In 2022, we're all used to seeing actors reprising their most iconic roles from decades ago. So that got at least one user wondering: Who are the actors who have portrayed their characters over the longest periods of time? 

That led to the compilation of this list of 80 actors who have portrayed their characters for thirty years or longer!

This list is based on the release dates of the first and final (or most recent) appearances of these characters. Please keep in mind that this is an amateur list, so if I miss anything, feel free to point it out!

And without further ado, here is a list of the 80 longest-running character portrayals!

146. George Takei as Hikaru Sulu
30 years, 3 days (1966-1996)
Franchise: Star Trek
Appearances: Many television episodes, 6 films
First appearance: Star Trek - “The Man Trap”  - Sept. 08, 1966
Last appearance: Star Trek: Voyager - “Flashback” - Sept. 11, 1996

The helmsman of the U.S.S. Enterprise was present in the very first-aired episode of the original Star Trek series, and was there throughout all three seasons, from 1966-1969. Along with most of the rest of the main cast, Takei reprised the role for the short lived animated series from 1973 to 1974, and returned for the film series, appearing in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), in which Sulu was made captain of his own ship, the Excelsior. The latter film was dubbed as the grand finale for the original cast, but most of them made at least one more appearance, including Takei. He showed up in the 1996 episode of Star Trek: Voyager, “Flashback.” in which the character of Tuvok recalls his time serving on the Excelsior during the events of Star Trek VI. The episode marked 30 years of playing the character for Takei, down to the month.

John Cho picked up the role for the rebooted film series.

145. James MacDonald as Mickey Mouse
30 years, 15 days

Franchise: Mickey Mouse

First Appearance: Mickey Down Under - Mar. 19, 1948

Last Appearance: The 50th Academy Awards - Apr. 03, 1978

By 1947, Walt Disney’s voice had grown too hoarse from smoking for him to continue voicing the great mouse, and so he personally hired MacDonald to replace him. MacDonald retired from the role in 1976, handing it off to Wayne Allwine, but he returned for one last appearance at the 50th Academy Awards in 1978.

143. 2-Way Tie
Burt Young as Paulie Penino
Tony Burton as Tony "Duke" Evers
30 years, 1 month (1976-2006)
Franchise: Rocky
Appearances: 6 movies
First appearance: Rocky - Nov. 21, 1976
Last appearance: Rocky Balboa - Dec. 20, 2006

The role of Rocky Balboa’s morally-challenged best friend and eventual brother-in-law earned Young an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor of 1976, while Burton portrayed the manager of Rocky’s main rival, Apollo Creed, who would later come to train Rocky. The filmmakers couldn’t even get the name of Burton’s character straight. He was referred to as “Duke” until the fifth film, when Rocky oddly addressed him as “Tony.” The sixth film finally addressed him as Tony “Duke” Evers.

Both actors played their roles in Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), Rocky V (1990), and Rocky Balboa (2006). Both characters were then killed off  offscreen before the events of Creed (2015). Burton then passed away in real life in 2016.

142. Jim Cummings as The Tasmanian Devil
ca 30 years (at least)
Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: Unknown, 1991

Last Appearance: Space Jam: A New Legacy - Jul. 16, 2021

141. Robert Wuhl as Alexander Knox
30 years, 6 months (1989-2019) 

Franchise: Batman
Appearances: 1 film, 1 television episode
First appearance: Batman - Jun. 23, 1989
Last appearance: Supergirl - “Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 1” - Dec. 08, 2009

It was through the eyes of reporter Alexander Knox that we were introduced to the world of Batman in the original 1989 film. Despite being such a major presence in that film, he was not brought back for any sequels. Wuhl reprised the role briefly, however, in the opening scene of the major television crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths, in which we see the worlds of several different DC adaptations all faced with an apocalyptic event. Wuhl merely sees the skies turn red and utters the line “I hope you’re watching, big guy.” It wasn’t much, but Wuhl commented on how much fun it was to return to the character after so many years, and it was certainly appealing for many fans as well.

140. Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabapple
31 years, 1 month, 7 days (1990-2021)

Franchise: The Simpsons

First Appearance: The Simpsons - “Bart the Genius” - Jan. 14, 1990

Last Appearance: The Simpsons - “Diary Queen” - Feb. 21, 2021

This long-running Simpsons character was retired when the voice actress who portrayed her for so long passed away from pneumonia.

