History Main / IAmNotLeonardNimoy

* Voice Acting Example: Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[LightNovel/{{Baccano}} a newspaper editor]]; Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[Anime/CodeGeass the Emperor of Britannia]]; Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[Manga/AzumangaDaioh a flying cat.. alien... thing... that may or may not be Santa Claus]]; Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove a vacuum cleaner]].

* Creator/SamuelLJackson is generally perceived to be [[MemeticBadass "Samuel L. Motherfuckin' Jackson"]] in any role he played after ''Film/PulpFiction''. Even as a motherfuckin' ''Jedi'', he was ''still'' Samuel L. Jackson, [[FullNameBasis and yes, the "L" is important.]] [[http://www.digitalpimponline.com/comic/movie/109/ As]] [[http://www.digitalpimponline.com/comic/movie/373/ shown]] [[http://www.digitalpimponline.com/comic/movie/396/ here.]] That said, certain roles like [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Nick Fury]] and [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles Frozone]] are equally well-known as both characters and Jackson roles.

* Voice Acting Example: Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[LightNovel/{{Baccano}} a newspaper editor]]; Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[Anime/CodeGeass the Emperor of Britannia]]; Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[Manga/AzumangaDaioh a flying cat.. alien... thing... that may or may not be Santa Claus]]; Creator/NorioWakamoto as [[LightNovel/HaiyoreNyarkoSan a vacuum cleaner]].

* Creator/SeanConnery is always Sean Connery, mostly due to him NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent. It doesn't matter if he's playing James Bond, [[Film/TheUntouchables an Irish cop in prohibition-era Chicago]], [[Film/TheHuntForRedOctober a Lithuanian submarine captain in the Soviet Navy]], an [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade American history professor]], a freaking ''[[Film/{{Highlander}} Spaniard]]''[[note]]"I'm not Spanish, I'm Egyptian!"[[/note]], or even someone who was evidently as American as apple pie, he [[FunetikAksent shtill hash that shignature Shcottish brogue]]. Most other Bond actors were not so lucky, succumbing to [[IAmNotSpock the opposite trope]].

* Creator/JimmyStewart was always Jimmy Stewart, even when playing real people like [[Film/TheSpiritOfStLouis Charles Lindbergh]] or [[Film/TheGlennMillerStory Glenn Miller]]. [[RealityIsUnrealistic Unless he happened to be your superior officer in the Air Force]], in which case, his name was Brigadier General Stewart.

* Creator/TheMarxBrothers played virtually the exact same characters in all of their movies. Despite the fact that their respective characters were essentially identical in all of their films, in each film the characters have different names, jobs, and backstories. Even so, to the audience they're still always Groucho, Chico and Harpo...and sometimes Zeppo. (They were billed as themselves in ''Monkey Business''.)

** Creator/EddieMurphy in ''Delirious'' observed that it was easier to get Elvis to sing than act. "Lemonade...That cool refreshing drink."

* Creator/JamesDean didn't have a long enough career - dying at the age of twenty-five - and so has experienced this. His two most famous roles - ''Film/EastOfEden'' and ''Film/RebelWithoutACause'' feature him memorably playing TroubledButCute teenagers who are both very similar . As ''Rebel'' especially is iconic, people will dress up wearing his costume from that, saying they're dressing up as him rather than his character (not helped by the character's name being [[TheDanza Jim]]). His final film ''{{Film/Giant}}'' - features him PlayingAgainstType clearly in an attempt to break away from troubled teen roles. It's the least remembered of his three starring roles partially for this reason. Of course in this case there is some merit to this, as James was very much like those characters. Elia Kazan remarked that James's relationship with his father was almost identical to Cal and Adam's, and John Steinbeck said "he ''is'' Cal" upon meeting him.

* Sir Creator/ChristopherLee fell into this a bit, due to being around seven feet tall and having a BadassBaritone. If he wasn't Dracula, he was Frankenstein's Monster, or Death, or Film/TheMummy, or Fu Manchu, or a comic book supervillain, or [[Franchise/LordOfTheRings a once-noble wizard who was corrupted by the]] BigBad, or a [[Film/AttackOfTheClones once-noble wizard]] [[Film/RevengeOfTheSith who was corrupted by the]] BigBad In Space! You get the idea. And if he's playing a good guy, except him to [[Film/{{Hugo}} be]] [[Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory gruff]] [[Film/SherlockHolmesAndTheDeadlyNecklace but]] [[Film/ThePrivateLifeOfSherlockHolmes ultimately]] [[Literature/TheColourOfMagic kind-hearted.]]

