Longest-Played Roles in History

[Slimybug]

I made up a list of the longest gaps between the first time an actor played a character and the last time.

I thought about adding everyone who's played a role 30 years or longer, but The Simpsons really ruined that. There's too many of them. So here are merely the top 50, with the shortest being 38 years.

I decided to display it here in parts. Before I show #1, I want to hear what people think it will be, and what the time gap will be. But here are #50-41.

50. Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca
38 years, 6 months, 23 days
FA: Star Wars May 25, 1977
LA: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Dec. 18, 2015

49. Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime
38 years, 8 months
FA: The Transformers 1.1 - “More Than Meets the Eye” Sept. 17, 1984
LA: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Jun. 09, 2023

47. Dave Goelz as Boober Fraggle
Dave Goelz as Uncle Travelling Matt
39 years, 11 days
FA: Fraggle Rock - “Beginnings” Jan. 10, 1983
LA: Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock - “All of Us” Jan. 21, 2022

46. James Earl Jones as Darth Vader
39 years, 6 months, 21 days
FA: Star Wars May 25, 1977
LA: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Dec. 16, 2016

45. Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian
39 years, 6 months, 30 days
FA: The Empire Strikes Back May 21, 1980
LA: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Dec. 20, 2019

44. Jerry Nelson as Count Von Count
39 years, 11 months, 11 days
FA: Sesame Street - “Big Bird on the Street” Nov. 13, 1972
LA: Sesame Street - “Practice Makes Proud” Oct. 24, 2012

43. John Laroquette as Dan Fielding (ongoing)
Ca 40 years
FA: Night Court (1984) 1.1 - “All You Need is Love” Jan. 04, 1984
LA: Night Court (2023), season 2 2024

42. Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane (ongoing)
Ca 40 years
FA: Cheers - “Rebound, Part 1” Sept. 27, 1984
LA: Frasier reboot CA 2024

41. Casey Kasem as Shaggy Rogers
Ca 40 years
FA: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - “What a Night for a Knight!” Sept. 13, 1969
LA: ?? Possibly Peter Kay’s Animated All-Star Band 2009

[Malvolio]

Casey Kasem died several years ago. Matthew Lillard has been doing the voice of Shaggy in several animated projects since Kasem's death.

[Slimybug]

Casey Kasem died several years ago. Matthew Lillard has been doing the voice of Shaggy in several animated projects since Kasem's death.

Correct. That was a misprint. I will correct it.

[caj]

I hope the list includes daytime soap actors because there are several that did the same role for 45-50 years or more.

[Slimybug]

Oh snap, that never even occurred to me! Oh well, consider this the longest-played roles outside of daytime TV then! And #1 will still have them all beat!

[Catlady in training]

This is interesting, thanks for the list. So many actors returning to their famous roles nowadays, I wonder if the top one might be just some cameo.

This one didn't make the cut but I still find it cool: John Hurt played the real-live Quentin Crisp in two movies with 34 years between them: The Naked Civil Servant (1975) and An Englishman in New York (2009).

I hope you included Peter Davison playing the Fifth Doctor with his 42 years (1981-2023). William Russell, who played one of the first companions in 1963 and appeared in a cameo in 2022 (59 years) will hopefully be quite high on the list.

[Aahz]

I guess we will see more Star Wars, some Star Trek and if the animated movies count some Barman 66 actors on the list.

[caj]

At one time, actress Helen Wagner was in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing As The World Turns ' Nancy Hughes for 54 years.

[Alan2099]

If we want to count animation, the entire main Simpsons cast has been playing the same characters for 35 years.

[Kirby101]

Mel Blanc did Daffy Duck for 50 years. 3 years longer than he did Bugs.

[Jokerz79]

William Roache father of Linus Roache AKA Bruce's daddy in the Nolan films has been playing Ken Barlow on Coronation Street since it debuted in December of 1960. So for nearly 64 years and still going.

[ChrisIII]

This is interesting, thanks for the list. So many actors returning to their famous roles nowadays, I wonder if the top one might be just some cameo.

This one didn't make the cut but I still find it cool: John Hurt played the real-live Quentin Crisp in two movies with 34 years between them: The Naked Civil Servant (1975) and An Englishman in New York (2009).

I hope you included Peter Davison playing the Fifth Doctor with his 42 years (1981-2023). William Russell, who played one of the first companions in 1963 and appeared in a cameo in 2022 (59 years) will hopefully be quite high on the list.

Think Tom Baker counts as he does audio even if he hasn't exactly reprised the role on-screen role with the exception of Dimensions In Time (or if you count the Curator I guess).

[Gaastra]

clarence nash voiced donald duck from the golden age of animation to 1980.

[Jokerz79]

Nimoy played Spock from 1964 when the Cage was filmed until 2013 with Into Darkness.

[From The Shadows]

I hope the list includes daytime soap actors because there are several that did the same role for 45-50 years or more.

Like Victor Kiriakis and Stefano Demira from DOOL. I stopped watching it in the 90's but would occasionally check in. I couldn't believe it.