History Main / LeslieNielsenSyndrome

* Creator/WilliamShatner is best known for the overly dramatic [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Captain Kirk]], as well as his intense performances in several episodes of the ''Series/TheTwilightZone'', a supporting role in ''Film/JudgmentAtNuremberg'' and other serious roles. These days, however, he has made a name for himself as a loveable comedic actor, through things like the iconic Priceline commercials, ''Series/BostonLegal'', and most recently ''Series/ShitMyDadSays''.

* Creator/AnneHathaway surprisingly qualifies, and even went through this more than once in her career. Before she was famous she was in a short-lived drama series called ''Get Real'', with a smattering of other dramatic roles, before her StarMakingRole in ''Film/ThePrincessDiaries'', which typecast her as a GirlNextDoor comedy star. Then in 2005 ''Film/{{Havoc}}'' marked a departure back into drama, followed by ''Film/BrokebackMountain'', which established her as a reliable actress for OscarBait, leading up to a Best Actress nomination for ''Film/RachelGettingMarried''. Then a 2008 guest-host appearance on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' reminded people that she could still do comedy, and since then she's specialized in comedy, particularly [[RomanticComedy Romantic Comedies]], and has even done voice acting in animated films and on shows like ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' and ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. And oddly, the trend became more pronounced after she actually [[Film/LesMiserables2012 won an Oscar]]. These days it's almost feels like she's PlayingAgainstType when she appears in a drama.

** His radio scripts for ''[[Radio/RichardDiamondPrivateDetective Richard Diamond, Private Detective]]'' are early examples of his comedic wit, while being very good detective stories as well.

* Creator/GerardDepardieu had this starting with ''Film/InspectorBlunder'' (he played in about fourty movies before that, with starring roles in about fifteen of them since ''Film/LesValseuses''). He's played an even mix of comedies and dramatic roles ever since.

* Believe it or not, Creator/JimCarrey sort of qualifies. While he did appear in a short-lived sitcom in TheEighties (''The Duck Factory''), auditioned to be an ''SNL'' cast member (which he didn't get), and had an ongoing stand-up career, most of his early film roles were serious rather than comic (i.e., the alcoholic son in ''Doing Time on Maple Drive'' and the ill-fated rocker in Film/TheDeadPool). Ironically, Carrey's later serious roles like ''Film/TheTrumanShow'' were seen as PlayingAgainstType.

* Creator/RobertDeNiro had already cemented his legacy as an acting legend by the end of the 1990s thanks to his collaborations with Creator/MartinScorsese. He closed the millenium with ''Film/AnalyzeThis'', a comedy that sent up his mob archetype. Next year came ''Film/TheAdventuresOfRockyAndBullwinkle'' and ''Film/MeetTheParents''. With the blockbuster success of ''Analyze'' and ''Parents'', [=DeNiro=] found a second wind in his career as a comedic actor.

* Creator/ChrisHemsworth hit the mainstream as the stoic Film/{{Thor}} and built his initial career on dramatic roles. But supporting appearances in films like ''Film/{{Vacation}}'' and ''Film/Ghostbusters2016'' showed the world that he is actually downright hilarious and a adept at improv. Thus, ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' became a soft reboot of his most famous role and won rave reviews for the new direction he took.

* Creator/AnneHathaway surprisingly qualifies. Before she was famous she was in a short-lived drama series called ''Get Real'', but then had her StarMakingRole in ''Film/ThePrincessDiaries''. Still, she was generally viewed as a dramatic actress early in her career, doing lots of OscarBait films. A well-received 2008 guest-host appearance on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' raised her comedic profile, and she's since done a lot of comedy, with several [[RomanticComedy Romantic Comedies]] and voice acting in animated films and on shows like ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' and ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. These days it's almost feels like she's PlayingAgainstType when she appears in a drama.

* Creator/AnneHathaway surprisingly qualifies. Before she was famous she was in an short lived drama series called Get Real despite straightaway going on towards light hearted Creator/{{Disney}} films, romantic comedies, voice acting roles in animated films and other types of comedies. In between all this she played against type in several drama films which is unorthodox considering she started off in drama.

