Here's another spin on the thread about older actors who managed to outlive their younger co-stars.

For instance:

Soap: Roscoe Lee Browne replaced Robert Guillaume; Guillaume outlived Browne

Silver Spoons: Franklyn Seales replaced Leonard Lightfoot; Lightfoot outlived Seales

Charlie's Angels: Tanya Roberts replaced Shelley Hack; Hack outlived Roberts

Night Court: Markie Post replaced Ellen Foley; Foley outlived Post

Night Court: Charles Robinson replaced Karen Austin; Austin outlived Robinson

True Colors: Cleavon Little replaced Frankie Faison; Faison outlived Little

Newhart: Peter Scolari replaced Steven Kampmann; Kampmann outlived Scolari

It's a Living: Richard Stahl replaced Earl Boen; Boen outlived Stahl

Petticoat Junction: Meredith Macrae replaced Gunilla Hutton. Hutton outlived Macrae

Dallas: Keenan Wynn replaced David Wayne. Wayne outlived Wynn

Hunter: Darlanne Fluegel replaced Stepfanie Kramer, and Charles Hallahan replaced Bruce Davison. Kramer outlived Fluegel, and Davison outlived Hallahan

Ironside: Elizabeth Baur replaced Barbara Anderson. Anderson outlived Baur

The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis: Steve Franken replaced Warren Beatty. Beatty outlived Franken

Captain Video And His Video Rangers: Al Hodge replaced Richard Coogan. Coogan outlived Hodge

Gunsmoke: Ken Curtis replaced Dennis Weaver. Weaver outlived Curtis

Actors who originated a role on TV or film outliving the actor who played said character in the subsequent TV (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_programs_based_on_films) or film (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_television_programs) adaptations of the series or film:

The Addams Family: John Astin (TV Gomez Addams) outliving Raul Julia (movie Gomez Addams)

Star Trek: Walter Koenig (TV Pavel Chekov) outliving Anton Yelchin (movie Pavel Cekov)

Down and Out in Beverly Hills: Bette Midler (movie Barbara Whiteman) outliving Anita Morris (TV Barbara Whiteman)

The Beverly Hillbillies: Buddy Ebsen (TV Jeb Clampett) outliving Jim Varney (movie Jeb Clampett)

Training Day: Denzel Washington outliving Bill Paxton, who played the rough equivalent to his film character on the short-lived TV series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Training_Day_(TV_series))

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Rick Moranis (movie Wayne Szalinski) outliving Peter Scolari (TV Wayne Szalinski)

Stir Crazy: Richard Pryor (movie Harry) outliving Larry Riley (TV Harry)

Mission: Impossible: Peter Graves replaced Steven Hill, and Leonard Nimoy replaced Martin Landau. Hill outlived Graves, and Landau outlived Nimoy

Regarding movie actors who outlived the actor who subsequently played the same character on TV, the movie M*A*S*H had several examples of it.

Elliot Gould outlived both Wayne Rogers and Pernell Roberts (Trapper John)

Robert Duvall outlived Larry Linville (Frank Burns)

Fred Williamson outlived Timothy Brown (Spearchucker Jones)

Rene Auberjonois outlived William Christopher (Father Mulcahy). Incidentally, George Morgan who played Mulcahy only on the TV show pilot, also outlived Christopher

Carl Gottleib outlived John Orchard (Ugly John)

Roger Bowen outlived McLean Stevenson (Henry Blake)- by one day

'Dennis the Menace'- Sylvia Field (1901-1998) AKA Mrs. Martha Wilson outlived Sara Seegar (1914-1990) AKA her sister-in-law Mrs. Eloise Wilson. Of course, she also outlived Gale Gordon (1906-1995) who'd played her brother-in-law John who'd 'replaced' her character's husband Joseph Kearns (1907-1962)AKA Mr. George Wilson. Yes, Miss Field was actually older than the other three but would outlive all the other adult regulars besides Gloria Henry (1923-2021).

Alice: Alfred Lutter, who played Tommy Hyatt in the pilot as well as the original Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore film, outliving Philip McKeon, who replaced him as Tommy when the series formally began.

