Actors have the unique ability to transform themselves into characters who are completely different from them in real life. Some actors are given a variety of roles, while others are typecast, forced to play the same type of character over and over.
One aspect of acting that fans have become particularly fond of is seeing the same actor portray the same character throughout multiple films. We may try to deny it, but the proof is there, hidden in the backlash every time a long-standing actor is replaced.
The truth is audiences often only see one actor as perfect for a beloved role. It feels nice to see a familiar face in an equally familiar role, like seeing Ian McKellan still playing Gandalf years after the Lord of the Rings trilogy wrapped or witnessing the return of Ewan McGregor in the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Actors who play the same character in multiple movies comfort viewers at the sight of the same character being played by the same person. Here are some examples of these actors.
Update September 20, 2023: If you're a fan of movie history, you'll be happy to know this article has been updated with additional entries.
13 Roger Moore / James Bond — 7 Movies
With a franchise lasting 60-plus years, there are bound to be at least a few instances of performers in the same role. Roger Moore took on the role of Bond, James Bond, starting with Live and Let Die in 1973. His reign ended with A View to a Kill in 1985.
But there's a problem. You see, Moore is technically tied for this. His nemesis? None other than Sean Connery, the original 007, who played the character for nearly 20 years. Unfortunately, Connery's seventh run as the secret agent is not considered canon since it was an Eon Production.
12 Tom Cruise / Ethan Hunt — 8 Movies
Not only does Tom Cruise play IMF agent Ethan Hunt in all eight theatrical Mission: Impossible movies, he's also produced each theatrical Mission: Impossible movie thus far while playing the lead role. That is on top of doing most, if not all, his own stunts (with a growing list of battle scars to prove it).
Starting with the original Mission: Impossible in 1996 and ending most recently with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, with the second installment scheduled for release in June of next year.
11 Leonard Nimoy / Spock — 8 Movies
To say this statistic is hotly contested is an overstatement. One would immediately think of William Shatner's James Tiberius Kirk or Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, who hold down the fort at just over 100 and 200 total reprisals, respectively. Then there are Colm Meaney and Michael Dorn, the latter of which has appeared in five films and 277 episodes (with Meaney not far behind).
And does one count the mostly voice-over installments of Majel Barrett, creator Gene Roddenberry's wife and a dynamic actress in her own right? In this case, no, though her feat of 309 films and episodes is no less astonishing. While she was in seven films, she played different characters in each.
However, in looking at films alone, there is a definite standout. Leonard Nimoy played the beloved character of Spock eight times on film for the Star Trek franchise. Easily one of the most recognizable characters in the Star Trek universe, his filmography as Spock spans from Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979 to Star Trek Into Darkness nearly 35 years later. Though his total instances on film outweigh the rest, Nimoy's stats fall flat in the overall standings, with a 'meager' 112 appearances in total.
10 Robert Englund / Freddy Krueger — 8 Movies
Since his spectacular debut as the disfigured, metal-clawed supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in 1984, Robert Englund has been major fuel for nightmares with his iconic performance in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Englund became a horror film legend with his menacing portrayal of the deranged spirit of the child killer, who stalks and murders his victims in their dreams.
Englund starred in 8 installments of Wes Craven's fan-favorite slashers, with his final appearance being in 2003's Freddy vs. Jason, in which he faces off against fellow terrifying antagonist Jason Voorhees. Devoted viewers were thoroughly outraged when Englund did not return for the 2010 remake, with Jackie Earle Haley taking over the role. The actor recently made a highly-buzzed about appearance in an episode of Stranger Things, much to the delight of horror fans everywhere.
9 Daniel Radcliffe / Harry Potter — 8 Movies
While it may be arguable that this doesn't count as it is one singular film series, Daniel Radcliffe's time as Harry Potter gets extra credit for doing it so early. He began at the age of 11, making a grand total of eight appearances as Potter, counting each film in the series.
Since the Harry Potter franchise came to an end in 2011, Radcliffe has gone on to star in a variety of films, with his most recent role being in The Lost City. All things considered, Radcliffe may take on role after role, but he will forever be known to many as The Boy Who Lived.
8 Chris Hemsworth / Thor — 9 Movies
It's impossible to have a complete list of actors who've played the same character the most number of times without including at least one member of the MCU.
First up, we have Chris Hemsworth, who has played the role of Thor in a grand total of nine films within the MCU so far (including his Doctor Strange cameo), with more expected to come as the MCU enters its fifth phase. As a fan favorite, everyone loves to see Hemsworth bring justice to the character, no matter what state he's in. Despite all of his appearances, there have been rumors that Hemsworth may be leaving the MCU soon, though nothing has been confirmed yet.
