History Main / IAmNotLeonardNimoy

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

* Music/ElvisPresley, similarly to Music/EltonJohn, is primarily known as a musician, and pretty much was playing "Elvis" no matter what the role. It didn't help that most of his films were formulaic "Elvis musicals" as his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, had contracted him to play, and much to Elvis' eventual frustration, he rarely got to break away from the formula (though films like ''Love Me Tender'' and ''Flaming Star'' showed he had [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct potential as an actor]].)

* Wrestling/DwayneJohnson, aka The Rock. Most of his on-screen characters are just toned down versions of The Rock character. [[Film/TheMummyReturns The Scorpion King]] is the lone exception though, around the time he got his own movie, he was a bit more in line with The Rock. This trope is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Film/{{Rampage}}'' when his character uses American Sign Language to communicate with George the gorilla -- the sign he uses to refer to himself is "rock".

* Creator/JamesDean didn't have a long enough career -- dying at the age of 25 -- 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.

* At one point, Creator/JenniferAniston wanted to appear on one of her favorite shows, ''Series/TwentyFour.'' The producers refused, saying that she was so well-known, it would kill the effect, instead of seeing the character, they'd see Jennifer. This may be averted with her exceedingly PlayingAgainstType role in ''Film/HorribleBosses''. She also won critical acclaim for her dramatic role in ''Cake'' and many were insisting that she win an Oscar for it. She had shown earlier that she could disappear into a role that didn't cater to typecasting in ''Film/TheGoodGirl''.
* Creator/JessicaBiel tends to experience this, and general reaction whenever she stars in something is "oh, there's Justin Timberlake's wife". Her infamous topless photo shoot at age 17, and her biggest hit being the remake of ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2003'', pretty much solidified her image as a sexy ActionGirl. The roles where she does go against type -- ''Film/TheIllusionist2006'' and ''Film/EasyVirtue'' -- were well-received but not what you'd call hits. Because of this she felt she was a shoo-in for the role of Catwoman in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''.

* Creator/MaryKateAndAshleyOlsen in their various direct-to-video movies (and their sitcoms ''Series/TwoOfAKind'' and ''So Little Time''). Mary-Kate is always the rebellious edgy tomboy, and Ashley the responsible GirlyGirl. Even Mary-Kate's role as the witch Kendra in ''{{Literature/Beastly}}'' caters to this. The lone exception is the film ''Winning London'' where Mary-Kate is the uptight bookworm Chloe, and Ashley the easy-going LadEtte Riley.
* Creator/MaryPickford is one of the earliest examples of this. She was known as America's Sweetheart -- and had an iconic image of long ringlets and angelic dresses. Many famous[[TheIngenue Ingenues]] were played by her -- such as {{Literature/Pollyanna}}, [[Literature/ALittlePrincess Sara Crewe]], {{Literature/Cinderella}}, Theatre/MadameButterfly. As such she was one of the first examples of ContractualPurity. Even when she appeared AsHerself in World War I propaganda films, she still portrayed a squeaky-clean cutie version of herself. When she finally played against type in an adult role -- at the age of ''37'' in the film ''Coquette'' -- there was outrage. She retired from films not long afterwards.

* Creator/ShirleyTemple is always seen as a {{Cheerful|Child}} 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.

** Or his quiet, haunted, mustached Vietnam vet in the little-seen ''InCountry''.

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

* Creator/WilliamShatner's hammy persona and trademark delivery dominates his various roles. Of course, [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Captain Kirk]] is still an iconic and recognizable character in pop culture, but few other Shatner roles have that notability.[[note]]"Denny Crane."[[/note]]

* 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. Even [[WesternAnimation/DespicableMe Gru]] can best be described as "Steve Carell doing a silly accent".

* While pretty much no one can complain about his performance, several people lamented the fact that having Creator/JKSimmons voice Cave Johnson in ''VideoGame/Portal2'' 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. Simmons in general falls into this as well. Unless it's [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy J. Jonah Jameson]] (a role so iconic he reprised it in [[WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan2012 a cartoon]] [[spoiler:[[Film/SpiderManFarFromHome and an entirely separate movie franchise]].]]), you're not going to bother learning his character's name.