139. Bill Farmer as Pluto
31 years, 8 months, 15 days (1990-2022)

Franchise: Mickey Mouse

First Appearance: Disney Sing-Along-Songs: Disneyland Fun - Aug. 14, 1990

Last Appearance: Mickey Mouse Funhose - “The Mighty Goof!/Playtime in Crayon World” - Apr. 29, 2022

138. Jerry Nelson as Robin the Frog
32 years (1971-2003)

Franchise: The Muppets
First Appearance: The Frog Prince - May 12, 1971
Last Apperance: Jim Henson, Creator of Dreams - 2003

Jerry Nelson was one of the performers of The Muppets who took over various roles over the years, but this is the only one that makes this list!

137. Jeff Bergman as Yosemite Sam
ca 32 years (1989-2021)

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Apperance: Unknown, 1989
Last Apperance: Space Jame: A New Legacy - Jul. 16, 2021

136. Dan Castellenata as Barney Gumble
ca 32 years (1990-2002)

Franchise: The Simpsons

First Appearance: The Simpsons - “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” - Dec. 17, 1989

Last Appearance: The Simpsons, season 33 (2021-22)

135. Harry Shearer as Kent Brockman
Ca 32 years 

Franchise: The Simpsons

First Appearance: The Simpsons - “Krusty Gets Busted” - Apr. 29, 1990

Last Appearance: The Simpsons, season 33 - 2021-22

134. Dan Castellenata as Clancy Wiggum
Ca 32 years

Franchise: The Simpsons
First Appearance: Homer’s Odyssey - Jan. 21, 1990
Last Appearance: The Simpsons, season 33, 2021-2022

133. Jim Cummings as Winnie the Pooh
32 years, 1 month (1988-2020)

Franchise: Winnie the Pooh
Appearances: Many television episodes and short films, 7 video games, 8 films
First appearance: The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - “Pooh Oughta Be in Pictures” - Jan. 17, 1988
Last appearance: Doc McStuffins - “Lost and Found” - Feb. 08, 2020

Cummings is known for his incredible imitative voice work, and this helped him slide seamlessly into the voice role of Winnie the Pooh, following actors Sterling Holloway and Hal Smith. Cummings incredibly recreates the voice of Holloway.

Cummings also holds the record for the most appearances described on this list, so….*takes a deep breath*

He has played Winnie the Pooh since the first episode of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in 1988. That series ran for four seasons, until 1991. During that time, Cummings also voiced the character in the 1990 TV special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue and the short film Disney Sing-Along Songs: Disneyland Fun (1990). It was followed by the short films Winnie the Pooh & Christmas Too (1991), Winnie the Pooh Playtime: Detective Tigger (1994), Winnie the Pooh Playtime: Pooh Party (1994), Winnie the Pooh Playtime: Cowboy Pooh (1994), Winnie the Pooh Learning: Making Friends (1994), Winnie the Pooh Un-Valentine’s Day (1995), Winnie the Pooh Playtime: Fun ‘N Games (1994) the video game Animated Storybook: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1995). At this point he also began voicing the character of Tigger, taking over from the longtime-performer Paul Winchell, who had recently died. He then appeared in the short films Winnie the Pooh Spookable Pooh (1996), Boo to You! Winnie the Pooh (1996), and Winnie the Pooh: Growing Up (1996).

Then came the direct-to-video film Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search  for Christopher Robin (1997), the shorts Winnie the Pooh Learning: Helping Others (1997), Winnie the Pooh Friendship: Three Cheers for Eeyore and Rabbit (1998) A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving (1998), Winnie the Pooh Playtime: Happy Pooh Day (1998), Winnie the Pooh Learning: Sharing and Caring (1998), the video game My Interactive Pooh (1998) shorts Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You (1999), the direct-to-video compilation film Seasons of Giving (1999), the shorts Winnie the Pooh Learning: Working Together (1999), Winnie the Pooh Friendship: Pooh Wishes (1999), Winnie the Pooh Friendship: Clever Little Piglet (1999), Winnie the Pooh, Franken Pooh (1999), Winnie the Pooh: Imagine That, Christopher Robin (1999), the theatrical film The Tigger Movie (2000), and the short Sing a Song with Tigger (2000).