7 Vin Diesel / Dominic Toretto — 9 Movies
For over twenty years, Vin Diesel has been preaching the importance of family while starring as the tough and protective street racing expert Dominic Toretto in the Fast & Furious series, kicking off the enduring franchise alongside Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster. 2001's The Fast and the Furious helped make Diesel a household name and led him to star in other popular film like XXX and both The Chronicles of Riddick and Guardians of the Galaxy franchises.
Though he did not appear in 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious, Diesel did make an uncredited cameo in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and has subsequently starred in every entry since, with 2023's Fast X being the most recent. It doesn't look as though Dom and his thrill-chasing car aficionados are going anywhere, as at least two more sequels are in the works, with multiple spin-offs also in development.
6 Hugh Jackman / Logan/Wolverine — 9 Movies
Another addition from the Marvel movie universe is Hugh Jackman, who has played the role of Logan/Wolverine in a total of nine installments of the X-Men franchise. He is the only actor to date who has played the classic comic book character in a live-action franchise, setting the record for the longest career as a live-action Marvel character until it was passed in 2021 by Hemsworth.
Jackman has since branched out into films like Les Misérables and The Greatest Showman, both of which showcased his extensive musical repertoire (can you imagine Wolverine singing?). While it was doubtful that Jackman's Wolverine would make a reappearance after being laid to rest in Logan, he is scheduled to at least make an appearance in the upcoming Deadpool movie.
5 Christopher Lee / Dracula — 10 Movies
The late Christoper Lee was a phenomenal actor whose career thrived through his death in 2015. While younger generations would likely know him for his roles in The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, older generations know him from his longest-standing role as Dracula.
Among Lee's filmography, his early works showed him playing the role of Dracula a total of ten times in a series of vampire films from 1958 to 1976, with a few more uncredited appearances throughout the years. This led Lee to be typecast as the villain in a variety of films, from Francisco Scaramanga in The Man With The Golden Gun to Saruman in Lord of the Rings.
4 Robert Downey Jr. / Tony Stark — 10 Movies
Robert Downey Jr. helped launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe and also revitalized his career when he donned the powerful mechanized suit of armor in 2008's Iron Man, starring as billionaire inventor and industrialist Tony Stark and effectively becoming the face of the lucrative franchise. Director Jon Favreau fought to have Downey cast and later stated the actor "wasn't the most obvious choice, but he understood what makes the character tick. He found a lot of his own life experience in 'Tony Stark'."
Downey would go on to appear in 9 more MCU films and an uncredited cameo in The Incredible Hulk, with his final performance being in the 2019 blockbuster hit Avengers: Endgame. Both Downey's involvement and the character of Tony Stark himself has been credited with transforming the MCU into a beloved and fruitful franchise, while Stark's specific story is widely regarded as its defining arc.
3 Bernard Lee / M — 11 Movies
Renowned English actor Bernard Lee originated the role of the Ian Fleming character M, and starred in the first 11 Eon-produced James Bond pictures between 1962 to 1979. M is the ambiguous Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service of MI6 and would later be portrayed by stars like Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes. He was James Bond's superior in the franchise.
Lee worked with Bond actors Sean Connery and Roger Moore during his tenure as M, and his final performance was in 1971's Moonraker. While Lee also had major parts in films like The Third Man, The Battle of the River Plate, and Whistle Down the Wind, his most prominent and memorable role was without a doubt, in the sensational James Bond franchise.
2 Mickey Rooney / Andy Hard — 16 Movies
Classic Hollywood cinema legend Mickey Rooney had an illustrious career spanning nearly nine decades, during which he starred in over 300 films. Throughout the '30s and '40s, the decorated actor appeared as girl-crazy teenager Andy Hardy in 16 pictures, with his first outing as the character being in 1937's A Family Affair. Critics later felt the series was so successful due to it providing audiences with a "comforting portrait of small-town America that seemed suited for the times."
Throughout the 16 installments featuring the wholesome character, Rooney would share the screen with famous performers like Judy Garland, Lionel Barrymore, and Cecilia Parker, and the series helped further establish the actor as one of America's most charismatic stars. He played Andy Hardy for nearly twenty years, with his final film being 1958's Andy Hardy Comes Home Again.
1 Kwan Tak-hing / Wong Fei-hung — 77 Movies
Kwan Tak-hing is most known for starring in a total of 77 films as the same character, Wong Fei-hung, a martial artist folk hero. Frankly, Tak-hing puts every other star on this list to shame thanks to his ability to accurately portray the same character over and over again. Chinese filmmakers were so in love with Tak-hing's performance as Wong Fei-hung that modern filmmakers will only portray the martial artist's younger self, knowing that no one could do the role justice as well as Tak-hing did. This actor sets the record for playing the same character the most number of times in cinematic history. Decades after Tak-hing's death, this record still is still holding strong.