The Streets of San Francisco - Richard Hatch replaced (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031145254/http://www.jumptheshark.com/s/streetsofsanfrancisco.htm) Michael Douglas in the fifth and final season; Michael Douglas outlived Richard Hatch (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hatch_(actor)#Death).

Dallas - Donna Reed temporarily replaced Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie Ewing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Ellie_Ewing); Bel Geddes outlived Reed.

Eight Is Enough - Mary Frann replaced Betty Buckley as Abby Bradford in the first reunion TV film in 1987; Buckley outlived Fran.

Elizabeth Taylor outlived two actresses who played her movie role on TV: Myrna Fahey (Father Of The Bride) and Lori Martin (National Velvet).

The Courtship Off Eddie's Father: Glenn Ford, who played Tom Corbett in the movie, outlived Bill Bixby, who played the same role on TV.

The two lead actors from the movie In The Heat Of The Night (Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier) outlived their TV counterparts (Carroll O'Connor and Howard Rollins).

The Bad News Bears - Erin Blunt (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0089905/) played Ahmad Abdul-Rahim (https://badnewsbears.fandom.com/wiki/Ahmad_Abdul_Rahim) in the original 1976 film and its sequels while Kristoff St. John portrayed Ahmad in the 1979 TV series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bad_News_Bears_(TV_series)); Blunt outlived St. John. Meanwhile, Tatum O'Neal played Amanda Whurlitzer in the original film while Sammi Kane Kraft (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammi_Kane_Kraft) played Amanda in the 2005 remake; O'Neal outlived Kraft.

Batman (1966) - Eartha Kitt replaced Julie Newmar as Catwoman for the third and ultimately final season; Newmar outlived Kitt.

Dirty Dancing - Jack Weston played Max Kellerman in the film while McLean Stevenson played Max in the short-lived TV adaptation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_Dancing_(1988_TV_series)) that ran on CBS; Weston outlived Stevenson by a few months.

John Posey (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Posey_(actor)), who was Danny Tanner (https://www.looper.com/379378/why-the-role-of-danny-tanner-was-recast-after-the-pilot-of-full-house/) in the unaired (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMbWyaCpF9g) pilot (https://screenrant.com/full-house-danny-recast-bob-saget-john-posey/) for Full House (https://fullhouse.fandom.com/wiki/Unaired_pilot) outlived Bob Saget (https://decider.com/2022/01/09/bob-saget-full-house-dead-at-65/).

Matlock - Kene Holiday played Ben Matlock's initial private investigator, Tyler Hudson before he was dismissed after the third season due to his substance abuse issues at the time. Holiday wound up outliving his replacement, Clarence Gilyard Jr. (Conrad McMasters).

Cheers - Shelley Long (Diane Chambers) outlived her replacement, Kirstie Alley (Rebecca Howe).

Designing Women - Jean Smart (Charlene Frazier) outlived her replacement, Jan Hooks (Carlene Dobber).

Matlock - Kene Holiday played Ben Matlock's initial private investigator, Tyler Hudson before he was dismissed after the third season due to his substance abuse issues at the time. Holiday wound up outliving his replacement, Clarence Gilyard Jr. (Conrad McMasters).

Cheers - Shelley Long (Diane Chambers) outlived her replacement, Kirstie Alley (Rebecca Howe).

Designing Women - Jean Smart (Charlene Frazier) outlived her replacement, Jan Hooks (Carlene Dobber).

Kirstie Alley died?! WHAT?!! I haven't heard about that. :eek:

Ed.

Kirstie Alley died?! WHAT?!! I haven't heard about that. :eek:

Ed.News of her death just came last night, it was colon cancer.

News of her death just came last night, it was colon cancer.

Yeah thanks, I found an internet article about it. But reading it on here was the first I knew about her death. Kind of shocking, but it sounds like she hadn't been ill for very long either.

Ed.