The casting opposite of TomHanksSyndrome. With this trope, a successful actor with a history of dramatic roles plays against type and stars in a comedy, [[PlayedForLaughs playing it for laughs]] and generally acting silly. And it works. Unlike TomHanksSyndrome, the change will rarely be permanent: the actor will still dip into serious roles, and may even bounce back and forth from comedy to drama like a rubber ball. But sometimes, the actor finds a new niche (and a new career) as a comedic performer.

* Creator/JohnCReilly was mostly known for serious roles, but had a hard time getting lead roles due to his unconventional looks. Then he got mixed up with Creator/WillFerrell (''Film/TalladegaNightsTheBalladOfRickyBobby'' and ''Film/StepBrothers'') and Creator/JuddApatow (''Film/WalkHard'') and experienced a career jolt as a successful comedic actor. He regularly drifts from comedic to serious projects and is one of the few actors alive who can get away with it (case in point: ''Film/WeNeedToTalkAboutKevin'' was filmed concurrently with episodes of ''Series/CheckItOutWithDrSteveBrule'').

* Creator/JohnCReilly was mostly known for serious roles, but had a hard time getting lead roles due to his unconventional looks. Then he got mixed up with Creator/WillFerrell (''Film/TalladegaNightsTheBalladOfRickyBobby'' and ''Film/StepBrothers'') and Creator/JuddApatow (''Film/WalkHard'') and experienced a career jolt as a successful comedic actor.

* Believe it or not, Creator/JimCarrey sort of qualifies. While he did appear in a short-lived sitcom in TheEighties (''The Duck Factory''), auditioned to be an ''SNL'' cast member (which he didn't get), and had an ongoing stand-up career, most of his early film roles were serious rather than comic (i.e., the alcoholic son in ''Doing Time on Maple Drive''). Ironically, Carrey's later serious roles like ''Film/TheTrumanShow'' were seen as PlayingAgainstType.

* Creator/TerryCrews first tried building a career as an action films like ''Film/TheSixthDay'' but turned towards comedic roles after stealing the show in ''Film/WhiteChicks''.

* Creator/EmmaThompson started shifting from drama to comedy in the 2000s - transitioning from ''Film/RemainsOfTheDay'', ''Film/InTheNameOfTheFather'' and ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility'' to ''Film/LoveActually'', ''Film/NannyMcPhee'', ''Film/StrangerThanFiction'' etc. These days she's more likely to show up as "that funny English lady" in various films. Even in ''Film/SavingMrBanks'' - which is a drama biopic - she's playing TheComicallySerious.

* Creator/DwightSchultz is fondly still remembered as H.M. (Howling Mad) Murdock from ''Series/TheATeam''. He would later be recognizable as the timid [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Lt. Barclay]]. Currently, he is a prolific voice actor in animation, anime, and videogames, usually playing villains or authority figures.

* Creator/KatherineHeigl got her start in dramatic tv shows but once she became a movie star she became known for romantic comedies like Knocked Up, 27 Dresses, The Ugly Truth, Killers and Life As We Know It.

* Katherine Heigl got her start in dramatic tv shows but once she became a movie star she became known for romantic comedies like Knocked Up, 27 Dresses, The Ugly Truth, Killers and Life As We Know It.

* Alec Baldwin has seldom been seen near dramatic works as of late, thanks to ''Series/ThirtyRock'' and his frequent hosting gigs on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' (hosting so many times that he dethroned Creator/SteveMartin as the show's most frequent host, and essentially becoming a FakeGuestStar in Season 42 when Creator/DonaldTrump, whom he'd been portraying in skits surrounding the presidential election, actually ''won''.). Heck, he's even doing comedy commercials.
* Jason Schwartzman wasn't particularly known for comedy before the 2010s, but when that rolled around he had starred in Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld and Film/TheGrandBudapestHotel.

* Creator/RobertDowneyJr started out doing comedies (and he was a cast member on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' in the mid-1980s[[note]]on an all-star cast that was deemed so mediocre that NBC nearly had the show canceled[[/note]]), then went into dramatic work before falling victim to his drug problems. He relaunched his career with a comedy buddy movie (''Film/KissKissBangBang''), and now juggles between doing comedies and doing action films. Hell, [[DeadpanSnarker he's at his funniest]] in [[Film/IronMan his serious roles]].

