Actors Who Are Good at Both Comedy and Drama

[icecream]

I am leaving hybrid shows out that already have a good mix like Gilmore Girls, Psych, Leverage, and The Love Boat. Although M*A*S*H could be in that boat as well it is left in as a comedy. Monk is left in as a drama, even though it was entered in comedy Emmys I consider Monk too dark to be a sitcom.

Andy Griffith- The Andy Griffith Show, Matlock, A Face In the Crowd, Diagnosis Murder
Dick Van Dyke- The Dick Van Dyke Show, Diagnosis Murder, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Jerry Van Dyke- Coach, Diagnosis Murder, The Andy Griffith Show
Craig T. Nelson- Coach, Monk, The District
Tony Shalhoub- Wings, Monk, Paulie, BrainDead
Kelsey Grammer- Frasier/Cheers/Wings, Back to You, A Christmas Carol: the Musical, Mr. St. Nick
Jason Alexander- Seinfeld, Young Sheldon, A Christmas Carol: the Musical
Harry Morgan- M*A*S*H, Dragnet, The Cat from Outer Space
Dick York- Bewitched, The Twilight Zone
Joanna Garcia- Reba, Privileged, Once Upon a Time
Anthony LaPaglia- Without a Trace, Frasier
Robin Williams- Mork and Mindy, Jumanji, August Rush, Dead Poets Society, Mrs. Doubtfire
Bebe Neuwirth- Frasier/Cheers/Wings, Law and Order: Trial by Jury, Blue Bloods, Jumanji
Bonnie Hunt- Life with Bonnie, Cheaper by the Dozen, Beethoven, Jumanji
David Alan Grier- DAG, Life with Bonnie, The Cool Kids, Jumanji
Whoopi Goldberg- Sister Act movies, Star Trek: the Next Generation, The Middle
Brent Spiner- Star Trek: the Next Generation, Night Court
Rene Auberjonois- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Benson
Robert Guillaume- Benson, Lean on Me
John Ritter- 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter, The Waltons, Touched by an Angel
Katey Sagal- 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter, Rebel
Hal Linden- Barney Miller, Touched by an Angel
David Ogden Stiers- M*A*S*H, Star Trek: the Next Generation
Tim Allen- Home Improvement, The Shaggy Dog, The Santa Clause trilogy
Peter Boyle- Everybody Loves Raymond, The X-Files
Ed Asner- The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, Rich Man Poor Man
Marsha Warfield- Night Court, 9-1-1
Jonathan Taylor Thomas- Home Improvement, I'll Be Home for Christmas
Earl Hindman- Home Improvement, Law and Order
Olivia D'Abo- The Wonder Years, Law and Order: Criminal Intent
Helen Hunt- Mad About You, Twister
Minnie Driver- Return to Me, Speechless
John Lithgow- 3rd Rock from the Sun, Footloose
Wallace Shawn- The Princess Bride, Young Sheldon, Murphy Brown, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Ethan Phillips- Benson, Star Trek: Voyager
Robert Picardo- Star Trek: Voyager, The Wonder Years
Michael Crawford- Phantom of the Opera, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Inga Swenson- Benson, The Miracle Worker
Patty Duke- The Patty Duke Show, The Miracle Worker
Michael J. Fox- Family Ties, Back to the Future trilogy, Designated Survivor
Melissa Joan Hart- Sabrina the Teenage Witch, God's Not Dead 2
Kirk Cameron- Growing Pains, Left Behind trilogy, Fireproof
William Daniels- Boy Meets World, 1776
Martin Mull- Clue, The Cool Kids, Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Peri Gilpin- Frasier, Wings, Make It or Break It, Scorpion
Constance Marie- Switched at Birth, George Lopez
Sally Field- Norma Rae, Gidget
Jim Parsons- The Big Bang Theory, Hidden Figures

[Sal]

Originally Posted by icecream

I am leaving hybrid shows out that already have a good mix like Gilmore Girls, Psych, Leverage, and The Love Boat. Although M*A*S*H could be in that boat as well it is left in as a comedy. Monk is left in as a drama, even though it was entered in comedy Emmys I consider Monk too dark to be a sitcom.