Hang Time - Reggie Theus played the Deering High School Tornados' basketball coach, Bill Fuller for the first three seasons. Dick Butkus would replace Theus' role as the head coach, playing Mike Katowinski for the remainder of the series. Theus ultimately, would outlive Butkus (https://www.chicagobears.com/news/bears-legend-dick-butkus-passes-away).

Actors who originated a role on TV or film outliving the actor who played said character in the subsequent TV (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_programs_based_on_films) or film (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_television_programs) adaptations of the series or film:

The Addams Family: John Astin (TV Gomez Addams) outliving Raul Julia (movie Gomez Addams)

Star Trek: Walter Koenig (TV Pavel Chekov) outliving Anton Yelchin (movie Pavel Cekov)

Down and Out in Beverly Hills: Bette Midler (movie Barbara Whiteman) outliving Anita Morris (TV Barbara Whiteman)

The Beverly Hillbillies: Buddy Ebsen (TV Jeb Clampett) outliving Jim Varney (movie Jeb Clampett)

Training Day: Denzel Washington outliving Bill Paxton, who played the rough equivalent to his film character on the short-lived TV series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Training_Day_(TV_series))

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Rick Moranis (movie Wayne Szalinski) outliving Peter Scolari (TV Wayne Szalinski)

Stir Crazy: Richard Pryor (movie Harry) outliving Larry Riley (TV Harry)


Clueless: Dan Hedaya (movie Mel Horowitz (https://clueless.fandom.com/wiki/Mel_Horowitz_(film))) outliving Michael Lerner (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/10/arts/michael-lerner-dead.html) (TV Mel Horowitz from the first season)

Clueless: Dan Hedaya (movie Mel Horowitz (https://clueless.fandom.com/wiki/Mel_Horowitz_(film))) outliving Michael Lerner (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/10/arts/michael-lerner-dead.html) (TV Mel Horowitz from the first season)

Cindy Williams portrayed the role of M'Lynn Eatenton, that was originated by Sally Field, in a 1990 CBS (https://www.datalounge.com/thread/26212955-star-studded-steel-magnolias-unsold-tv-pilot-1990) pilot (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0843875/) for the film Steel Magnolias. Field ultimately outlived Williams (https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html). In that same pilot, Elaine Stritch portrayed Louisa "Ouiser" Boudreaux, which was originated by Shirley MacLaine in the film. MacLaine also wound up outliving Stritch (https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/18/theater/elaine-stritch-tart-tongued-broadway-actress-and-singer-is-dead-at-89.html). Also, Polly Bergen took on Olympia Dukakis' role from the film, Clairee Belcher. Whereas Bergen (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/actress-polly-bergen-dies-at-734506/) ultimately died in 2014, Dukakis (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/01/movies/olympia-dukakis-dead.html) would outlive her by about seven years.

This is a bit of a curveball, and I don’t think there are enough cases of this sort of thing to warrant its own thread, but Dave Barry (1947- ) has outlived Harry Anderson (1952-2018), who played him in the sitcom Dave’s World.

George Maharis outlived Glenn Corbett

Phyllis Coates portrayed Lois Lane in the first season of the Adventures of Superman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Superman_(TV_series)) series with George Reeves. The role of Lois Lane would be recast with Noel Neill, who first portrayed Lois in the serials (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_(serial)) with Kirk Alyn as Superman. Whereas Noel Neill would pass in 2016 (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/05/arts/television/noel-neill-the-lois-lane-to-george-reevess-superman-dies-at-95.html), Phyllis Coates (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/phyllis-coates-dead-lois-lane-superman-1235616582/) would outlive her for another seven years.

This is a bit of a curveball, and I don’t think there are enough cases of this sort of thing to warrant its own thread, but Dave Barry (1947- ) has outlived Harry Anderson (1952-2018), who played him in the sitcom Dave’s World.

This is a big stretch but Demond Wilson portrayed Oscar Madison in the first TV reimagining of The Odd Couple (https://willmckinley.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/50-years-of-the-odd-couple/) (1982's The New Odd Couple (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Odd_Couple) alongside Ron Glass as Felix Unger) following the 1970s TV series with Jack Klugman as Oscar and Tony Randall as Felix. The next time that we would get a reimagining of The Odd Couple on TV was the 2015 version (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Odd_Couple_(2015_TV_series)) on CBS with Matthew Perry as Oscar (https://the-odd-couple.fandom.com/wiki/Oscar_Madison) and Thomas Lennon as Felix. Demond Wilson would ultimately outlive Matthew Perry.

