Why were there so many repeat performances in Columbo?
Watching Columbo reruns I noticed that a lot of actors have repeat performances in different episodes portraying different characters. This page has a big list of such actors, one of them played as many as 19 different roles. It's slightly distracting seeing the same actor again in a different role.
Why did they reuse actors instead of casting new people to fill the roles? Surely it wouldn't have been hard to find more than enough eager actors in Hollywood.
Best Answer
As a director, you know what you're going to get from the actor.
BCdotWEB hit the nail on the head. The director knows exactly what the actor is capable of, which means you probably spend less time auditioning and more time filming. (Admittedly, I have no source to support this.)
Plus, tt's not just Columbo.
The TV Trope entry for You Look Familiar lists loads of shows that reused actors in different roles, so it's obviously common practice in the industry.
Speculation alert: There may be financial reasons for reusing actors too (i.e. the actors were contacted to the production company that made Columbo meaning that they had to be used), but I need to do some more digging...
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Are there any recurring characters in Columbo?
Aside from Columbo and 'Dog', the single-most recurring character was Bruce Kirby's Sergeant Kramer, who featured six times between 1974 and 1990. Peter Falk was rumoured to be earning $300,000 per episode when he returned for Season 6 of Columbo in 1976.Who was the most frequent guest on Columbo?
McGoohan holds the record for most recurring Columbo killer, having appeared as a murderer four different times. Robert Culp also appeared in four episodes but played the killer in only three. Appearances: By Dawn's Early Light (1974) as Colonel Lyle C.How many times was George Hamilton on Columbo?
Over the course of a career that has spanned 60 years, he is perhaps remembered for his comedic starring role in Dracula: Love at First Bite. Hamilton is also one of the few actors to have played a Columbo killer twice; first as Dr.How many times did Patrick McGoohan star in Columbo?
He played four in total, more than anyone else - specifically Colonel Lyle C. Rumford in Columbo: By Dawn's Early Light (1974), Nelson Brenner in Columbo: Identity Crisis (1975), Oscar Finch in Columbo: Agenda for Murder (1990) and Eric Prince in Columbo: Ashes to Ashes (1998).“Were You a Witness To What He Just Did? | Columbo
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