10 Movie and TV Characters Played By the Most Different Actors

There are certain characters, whether they’ve been adapted from books or started out their lives onscreen, that can really only be played by one actor. It’s difficult to imagine anyone but Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine, or Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. Seeing anyone else put their spin on the types of roles that have attached irreversibly to an actor’s career just feels wrong sometimes.

Then again, there are plenty of characters whose portrayals onscreen have had quite the opposite effect on pop culture. Think about it: How many of your favorite movies follow characters you’ve seen countless times before, but simply played by different actors? These characters, though they’re technically the same people, have appeared as so many different versions of themselves sometimes it’s hard to count. At a certain point, it’s not as important who plays these characters — we just want to keep seeing them!

Characters like these offer actors an interesting avenue for their craft, an opportunity to put their own spin on someone audiences have already seen many times before. That can come with a lot of baggage — think about the discourse cycle every time a new actor takes on James Bond, or Superman. The more actors have played a character, the more difficult it can be to make them feel fresh.

Thankfully, most of the actors taking on these iconic characters have managed to put new spins on old favorites again and again. Here, we’ve gathered ten of the most-portrayed movie and TV characters of all time. A couple of these stats might surprise you.