A successful actor's / actress's career would be long, and so they would obviously portray a large number of characters. However there will be a few roles that are often associated with the actor itself, and at times the public recognizes them via those roles and in fact the the role that they are remembered for irrrespective of other roles. They can be a Star-Making Role or a Star-Derailing Role, or one that was a Career Resurrection after the latter. May become the root cause of them being subjected to Typecasting and invoke a response of I Am Not Spock.
Examples (all real life)
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Actors A to F
- Jensen Ackles: Dean Winchester
- Amy Adams: Princess Giselle
- Dianna Agron: Quinn Fabray
- Freema Agyeman: Martha Jones
- Jessica Alba: Max Guevara or Invisible Woman
- Alan Alda: Hawkeye Pierce
- Jason Alexander: George Costanza
- Alfie Allen: Theon Greyjoy
- Tim Allen: Buzz Lightyear
- Stephen Amell: Oliver Queen
- Gillian Anderson: Dana Scully
- Pamela Anderson: CJ Parker
- Richard Dean Anderson: Angus MacGyver or Jack O'Neill
- KJ Apa: Archie Andrews
- Julie Andrews: Mary Poppins or Maria von Trapp
- Jennifer Aniston: Rachel Green
- Richard Armitage: Thorin Oakenshield
- Will Arnett: GOB Bluth
- Pilou Asbæk: Euron Greyjoy
- Sean Astin: Samwise Gamgee
- Rowan Atkinson: Mr. Bean
- Hayley Atwell: Peggy Carter
- René Auberjonois: Odo
- Hank Azaria: Various characters on The Simpsons
- Kevin Bacon: Ren McCormack
- Tom Baker: The Fourth Doctor
- Christian Bale: Batman
- Javier Bardem: Anton Chigurh
- Dante Basco: Rufio or Zuko
- Jason Bateman: Michael Bluth
- Dave Bautista: Himself or Drax
- Drake Bell: Drake Parker
- Kristen Bell: Veronica Mars or Anna
- Jodi Benson: Ariel
- Ingrid Bergman: Ilsa Lund
- Halle Berry: Storm
- Linda Blair: Regan MacNeil
- Mel Blanc: Bugs Bunny
- Humphrey Bogart: Rick Blaine
- Chadwick Boseman: Black Panther
- David Bowie: Jareth
- Alison Brie: Annie Edison
- Matthew Broderick: Ferris Bueller
- Josh Brolin: Thanos
- Pierce Brosnan: James Bond
- Clancy Brown: Mr. Krabs
- Millie Bobby Brown: Eleven
- Yvette Nicole Brown: Shirley Bennett
- Kira Buckland: 2B
- Rodger Bumpass: Squidward Tentacles
- Gerard Butler: Leonidas
- Dove Cameron: Liv Rooney, Maddie Rooney and Mal
- Bruce Campbell: Ash Williams
- Steve Carell: Michael Scott
- Charisma Carpenter: Cordelia Chase
- Jim Carrey: Ace Ventura or The Mask
- Nancy Cartwright: Bart Simpson
- Dan Castellaneta: Homer Simpson
- John Cena: Peacemaker
- Michael Chiklis: Vic Mackey or The Thing
- Hayden Christensen: Anakin Skywalker
- Emilia Clarke: Daenerys Targaryen
- Lauren Cohan: Maggie Greene
- Sean Connery: James Bond
- Bradley Cooper: Rocket Raccoon
- Kevin Conroy: Batman
- Robbie Coltrane: Rubeus Hagrid
- Miranda Cosgrove: Carly Shay or Megan Parker
- Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: Jaime Lannister