* Speaking of child stars, Creator/ShirleyTemple is always a [[CheerfulChild Cheerful]] HeartwarmingOrphan who sings and dances. Four of her characters were actually [[TheDanza named "Shirley"]]. Like Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts, Shirley Temple has passed the event horizon into the realm beyond acting. The real Shirley Temple went on to do some grown-up roles which no one remembers, retired from acting, become a diplomat, and finally died in 2014 at the age of eighty-five. But the pop culture entity of Shirley Temple is forever locked in time to her twee 1930s child self. Shirley herself did not like this even as a small child. She wanted to play some of her roles differently, putting more ActionGirl and SpoiledBrat stuff into her characters; her mother backed her up on this, but the studio wouldn't allow it.

* Part of the [[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/fashion/what-is-anne-hathaway-doing-wrong.html surprising amount of hate]] Creator/AnneHathaway gets may be due to the fact that so many of her characters are this good girl who's always trying (or even basically Cinderella; yes, even ''Literature/TheDevilWearsPrada'' is a somewhat disguised Cinderella story), a character not too far from the way she comes off herself. But see ''Film/RachelGettingMarried'' for the exception. And then there's ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havoc_%282005_film%29 Havoc]]'', which [[BestKnownForTheFanservice most males have seen just because she gets her kit off a lot]]. Her role in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' even seems to play with this; her character is introduced seemingly like a typical Anne Hathaway doe-eyed Woobie. Then with the word "oops" she reveals herself to be a BitchInSheepsClothing who is actually {{ComicBook/Catwoman}} - it, too, is widely regarded as one of her best performances.

* Creator/BelaLugosi was typecast as a horror villain, and especially as {{Dracula}}. Later, he would try to break type by auditioning for other roles, but inevitably got second billing or no contracts at all. Upon his return to America, Lugosi was interviewed for television, and revealed his ambition to play more comedy. Independent producer Jack Broder took Lugosi at his word, casting him in a jungle-themed comedy that even had Lugosi's name on its title: ''BelaLugosiMeetsABrooklynGorilla'' (1952). It did not work. Much better had been 1933's ''International House'' where Lugosi played a White Russian nobleman who'd been married to Peggy Hopkins Joyce and now wanted her back.

* Creator/SarahMichelleGellar. Although she's done other work, including situational comedy, she only really has a single character; a greater or less intense version of the ActionGirl she played in ''Series/{{Buffy|The Vampire Slayer}}''. Also, people who know Gellar personally have said that when she acts, she's often just playing herself in a costume.

* Creator/KateHudson is essentially seen as herself in most of her films. She's almost always an {{Adorkable}} EveryoneLovesBlondes who's LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces. Even her most iconic role in ''Film/AlmostFamous'' is an example of this. The exception seems to be the horror movie ''Film/TheSkeletonKey'', where she played a hospice nurse. It sparked SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct reactions.

* Part of the [[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/fashion/what-is-anne-hathaway-doing-wrong.html surprising amount of hate]] Creator/AnneHathaway gets may be due to the fact that so many of her characters are this good girl who's always trying (or even basically Cinderella; yes, even ''Literature/TheDevilWearsPrada'' is a somewhat disguised Cinderella story), a character not too far from the way she comes off herself. But see ''Film/RachelGettingMarried'' for the exception. And then there's ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havoc_%282005_film%29 Havoc]]'', which [[BestKnownForTheFanservice most males have seen just because she gets her kit off a lot]]. Her role in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' even seems to play with this; her character is introduced seemingly like a typical Anne Hathaway doe-eyed Woobie. Then with the word "oops" she reveals herself to be a BitchInSheepsClothing who is actually {{ComicBook/Catwoman}} - it too widely regarded as one of her best performances.

* From ''Film/BlueVelvet'' to the end of his life, Creator/DennisHopper basically played the same guy who always seemed at least little crazy, in a possibly dangerous way. Even when he played [[Film/SuperMarioBros King "Bowser" Koopa]], gaming's most iconic villain, he was still just playing Dennis Hopper.

* Creator/ClintEastwood's roles in westerns are always seen as simply the "Clint Eastwood Gunfighter" character. Beginning with his role as "The ManWithNoName" in the ''Film/DollarsTrilogy'' with Creator/SergioLeone, any future western with Eastwood would undoubtedly be seen as that character in a different setting, regardless of any actual backstories. The character has even come out of retirement twice, once after having become a priest in ''Film/PaleRider'' and once after having settled down as a farmer in ''Film/{{Unforgiven}}''. However, Eastwood has gone on record as saying that as far as he's concerned, William Munny from ''Unforgiven'' ''is'' the Man With No Name, and that it's the end of his story.
** On the other hand, he's also ''Film/DirtyHarry'' half the time, to the extent that ''Film/GranTorino'' has been called "the sixth ''Dirty Harry'' film". Arguably, though, ''Film/GranTorino'' is more successful for it.

