Top 10 Type Cast Actors

We all know them. They have found their way into our minds as playing a certain role and no matter how hard they try they are unable to break out of that role for the rest of their acting careers. The unfortunate actor then has to accept the type-casting and keep playing similar roles throughout their life or not act. Some make minor breakouts but rare is the strongly typecast actor who breaks out.

Right now you probably have come up with about half of my list.

• 10.) Robert DeNiro
Mob type-casts are well represented in this list. Robert DeNiro is the third on the list and we are not done.

• 9.) Al Pacino
The list starts off with Al Pacino. Al's biggest roles in my mind are in Scarface and The Godfather. Whenever Al Pacino is in a movie it is expected he is playing some sort of tough, usually a criminal tough. However, I associate Mr. Pacino with other roles, he plays the cop in Serpico and the crazy blind officer in Scent of a Woman.

• 8.) Edward G. Robinson
Once again, a crime figure is represented. If you don't recognize the name perhaps you may recognize a role. Edward G. Robinson played the gangster bad guy Johnny Rocco in the movie Key Largo. One look at his face from his younger days and you can see why he was type-cast. His last movie though was a science fiction movie by the name of Soylent Green in which he co-starred with Charleton Heston. IIRC Mr. Robinson passed away a week or two after the completion of Soylent Green which is kind of eerie because that is what he was forced to do at the end of the movie.

• 7.) Jason Alexander.
Can you see Jason Alexander (aka George Constanza from Seinfeld) in a commanding role? I just can not and this may haunt him for the rest of his acting career. However, I think he has a better than average chance of breaking out.

• 6.) Roger Moore
The Second James Bond. I am sure Mr. Moore has been in other works but I know of only an appearance on the Muppet Show and in that appearance most of the skits were of a 007 nature. Sean Connery had it much better and while quite a few of his role's have been in the same mold as James Bond quite a few have not.

• 5.) Joe Pesci
Now, Joe Pesci's strongest typecast is the mafia middle manager. However, his second typecast (and they may actually be one in the same) is east coast smart@$$.

• 4.) Alan Hale Jr.
Aka the Skipper from Giligan's Island. This was amazing. I was not aware of all the appearances in TV shows and movies made by Alan Hale Jr. Still, without looking it up do you know of any other TV shows or movies he was in? I am able to come up with one.

• 3.) Bob Denver
Bob Denver is of course Giligan from Giligan's Island. After he played that role it was all over for his movie career. Fortunately, he had a different role prior to Giligan's island came along, but how many of us will associate Mr. Denver with Maynard G. Krebbs?

• 2.) William Shatner
William Shatner has to figure here. Why? He too is remembered mostly for not a role but his first character. What is even more incredible is he is remembered not so much for the character but for the bad acting with which he portrayed that character. Mr. Shatner has had a few other roles throughout his career but can you name the role? The Show? The character? IIRC he was some sort of private detective or police investigator type. Can't remember the character or the show's name, but it was probably acted out every bit as bad as his role in Star Trek.

• 1.) Leonard Nimoy

Can there be any doubt? Leonard Nimoy is not just stuck to a role but one single character from a TV series that fared somewhat poorly in its original run. Only in syndication and in reprise movies did the series do well.

Leonard Nimoy has not only been unable to shake his science fiction role, but utterly unable to shake his Spock character. He reprised the character in the reprise Star Trek movies, and I am sure was quite hopeful Spock's death in the movie The Wrath of Khan was to be his breakout from the character of Spock.
Alas, poor Leonard as the very next movie Spock was resurrected and appears in some episodes of Star Trek The Next Generation.

The latest appearance of the Spock character is in a commercial for a pain reliever medicine. Mr. Nimoy is being flashed the Vulcan Live Long and Prosper (pictured) and can not properly flash it back. Well, he pops the pain reliever, walks out on stage and in front of a bunch of Star Trek geeks he flashes the Live Long and Prosper sign to the audience.

Well, it may not be a challenging life but it is certainly is comfortable.

So there it is. For the hardcore movie/entertainment enthusiasts I realize some of my choices may be the farthest thing from being typecast. One last note. I could have selected probably all of the characters from Star Trek and Giligan's Island but then it would not have been as challenging.

If you disagree or have some others please suggest them in the barking dogs section (aka comments).