* Creator/RyanReynolds always seems to play the cool, funny guy in a romantic comedy or screwball comedy. [[OldShame Or the Green Lantern movie]].
** And Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}. In fact, this may have evolved into IAmNotSpock, since pretty much all of his roles after that can be described as "[[Film/TheHitmansBodyguard Deadpool as a bodyguard]]", "[[Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu Deadpool in a Pokémon's body]]", or "[[Film/HobbsAndShaw Deadpool cameoing as an FBI agent]]".

* Creator/TomHanks mostly just plays Creator/TomHanks these days. He does have roles that are iconic as characters, like Film/ForrestGump and [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory Woody]], but mostly, people just see Tom Hanks in a role.

* 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 (though Fury isn't helped by the fact that the "Ultimate" version of the character, upon which the MCU version was based, was ''deliberately'' made to look like him, with comic book-fan Jackson's permission).

** The Website/{{Cracked}} article "[[http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-things-people-mistakenly-think-are-automatically-hilarious/ 4 Things People Mistakenly Think Are Automatically Hilarious]]" discusses this trope at length while discussing the tendency for reviews to attempt to add cheap comedy by simply referring to a character by their actor's name or the name of a character that actor is more famous for, noting how when this sort of thing is done ''right'', it's done to point out this trope. It goes on to speak on Arnold specifically, and how basically every role of his was "here's Arnold if he were an ''<insert movie-worthy occupation>''", ending by noting that saying something like "here's the scene in ''Junior'' where Arnold Schwarzenegger is about to give birth" isn't a forced joke formula, that's actually what the scene comes across as.

* 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.

-->"[[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/8243909/Harrison-Ford-interview-for-Morning-Glory.html It doesn't interest me to be Harrison Ford.]] It interests me to be [[Film/MorningGlory Mike Pomeroy]] and Franchise/IndianaJones and Literature/JackRyan."

** And [[Film/TheChroniclesOfNarnia Liam Neeson wearing a catsuit]] as [[CrystalDragonJesus Golden Lion Jesus.]]

** Also, [[VideoGame/Fallout3 Liam Neeson is your dad.]]

** Except for the time he was [[Film/{{Darkman}} a borderline psychotic anti-hero.]]

* Wrestling/DwayneJohnson, aka The Rock. Most of his on-screen characters are just toned down versions of The Rock character. [[Film/TheMummyReturns The Scorpion King]] is the lone exception though, around the time he got his own movie, he was a bit more in line with The Rock. This trope is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in ''Film/{{Rampage}}'' when his character uses American Sign Language to communicate with George the gorilla -- the sign he uses to refer to himself is "rock".

* 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 ''Film/{{Havoc|2005}}'', 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.
* Meghan Heffern is a Canadian actress noted for LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek is often seen as a SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct actress, but is mainly seen as "''the'' eccentric or BlitheSpirit female character" and has rarely had roles as the lead. Meghan is seen as fairly low on the fame scale, being a C-lister who is noted for being a good actress. She hasn't had the same level of over-exposure as other actresses and although [[MoneyDearBoy there are a lot of roles she did for the paycheck]], she is up-and-coming despite being near 35-36 years old.

* Creator/MaryPickford is one of the earliest examples of this. She was known as America's Sweetheart -- and had an iconic image of long ringlets and angelic dresses. Many famous {{Ingenue}}s were played by her -- such as {{Literature/Pollyanna}}, [[Literature/ALittlePrincess Sara Crewe]], {{Literature/Cinderella}}, {{Theatre/MadameButterfly}}. As such she was one of the first examples of ContractualPurity. Even when she appeared AsHerself in World War I propaganda films, she still portrayed a squeaky-clean cutie version of herself. When she finally played against type in an adult role -- at the age of ''37'' in the film ''Coquette'' -- there was outrage. She retired from films not long afterwards.

* Creator/JessicaBiel tends to experience this, and general reaction whenever she stars in something is "oh, there's Justin Timberlake's wife". Her infamous topless photo shoot at age 17, and her biggest hit being the remake of ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2003'', pretty much solidified her image as a sexy ActionGirl. The roles where she does go against type -- ''Film/TheIllusionist'' and ''Film/EasyVirtue'' -- were well-received but not what you'd call hits. Because of this she felt she was a shoo-in for the role of Catwoman in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''.