He even played Pooh in a parodying episode of Family Guy in 2000! 

Then came the video games Disney Activity Center: Winnie the Pooh, the short Book of Pooh: Stories from the Heart (2001),  28 episodes of The Book of Pooh from 2001 to 2002, the video game Kingdom Hearts (2002), the direct-to-video , A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002), the short Playhouse Disney: The Book of Pooh, the Story Without a Tail,  the theatrical Piglet’s Big Movie (2003), the short Piglet’s Big Game (2003), the direct-to-video Springtime with Roo (2004), shorts Winnie the Pooh: 1 2 3s (2004), Winnie the Pooh’s Rumbly Tumbly Adventure (2005), the theatrical  Pooh’s Heffalump Movie (2005), the direct-to-video Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005), the short Winnie the Pooh: Wonderful Word Adventure (2006), Winnie the Pooh: Shapes and Sizes (2006), video game Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ (2007), the TV series My Friends Tigger and Pooh from 2007-2009,  shorts My Friends Tigger and Pooh: Super Sleuth Christmas Movie (2007), My Friends Tigger and Pooh: The Hundred Acre Wood Haunt (2008), Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too (2009), Super Duper Super Sleuths (2010), the 2011 theatrical feature Winnie the Pooh, the video game Kinect Disneyland Adventures (2011), the TV series Mini Adventures of Winnie the Pooh from 2011 to 2014, a 2017 episode of Doc McStuffins,  the 2018 live-action feature film Christopher Robin, the video game Kingdom Hearts III (2019), the short Real Or: The Short Story of the Mysterious Box (2019), and finally, another episode of Doc McStuffins in 2020.

Of course, this is only the list so far. It seems likely that we will hear Cummings voice the character again before too long.

132. Brent Spiner as Data
32 years, 6 months (1987-2021)

Franchise: Star Trek
Appearances: Many television episodes, 4 films
First appearance: Star Trek: The Next Generation - “Encounter at Farpoint” - Sept. 26, 1987
Last appearance: Star Trek: Picard - “Et In Arcadia Ego, Part 2” - Mar. 26, 2020

Spiner portrayed the lovable android who seeks to be more human for all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, from 1987 to 1994, and appeared in the four feature films that followed, Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). In the final film, the character was apparently killed saving Captain Picard.

In the series Star Trek: Picard, it is discovered that Data’s consciousness has continued to exist inside a computer program, but he asks Picard to disconnect him from it and finally end his life, which Picard does. 

116. 16-Way Tie
Eddie Murphy as Akeem
Eddie Murphy as Randy Watson
Eddie Murphy as Mr. Clarence
Eddie Murphy as Saul
Arsenio Hall as Semmi
Arsenio Hall as Reverend Brown
Arsenio Hall as Morris
Arsenio Hall as Baba
Shari Headley as Lisa McDowell
James Earl Jones as King Joffi Joffer
John Amos as Cleo McDowell
Paul Bates as Oha
Louie Anderson as Maurice
Vanessa Bell Calloway as Imani Izzi
Clint Smith as Sweets
Garcelle Beauvais as Grace
32 years, 8 months (1988-2021)

Franchise: Coming to America
Appearances: 2 films
First Appearance: Coming to America - Jun. 29, 1988
Last Appearance: Coming 2 America - Mar. 04, 2021

Somewhat amazingly, Coming 2 America managed to find ten actors to reprise their sixteen roles (with Murphy and Hall each playing four characters) for this sequel, thirty-three years after the original. 

