20 Actors Who Returned Onscreen As Iconic Characters They Once Played
Some pop culture characters can simply never be replaced. There have been countless TV and movie actors who have reprised their most famous roles over the years, and fans were nothing short of excited. Here are the ones who came back because honestly, who else could play them?!
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1.
To start, Jamie Lee Curtis first appeared as scream queen Laurie Strode in 1978’s Halloween.
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She last reprised her role in 2022’s Halloween Ends.
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2.
Hugh Jackman clawed his way to the top as Logan, aka Wolverine, in 2000’s X-Men.
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He gave the audiences what they were waiting for and made his much-anticipated return in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Jay Maidment / © Marvel / © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
3.
Tobey Maguire is one of many who’ve played Spider-Man over the years.
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He met up with his fellow Spideys, played by Tom Holland and Andrew Garfield, in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.
4.
Jessica Lange became an American Horror Story fan favorite with her Murder House role as Constance Langdon.
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We didn’t reunite with Constance until American Horror Story: Apocalypse.
5.
Jeff Goldblum portrayed Ian Malcolm in 1993’s Jurassic Park.
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His last appearance in the dinosaur franchise was 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion.
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6.
Sylvester Stallone entered the ring in 1976’s Rocky.
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And it’s no surprise we met him again in 2015’s Creed and 2018’s Creed II.
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7.
Ellen DeGeneres served as the voice of Dory in 2003’s animated hit Finding Nemo.
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And she kept swimming in 2016’s Finding Dory.
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8.
Bill Murray played Peter Venkman in 1984’s Ghostbusters.
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He still ain’t afraid of no ghosts in 2023’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
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9.
Ralph Macchio mastered the art of wax on, wax off when he portrayed Daniel LaRusso in 1984’s The Karate Kid.
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He returned to the dojo in The Karate Kid spin-off, Cobra Kai.
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10.
Keanu Reeves entered The Matrix in 1999 when he portrayed Neo.
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He was last seen in the sci-fi franchise during 2021’s The Matrix Resurrections.
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11.
Carrie Fisher went to a galaxy far, far away when she was introduced as Princess Leia in 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
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Carrie passed away one year before making one of her final onscreen appearances in 2017’s Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi.
© Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / © Lucasfilm Ltd. / Courtesy Everett Collection
12.
In 1986, Tom Cruise made Maverick a household name after starring in Top Gun.
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He finally returned to the flight deck in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick.
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13.
Sarah Jessica Parker became a Sex and the City icon as Carrie Bradshaw when the show debuted in 1998.
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She returned in 2021 with the premiere of the SATC spin-off, And Just Like That…
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14.
Between 2009 and 2013, Bob Odenkirk portrayed Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad.
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He reprised his role in 63 episodes of Better Call Saul between 2015 and 2022.
Ursula Coyote / © AMC / Courtesy Everett Collection
15.
Cierra Ramirez and Maia Mitchell became family when they played sisters Callie and Mariana in The Fosters from 2013 to 2018.
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Their stories continued when the spin-off Good Trouble premiered in 2019.
Carlos Lopez-Calleja / © Freeform / Disney / Courtesy Everett Collection
16.
John Stamos became an ’80s and ’90s sitcom staple when he portrayed Uncle Jesse in Full House.
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In 2016, Fuller House started streaming on Netflix and brought back Uncle Jesse and many other familiar faces from the original show.
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17.
The ’90s were all about Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel’s relationship as Cory and Topanga in Boy Meets World.
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When the Disney Channel spin-off Girl Meets World became a thing in 2014, it was only right for Cory and Topanga to continue their love story.
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18.
In 1981, Harrison Ford wore his iconic Indy hat for the first time in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
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His globe-trotting adventures never stopped as he returned in 2023’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Jonathan Olley / © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
19.
We all fell under the Sanderson Sisters’ magic spell in 1993’s Hocus Pocus.
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Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy bewitched us once more in 2022’s Hocus Pocus sequel.
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20.
Finally, Michael Keaton transformed into Betelgeuse in the 1988 cult classic Beetlejuice.
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The ghost with the most made his killer comeback in 2024’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Parisa Taghizadeh / © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection
Who else would you add to this list? Share your thoughts in the comments!
