15 Characters Played by Different Actors and Actresses

Some characters that are taken to the cinema, such as Sherlock Holmes, Zorro and Tarzan, overcome all kinds of cultural barriers and end up being successful almost all over the world. Many times the success is so great that the public starts asking for new versions. The Spider-Man and Batman movies are great examples of this: as the years go by, new versions are produced, always with some adaptations designed precisely for the new generations.

Thinking about it, the awesome.club decided to do a little research into the evolution of some of the film and television characters that have already been played by more than one actor or actress

It wasn’t just Batman’s costume that went through changes over the years, the actors who portrayed him changed a lot too. The first Batman movie was released around 60 years ago, and the first to play the role was Adam West. Over time, this dark character went through many changes until it reached Robert Pattinson’s hands.

Perhaps one of the characters played by the most actors on our list is James Bond. The first James Bond film, 007 Against the Satanic Dr. No opened on October 5, 1962 and featured Sean Connery in the lead role. Over the past 59 years, a total of 27 movies have been made, and the last one to play the lead role was actor Daniel Craig.

Catwoman has also changed a lot over the years. Her personality was shaped over time by the touch of different screenwriters, and another aspect that contributed to these transformations and helped to compose the character was the costume. Over time, the look changed and became more practical and comfortable. The last one to play the role was Zoë Kravitz, who did a great job.

Not everyone knows that Witches’ Convention, a recently released film, is from 1990 and featured Anjelica Huston in the role of the Great Witch. As you can see in the images above, the character has changed a lot, and actress Anne Hathaway did a great job playing this new version.

Nowadays Wonder Woman is played by Gal Gadot, but in the mid-70s the actress who brought her to life was Lynda Carter. The Wonder Woman series ran for four seasons. It is curious to notice the transformations that took place in her costume, which stopped being made of fabric and became metal, giving even more strength to the character.

Dracula is one of the most terrifying characters in history and has appeared in many TV shows and several movies. While there are countless actors who have played him both in film and on TV, three left their names etched in history: Bela Lugosi, in 1927, Christopher Lee, in the 50s and 70s, and Gary Oldman, in 1992.

The other witch on our list is a teenager and goes by the name Sabrina Spellman, and she was played on TV between 1996-2003. At that time, the character was played by Melissa Joan Hart. Recently, an adaptation was made for a more feminist version, and the character was played by Kiernan Shipka. Though her appearance has changed a bit, one thing hasn’t changed: her cat, Salem.

Captain America is one of many characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and he has been portrayed by three different actors. It all started with Reb Brown in 1979; in the next film, the character was played by Matt Salinger, in 1990; the most recent one was in the hands of actor Chris Evans.

The character Alice, from the novel Alice in Wonderland, has already been played by some actresses. While there are countless theater plays about this story, three major stars have played it in movies and series. Tina Majorino played the “classic” version of the little girl in 1999 and Caterina Scorsone staged a miniseries in 2002. Her more modern version was played by Mia Wasikowska.

Superman couldn’t be left off our list, as he’s been brought to the big screen dozens of times. Many actors have already played the character, but some ended up gaining more attention from the public. The first Superman, played by Kirk Alyn, appeared on film in 1948. The most recent, Henry Cavill, played the hero from 2013 to 2017 and is considered by many to be the best to date. Do you agree?

Speaking of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Hulk couldn’t be left out. Neither he nor his alter ego, Bruce Banner. The first Hulk was played by Lou Ferrigno in the 1970s TV series called The Incredible Hulk; interestingly, another actor was in charge of playing Bruce Banner at this time. After that, the producers changed their strategy, and nowadays both Hulk and his alter ego are played by the same actor, as in the last version, starring Mark Ruffalo.

Since 1938, there have been 17 film and television adaptations of the famous novel Pride and Prejudice. That is, many actresses played the lead role of Elizabeth Bennet, a young woman who wants to marry for love, but is obliged to marry for convenience. The first role was played by Greer Garson, in 1940, and the last version was in the hands of Lily James (2016). But fans of the novel still can’t agree on who was best in the role.

Joan of Arc is perhaps one of the most important women in history. The first film about her is almost 100 years old, from 1928. In the black and white version of 1948, the role was played by Ingrid Bergman; after her came Milla Jovovich and Leelee Sobieski, in 1999.

Depending on the viewer’s age, Tarzan may just be a cartoon character. The boy who was raised in the wild appeared to the world for the first time in 1912, in a magazine. To our surprise, the number of actors who played the character reaches a total of 24, from 1918 to 2016. In the images above we present some of the best known, starting with Christopher Lambert (1984) and reaching the last one, Alexander Skarsgård (2016) .

And last but not least, the great Zorro, the masked man who defends people from the rich and powerful. This hero without superpowers has also been played by several actors, but his appearance doesn’t seem to have changed much over the years: he always appears with a black hat, a mask and a sword. In total, ten actors played Zorro from 1920 to 2015.

What characters would you add to this list? And if you had to choose, would you say that the old versions are better than the new versions of the films mentioned above?