It's common, and now expected, to see actors take on multiple movie roles. Whether they're playing a hero in an action-packed franchise or a more emotional role in a drama, it's part of an actor's goal to play several different film roles and diversify their filmography. However, this similar diversification is often overlooked in television.
Sometimes, it can be harder to recognize well-known actors in TV shows. This is mainly due to preferences of viewers and which streaming services they use. Occasionally, a viewer wouldn't know that their favorite actor played another well-known role in a different TV show, but nonetheless there are many who have taken on multiple iconic parts over the course of their career.
Bryan Cranston
The man, the myth, the living legend, Bryan Cranston, was first seen nailing the role as Hal, Malcom's dad on Malcom in the Middle. His theatrical spin on the comical dad character was a successful match for the Frankie Muniz-lead show.
While Cranston went on to star in Broadway plays and countless movies, he also appeared years later as one of the most well-known and iconic TV characters in history: Walter White on Breaking Bad. Cranston is known for his character's balance between the sweet and loving family man double sided with the cunning, tactful and intelligent meth cook and businessman, under the alias, "Heisenberg."
William Shatner
Captain Kirk wouldn't have become as famous without the great William Shatner to walk in the character's shoes in the late 1960s show, Star Trek. Aboard the USS Enterprise, Kirk's forever-iconic speech, "to boldly go where no man has gone before" never left fans' minds and hearts. However, after his most iconic role, Shatner went on to play other big future TV roles.
Those roles include the tough Sergeant T.J. Hooker of T.J. Hooker and Denny Crane of Boston Legal. Shatner's famous law enforcement-related roles were the most recent television shows he's been in. All three roles are memorable but Captain Kirk will perhaps always contribute to Shatner's TV icon status.
Mila Kunis
This daring actress will forever be known as the devious, funny, big-mouthed, shallow Jackie Burkhart from That 70s Show. She added a youthfulness to the show when it first aired and later conveyed a much more significant presence throughout the friend group.
However, aside from her most well-known role, Mila Kunis also voices the hilarious daughter character, Meg Griffin, on Family Guy. Kunis brought a dark humor to this character, as Meg is insecure about her social status and is typically used as the punch line to Peter's jokes. Both of her television roles differ in many ways, aside from the fact that one is a live-action and the other is animated, but they both portray the quintessential teenage girl dealing with typical social struggles.
Ashton Kutcher
Another That 70s Show alumni, Ashton Kutcher is recognized for playing the aloof and goofy Michael Kelso. The actor brought a boisterous yet tender side to the hilarious character. It's incredibly difficult to avoid laughing at the words, "Well damn, Jackie!" and that's thanks to Kutcher's iconic performance.
Later on of course, he'd go on to play the billionaire, Walden Schmidt, on Two and a Half Men. Walden goes through a bunch of relationship problems, ultimately blaming it on being a rich entrepreneur. Both his comical characters hit their iconic status through Walden becoming Alan's new best friend and Michael becoming the biggest goofball, and both roles generally deal with relationship problems with women.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Everybody recognizes the brilliant actor Jeremy Dean Morgan from The Walking Dead swinging that infamous baseball bat, fighting off zombies, or "walkers," in a post-apocalyptic world. The full-out authoritarian dictator, Negan, of the "Saviors" survivor group is regularly violent and ruthless, which mainly stems from how he was affected by his wife becoming a walker and not killing her.
But Morgan's other undeniably iconic role is that of John Winchester from Supernatural. This character came before Morgan's fame in The Walking Dead but his influence on the paranormal-focused show is the complicated father figure who loses his life early on in the series. Without John's presence on the show, the Winchester brothers would never have set out to find their dad on his hunting trip.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Although she has held some memorable film roles, Sarah Michelle Gellar has played some of the most well-known television characters, mainly with Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The character is so iconic to the point where even The Big Bang Theory brought her onto the show for a direct reference in its finale. Gellar brought a smart and kick-ass persona to the character, establishing Buffy as a heroic and tough icon.
Gellar also starred in the short-lived CW show, Ringer, as the twins, Bridget Kelly and Siobhan Martin. Bridget tries to escape from the mob's threats, and takes her sister's identity. Gellar's other notable TV role was Sydney Roberts in The Crazy Ones, where she starred alongside Robin Williams' main character, Simon Roberts. Both shows weren't continued by their networks but Gellar's performances helped her ascension as an iconic television star.
Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy's career hit its heights through her fearless comedy. Her role as the clumsy and funny chef Sookie St. James in Gilmore Girls added a lightheartedness in the show. As the friend and business parter of Lorelai, Sookie is supportive for her, especially in the eventual relationship with Luke.
McCarthy's other iconic role is that of the initial elementary school teacher, Molly Flynn, of Mike and Molly, who meets the other main character, Mike, in a weight-loss support group. The character's rising debt due to extensive shopping and her (sometimes) short-temper were comedic characteristics that established her as an icon in TV.
Woody Harrelson
Cheers helped Harrelson hit the ground running in his career. Woody Harrelson played the bartender, Woody Boyd, who essentially replaced the character, Coach. Harrelson brought an aloof and hilarious angle to the character, ultimately creating some good laughs for audiences.
Harrelson's other iconic roles included Nathan from Will & Grace, Grace's new boyfriend and the cop, Marty Hart, on the first season of True Detective. On Will & Grace, Nathan is a crude yet romantic and charming boyfriend, who creates an incredibly sweet first date for Grace, only to break her heart awhile later after she proposes to him. On True Detective, Harrelson's character Marty is an intense detective who investigates a murder over the course of 17 years and regularly cheats on his wife.
Sean Bean
Sean Bean's movie presence is undeniable, but his television roles are meant underrated due to the shorter length of time he's in each role. His character, Ned Stark from Game of Thrones is truly iconic in his known image of sitting on the Iron Throne. The Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North is involved in a major plot twist that only true fans of the series know all too well.
Bean is also seen as the character Martin Odum on Legends, the undercover FBI agent who shifts his persona when dealing with a different crime investigation. This causes the character to struggle with his real identity, and the way Bean conveys this character is truly unique and memorable.
Wilmer Valderrama
That 70s Show clearly had a cast that grew to be all-stars in the television business. Valderrama played Fez, the girl-chasing, occasionally creepy, and always hilarious friend who later winds up with Jackie. Although the character is used as a culturally unambiguous punch line, the show at least highlights his admirable qualities as a friend to the whole Point Place gang.
Of course, Valderrama carried on to bigger and better things when he landed the role of Nick Torres on NCIS. Nick is a complex, intriguing character, as he is a socially confident person who bends the rules when he deems it necessary. But he is also superstitious when it comes to the deceased. This series regular is iconic because of his rollercoaster lifestyle as an agent, but Valderrama's portrayal of Fez is even more iconic as it has found it sway into trending memes.