- Courteney Cox: Monica Geller
- Daniel Craig: James Bond
- Bryan Cranston: Walter White
- David Cross: Tobias Funke
- Tom Cruise: Ethan Hunt
- Benedict Cumberbatch: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Strange
- Tim Curry: Dr. Frank-n-Furter
- Miley Cyrus: Miley Stewart
- Willem Dafoe: Green Goblin
- Elizabeth Daily: Tommy Pickles and Buttercup
- Matt Damon: Jason Bourne
- Grey DeLisle: Azula
- Johnny Depp: Jack Sparrow
- Robert De Niro: Travis Bickle
- Portia de Rossi: Lindsay Funke
- Emily Deschanel: Temperance "Bones" Brennan
- Zooey Deschanel: Summer Finn or Jessica Day
- Cameron Diaz: Fiona
- Leonardo DiCaprio: Jack Dawson
- John DiMaggio: Bender
- Peter Dinklage: Tyrion Lannister
- Robert Downey Jr.: Iron Man
- Adam Driver: Kylo Ren
- Patrick Duffy: Bobby Ewing
- Kirsten Dunst: Mary Jane Watson
- Barbara Eden: Jeannie
- Robert Englund: Freddy Krueger
- Chris Evans: Captain America
- Bill Fagerbakke: Patrick Star
- Michael Fassbender: Magneto
- Farrah Fawcett: Jill Monroe
- Tom Felton: Draco Malfoy
- Will Ferrell: Ron Burgundy
- Ralph Fiennes: Lord Voldemort
- Nathan Fillion: Malcolm Reynolds or Richard Castle
- Jenna Fischer: Pam Beesly
- Carrie Fisher: Princess Leia
- Harrison Ford: Han Solo and Indiana Jones
- Michael J. Fox: Marty McFly
- Edward Furlong: John Connor
Actors G to M
- Josh Gad: Olaf
- Gal Gadot: Wonder Woman
- Michael Gambon: Albus Dumbledore
- James Gandolfini: Tony Soprano
- Andrew Garfield: Spider-Man
- Judy Garland: Dorothy Gale
- Jennifer Garner: Sydney Bristow
- Sarah Michelle Gellar: Buffy Summers
- Donald Glover: Troy Barnes
- Jack Gleeson: Joffrey Baratheon
- Selena Gomez: Alex Russo
- Kelsey Grammer: Frasier Crane
- Jason Griffith: Sonic the Hedgehog
- Rupert Grint: Ron Weasley
- Alec Guinness: Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Grant Gustin: Barry Allen
- Larry Hagman: J.R. Ewing
- Jennifer Hale: Female Commander Shepherd
- Lucy Hale: Aria Montgomery
- Tony Hale: Buster Bluth
- Anthony Michael Hall: Brian Johnson
- Michael C. Hall: Dexter Morgan
- Mark Hamill: Luke Skywalker
- Linda Hamilton: Sarah Connor
- Margaret Hamilton: The Wicket Witch of the West
- Jon Hamm: Don Draper
- Armie Hammer: The Lone Ranger
- Tom Hanks: Forrest Gump or Woody
- Daryl Hannah: Madison
- Alyson Hannigan: Willow Rosenberg or Lily Aldrin
- David Harbour: Jim Hopper
- Tom Hardy: Bane
- Mariska Hargitay: Olivia Benson
- Kit Harington: Jon Snow
- Mark Harmon: Leroy Jethro Gibbs
- Neil Patrick Harris: Barney Stinson
- Rosemary Harris: May Parker
- Melissa Joan Hart: Sabrina Spellman
- David Hayter: Solid Snake
- Lena Headey: Cersei Lannister
- Amber Heard: Mera
- Kyle Hebert: Gohan or Ryu
- Chris Hemsworth: Thor
- Liam Hemsworth: Gale Hawthorne
- Tom Hiddleston: Loki
- David Henrie: Justin Russo
- Audrey Hepburn: Holly Golightly