* Joanna Lumley was famous for playing dramatic roles until she played the outrageous Patsy in ''Series/AbsolutelyFabulous''. She commented that her fan mail went from retired colonels telling her she was the perfect EnglishRose to drag queens asking her where she got her clothes.

* Kitty Carlisle made her career as an operetta soprano (she was the female romantic lead in ''A Night at the Opera''), but lasted longest as a panelist on the GameShow ''Series/ToTellTheTruth''.

* Spencer Tracy gradually shifted to comedy with ''[[Film/FatherOfTheBride1950 Father of the Bride]]'', but ''Film/AdamsRib'' really provided a bigger catalyst for the shift. Though also well respected for his dramatic works, he rounded off his career with ''Film/ItsAMadMadMadMadWorld'' and ''Film/GuessWhosComingToDinner''.

* Rose Byrne was best known as a dramatic actress at the outset of her career, notably with ''Film/{{Troy}}'', ''Film/TwentyEightWeeksLater'', and the lead in sleeper hit ''Film/{{Insidious}}'' and FX drama ''Series/{{Damages}}''. She's gained a lot more recognition as of late as she's gone into more comedic work, with well-received turns in the smash hit ''Film/{{Bridesmaids}}'', along with ''Film/GetHimToTheGreek'', ''Film/{{Neighbors|2014}}'', and ''Film/{{Spy}}''. Her role as Moira [=McTaggart=] in the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' keeps her in some drama however.

* Dwight Schultz is fondly still remembered as H.M. (Howling Mad) Murdock from ''Series/TheATeam''. He would later be recognizable as the timid [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Lt. Barclay]]. Currently, he is a prolific voice actor in animation, anime, and videogames, usually playing villains or authority figures.

* Vince Vaughn's first few roles were in the likes of ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'', the remake of ''{{Film/Psycho|1998}}'' and ''Return to Paradise''. In the 2000s he became far more famous for comedies - ''Film/DodgeballATrueUnderdogStory'', ''Film/MrAndMrsSmith2005'', ''Film/WeddingCrashers'', ''The Break Up'', ''Couples Retreat'' etc. While he does flirt with the occasional dramatic role - ''Film/IntoTheWild'', ''Series/TrueDetective'' - he's known primarily as a comedian.

* Creator/AnneHathaway surprisingly qualifies. Before she was famous she was in an short lived drama series called Get Real despite straightaway going on towards light hearted {{Disney}} films, romantic comedies, voice acting roles in animated films and other types of comedies. In between all this she played against type in several drama films which is unorthodox considering she started off in drama.

* Back in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood Creator/JeanHarlow first got famous for playing MsFanservice roles in ''Film/HellsAngels'', ''Public Enemy'', ''The Secret Six'' etc. After the Hays Code cracked down on sexual content in movies, Harlow switched up her image to be more of a DumbBlonde - and she appeared as such in all subsequent films.

* Creator/JamieLeeCurtis first established herself as a horror movie UsefulNotes/{{Scream Queen|s}}, playing the FinalGirl in films like ''Film/{{Halloween 1978}}'', ''Film/PromNight1980'', ''Film/TerrorTrain'' and ''Film/RoadGames''. Ever since ''Film/TradingPlaces'', however, she's been best known for comedies like ''Film/AFishCalledWanda'', ''Film/FierceCreatures'', ''Film/FreakyFriday1976'' and ''Film/TrueLies'' (which, while a [[Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger Schwarzenegger]] action vehicle, also had strong comedic overtones). This is reflected in her starring role in the show ''Series/ScreamQueens2015'' - a horror comedy.

* JasonSchwartzman wasn't particularly known for comedy before the 2010s, but when that rolled around he had starred in ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld and TheGrandBudapestHotel.
* AnneHathaway surprisingly qualifies. Before she was famous she was in an short lived drama series called Get Real despite straightaway going on towards light hearted {{Disney}} films, romantic comedies, voice acting roles in animated films and other types of comedies. In between all this she played against type in several drama films which is unorthodox considering she started off in drama.

* Dwight Schultz is fondly still remembered as H.M. (Howling Mad) Murdock from ''TheATeam''. He would later be recognizable as the timid [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Lt. Barclay]]. Currently, he is a prolific voice actor in animation, anime, and videogames, usually playing villains or authority figures.