust I think he could have had a varied and interesting career.

R91 Alfonso was on the reality show "lm A Celebrity get me out of here" here in the UK a few years ago. Basically him and a bunch of British has beens and Z listers. On the first live eviction after a public vote it comes down to Alfonso and some else. The other person was least popular and left but they stated live with the rest of them and he clearly could not believe he was one of the two least popular out of about 12. He spent about 20 minutes sulking then had a brainwave, clearly - do the Carlton dance. So he spends about 10 minutes dancing while everyone claps knowing that it will get shown in the highlights of the next show then goes back to sulking . It was tragic.

[quote] This question should be limited to movies but excluding franchises.

Control freak.

I can't believe r105 spelled "wants" that way. Smh.

It is Otis Skinner who owns this thread. During the first half of the 20th century, he starred in the original play of Kismet on Broadway multiple times and in between he would tour the show around the country years at a time. He starred in two major film versions, the first a silent in the 1920s and then an extravagant sound remake in an experimental widescreen process in the early 1930s. The later film is considered lost, with only photos and part of the soundtrack surviving.

He did occasionally do other roles, always successfully, but all together, it's estimated he played the part of Hajj over 20,000 times.

Charlton Heston, in the Ten Commandnebts

make that the Ten Commandments

How can you say Heston for Moses, R115, when he is equally famous (if not more so) for playing Spartacus?

Jim Parsons has more range than some are giving him credit for. Now that we've all seen him on stage in Harvey, Normal Heart and Act of God I think we can safely say he's not a one trick pony.

Spartacus, R117? You think Heston played SPARTACUS???

Louise Fletcher - worked that Nurse Ratched to death. She tells that same joke "Filming this movie made filming in a mental institution like being in a mental institution."

Half-Pint, Mary, Caroline, The Olseons, Doc, Rev, Hester Sue, Manly, and little dumb Carrie.

Jennifer Holliday owns this thread.

Anyone from Hollywood Squares. Like that guy who dressed like a hillbilly - David Arquettes' grampy.

Cathy Rigby IS Peter Pan

Lots of thread owners

Alfonso Ribeiro was the original Tap Dance Kid on Broadway, i.e., the star of a big hit show. Back then, he was touted as the next big dance sensation, receiving career opportunities with Michael Jackson (I know, but hey he was too black for MJ) and feature films, among others.

This is why his participation in Dancing With The Stars was clearly unfair advantage (there was a time when the "Stars" couldn't be professionally trained dancers, but that clearly went out the window with the slew of ice skaters, stage dancers, and ex-ballerinas who have aimed for the mirror ball).

And this is why it is particularly sad that to most of Middle America, he's only known for the Carlton Dance. That may have been his career zenith, but certainly not the peak of his talents.

Oh, add gymnasts to that DWTS list of hopefuls as well.

Sorry, but you're hella wrong about Yul Brynner. He was fantastic in the original "Magnificent 7" and iconic in "Westworld" ---don't even get me started on "The 10 Commandments" bitches! Ol Chuck Heston can suck TWO TURDS -Yul was the best thing about that movie.

Eleven - Millie Whatshername

Kate Hudson

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Tobey Maguire

SMG is known for Buffy, Cruel Intentions and All My Children. No way is she a one role actress.

Kate Hudson? Are you implying it's Almost Famous or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days? I feel like she's equally known for both.

No one milked a single role more than Yul Brynner. He resurrected The King and I numerous times, even when obviously ill to the audience with cancer.

Oh, my! I thought the title said hole and I know one BIG hole.

Brenda Dickson!

Chrissy Metz

Fat shamer @R134

Karen Lynn Gorney

[quote]No one milked a single role more than Yul Brynner. He resurrected The King and I numerous times, even when obviously ill to the audience with cancer.

R131, Brynner is close for role identification but nobody has ever surpassed Otis Skinner (father of Cornelia Otis Skinner) as Hajj in Kismet. As I posted above, over 20,000 stage performances spanning decades and two hit film versions.

Carol did Dolly a little over 5,000 times. Brynner probably follows after that.

I saw Brynner twice on Broadway in his late revivals. He was everything his legend claims. And no one here seems to realize what a huge film star he was in the late 1950s/1960s and justifiably so. Amazing star presence and intelligent performances.

But no one ever owned a role and made a career on one part like Otis Skinner. Ever.

The same role basically:

Anthony Quinn--Earth Father

Is there actually an Otis Skinner troll? Some queens here are just too bizarre.

I've made exactly two posts about Otis Skinner because he's the epitome of OP's original post: "Which stars had maybe ONE BIG ROLE - that they milked and milked forever?"

Guess I'm a troll.

Melanie Griffith.

Seth Rogen plays the same guy every time.

Donna Douglas, who played Elly May Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies. Until her death, she would embody that character in everything she did afterwards.

