Fredric
March as
Dr. Jeckyll/Mr. Hyde in Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde (1931/32)
Laurence Olivier as Hamlet/the voice of the Ghost in Hamlet
(1948)
Lee Marvin as Tim Strawn/Kid Shelleen in Cat Ballou
(1965)
Full
credit if you only named Marvin, since it can be argued that March's
Jeckyll/Hyde was the same character and Olivier's secondary role
as the voice of the Ghost was uncredited.
Some
references inexplicably credit the Ghost in Olivier's film as being performed by John
Gielgud, but in fact Olivier disliked working with Gielgud and turned
down his request to play the chorus in Olivier's film of Henry
V (1946). Gielgud did play the Ghost in his 1964 Broadway production
starring Richard Burton, the 1970 Hallmark Hall of Fame television
production starring Richard Chamberlain, and in Kenneth Branagh's
1994 radio production; but Olivier played the Ghost in his film
by recording the dialogue himself and playing it back at a reduced
speed. Gielgud and Olivier worked together directly only five times in
their careers:
- In 1934,
Olivier took over for Ralph Richardson at short notice in the
Gielgud-directed play Queen of Scots.
- In 1936,
they alternated the roles of Romeo and Mercutio in the legendary
1936 stage production of Romeo & Juliet directed by
Gielgud. This production started Olivier's career as a classical
actor, although he never credited Gielgud publicly for the break.
- Gielgud directed
Olivier and Vivien Leigh in a troublesome production of Twelfth
Night at Stratford, although Olivier was said to have ignored
Gielgud's direction.
- Gielgud played
Clarence in Olivier's memorable 1956 film of Richard III,
although he complained that his role was reduced significantly
after its initial release.
- Gielgud and
Olivier shared the screen with Ralph Richardson for the only time
in Tony Palmer's television film of Wagner.
The
only actor to be nominated for playing three roles in a single film
is Peter Sellers for Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop
Worrying and Love the Bomb.
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