Andy Griffith- The Andy Griffith Show, Matlock, Lonesome Rhodes, Diagnosis Murder
Dick Van Dyke- The Dick Van Dyke Show, Diagnosis Murder, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Jerry Van Dyke- Coach, Diagnosis Murder, The Andy Griffith Show
Craig T. Nelson- Coach, Monk, The District
Tony Shalhoub- Wings, Monk, Paulie, BrainDead
Kelsey Grammer- Frasier/Cheers/Wings, Back to You, A Christmas Carol: the Musical, Mr. St. Nick
Jason Alexander- Seinfeld, Young Sheldon, A Christmas Carol: the Musical
Harry Morgan- M*A*S*H, Dragnet, The Cat from Outer Space
Dick York- Bewitched, The Twilight Zone
Joanna Garcia- Reba, Privileged, Once Upon a Time
Anthony LaPaglia- Without a Trace, Frasier
Robin Williams- Mork and Mindy, Jumanji, August Rush, Dead Poets Society, Mrs. Doubtfire
Bebe Neuwirth- Frasier/Cheers/Wings, Law and Order: Trial by Jury, Blue Bloods, Jumanji
Bonnie Hunt- Life with Bonnie, Cheaper by the Dozen, Beethoven, Jumanji
David Alan Grier- DAG, Life with Bonnie, The Cool Kids, Jumanji
Whoopi Goldberg- Sister Act movies, Star Trek: the Next Generation, The Middle
Brent Spiner- Star Trek: the Next Generation, Night Court
Rene Auberjonois- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Benson
Robert Guillaume- Benson, Lean on Me
John Ritter- 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter, The Waltons, Touched by an Angel
Katey Sagal- 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter, Rebel
Hal Linden- Barney Miller, Touched by an Angel
David Ogden Stiers- M*A*S*H, Star Trek: the Next Generation
Tim Allen- Home Improvement, The Shaggy Dog, The Santa Clause trilogy
Peter Boyle- Everybody Loves Raymond, The X-Files
Ed Asner- The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, Rich Man Poor Man
Marsha Warfield- Night Court, 9-1-1
Jonathan Taylor Thomas- Home Improvement, I'll Be Home for Christmas
Earl Hindman- Home Improvement, Law and Order
Olivia D'Abo- The Wonder Years, Law and Order: Criminal Intent
Helen Hunt- Mad About You, Twister
Minnie Driver- Return to Me, Speechless
John Lithgow- 3rd Rock from the Sun, Footloose
Wallace Shawn- The Princess Bride, Young Sheldon, Murphy Brown, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Ethan Phillips- Benson, Star Trek: Voyager
Robert Picardo- Star Trek: Voyager, The Wonder Years
Michael Crawford- Phantom of the Opera, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Inga Swenson- Benson, The Miracle Worker
Patty Duke- The Patty Duke Show, The Miracle Worker
Michael J. Fox- Family Ties, Back to the Future trilogy, Designated Survivor
Melissa Joan Hart- Sabrina the Teenage Witch, God's Not Dead 2
Kirk Cameron- Growing Pains, Left Behind trilogy, Fireproof
William Daniels- Boy Meets World, 1776
Martin Mull- Clue, The Cool Kids, Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Peri Gilpin- Frasier, Wings, Make It or Break It, Scorpion
Constance Marie- Switched at Birth, George Lopez
Sally Field- Norma Rae, Gidget
Jim Parsons- The Big Bang Theory, Hidden Figures

Some of those names and credits do not impress me at all. First of all, making a guest appearance on a drama series does not make a comic actor good at dramatic acting. You would have to do it on a regular basis to be taken more seriously in both genres. Also, some actors you named were better known on other series, like John Ritter on "Three's Company" and Katey Sagal on "Married With Children". Plus, the Andy Griffith movie that you added was called "A Face In The Crowd". Lonesome Rhodes was the role that he played in the movie. There are also others that I would leave off completely, like Jason Alexander, David Alan Grier, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Melissa Joan Hart, Tim Allen (all shows mentioned were comedies) and definitely Kirk Cameron. They're not even good at comedy so they were better off being left out. It's one thing to appear in both comedies and dramas. It's another to be good at both. Here's who I would add:


Tom Hanks - Oscar Winner - Bosom Buddies, Forrest Gump

Fred MacMurray - My Three Sons, Double Indemnity

Carroll O' Connor - All In The Family, In The Heat Of The Night

Bryan Cranston - Malcolm In The Middle, Breaking Bad

Mary Tyler Moore - The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Ordinary People

John Travolta - Welcome Back Kotter, Saturday Night Fever

Other former sitcom stars who won Oscars for dramatic roles:

Shirley Jones, Shirley Booth, Walter Brennan, Donna Reed, Ernest Borgnine.

[Alan Brady's Hair]

Gleason and Carney are probably the best pair of actors ever at the top of a sitcom.

Ernie Borgnine.

[king of comedy]

Carney won an Oscar for Harry and Tonto.

[space1999]

Ted Danson

[PracTz]

Carol Burnett has been brilliant doing both even though she's concentrated on comedy for the most part during her career!

[Reinhold_Weege]

Christine Baranski

Comedy:

Happy Family (Main cast)
Cybill (Main cast)
Big Bang Theory (Recurring)

Drama:

The Good Wife (Main cast)
The Good Fight (Main cast)
Ghost Whisperer (Recurring)

[SarahBellum]

Jack Lemmon
Walter Matthau
Michael Caine
Mickey Rooney
Tony Curtis

[favoriteshow]

Of the SNL alums of recent, Kristen Wiig has shown most dramatic depth, although most of her work is comedies or dramadies.

[icecream]

Peter Graves- 7th Heaven, Airplane!
Kimberly Williams- Father of the Bride movies, According to Jim, The Christmas Shoes

[favoriteshow]

Originally Posted by Sal

Some of those names and credits do not impress me at all. First of all, making a guest appearance on a drama series does not make a comic actor good at dramatic acting. You would have to do it on a regular basis to be taken more seriously in both genres. Also, some actors you named were better known on other series, like John Ritter on "Three's Company" and Katey Sagal on "Married With Children".

For Katey Sagal, she also starred in Lost and a number of other dramas (Sons of Anarchy), that her roles in all of those series has made her essentially regular in tv dramas. Her career has certainly evolved from playing a caricature role of Peggy Bundy on "Married with Children".

Maybe it also has to do with the staying power of the show, as Married with Children has aged and isn't as relevant, whereas with Friends popularity, Aniston will be associated to being one of the six Friends for a long time.

[biffbronson]

Lori Martin -- National Velvet TV drama, sitcom guesting (sadly R.I.P.)

Clint Howard -- Gentle Ben TV drama, sitcom guesting

[icecream]

Originally Posted by biffbronson

Lori Martin -- National Velvet TV drama, sitcom guesting (sadly R.I.P.)

Clint Howard -- Gentle Ben TV drama, sitcom guesting

Welcome back! I am glad to see you have returned.

[Sal]

Originally Posted by icecream

Peter Graves- 7th Heaven, Airplane!
Kimberly Williams- Father of the Bride movies, According to Jim, The Christmas Shoes

7th Heaven? Please! Try Mission: Impossible! That's the Peter Graves I remember.


Now I would like to add one more name that you might not expect but he checks all the boxes. That would be Howie Mandel. He is one of the funniest men that I have ever seen but he has also stepped out of the comedy genre a few times, hosting his own talk show for a brief time as well as being the host of the Emmy-winning game show "Deal Or No Deal", being a judge in the reality series "America's Got Talent" as well as the Canadian version "Canada's Got Talent", and beginning his career as Dr. Wayne Fiscus on one of TV's all time best drama series "St. Elsewhere". No doubt about it, Howie has done it all, and he's done it very well.

[Dr. Jazz]

Jack Klugman