Liza. I love her, but she really only ever had one big role. Sally in Cabaret. It's a good one, but really, how many times is she gonna sing that song?

Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff as Dracula and Frankenstein, respectively.

Aileen Quinn -- Annie

Dawson owns, well, rents this thread.

To be fair, R146, Aileen Quinn was never cast in anything else. I know her pain.

Estelle Getty - played the same character (as a regular) in THREE sitcoms.

R143, see r36.

All the women from SATC. And in just a few short years they have gone from playing sexy to playing moms and divorcees.

Jerry Mathers as the Beaver

Sorry, r150. I thought r36 was the forgotten Rip Taylor.

Morgan Freeman

This thread is most amusing.

R5 nailed it with the comment that for most actors, especially TV actors, having more than one big role is the exception.

After 5 or 10 years playing the same character every week, it's hard for most TV actors to become someone else.

Yes Master

Sylvia Miles in "Midnight Cowboy". She dined out for decades on the strength of that nomination.

Rex Reed claimed that Sylvia carried around Midnight Cowboy reviews in her purse for years.

Everybody's forgotten the most obvious answer to this thread...Anthony Perkins. He milked Norman Bates to the last drop.

Morgan Freeman has been playing the same benevolent, patient, kind, all knowing and all loving role forevahhhhhhhhh.

John Amos

Donna Douglass owns this thread. I mean, really, had she ever slipped out of character?

I don't blame the Gilligan Island 'stars' from milking their roles on that show.

They made nothing from it, despite it being in perpetual re-runs.

Someone please stop the Otis Redding troll! No one knows who the hell this actor even was.

I give Donna Douglas a pass on this one. She was always Elly May even before the The Beverly Hillbillies.

Angelina Jolie - Tombraider. The brief period of time she she both looked decent and carried a mediocre movie at the Boxoffice. It makes me laugh to see articles in 2017 still refer to her as Tombraider star. Really? The movie was ages ago, a lot of other good actresses did the video game/comic book starring role and wouldn't be caught dead still referencing their roles.

You don't think Leonard Nimoy "milked one big role forever?"

OP didn't say they could do non-acting jobs, too.

Nimoy's other roles were just a supporting role on Mission: Impossible for a short while and playing Tevye on Broadway for Fiddler on the Roof -- which Topol and others made famous first.

Nimoy's non-Spock roles were completely insignificant and short-lived.

The Arthur movies with Liza Minelli were fairly significant.

They even warranted a remake.

I loved In Search Of When I was a kid. That is what I will always remember Leonard Nimoy for not just for his iconic Spock role.

Anthony Perkins was a lot more than Norman Bates. I think most gays at least associate him just as much with Greenwillow and "Nevef Will I Marry."

Roseanne. Elvis Presley, playing Rick, Steve, Chad, Lucky, etc. --- all the same character, same plot resolution, different locales during the 1950s and 60s. Bill Cosby, in several benign, self-deprecating Dr. Jekyll/Huxtable type of sitcom characterizations between the 1960s and 90s, but transforming into serial rapist Mr. Hyde in real life. Woody Allen -- perpetual neurotic, intellectual horny nebbish in every film where he appeared before the camera.

You guys are confusing people who play similar character types over and over again with people who are famous for one particular role

Mariska Hargitay. Still milking it, and terribly, embarrassingly so.

Sharon Stone.

She had a lot of parts in fairly forgettable flicks till Basic Instint. And though she’s had roles since then - none were as stellar or eclipsed what she did in Basic Instinct in the public eye. I mean - she was fantastic in Casino - but it was more a supporting role - and mostly its forgotten about now. The other films have been meh. And given how white-hot her career was after BI, she hasn’t had that many roles really - wonder what the story was there? She’s bored with it all? She’s that rich? No one likes working with her? What’s the story?

But for Modern Family, Ed O’Neill would be on this list - along with all of his Mariied with Children co-stars. He had to be one of the luckiest men in Hollywood really. Getting second acts that are even more successful is a pretty rare thing.

Haven't read the whole thread - Johnny Depp if he hasn't been mentioned yet

[quote] John Walsh Made a zillion dollar career from his kids murder .

Why was HE so blessed and not me?????

Um - R175 - why Johnny Depp?

He’s had tons of roles over a long careeer. Inexplicably really. And in my head, none particularly stand out and dominate. He’s just a melange of mostly forgettable characters in my head at this stage. So unclear as to what you mean...?

Otis Skinner was around in the late 1800s. My grandparents saw him in several performances. They even named my grandmother Otis, in his honor. She was born in 1890.

Fenella Fielding.

Someone needs to compile a list so we don't repeat but I think of Henry Winkler, the Fonz. How about Alfonso Ribeiro who's not just known for 1 role but for 1 dance in that role==the carlton dance from Fresh Prince.

