19 Actors Who Played Roles So Perfectly That No One Could Ever Replace Them

J.K. Simmons, Mandy Patinkin, Samuel L. Jackson...

Damjan

• Published in Film & TV
• May 18, 2022

We all love movies and TV shows, right? But what's the reason we love them so much?

Have you ever thought about that? We have.

The plot of some films and television series sticks with you. Others use stunning settings or emotive music to get under your skin.

Some movies, however, will stick with you because of the characters. These personalities have left an indelible mark on our hearts and thoughts, for better or worse.

Characters in films and television shows are frequently defined by the actors who portray them. While characters can be played by a variety of actors, there is always that one actor that manages to best fit a character's shoes, and people couldn't envision anybody else in the part.

This has been discussed on Reddit. Well, recently Redditor Haggerstonian asked, "Which actor portrayed a character so well, no other actor could ever replace them?"

The answers that came in really showed how incredible some of these performances are! "Irreplaceable," in fact!

Some of these roles were from movies almost 50 years old. And people still remember them!

These actors have had a huge cultural impact, and it is well deserved. So, with that in mind, here are a few actors whose character performances could never, ever be surpassed:

Some actors go beyond simply portraying a role. Instead, they become that character.

1. Will Smith - Agent J in Men in Black

"No one could have played that role as perfectly as he did."

—u/_SUPERKONTIK_

2. Imelda Staunton - Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

"She played it so well and we all hated her so much."

—u/grainia99

3. J.K. Simmons - J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man trilogy

"A role so nice, they cast him twice!"

—u/BayCone

4. Tim Curry - Dr. Frankenfurter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show

"Sorry to all those who've tried."

—u/Runbunnierun

5. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy - the Sanderson sisters in Hocus Pocus

—u/Xtina1680

6. R. Lee Ermey - Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket

"He was such a perfect fit for the role, he was actually able to snag the role away from another actor."

—u/Rockglen

7. Mandy Patinkin - Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride

"Also, Andre the Giant as Fezzik. Also, Cary Elwes as Westley. Also, the whole cast of that movie..."

—u/LordFirebeard

8. Samuel L. Jackson - Jules in Pulp Fiction

—u/tootbrun

9. Kathy Bates - Annie Wilkes in Misery

"Most of her roles are spot on, though."

—u/OnionShanty

10. Martin Freeman and Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins.

"They’re both perfect for that single role, and Freeman looks EXACTLY like a younger Holm."

—u/CurlyQ190

11. Tom Hiddleston - Loki in the Marvel Universe

"No one on here is admitting that no one could ever live up to that performance!"

—u/thesk8rguitarist

12. Robert England - Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street

"He is the only one who can play that character. Sorry to whoever played him in the remake, but you didn't stand a chance."

—u/Golifr4u

13. Julie Andrews - Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins

"In the recent sequel (Marry Poppins Returns), I just couldn't let go of the fact that it wasn't the same person. While the sequel was still good, Andrews is what made the original amazing.

To be fair, though, I also just love Julie Andrews."

—u/Random_Loaf

14. Danny Glover - Albert in The Color Purple

"For YEARS, I hated that man because of how well he played that role. I didn’t give a damn how many fun Lethal Weapons he did after that, to me he was always the sick bastard who abused Celie!"

—u/MarlaSinger36

15. Robert Shaw - Quint in Jaws

"I don't think anyone else could have pulled off that level of unhinged sadness without looking completely over-the-top."

—u/hockeyjoker

16. Helen Mirren - Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen

"Mirren played the Queen better than the Queen herself ever could."

—u/Lilmaggot

17. John Cazale as Fredo - The Godfather trilogy

"The obvious answer for some might be Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, but I think this is, perhaps, a better answer. I mean, the guy was in five movies — all of which were nominated for Best Picture. (In case you're wondering: The Godfather 1 and 2, The Deer Hunter, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Conversation.)

He was such a talent that we lost too soon to lung cancer."

—u/chales96

18. Chadwick Boseman - T'Challa in Black Panther

"He was so great in every role he played, from Jackie Robinson to James Brown... the list goes on, but it's not nearly long enough. The world lost him way too soon."

—u/alleghenysinger

19. Sigourney Weaver - Ellen Ripley in Alien

"When you rewatch both Alien and Aliens, you realize how genuinely good and iconic she was!"

—u/softkermit

Well, what do you think about these iconic roles? That's some list we have, right?

Can you imagine anyone else playing them? Well, people can try, that’s for sure, but they couldn’t possibly measure up to these great actors.

Would people remember them after a couple of years? Who knows...

Damjan