* 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. Simmons in general falls into this as well. Unless it's [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy J. Jonah Jameson]] (a role so iconic he reprised it in [[WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan a cartoon]] [[spoiler:[[Film/SpiderManFarFromHome and an entirely separate movie franchise]].]]), you're not going to bother learning his character's name.

* Creator/StephenFry is this through and through; if he isn't playing "''Stephen Fry as a...''", then he can easily be found using his [[VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet instantly]] [[VideoGame/{{Fable}} identifiable]] [[Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy voice]] [[Franchise/WinnieThePooh to]] [[Franchise/HarryPotter narrate]] [[CozyVoiceForCatastrophes soothingly.]]

* 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. One notable exception would be the hapless naive everyman [[WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie Emmett]], to which the "snarky" descriptor does not apply whatsoever.

* Creator/AyaHirano is so popular for her voice acting roles in anime (e.g. ''Anime/DeathNote'', ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', ''Anime/FairyTail'', ''Anime/LuckyStar'') that her characters don't have their voices, it is always she who is speaking.

[[caption-width-right:350:Creator/SamuelLJackson as [[Film/PulpFiction Jules Winnfield]], [[Franchise/StarWars Mace Windu]], and [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Nick Fury]].]]

* Creator/EdwardGRobinson did the same, playing basically a sneering gangster whether he was on paper playing an [[Film/LittleCaesar actual gangster]] or an [[Film/TheTenCommandments ancient Israelite]].

Polar opposites of this trope are actors such as Creator/GeoffreyRush, Creator/GaryOldman, and - to a lesser extent -

* Creator/EdwardGRobinson did the same.

* Creator/CaryGrant always played the handsome, cool, smooth leading man, except in ''Film/BringingUpBaby'' or ''Film/ArsenicAndOldLace''. Those are both earlier movies; as his career progressed, he was [[TypeCasting more and more pigeonholed into that one role]], the 'Cary Grant leading man' role. Which he actively worked to cultivate over the years, noting wryly at one point that "Even ''I'' want to be Cary Grant."

* Look everyone, it's Creator/BruceCampbell--er, whatever cocky, sarcastic character he's playing this time. Let's be honest, the only Campbell role people know by the character's name is [[Franchise/EvilDead Ash]].

-->“[[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/8243909/Harrison-Ford-interview-for-Morning-Glory.html It doesn’t interest me to be Harrison Ford.]] It interests me to be [[Film/MorningGlory Mike Pomeroy]] and Franchise/IndianaJones and Literature/JackRyan."

-->'''Stephen Fry''':[[spoiler: My role in this film as a gay, intelligent man with a sense of humor and appreciation for high culture is a real stretch for me.]]

* Wrestling/DwayneJohnson, aka The Rock. Most of his on-screen characters are just toned down versions of The Rock character. [[Film/TheMummyReturns The Scorpion King]] is the lone exception though, around the time he got his own movie, he was a bit more in line with The Rock. This trope is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in ''Film/{{Rampage}}'' when his character uses American Sign Language to communicate with George the gorilla-- the sign he uses to refer to himself is "rock".

* 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 (well, actually 6'5", which is still really 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.]]

* Creator/AyaHirano is so popular for her voice acting roles in anime (e.g. ''Anime/DeathNote'', ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', ''Anime/FairyTail'', ''Anime/LuckyStar'') that her characters don't have their voices, it is always her who is speaking.
* At one point, Creator/JenniferAniston wanted to appear on one of her favorite shows, ''Series/TwentyFour.'' The producers refused, saying that she was so well known, it would kill the effect, instead of seeing the character, they'd see Jennifer. This may be averted with her exceedingly PlayingAgainstType role in ''Film/HorribleBosses''. She also won critical acclaim for her dramatic role in ''Cake'' and many were insisting that she win an Oscar for it. She had shown earlier that she could disappear into a role that didn't cater to typecasting in ''Film/TheGoodGirl''.
* Creator/JessicaBiel tends to experience this, and general reaction whenever she stars in something is "oh, there's Justin Timberlake's wife". Her infamous topless photo shoot at age seventeen, and her biggest hit being the remake of ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2003'' pretty much solidified her image as a sexy ActionGirl. The roles where she does go against type - ''Film/TheIllusionist'' and ''Film/EasyVirtue'' - were well received but not what you'd call hits. Because of this she felt she was a shoo-in for the role of Catwoman in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''.