Macaulay Culkin for Home Alone. Not sure he's ever done anything else.

Mark Hamil as Luke Skywalker

Anthony Hopkins - Psycho

Jennifer Grey - Baby on Dirty Dancing

Anthony Hopkins has had a hugely successful, varied career. Yeah, Hannibal was an iconic role, but it's not like he did nothing of note besides that

Mark Hamill. Thread closed.

A number of the actors listed tried to escape from that one role rather than milk it.

Like Anthony Perkins.

R180, Jennifer Grey is equally known for Ferris Bueller, so she doesn’t count. She’s a two hit wonder.

183 posts and no Roseanne Barr she should own this thread.

Before the Roseanne Barr show she did a stand up comic routine based on the show character. Her talk show was her being herself and now she is bringing her show back once again. All the same person.

R66 this guy is ugly but his asshole is a work of art. I'd be on that like a fat kid on a milkshake.

Sylvester Stallone - Rocky

No way, R187. What about Rambo?

Jim Parsons is Gomer Pyle ugly and plays the exact same character on tv/movie/ the stage. Either he has a big dick or a big Hollywood connection. Else how did he ever make it in show business. Aunt Merv dead..she couldn't help ugly Jim..

R82, glad to see Ms Wells was able to make a little bit of money. She made millions for holly-pimp Sherwood Schwartz, as did the rest of the cast on GI and The Brady Bunch.

Vicki Lawrence - Mama

"Guess I'm a troll."

You got that right.

Someone like Sharon Stone was a starlet -- meaning, coasted by on looks without real theater training or work (the mark of a real actor actor who can endure and go on to character work). These women don't age well, professionally speaking. I think she also was a difficult person -- maybe drugs or bipolar or who knows, but it's been written about and even she has admitted in interviews she wasn't the easiest person pre-stroke ... also, if she was a high-class escort (as has been rumored on this site), it's no wonder she never got cast in any family films or stuff like that if everyone in Hollywood knew. But I think the biggest thing was the lack of training or real acting experience to build on. She preferred to just be glam and strut around on screen or red carpets.

madonna was herself in desperately seeking susan, she ran on that gas for film after terrible awful film. and don't mention evita that was boring and long and awful.

It's not true about Mark Hamill.

He has done decades' worth of voice-over work (very well liked and respected in that field) with no mention at all about Luke.

The return to the Star Wars movies was because Lucas/Disney wanted it. Didn't he say that if Harrison was going to do it, then he would as well?

Hamill in The Last Jedi makes me nervous about the film. I'm not convinced he can pull of the gravitas.

Michael Talbott as Stan Switek on Miami Vice. He looks completely different now but still uses a head shot from the mid 80s.

[quote]It's not true about Mark Hamill. He has done decades' worth of voice-over work

Since when was VO work 'a role'?

r10

He was starred in Not The Nine O'Clock News (hysterical show) and the funny "Thin Blue Line" also a hit.

Sharon Stone The guy who played Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy.

Omar Sharif just played Sherif Ali in every film that he made after Lawrence of Arabia.

Barbara Eden, Julie Newmar, Tina Louise. They did many things but not known for them. Tina Louise doesn't really fit because she resented people knowing her as Ginger on that cheap TV show.

Elder gays will remember Minnie Pearl, who milked her hayseed persona, complete with a price tag attached to her hat, until her dying day.

The Merry Mouseketeers!!

Richard Belzer - John Munch

Has anybody mentioned Austin Powers I mean Mike Myers?

Mike Myers doesn’t apply. He is equal famous for Wayne’s World.

OK, bitches - I win:

Suzanne Somers still does "Chrissie" from Three's Company all the time. She'd done lots of other tv shows and some movies, but that's the one part she still clings to.

Jim Caviezel as Jesus!

Donna Douglas - Elly May Clampett. She didn't just take similar roles. She wore the hair and clothes just about every day for the rest of her life, thru her 80s so people could identify her. It was funny and charming the first few years, but when she got into her 70s it was pretty sad.

OK I get it, always the same type. Carol Kane?

R211 he had a critically acclaimed tv series, Person of Interest, as well. I don't think he counts.

R213 No, I don't think so. I think OP means one specific role that an actor just kicked into the ground. Another example might be Vicki Lawrence still doing one-woman shows as "Mama".

Kristin Bell is always Veronica Mars.

R39 Jennifer "Can't keep a man" Aniston for sure. The collective psychosis that she is good looking, talented, or interesting is crazy to me.

Most of Lucille Ball’s carrier was a show about her.

Carreer, sorry.

Mark Hamill owns this thread. By a country mile. He's been Luke Skywalker for the past 40 years.

Fran Drescher

Irene Carra from FAME ( I sing the same song foreverrrrrr!)

Somebody talking about me?