- Tom Holland: Spider-Man
- Willa Holland: Thea Queen or Aqua
- Anthony Hopkins: Hannibal Lecter
- Bob Hoskins: Eddie Valiant
- Jeremy Irons: Scar
- Hugh Jackman: Wolverine
- Kate Jackson: Sabrina Duncan
- Samuel L. Jackson: Jules Winnfield or Nick Fury
- Gillian Jacobs: Britta Perry
- Kevin James: Doug Heffernan
- Jake Johnson: Nick Miller or Peter B. Parker
- Angelina Jolie: Lara Croft or Maleficent
- James Earl Jones: Darth Vader
- Michael B. Jordan: Erik Killmonger
- Scarlett Johansson: Black Widow
- Ashley Johnson: Ellie
- Dwayne Johnson: The Rock
- Felicity Jones: Jyn Erso
- Victoria Justice: Tori Vega or Lola Martinez
- Boris Karloff: Frankenstein's Monster
- Stana Katic: Kate Beckett
- Anna Kendrick: Becca Mitchell
- Tom Kenny: SpongeBob SquarePants
- Keira Knightley: Elizabeth Swann
- Martin Kove: John Kreese
- John Krasinski: Jim Halpert
- Lisa Kudrow: Phoebe Buffay
- Mila Kunis: Meg Griffin
- Ashton Kutcher: Michael Kelso
- Cheryl Ladd: Kris Monroe
- Brie Larson: Captain Marvel
- Christopher Lee: Dracula
- Hugh Laurie: Dr. Gregory House
- Piper Laurie: Margaret White
- Jennifer Lawrence: Katniss Everdeen
- Heath Ledger: The Joker
- Bruce Lee: Lee
- Matt Le Blanc: Joey Tribbiani
- Jared Leto: The Joker
- Evangeline Lilly: Kate Austen or Wasp
- Ray Liotta: Henry Hill
- Peyton R. List: Emma Ross or Tory Nichols
- Christopher Lloyd: Dr. Emmett Brown
- Jake Lloyd: Anakin Skywalker
- Lindsay Lohan: Cady Heron
- Yuri Lowenthal: Sasuke Uchiha
- Bela Lugosi: Dracula
- Evanna Lynch: Luna Lovegood
- Ralph Macchio: Daniel LaRusso
- Seth MacFarlane: Peter, Stewie, and Brian Griffin
- Richard Madden: Robb Stark
- Tobey Maguire: Spider-Man
- Rami Malek: Freddie Mercury
- James Marsden: Cyclops
- Charles Martinet: Mario
- Kate Mara: Zoe Barnes
- Rooney Mara: Lisbeth Salander
- Tatiana Maslany: Various characters on Orphan Black
- Rachel McAdams: Regina George
- Ewan McGregor: Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Joel McHale: Jeff Winger
- Christopher Meloni: Elliot Stabler
- Idina Menzel: Elphaba or Elsa
- Chloë Grace Moretz: Hit-Girl
- Pat Morita: Nariyoshi Miyagi
- Marilyn Monroe: Lorelei Lee or Sugar
- Elizabeth Montgomery: Samantha Stephens
- Frankie Muniz: Malcolm Wilkerson
- Eddie Murphy: Axel Foley
- Chad Michael Murray: Lucas Scott
- Mike Myers: Austin Powers or Shrek
Actors N to Z
- Judd Nelson: John Bender
- Jack Nicholson: Jack Torrance
- Denise Nickerson: Violet Beauregarde
- Leslie Nielsen: Frank Drebin
- Leonard Nimoy: Spock
- Daran Norris: Cosmo, Mr. Turner, and Jorgen Von Strangle as a voice actor, Gordy as a live-action actor
- Chuck Norris: Cordell Walker
- Edward Norton: The Narrator
- Chris Noth: Mike Logan or Mr. Big
- Nick Offerman: Ron Swanson
- Steven Ogg: Trevor Phillips
- Paige O’Hara: Belle
- Gary Oldman: Sirius Black and Commissioner Gordon.
- Elizabeth Olsen: Wanda Maximoff.
- Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen: Michelle Tanner
- Kaitlin Olson: Dee Reynolds
- Randy Orton: Himself, with “The Viper” as his signature gimmick.
- Sarah Jessica Parker: Carrie Bradshaw
- Trey Parker: Stan Marsh and Eric Cartman
- Jim Parsons: Sheldon Cooper
- Mandy Patinkin: Inigo Montoya
- Robert Patrick: T-1000
- Robert Pattinson: Edward Cullen
- Aaron Paul: Jesse Pinkman
- Sarah Paulson: Various characters on American Horror Story
- Josh Peck: Josh Nichols
- Matthew Perry: Chandler Bing
- Evan Peters: Various characters on American Horror Story or Peter Maximoff
- Joaquin Phoenix: The Joker
- Chris Pine: James T. Kirk
- Brad Pitt: Tyler Durden
- Aubrey Plaza: April Ludgate
- Amy Poehler: Leslie Knope and Joy
- Natalie Portman: Padme Amidala
- Chris Pratt: Star-Lord
- Danny Pudi: Abed Nadir
- Daniel Radcliffe: Harry Potter
- Josh Radnor: Ted Mosby
- Community: Craig Pelton
- Christopher Reeve: Superman
- Jeremy Renner: Hawkeye
- Ryan Reynolds: Deadpool
- Alan Rickman: Severus Snape
- Daisy Ridley: Rey
- Molly Ringwald: Claire Standish
- Jason Ritter: Dipper Pines
- Margot Robbie: Harley Quinn
- Justin Roiland: Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith
- James Rolfe: The Angry Video Game Nerd
- Kurt Russell: Snake Pilsken
- Christopher Sabat: Vegeta and Piccolo
- Bob Saget: Danny Tanner
- Zoe Saldaña: Gamora
- Kristen Schaal: Mabel Pines
- Jerry Seinfeld: Himself
- Alia Shawkat: Maeby Funke
- Harry Shearer: Various characters on The Simpsons
- William Shatner: James T. Kirk
- Sean Schemmel: Goku
- Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Terminator
- David Schwimmer: Ross Geller
- Jason Segel: Marshall Eriksen
- Alicia Silverstone: Cher Horowitz
- Bill Skarsgård: Pennywise
- Jaclyn Smith: Kelly Garrett
- Jaden Smith: Dre Parker
- Will Smith: Himself
- Cobie Smulders: Robin Scherbatsky
- Wesley Snipes: Blade
- Sissy Spacek: Carrie White
- Kevin Spacey: Frank Underwood
- Sylvester Stallone: Rocky Balboa
- Imelda Staunton: Dolores Umbridge
- Patrick Stewart: Jean-Luc Picard or Charles Xavier
- Ben Stiller: Derek Zoolander
- Sharon Stone: Catherine Tramell
- Tara Strong: Bubbles, Timmy Turner, Raven, and Twilight Sparkle
- Mr. T: B.A. Barracus.
- Jeffrey Tambor: George Bluth, Sr.
- Elizabeth Taylor: Cleopatra or Martha
- David Tennant: The Tenth Doctor
- Uma Thurman: Mia Wallace and The Bride
- Sophie Turner: Sansa Stark
- Jean-Claude Van Damme: Frank Dux
- Eric Vale: Future Trunks
- Dick Van Dyke: Bert
- Alexa Vega: Carmen Cortez
- Doug Walker: The Nostalgia Critic
- Jessica Walter: Lucille Bluth
- Emma Watson: Hermoine Granger
- Sigourney Weaver: Ellen Ripley
- Adam West: Batman
- Mae Whitman: Katara
- Gene Wilder: Willy Wonka
- Maisie Williams: Arya Stark
- Robin Williams: Genie
- Bruce Willis: John McClane
- Rainn Wilson: Dwight Schrute
- Elijah Wood: Frodo Baggins
- Bonnie Wright: Ginny Weasley