* Creator/HilaryDuff in her early 2000s popularity was always a CoolLoser who was still beautiful enough to be desirable, wholesome enough to be a role model and not too perfect so as to be relatable. Basically variations of her StarMakingRole in ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'' (and even Lizzie was tweaked in the second season to become a much more wholesome character). As pointed out [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfaXcf9Ox7o here]], her roles in ''Film/RaiseYourVoice'', ''Film/ACinderellaStory'', ''Cadet Kelly'', ''The Perfect Man'' and ''Film/MaterialGirls'' were all interchangeable so as to fit the TeenIdol persona. As her fan base grew up and without the pressures of maintaining her role model status, she was able to play against type in ''Film/WarInc'', ''Series/GossipGirl'' and ''According to Geta''. That being said, she's still seen as just an older version of her 2000s persona. The Huffington Post put it best in an article:

* 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. That being said, her character in ''Film/JennifersBody'' has been [[VindicatedByHistory re-evaluated as time has gone on]] to be seen as a more nuanced take on the typical Megan Fox character (fittingly enough, some attribute the film flopping to people being promised another Megan Fox hottie [[MisaimedMarketing by advertising]] and getting annoyed when the film didn't deliver).

* 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 ''Film/{{Havoc|2005}}'', 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/ParisHilton, to such a degree that "See Paris Hilton being gruesomely murdered!" was the [[DancingBear unique selling point]] for ''Film/HouseOfWax2005''. The album of John Ottman's score for the film calls the cue for that scene "Paris Gets It" - even though Miss Hilton's character is called Paige. [[Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera You can also see her face fall off!]]

* Creator/AngelinaJolie is the premier--some say ''only''--action heroine of Hollywood. Any film she is in (e.g., ''Film/LaraCroftTombRaider'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf|2007}}'', ''Film/{{Salt}}'', ''Film/MrAndMrsSmith2005'') is more about watching Angelina play the part of sexy action hero then watching sexy action heroes. Then again, half her movies are dramatic... which fit more with her real life persona!

* Creator/MaryPickford is one of the earliest examples of this. She was known as America's Sweetheart - and had an iconic image of long ringlets and angelic dresses. Many famous {{Ingenue}}s were played by her - such as {{Literature/Pollyanna}}, [[Literature/ALittlePrincess Sara Crewe]], {{Literature/Cinderella}}, {{Theatre/MadameButterfly}}. As such she was one of the first examples of ContractualPurity. Even when she appeared AsHerself in World War I propaganda films, she still portrayed a squeaky-clean cutie version of herself. When she finally played against type in an adult role - at the age of ''37'' in the film ''Coquette'' - there was outrage. She retired from films not long afterwards.

* 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.

* Meghan Heffern, Canadian actress noted for LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek is often seen as a SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct actress, but is mainly seen as "''the'' eccentric or BlitheSpirit female character" and has rarely had roles as the lead. Meghan is seen as fairly low on the fame scale, being a C-lister, despite being a good actress. As compared to Creator/MeganFox, she hasn't had the same level of over-exposure and although [[MoneyDearBoy there are a lot of roles she did for the paycheck]], she's an actress who is considered up-and-coming.

->''"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 "Will Smith fish."''

* Creator/WilliamShatner's hammy persona and trademark delivery dominates his various roles. Of course, [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Captain Kirk]] is still an iconic and recognizable character in pop culture, but few other Shatner roles have that notability.

* 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 ''Franchise/MassEffect''.

* Creator/AyaHirano is so popular for her voice acting roles in anime (e.g. ''Anime/DeathNote'', ''Anime/TheMelancholyOfHaruhiSuzumiya'', ''Anime/FairyTail'', ''Anime/LuckyStar'') that her characters don't have their voices, it is always her who is speaking.

* Creator/SeanConnery was always Sean Connery, mostly due to him NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent. It didn't matter if he was 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 had that shignature Shcottish brogue]]. Most other Bond actors were not so lucky, succumbing to [[IAmNotSpock the opposite trope]].

* Unusually for a superhero role, it's the actress's public persona that seems tied to the character in the case of Creator/BrieLarson. Ever since her casting as the titular ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'', fans seem unable to separate the character of Carol Danvers from the actress playing her - as the character is obviously an ActionGirl role model and the actress is an outspoken feminist activist, so there's obvious overlap. Not helping matters are the criticisms that the character is a bit on [[VanillaProtagonist the bland side]], meaning there are no definite characteristics to differentiate her from the actress.

