History Main / RecastAsARegular

* Creator/MegumiOgata had several minor rules in ''Anime/YuYuHakusho'', her debut as a voice actress, including the mother of the boy Yusuke saved and Keiko's mother, before her main role Kurama finally debuted.

** Creator/TakeshiKusao is in an early filler episode of ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' as Pigero, a one-shot character who helps out Gohan. He returns over a hundred episodes later as BreakoutCharacter Trunks

* In ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'' , Megan Hilty played Princess Charlotte in season 3's "Beauty Is The Beast" before being cast as Prisma, the main antagonist in the Mystic Isles story arc for season 4. Likewise, Andrew Rannells, who voiced Morris in that episode, would voice Skye, Sofia's flying horse companion in the titular isles, another regular in season 4.

** In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' that introduced the Cardassians, "[[{{Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E12TheWounded}} The Wounded]]," Marc Alaimo guest-starred as the Cardassian leader Gul Macet. When the Cardassians' role was expanded for ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', the producers wanted Alaimo back, but the Macet character was too nice a guy to make a good villain, so they removed his truly unfortunate facial hair and named the new character [[BigBad Gul Dukat]]. The ExpandedUniverse explains the resemblance by making them cousins.

** Jeremy Sisto played a one-off role as a defense lawyer in the final episode of season 17 before making his debut as Detective Cyrus Lupo in the first episode of season 18.

** Kelli Giddish appeared as a one-off suspect in ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' episode "Depths" before later joining the main cast of ''Series/LawAndOrderSVU'' as Detective Rawlins.

* Creator/HughLaurie appeared in two episodes of ''Series/{{Blackadder}} II'', first as Simon Partridge and then as Prince Ludwig the Indestructible. In ''Blackadder the Third'' he was cast as one of the main characters, George, Prince of Wales.

** S. Epatha Merkerson had a small one-off role as a cleaning lady in the first season of ''Law & Order'', then was cast in the recurring role of Lt. Anita Van Buren beginning in season four.

* Jeff's nephew, also a nurse, in ''Series/{{Casualty}}'' was played by someone who had previously played two different one-shot characters (which both had large parts in their episodes). These one-shots were quite recognisable, though, because the actor had been in ''Series/DoctorWho'' and its spin-off at the same time as them and is quite memorable in appearance.[[note: In case you're wondering it's Daniel Anthony, who played regular character Clyde Langer in ''SJA'' and crossed over for a team-up episode on ''Who''.]]

* Jeff's nephew, also a nurse, in ''Series/{{Casualty}}'' was played by someone who had previously played two different one-shot characters (which both had large parts in their episodes). These one-shots were quite recognisable, though, because the actor had been in ''Series/DoctorWho'' and its spin-off at the same time as them and is quite memorable in appearance.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'': In the Spanish dub, Luis Miguel Perez did additional voices and dubbed the songs, "Doing the Sponge" and "Loop De Loop", before replacing Oscar Zuloaga as Plankton.

The use of the same actor for different characters is typically intended to go unnoticed or at least unremarked. Ed Wasser played Shadow minion Morden in ''Series/BabylonFive'' but also appeared in the series pilot as a character credited as Guerra. Since that series was so intricately plotted, fans wondered if the Shadows were influencing events as far back as the pilot. No, said [[WordOfGod series creator]] Creator/JMichaelStraczynski, they just liked the actor's work in the pilot and cast him in a recurring role.

* Jennifer Coolidge and Adam Goldberg guest starred on ''Friends''. Both ended up in regular roles on ''Series/{{Joey}}''; the latter, though, was more of a recurring role.

** Catherine Bell was originally cast as Harmon Rabb's girlfriend who is murdered in a first-season episode of ''JAG'', which never aired during the U.S. network run due to cancellation of the show by NBC. When CBS picked up the series, Bell was cast as the new female lead Sarah "Mac" Mackenzie. Harmon Rabb acts like he's seen a ghost when she is introduced to him, and we later learn why in a WholeEpisodeFlashback incorporating the original episode.

** Creator/NanaMizuki first portrayed Armony in the PS2 video game ''VideoGame/FullmetalAlchemistAndTheBrokenAngel'' before getting cast in the 2003 anime as Wrath and in ''Brotherhood'' as Lanfan.

* Several from ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}

* Creator/EnzoFortuny voiced Frigimon and Pumpkinmon in the Mexican Spanish dub of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' before replacing Gerry Mesa as Tai during ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02''.
* Tamara Guzman voiced Tai's mom and Terriermon from ''Anime/DigimonTheMovie'' before voicing Kari and Gatomon in ''[=02=]''

* In the Latin American dub of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', Valentina Toro voiced Alexandrite in her first appearance before later going on to voice Jasper. Ironically, her sister Antonia would voice Alexandrite in her second appearance. Similarly, before she became the Spanish voice actress for Ruby, Judith Noguera voiced minor (as in, she doesn't even have her own voice actress in th original language) recurring character Jane.

** Harry Morgan played a nutty U.S. Army General in the 3rd season episode "The General Flipped at Dawn". He did such a good job that in the 4th season he was cast in the role of the 4077th's new commanding officer, Colonel Sherman Potter, which he played the remainder of the series.

** Paul [=McGillion=], who played the main/reoccuring character Carson Beckett on ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', had previously played Ernest Littlefield, the first 20th century human to use the Stargate, in flashbacks in the first season of ''Series/StargateSG1''.

** Creator/UnshoIshizuka played Huskisson, a StarterVillain in the film "Conquerer of Shambala" that continued from the [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist 2003 anime]]. When ''Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood'', the anime that followed the original manga story closer, was made four years later, he portrayed Ed and Al's father, Hohenheim.
** Creator/NanaMizuki first portrayed Armony in the PS2 video game ''Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel'' before getting cast in the 2003 anime as Wrath and in ''Brotherhood'' as Lanfan.