115. Jeff Bergman as Foghorn Leghorn
32 years (at least)

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: Tiny Toons Adventures - Oct. 05, 1990
Last Appearance: Tiny Toons Looniversity, upcoming 2022

114. Jeff Bergman as Sylvester the Cat
32 years (at least)

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: Tiny Toons Adventures - 1990
Last Appearance: Tiny Toons Looniversity - Upcoming 2022

113. Jeff Bergman as Bugs Bunny
32 years (at least)

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue - Apr. 21, 1990
Last Appearance: Tiny Toons Looniversity - 2022

112. Martin P. Robinson as Mr. Snuffleupagus
32 years (at least)

Franchise: Sesame Street
First Appearance: Sesame Street - “Science Experiments” - 1981
Last Appearance (on imdb): Sesame Street - “Trashgiving Day” - Apr. 11 2013

111. Mel Blanc as the Tasmanian Devil
32 years, 3 months (at least)

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: Devil May Hare - Jun. 19, 1954
Last Appearance: The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show - Unknown - Sept. 1986 at earliest

110. Frank Welker as Megatron
32 years, 9 months (1984-2017)

Franchise: Transformers
Appearances: Many television episodes, 3 films
First Appearance: The Transformers - “More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1” - Sept. 17, 1984
Last Appearance: Transformers: The Last Knight - Jun. 21, 2017

Welker brought several Transformers to life through his voice on the original animated series, beginning in 1984, including the villainous Soundwave, but it was the voice of the main villain, Megatron, that he became most associated with. Welker reprised both roles in the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie. In the film, Megatron is upgraded into Galvatron,and is then voiced by Leonard Nimoy. However, when the series returned for its fourth and final season, ending in 1987, Welker continued to voice the role.

Many hardcore fans were upset that Welker was left out of the 2007 live-action film Transformers, especially since Peter Cullen returned as his heroic counterpart, Optimus Prime. Megatron was instead voiced by Hugo Weaving, while Soundwave was not featured. Due to popular demand, Welker returned to voice Soundwave in the sequels, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011). After a falling out between director Michael Bay and Hugo Weaving, Welker returned to his most famous Transformers character, referred to as Galvatron in Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), and again as Megatron in Transformers: The Last Knight (2017). 

With a new Transformers film, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, hitting theaters next year, it remains to be seen whether or not Megatron will make another return. But it seems likely.

109. Dan Castellenata as Krusty the Clown
ca 33 years (1989-2022)

Franchise: The Simpsons

First Appearance: The Tracey Ullman Show - “The Krusty the Clown Show” - Jan. 15, 1989

Last Appearance: The Simpsons, season 33 - 2021-22

107. 2-way tie:
Dan Castellenata as Itchy
Dan Castellenata as Scratchy
ca 33 years

Franchise: The Simpsons

First Appearance: The Tracey Ullman Show - “The Bart Simpson Show” - Nov. 20, 1988

Last Appearance: The Simpsons, season 33 - 2021-22

These characters on the series within the series are voiced by the series’ most prominent star, Dan Castellenata.

106. Mel Blanc as Speedy Gonzalez
33 years, 15 days (at least)

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: Cat-Tails for Two - Aug. 29, 1953

Last Appearance: The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show - Unknown - Sept. 13, 1986 at earliest

105. Heather North as Daphne Blake
33 years, 18 days (at least)

Franchise: Scooby-Doo
First Appearance: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - “Nowhere to Hyde” - Sept. 12, 1970 
Last Appearance: Possibly Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico - Sept. 30, 2003

104. Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan
33 years, 5 months (1988-2022)

Franchise: Star Trek
Appearances: Many television episodes, 2 films
First Appearance: Star Trek: The Next Generation - "The Child" - Nov. 21 1988
Last Appearance: Star Trek: Picard - "Farewell" - May 05, 2022

Guinan the bartender, and ever sage-like friend to Jean-Luc Picard, first appeared in the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, continuing to appear, either as a guest star or a regular, for the rest of the series' seven-season run, until 1994. She then appeared in two films, Star Trek: Generations (1994) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), as well as the second season of Star Trek: Picard (2022).
 

103. Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver
33 years, 2 months (1989-2022)

Franchise: The Karate Kid
Appearances: 1 film, multiple TV episodes
First Appearance: The Karate Kid Part III - Jun. 30, 1989
Last Apppearance: Cobra Kai, season 5 - Sept. 09, 2022

Terry Silver is an old war buddy of evil karate instructor John Kreese, and when Kreese is humiliated by Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi, Silver joins Kreese to teach the two heroes a lesson. Of course, this doesn't work out, and his champion is defeated on the mat. But that doesn't stop Kreese from calling Silver again three decades later for the same reason. Kreese returned for season 4, and will be the main villain in season 5, presumably due out around New Years 2022/3.

102. Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman
34 years (1989-2023)

Franchise: Batman
Appearances: 3 films
First Appearance: Batman - Jun. 23, 1989
Last Appearance: The Flash - Jun. 23, 2023

When Michael Keaton was cast as Batman in 1988, in the words of Kevin Smith, “it broke the internet, and there wasn’t even an internet yet.” The actor was much skinnier and seemed less intimidating than the character should be. However, Keaton surprised just about everyone by performing the role extraordinarily in the 1989 film, and to this day remains many (likely most) fans’ favorite onscreen Batman. 

Keaton reprised the role in Batman Returns (1992), but dropped out of the third film because “it sucked.” In August 2020, it was announced that the actor would be returning to the role after thirty years in the upcoming film The Flash. The aging character is expected to wear a mechanical suit a la the famous comic book Kingdom Come. 

Whatever comes of this remains to be seen, but the prospect of Keaton’s return has many fans very excited.

101. Nicole Jaffe as Velma Dinkley
34 years, 17 days (at least)

Franchise: Scooby-Doo
First Appearance: Scooby-Doo, Where ARe You! - “What a Night for a Knight!” - Sept. 13, 1969
Last Appearance: Possibly Scooby-doo and the Monster of Mexico - Sept. 30, 2003

100. Frank Oz as Cookie Monster
ca 34 years

Franchise: Sesame Street
First Appearance: Sesame Street, Episode 1 - Nov. 10, 1969
Last Appearance: Sesame Street, episode 35.4 - 2004

99. Mel Blanc as Wile E. Coyote
ca 34 years (at least)

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: Unknown, 1952
Last Appearance: Unknown - The Bugs and Tweety Show - Sept. 1986 possible

98. Warwick Davis as Willow Ufgood
34 years, 6 months (1988-2022)

Franchise: Willow
Appearances: 1 film, several television episodes
First Appearance: Willow (film) - May 20, 1988
Last Appearance: Willow (TV series) - Nov. 30, 2022

Over thirty years after the single film Willow (1988) was released, it was announced that the character would be making his return in a new series for Disney+. No other cast members from the original film, including those who played Willow’s wife and children, have been announced, so only Davis occupies this list from the film. It remains to be seen exactly when the series will debut and what other cast members will possibly return.

97. Pamela Haydon as Milhouse Van Houten
ca 34 years

Franchise: The Simpsons

First Appearance: Commercial - “The Butterfinger Group” - 1988

Last Appearance: The Simpsons, season 33 - 2021-22

96. Dan Castellenata as Grandpa Simpson
34 years, 4 months

Franchise: The Simpsons

First Appearance: The Tracey Ullman Show - “Grandpa and the Kids” - Jan. 10, 1988

Last Appearance: The Simpsons - “Poorhouse Rock” - May 22, 2022

94. Two-Way Tie
John De Lancie as Q
Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher
34 years, 4 months
(1987-2022)

Franchise: Star Trek
Appearances: Many television episodes (De Lancie), Many Television episodes, 1 movie (Wheaton)
First Appearance: Star Trek: The Next Generation - “Encounter at Farpoint” - Sept. 28, 1987
Last Appearance: Star Trek: Picard - "Farewell" - May 05, 2022

Q, and from a certain point of view Wesley, menaced Captain Picard in the very first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Wesley left the series after the fourth season, and Q returned to harass Picard seven more times over the course of the seven seasons, from 1987 to 1994, including the series finale, All Good Things… He also guest appeared on one episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and three episodes of Star Trek: Voyager. Wesley appeared in a brief cameo in the film Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002 In 2022, Q both came into Picard's yet again in season 2 of Star Trek: Picard.

93. Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk
34 years, 6 months (1977-2012)

Franchise: The Incredible Hulk
Appearances: Many television episodes, 5 films
First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk (pilot) - Nov. 04, 1977
Last Appearance: Marvel’s The Avengers - May 04, 2012

Ferrigno played the famous monster in the initial TV pilot movie The Incredible Hulk in 1977, and for five seasons, from 1978 to 1982, and returned for three television films: The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988), The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989), and The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990).