* Dean Butler, who played Almanzo Wilder on ''Series/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'', has continued to sign autographs for fans, and has become involved in a fundraising push to preserve "his" childhood home.

* Creator/MaryPickford is one of the earliest examples of this. She was known as America's Sweetheart - and had an iconic image of long ringlets and angelic dresses. Many famous {{Ingenue}}s were played by her - such as {{Literature/Pollyanna}}, [[Literature/ALittlePrincess Sara Crewe]], {{Literature/Cinderella}}, {{Theatre/MadameButterfly}}. As such she was one of the first examples of ContractualPurity. Even when she appeared AsHerself in World War I propaganda films, she still portrayed a squeaky-clean cutie version of herself. When she finally played against type in an adult role - at the age of ''37'' in the film ''Coquette'' - there was outrage. She retired from films not long afterwards.
* Creator/MarilynMonroe is such an iconic sex symbol, even back when she was still in movies, that it's nearly impossible for a viewer to see her as anything but.

* Creator/ParisHilton, to such a degree that "See Paris Hilton being gruesomely murdered!" was the [[DancingBear unique selling point]] for ''Film/HouseOfWax2005''. The album of John Ottman's score for the film calls the cue for that scene "Paris Gets It" - even though Miss Hilton's character is called Paige. [[Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera You can also see her face fall off!]]
* Creator/JuliaRoberts tends to be TypeCast in a narrow range of roles, in which she is so consistently a polarizing personality that "Julia Roberts movie" is almost a genre. Like Creator/TomCruise, she seems to have crossed some event horizon into whatever is beyond acting. She is the entity called Julia Roberts. Sometimes this entity makes a film. The advertising posters will declare Julia Roberts to be in a film. The public will base their decision on whether or not to see this film solely on this fact...eerie. Roberts may be moving toward aversion in TheNewTens. Her performance in ''Film/{{Closer}}'' was well-received and she was considered the least of the four leads. It may help that she is now "too old" to be the ingenue (by Hollywood standards). Over-exposure and formulaic movies during the '90s and early '00s kept her TypeCast, but that may be ending.
* Creator/AngelinaJolie is the premier--some say ''only''--action heroine of Hollywood. Any film she is in (e.g., ''Film/LaraCroftTombRaider'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf|2007}}'', ''Film/{{Salt}}'', ''Film/MrAndMrsSmith2005'') is more about watching Angelina play the part of sexy action hero then watching sexy action heroes. Then again, half her movies are dramatic... which fit more with her real life persona!
* At one point, Creator/JenniferAniston wanted to appear on one of her favorite shows, ''Series/TwentyFour.'' The producers refused, saying that she was so well known, it would kill the effect, instead of seeing the character, they'd see Jennifer. This may be averted with her exceedingly PlayingAgainstType role in ''Film/HorribleBosses''. She also won critical acclaim for her dramatic role in ''Cake'' and many were insisting that she win an Oscar for it. She had shown earlier that she could disappear into a role that didn't cater to typecasting in ''Film/TheGoodGirl''.

* Speaking of child stars, Creator/ShirleyTemple is always a {{Cheerful|Child}} 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.

* Fiona Gubelmann often tends to play AlphaBitch, {{Jerkass}} or JerkWithAHeartOfGold characters that some people are surprised by it being MeanCharacterNiceActor. Her public image is tied to either LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek productions (especially ''911 Nightmare'' from 2016 where she played the protagonist Christine [=McCullers=], and some ActorRoleConfusion was in play for a time. It was also PlayingAgainstType since the protagonist was ''not'' a {{Jerkass}} but a NiceGirl 911 operator), [[SugarWiki/AHallmarkProduction Hallmark Christmas movies]] or her role as Dr. Morgan Reznick, in ''Series/TheGoodDoctor'' which she has been in since 2018. In general, though, she has attempted to branch out into other roles, but seems iconically associated with the three roles listed (well, four if you include ''911 Nightmare'').
* Creator/NataliePortman. Reviews of ''Film/BlackSwan'' often noted that whether the fascination came in watching "Nina" or "Natalie" succumb to the pressure for perfection was unclear, as Portman was largely playing [[AdamWesting an exaggerated version of herself]]. Similarly, her performance in ''Film/{{Closer}}'' was entirely dependent on the fact that audiences were willing to believe that "Natalie Portman is Amazingly Desirable and Needs Your Love." Whether or not Portman herself can act is a contested issue, as her primary purpose in films seems to be playing the audience's fantasy of herself. (Ironically, Portman herself went to Harvard and seems quite level-headed, so she may be sliding toward AdamWesting.) Portman's attempts at branching out by taking dramatic or less sympathetic roles have not been well-received.
* Creator/MaryTylerMoore was so closely identified with Laura Petrie that, when she got [[Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow her own show]], the network nixed the show's original idea to have Mary Richards be recently divorced since the audience would think she had left Dick. It took until ''Film/OrdinaryPeople'' for her [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct to establish herself as a dramatic actress]] playing [[EvilMatriarch a cold, emotionally repressed mother]] in a troubled family.

