Famous characters who were played by multiple actors

Willy Wonka

Timothée Chalamet had a pretty big top hat to fill as he took on Willy Wonka's untold backstory. Inspired by Roald Dahl's 1964 children's book 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,' Chalamet stars the third film adaptation. Gene Wilder's 1971 Willy Wonka was so iconic that many didn't want Johnny Depp to even attempt it, though Tim Burton's 2005 version was not poorly received, and in fact offered a darker turn. Chalamet's Wonka tells the story of how he first opened the world's most famous chocolate factory. 

Buzz Lightyear

Many thought that Buzz Lightyear of the 'Toy Story' franchise would always be voiced by Tim Allen. The actor was a major part of the beloved film series for more than two decades. When it was announced that Buzz was getting his own spin-off, a movie called 'Lightyear,' it was a shock for fans to see that the eponymous hero would be voiced by Chris Evans rather than Tim Allen. The movie explores Buzz Lightyear's origin story and shows him as a young astronaut, so it's arguably appropriate to have a younger actor play the role, but many fans begged to differ. 

In an interview on 'Extra,' Allen himself shared his thoughts for the first time, revealing that he was initially excited when he heard about the project, until he learned that the team from the 'Toy Story' films wasn't involved. In his opinion, the Buzz Lightyear in this spin-off has "nothing to do with" his original character. He also conveyed a sense of disappointment at the lack of connection between his version of Buzz and the new version. "It just seems kind of...I don't know," Allen said. "There's no connection. I just wish there was a better connection [to the toy]."

Chris Evans, however, says he did his best to study Allen's work in preparation for the role. "Look, Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear," Evans said. "The character in this movie is the human version that the toy is based off of, so it makes sense to have a little bit of overlap, luckily for me. What Tim Allen did was pretty untouchable."

Doctor Who

William Hartnell was The First Doctor (1963–1966), and there were 13 doctors total including actors like Tom Baker, David Tennant, and Jodie Whittaker. Now, the latest and 14th doctor is set to be 'Sex Education' star Ncuti Gatwa.

James Bond

From 1962 to now, Ian Fleming's British secret agent has been played by Sean Connery, George Lazenby, David Niven, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig across 25 films. The role of James Bond has garnered such a legacy that the next actor has been a hot topic for years already.

Lara Croft

Angelina Jolie played Lara Croft in the original film adaptation of 'Tomb Raider' and its sequel, but 15 years later Swedish actress Alicia Vikander took on the role.

Hannibal Lecter

Dr. Hannibal Lecter was first introduced in Michael Mann's 'Manhunter' (1986) with Brian Cox, and then in 1991 Anthony Hopkins became the character's iconic face, which he reprised twice more. The late French actor Gaspard Ulliel played the young Hannibal in 'Hannibal Rising,' and Mads Mikkelsen expertly carried the torch in the three seasons of NBC's 'Hannibal.'

Mad Max

Mel Gibson gave us the first iteration of the former cop across three films, becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Three decades later, original director George Miller revived the hero with the same cynical air, but now with the face of Tom Hardy, who clearly did a good job as the film earned a Best Picture nomination.

Carrie

While Sissy Spacek remains the quintessential Carrie White in the 1976 film adaptation of Stephen King's novel, actresses Angela Bettis and Chloë Grace-Moretz also made valiant attempts in 2002 and 2013, respectively.

Albus Dumbledore

The original Dumbledore was played by Richard Harris for the first two films in the franchise, but after his death Michael Gambon stepped in to fill the role for the following six films, bringing a much darker tone to the character. In the prequel 'Fantastic Beasts' films, a middle-aged Dumbledore is played by Jude Law.

Peter Pan

Many actors (male and female) have taken on the role of Peter Pan. Bobby Driscoll voiced the early animation, Jeremy Sumpter's take in 2003 remains popular, and women including Mary Martin, Mia Farrow, Cathy Rigby, and Kelly Macdonald have taken on the role as well. Notably, the late great Robin Williams took a turn as an adult Pan in 'Hook' (1991).

Rooster Cogburn

John Wayne played the original one-eyed marshall in 'True Grit' and got an Oscar for it, so he left big shoes to fill. Nearly three decades afterwards, filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen remade one of Hollywood's last Golden Age Westerns with Jeff Bridges, who did well enough to receive his own Best Actor nomination in 2011.

Vito Corleone

Marlon Brando's performance as Vito Corleone in 'The Godfather' (1972) was instantly iconic and won him an Oscar, so when it came time to find a younger Vito for Part II, Francis Ford Coppola was feeling the pressure. Incredibly, Robert De Niro matches his elderly counterpart in quality, and received a Best Supporting Actor statue to prove it. It was the first time in history that two actors won Oscars for the same role.

Tony Shepard

In 2009's fantasy movie 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,' Heath Ledger was originally cast as the lead and shot half the scenes before he tragically died of an accidental overdose. Instead of replacing him or using CGI, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell all agreed to come on board to split the role of Tony Shepard, making the most use of the movie's fantasy genre. Even sweeter than Depp, Law, and Farrell being able to pay tribute to their friend was that they donated their pay to Ledger's young daughter.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Alec Guinness was iconic as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, and Ewan McGregor's subsequent performance in the same role was one of the few shining parts of the prequels, even improving with age.

Selina Kyle/Catwoman

On TV there was first Julie Newmar in 1966, then Eartha Kitt, and more recently Camren Bicondova in the series 'Gotham.' On the big screen, actresses including Lee Meriwether, Michelle Pfeiffer (a cult-favorite), Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway, and Zoë Kravitz have all taken on the Catwoman role to varying degrees of success.

Clark Kent/Superman

At least eight actors have taken on the super role. Christopher Reeve brought us the classic Superman across four films, Brandon Routh took a turn in 'Superman Returns,' Tom Welling entertained us in 'Smallville,' and Henry Cavill feels to many as the most authentic current Clark in 'Man of Steel' and the other DC films.