Ferrigno played a mute version of the character in these appearances, so it was somewhat ironic that he was brought back to provide the voice of the character for the single season of the animated series The Incredible Hulk, from 1996 to 97. 

Ferrigno again voiced the character in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk. For the Hulk’s appearance in 2012’s Marvel’s The Avengers, Ferrigno and others had their growls, yells, and vocal effects mixed in with actor Mark Ruffalo’s to create the voice of the Hulk, but the character’s only full line, “Puny god,” was spoken only by Ruffalo. Still, it counts as Ferrigno’s final time as the character.

92. 2-Way Tie
Tamlyn Tomita as Kumiko
Traci Toguchi as Yuna
34 years, 6 months, 12 days (1986-2021)

Franchise: The Karate Kid
Appearances: 1 film, 3 TV episodes (Tomita). 1 film, 2 TV episodes (Okamoto)
First Appearance: The Karate Kid Part II - Jun. 20, 1986
Last Appearance: Cobra Kai - "Miyagi-Do" - Jan. 01, 2021
 

The central love interest and the main villain from the Karate Kid Part II thrilled fans by showing up 34 years later in season 3 of Cobra Kai. What was even more amazing, the creators actually found Traci Toguchi, the actress who played the little girl Daniel saved from a hurricane, and had her reprise her role as well! In the case of Chozen, the villain actually had a nice redemption arc, where he became an ally of his one-time enemy Daniel LaRusso.

88. 3-Way Tie
Randee Heller as Lucille LaRusso
Rob Garrison as Tommy
Tony O'Dell as Jimmy
34 years, 10 months (1984-2019)

Franchise: The Karate Kid
Apperances: 1 film, 1 TV episode
First Apperance: The Karate Kid - Jun. 22, 1984
Last Appearance: Cobra Kai - "Take a Right"  (Garrison & O'Dell) / "The Glory of Love" (Heller) - Apr. 24, 2019

The main characters of the Karate Kid had (1984), had already returned for the series Cobra Kai, so it was a pleasant surprise in the first season (2018) when Daniel's mother Lucille showed up, and in season 2 when we got even more of the original cast, as Johnny Lawrence's old karate buddies from high school, Tommy, Bobby, and Jimmy, held a special reunion in honor ofTommy, who was dying from cancer.

Actor Chad McQueen declined to reprise his role as the fifth member of the gang, Dutch, so it was stated that the character was in prison (which seemed pretty realistic). Tommy died at the end of the episode, and the actor who played him, Rob Garrison, passed away in real life shortly afterward, with an episode dedicated to his memory.
Lucille then appeared again in a later episode in season 2. But since all the season's episodes were released in a single day, I've decided to include them together on this list.

Bobby, however, appeared in the next season, putting him higher on this list.
 

87. Pinto Colvig as Goofy
34 years, 11 months (1932-1967)

Franchise: Mickey Mouse

First Appearance: Mickey’s Revue - May 27, 1932

Last Appearance: Expo 67 - Apr. 27, 1967

Colvig voiced Goofy before he was Goofy, when he was first known as “Dippy Dawg,” and continued for decades until his voice was used at an attraction at the 1967 International and Universal Exposition in 1967, or Expo 67.

86. Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog
34 years, 11 months, 25 days

Franchise: The Muppets
First Appearance: Sam and Friends episode - May 09, 1955
Last Appearance: The Arsenio Hall Show episode - May 04 1990

The beloved creator of The Muppets and so many other wonderful puppet-characters performed and voiced his signature creation for 34 years before passing away.

82. 4-way tie:
Dan Castellenata as Homer Simpson
Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson
Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson
Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson
35 years, 1 month, 3 days

Franchise: The Simpsons

First Appearance: The Tracey Ullman Show - “Good Night” - April 19, 1987

Last Appearance: The Simpsons - “Poorhouse Rock” - May 22, 2022

The Simpsons first appeared in a series of 48 shorts airing with The Tracey Ullman Show, starting in 1987. In 1989, they were given their own series, which has aired over 700 episodes and is currently in its 33rd season, with no sign of stopping. 