* Creator/SamuelLJackson is generally perceived to be [[MemeticBadass "Samuel L. Motherfuckin' Jackson"]] in any role he played after ''Film/PulpFiction''. Even as a motherfuckin' ''Jedi'', he was ''still'' Samuel L. Jackson, [[FullNameBasis and yes, the "L" is important.]] [[http://www.digitalpimponline.com/comic/movie/109/ As]] [[http://www.digitalpimponline.com/comic/movie/373/ shown]] [[http://www.digitalpimponline.com/comic/movie/396/ here.]]

* From ''Film/BlueVelvet'' to the end of his life, Creator/DennisHopper basically played the same guy who always seemed at least little crazy, in a possibly dangerous way.

** Oddly, Creator/JoshBrolin is also very good at playing Tommy Lee Jones, but that is what made that performance so impressive.

** Creator/ChuckNorris, who then jumped to the small screen with ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'' and arguably reversed himself into an IAmNotSpock.

* Creator/WilliamShatner's hammy persona and trademark delivery dominates his various roles.

* Look everyone, it's Creator/BruceCampbell--er, whatever cocky, sarcastic character he's playing this time.

* Creator/RobertDowneyJr does always seem to be playing a smartass these days. And not just a smartass, but a flawed, womanizing (with varying success), substance-abuse-prone, freakishly charming smartass. In fact he seems to just play himself. (Except ''Film/TropicThunder'' when he's playing Christian Bale/Russel Crowe.) Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad: the above traits are why his portrayal of [[Film/IronMan Tony Stark]] is so spot-on.

* Creator/KeanuReeves. "Whoa, dude." Also inverted: for some time he apparently worried that his tombstone was inevitably going to read "Here Lies [[Film/BillAndTed Ted]]." Then there was ''Film/TheMatrix''.

* Look! It's Owen Wilson as a spy! Check it out, Owen Wilson as a Cowboy/Cop/Model/Pseudo Sergeant! Occasionally averted, since he is rounded enough to play other roles; he just doesn't very often.
* Creator/HarrisonFord, thanks to having ''two'' iconic [[Franchise/StarWars film]] [[Franchise/IndianaJones roles]]. Although those roles are big and famous enough to override it; in those he's Han Solo and Indiana Jones. In anything else, he's Harrison Ford. The poster for ''Film/AirForceOne'' actually says "HARRISON FORD is [[OurPresidentsAreDifferent the President of the United States of America]]."

* Creator/PatrickStewart seems to pull off both this trope ''and'' [[IAmNotSpock I Am Not Picard]], interestingly.

* Creator/TomHanks mostly just plays Creator/TomHanks these days.

* Creator/RyanReynolds always seems to play the cool, funny guy in a romantic comedy or screwball comedy. Or the Green Lantern movie.
** And Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}.
** Or [[Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu Detective Pikachu]].

* Creator/SteveCarell is an example similar to Harrison Ford above. In ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' and ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy'', he's Michael Scott and Brick Tamland, respectively. In anything else, he's Steve Carell.

* While pretty much no one can complain about his performance, several people lamented the fact that having Creator/JKSimmons voice Cave Johnson in ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' had the drawback of making it pretty much impossible to picture someone other than Simmons saying those lines, regardless of all the portraits of Johnson lying around.

** Creator/JesseEisenberg seemed slated for the same fate but escaped it due to a combination of GenreSavvy and SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct. That doesn't stop people from confusing Cera and Eisenberg, however.

* Creator/RobinWilliams, with the exceptions of ''Film/OneHourPhoto'', ''Insomnia'' and ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit''. Although even in his SVU appearance, his penchant for doing funny voices ''is specifically made into a plot point''.

* Creator/JasonDavidFrank is [[Franchise/PowerRangers the Green/White Ranger]]. In the MMA, he's even nicknamed the "Green Ranger", with one opponent he defeated lamenting "He could've at least Morphed before he took me on".

* Whether he's in [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy outer space]], [[Film/JurassicWorld an amusement park full of dinosaurs]], or [[Film/TheMagnificentSeven2016 the Wild West]], you can usually count on Creator/ChrisPratt to be playing the same kind of friendly-but-snarky action hero.

* There is apparently no such thing as Obadiah Stane in ''Film/IronMan1''. The movie's villain is Creator/JeffBridges.