Parker Lewis Can't Lose - Anne Bloom played the titular character's mother, Judy Lewis in the first season while Mary Ellen Trainor played her in the remaining two. Bloom wound up outliving Trainor, who passed away in 2015.

What's My Line? -- Larry Blyden succeeded Wally Bruner; Blyden died in 1975, Bruner in 1997. Blyden's death also came before the death of his predecessor John Charles Daly (d. 1991).

Clueless: Dan Hedaya (movie Mel Horowitz (https://clueless.fandom.com/wiki/Mel_Horowitz_(film))) outliving Michael Lerner (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/10/arts/michael-lerner-dead.html) (TV Mel Horowitz from the first season)

Dan Hedaya also outlived Doug Sheehan (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-07-09/doug-sheehan-dead-general-hospital-joe-kelly), who played his character from the Clueless film in the last two seasons of the TV series, when it moved from ABC to UPN.

Actors who originated a role on TV or film outliving the actor who played said character in the subsequent TV (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_programs_based_on_films) or film (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_television_programs) adaptations of the series or film:

The Addams Family: John Astin (TV Gomez Addams) outliving Raul Julia (movie Gomez Addams)

Star Trek: Walter Koenig (TV Pavel Chekov) outliving Anton Yelchin (movie Pavel Cekov)

Down and Out in Beverly Hills: Bette Midler (movie Barbara Whiteman) outliving Anita Morris (TV Barbara Whiteman)

The Beverly Hillbillies: Buddy Ebsen (TV Jeb Clampett) outliving Jim Varney (movie Jeb Clampett)

Training Day: Denzel Washington outliving Bill Paxton, who played the rough equivalent to his film character on the short-lived TV series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Training_Day_(TV_series))

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Rick Moranis (movie Wayne Szalinski) outliving Peter Scolari (TV Wayne Szalinski)

Stir Crazy: Richard Pryor (movie Harry) outliving Larry Riley (TV Harry)


Paper Moon: Ryan O'Neal (movie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Moon_(film)) Moses Pray) outlived Christopher Connelly (TV (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Moon_(American_TV_series)) Moses Pray) by a good 35 years. Coincidentally, Ryan O'Neal passed away (https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/ryan-oneal-dead) less than a day after the 35th anniversary of Christopher Connelly's own death (https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/12/08/Peyton-Place-actor-Christopher-Connelly-dies-of-cancer/6864597560400/) on December 7, 1988.

Family Feud - Richard Dawson out lived Ray Combs

This is a bit of a curveball, and I don’t think there are enough cases of this sort of thing to warrant its own thread, but Dave Barry (1947- ) has outlived Harry Anderson (1952-2018), who played him in the sitcom Dave’s World.

This is another curveball but Richard O'Sullivan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_O%27Sullivan) (1944-), who played (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1111048/As-grows-worryingly-frail-Richard-OSullivans-star-lover-says--I-love-Man-About-The-House.html) Robin Tripp on Man About the House and later Robin's Nest in the UK outliving John Ritter (1948-2003), who played his American counterpart, Jack Tripper (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Tripper) on Three's Company and later Three's a Crowd.

Alice: Alfred Lutter, who played Tommy Hyatt in the pilot as well as the original Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore film, outliving Philip McKeon, who replaced him as Tommy when the series formally began.

Another Alice example, Diane Ladd, who played Florence Jean Castleberry in the Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore film, outliving (https://www.google.com/search?q=did+polly+holliday+die+before+diane+ladd&sca_esv=a566feb79decc771&sxsrf=AE3TifMte77EKZJSV6NISESTtA8fZAdatQ%3A1765685320408&ei=SDg-afncGIuq6-APku-4sAk) Polly Holliday, who played Flo in the Alice TV series, by at least two months.