* Creator/JessicaBiel tends to experience this, and general reaction whenever she stars in something is "oh, there's Justin Timberlake's wife". Her infamous topless photo shoot at age seventeen, and her biggest hit being the remake of ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2003'' pretty much solidified her image as a sexy ActionGirl. The roles where she does go against type - ''Film/TheIllusionist'' and ''Film/EasyVirtue'' - were well received but not what you'd call hits. Because of this she felt she was a shoe-in for the role of Catwoman in ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises''.
* 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. That being said, her character in ''Film/JennifersBody'' has been [[VindicatedByHistory re-evaluated as time has gone on]] to be seen as a more nuanced take on the typical Megan Fox character (fittingly enough, some attribute the film flopping to people being promised another Megan Fox hottie [[MisaimedMarketing by advertising]] and getting annoyed when the film didn't deliver).
* Creator/HilaryDuff in her early 2000s popularity was always a CoolLoser who was still beautiful enough to be desirable, wholesome enough to be a role model and not too perfect so as to be relatable. Basically variations of her StarMakingRole in ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'' (and even Lizzie was tweaked in the second season to become a much more wholesome character). As pointed out [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfaXcf9Ox7o here]], her roles in ''Film/RaiseYourVoice'', ''Film/ACinderellaStory'', ''Cadet Kelly'', ''The Perfect Man'' and ''Film/MaterialGirls'' were all interchangeable so as to fit the TeenIdol persona. As her fan base grew up and without the pressures of maintaining her role model status, she was able to play against type in ''Film/WarInc'', ''Series/GossipGirl'' and ''According to Geta''. That being said, she's still seen as just an older version of her 2000s persona. The Huffington Post put it best in an article:
--> "Being on a hit series has sort of created a dual life for Duff. Her public image is tied to the character of 'Lizzie'."
* Unusually for a superhero role, it's the actress's public persona that seems tied to the character in the case of Creator/BrieLarson. Ever since her casting as the titular ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'', fans seem unable to separate the character of Carol Danvers from the actress playing her - as the character is obviously an ActionGirl role model and the actress is an outspoken feminist activist, so there's obvious overlap. Not helping matters are the criticisms that the character is a bit on [[VanillaProtagonist the bland side]], meaning there are no definite characteristics to differentiate her from the actress.

* Fiona Gubelmann often tends to play AlphaBitch, {{Jerkass}} or JerkWithAHeartOfGold characters that some people are surprised by it being MeanCharacterNiceActor. Her public image is tied to either LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek productions (especially ''911 Nightmare'' from 2016 where she played the protagonist Christine McCullers, and some ActorRoleConfusion was in play for a time. It was also PlayingAgainstType since the protagonist was ''not'' a {{Jerkass}} but a NiceGirl 911 operator), [[SugarWiki/AHallmarkProduction Hallmark Christmas movies]] or her role as Dr. Morgan Reznick, in ''Series/TheGoodDoctor'' which she has been in since 2018. In general, though, she has attempted to branch out into other roles, but seems iconically associated with the three roles listed (well, four if you include ''911 Nightmare'').

* Wrestling/DwayneJohnson, aka The Rock. Most of his on-screen characters are just toned down versions of The Rock character. [[Film/TheMummyReturns The Scorpion King]] is the lone exception though, around the time he got his own movie, he was a bit more in line with The Rock.