7 Actors Who Played The Same Character In Different Movies

Modern cinema is dominated by franchises, sequels, and reboots. This has led to a number of characters becoming increasingly iconic as their respective stories unfold over ever-evolving continuities that typically come to span several movies. This occasionally even sees actors play multiple roles in the same franchise, appearing as more than a single character within a certain continuity. Celebrated actors aren’t always easy to land for a major role, so it makes sense that studios would want to keep them as busy as possible. As such, seeing actors reprise their roles over sequels and franchises has become pretty much the norm in modern Hollywood.

Examples of actors reprising their roles as a character aren’t always limited to sequels, though. Sometimes, actors are brought back to reprise previous roles in otherwise unrelated movies. Whether in minor cameos or as unexpected moments that connect separate movies, there are many examples of actors playing the same character in completely different films.

7) Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz in Ghostbusters and Casper

Dan Aykroyd is known for many incredible comedic roles, but he’s fondly remembered by fans for playing Ray Stantz in every Ghostbusters movie to date. His role as the ghost-busting paranormal expert is utterly iconic, but it hasn’t been limited solely to the franchise. He made a short cameo in 1995’s live-action adaptation Casper, in which he refused to assist in evicting Casper’s poltergeist uncles, the Ghostly Trio, delivering a comedic moment of fan service for Ghostbusters fans.

6) Michael Keaton as Ray Nicolette in Jackie Brown & Out of Sight

Known by many for starring in some of the best Batman movies, Michael Keaton is one of Hollywood’s most respected actors. His impressively successful career, which has spanned decades, saw him star in Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 movie Jackie Brown as ATF Agent Ray Nicolette. The following year saw him unexpectedly reprise the role in Out of Sight, another Elmore Leonard adaptation that was otherwise not connected to Tarantino’s movie.

5) Sung Kang as Han Lue in the Fast and Furious Franchise & Better Luck Tomorrow

One of the breakout stars of the Fast & Furious movies was Sung Kang, whose role as Han proved to be one of the franchise’s most beloved characters. However, the character actually originated in Justin Lin’s 2002 film Better Luck Tomorrow, and was later integrated into the high-octane action franchise in what was intended to be a single appearance in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Han’s popularity won out, though, and he has been a mainstay of the franchise ever since.

4) Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper in Jaws & Piranha 3D

The Jaws movie franchise is iconic, and has proven to be a landmark title in the horror genre ever since its release. Its particular brand of aquatic horror inspired other similar franchises, including the horror comedy Piranha and its sequels. 2010 movie Piranha 3D saw Richard Dreyfuss reprise his role from Jaws in the franchise it inspired, creating an undeniably connection between the two competing killer-fish movie universes.

3) Ben Stiller as Orderly Hal in Happy Gilmore & Hubie Halloween

Ben Stiller is well-known for his own successful comedic movie efforts, but he hasn’t always been the leading man. His turn as Orderly Hal in Happy Gilmore and its sequel — which led to some of Happy Gilmore 2‘s funniest moments — was excellent, and it led to an unexpected appearance in a different Adam Sandler movie. Stiller also briefly appeared as Hal in Hubie Halloween, again offering up a laugh-out-loud moment.

2) Laurence Fishburne as Bumpy Johnson in The Cotton Club & Hoodlum

Laurence Fishburne is a hugely decorated actor with an impressive career spanning multiple decades. 1984 saw him appear in The Cotton Club, where he played a character named Bumpy, based on real-life Harlem crime boss Bumpy Johnson. In 1997, he starred in Hoodlum, its story a fictionalized version of Johnson’s criminal career. Though the two movies weren’t linked in any other way, Fishburne’s turn as Bumpy Johnson in each has forever connected them.

1) Danny Trejo as Machete in Machete and Spy Kids

It’s no secret that Danny Trejo has starred in some of the best Robert Rodriguez movies, but his role as Machete is one of the strangest movie crossovers of all time. First appearing in 2001’s Spy Kids, a family spy action film, Trejo went on to reprise the role in the Machete movies, which put a significantly more violent and brutal spin on the character. Though Robert Rodriguez has explained that the continuities aren’t linked, it’s still one of the most mind-blowing cases of an actor playing the same character in multiple movies.

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