* Creator/TimCurry is always Tim Curry. If he turns up in anything, it's odds-on that he is evil and/or will die at the end.
** [[WesternAnimation/SonicSatAm King Acorn]] and [[Theatre/{{Spamalot}} King Arthur]] are two notable exceptions. Also [[WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys Nigel Thornberry]], who many don't even recognize as him.
** Also in video games: in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', Tim Curry is the voice of the [[AristocratsAreEvil Evil Aristocrat]] who murders the PC's entire family (if you follow Human Noble origin) and goes on to help start a civil war [[spoiler:before ultimately being killed by the PC and their party]]

* Creator/MeganFox became such an iconic sex symbol in the 2000s that she experienced this. It was partially enforced by the wishes of her husband, as Megan reportedly wanted to move past the generic MsFanservice parts and go against type, but they [[MoneyDearBoy needed the money]]. As a result, her casting as April O'Neal in ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2014'' was met with uproar. The fanbase is split down the middle as to whether she did a good job or April was turned into a 'Megan Fox character'. It doesn't help that even before her StarMakingRole in the ''Transformers'' films, her roles were usually as {{Alpha Bitch}}es or the BrainlessBeauty.

->''"And yeah, that's what I'm calling him. I know the character has a name, but fuck it, you're never going to call him that, you're just going to call him "Creator/WillSmith fish."''

* Creator/JodieFoster is always an unassuming woman who'll put up with a bit of abuse before kicking some ass. Whether it be [[Film/SilenceOfTheLambs a man that makes suits out of human skin]], [[Film/{{Flightplan}} a terrorist kidnapping her daughter]] or [[Film/TheBraveOne shooting a man in the face to get her dog back]]. It just doesn't matter. Averted when she's not very unassuming as the negotiator in ''Film/InsideMan''.

** And Film/{{Deadpool}}.

* Creator/RobertDowneyJr does always seem to be playing a smartass these days. And not just a smartass, but a flawed, womanizing (with varying success), substance-abuse-prone, freakishly charming smartass. In fact he seems to just play himself. (Except ''Film/TropicThunder'' when he's playing Christian Bale/Russel Crowe.) TropesAreNotBad: the above traits are why his portrayal of [[Film/IronMan Tony Stark]] is so spot-on.

Creator/BradPitt, who are capable of putting masks on and completely ''becoming'' another character or person entirely. Hence, this isn't an inherently [[TropesAreNotBad bad thing]]; some of the most successful actors in history have been of the "As themselves" type. So they can still be very good; they just tend not to be very versatile, and you'll usually only see them in the same (or similar) types of roles.

** [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog King Acorn]] and [[Theatre/{{Spamalot}} King Arthur]] are two notable exceptions. Also [[WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys Nigel Thornberry]], who many don't even recognize as him.

* Creator/SethGreen seems to have the same [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan]] personality, no matter what part he's playing. He's also pretty good at getting in character though, so he comes off as some hybrid of Seth Green and whoever he's playing. It got to the point where he was a full-on InkSuitActor in MassEffect.

* Creator/JasonDavidFrank is [[PowerRangers the Green/White Ranger]]. In the MMA, he's even nicknamed the "Green Ranger", with one opponent he defeated lamenting "He could've at least Morphed before he took me on".

* There is no such thing as Obadiah Stane in ''Film/IronMan2008''. The movie's villain is Creator/JeffBridges.

* Many people don't even know that Music/DavidBowie's character's name in ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' is supposed to be Jareth, not "David Bowie".
** This also sums up his first major, and usually best-regarded, film role, AlienAmongUs Thomas Jerome Newton in ''Film/TheManWhoFellToEarth''. In the retrospective book ''David Bowie Is'', critic Creator/MarkKermode reflects the popular opinion in arguing that Bowie is perfect as Newton because he doesn't have to stretch to play an unearthly being. (Film director Nicholas Roeg tapped him for the role after seeing the documentary profile ''Cracked Actor''.)
** Averted in ''Film/ThePrestige'', where Bowie's nuanced performance as Nikola Tesla prevents the audience from being taken out of the film simply due to his presence on screen.

For an actor's career, this can be a double-edged sword. If people like the actor, they'll stay loyal to him and see his movies regardless of what they're about. On the other hand, if audiences turn against the actor, they won't be able to appreciate his work no matter how good the material is. And if they really want to be taken seriously and play ''{{Hamlet}}'', it's a real (but not impossible) obstacle to overcome.

* Creator/SeanConnery is always Sean Connery, mostly due to him NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent. It doesn't matter if he's playing James Bond, [[Film/TheUntouchables an Irish cop in prohibition-era Chicago]], [[Film/TheHuntForRedOctober a Russian]], a [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade history professor]], a freaking ''[[Film/{{Highlander}} Spaniard]]''[[note]]"I'm not Spanish, I'm Egyptian!"[[/note]], or even someone who was evidently as American as apple pie, he [[FunetikAksent shtill hash that shignature Shcottish brogue]]. Most other Bond actors were not so lucky, succumbing to [[IAmNotSpock the opposite trope]].

** And ''{{Foxcatcher}}'', where he played a mentally-ill millionaire and [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct got himself an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor]].