No one officially voices the baby, Magie Simpson, though the sucking and other various noises she makes have been provided by the portrayers of her two older siblings, Nancy Catwright and Yeardley Smith. However, without a definitive record of when these have occurred, we cannot count those actors as having portrayed her for 30 years or longer.

81. Bill Farmer as Goofy
35 years, 2 months, 16 days (1987-2022)

Franchise: Mickey Mouse
First Appearance: DTV ‘Doggone” Valentine - Feb. 13, 1987
Last Appearance: Mickey Mouse Funhose - “The Mighty Goof!/Playtime in Crayon World” - Apr. 29, 2022

80. Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor
35 years, 6 days (1984-2019)

Franchise: Terminator
Appearances: 4 films, 1 theme park attraction
First Appearance: The Terminator - Oct. 26, 1984
Last Appearance: Terminator: Dark Fate - Nov. 01, 2019

Arnold Schwarzenegger would appear on this list right beside Hamilton except for the fact that he plays a different Terminator in each film!

Hamilton appeared as the Mother of the Future in the original 1984 film, and returned as a much more intense version of the character, possibly the most badass female figure ever to grace the silver screen, in 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. She then returned for the filmed portion of the 1996 theme park attraction T2 3D: Battle Across Time (which is also the only time Schwarzenegger reprised his role as one of the Terminators).

Sarah Connor was described as having died offscreen of leukemia in 2003’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and was played by Lena Heady in the alternate sequel, the TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, for two seasons, from spring 2008 to 2009.

Hamilton returned in a voice cameo in 2009’s Terminator Salvation, on a tape that Sarah had prepared for her son. Sarah was then played by Emilia Clarke in 2015’s Terminator: Genisys.

Hamilton finally returned to the role in full force after 28 years, in 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate, which also featured the return of her ex-husband James Cameron as producer, in a film that ignored all previous sequels past Terminator 2. The film set up a whole further series for Hamilton to appear in. However, it was a box office flop, and received much criticism for the tragic fate of the Connor family, so it seems unlikely we’ll see Hamilton reprise the role again.

78. 2-Way Tie
Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard
Edward James Olmos as Gaff
35 years, 4 months (1982-2017)

Franchise: Blade Runner
Appearances: 2 films
First Appearance: Blade Runner - Jun. 25, 1982
Last Appearance: Blade Runner 2049 - Oct. 06, 2017

Ford and Olmos portrayed their characters in these two films. In the director’s cut of Blade Runner, it was suggested that Deckard was actually one of the replicants that he has been hunting, yet the question of whether or not this was canon was frustratingly not answered in the sequel!

During filming, Ford accidentally laid a real punch on Ryan Gosling, the first of multiple injuries mentioned for him on this list!

77. Russie Taylor as Minnie Mouse
ca 34 years
First Appearance: D-TV, 1987
Last Appearance: Mickey and the Roadster Racers - “Holi, By Golly / The Pink City” - Mar. 27, 2021

Mrs. Taylor was not only the voice of Minnie Mouse for 34 years, she was also married to the voice of Mickey Mouse, Wayne Allwine! Both of their tenures as these characters outlived them by years, with them having recorded their dialogue for future appearances well in advance.

71. 6-Way Tie
Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes as Will Riker
Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi
Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher
Michael Dorn as Worf
LeVar Burton as Geordi LaForge
35 Years, 4+ months (TBD) (1987-2023)

Franchise: Star Trek
Appearances: Many television epsidoes, 4 films
First Appearance: Star Trek: The Next Generation - "Encounter at Farpoint" - Sept. 28 1987
Last Appearance: Star Trek: Picard, season 3 - Early 2023

The crew of the USS Enterprise D appeared on all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1987 to 1994, and then in four feature films: Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). During that time, Dorn continued to star as Worf as a regular on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for four seasons from 1995 to 1999, while Sirtis also played Troi in three episodes of Star Trek: Voyager. Frakes and Sirtis returned to their roles for the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005.
Stewart then took the lead in the series Star Trek: Picard in 2020. Frakes and Sirtis guest starred in the first season o that series as well as voicing their characters later that year in an episode of the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Stewart returned for Star Trek: Picard season 2, during which it was announced that all six actors would be reprising their roles for season 3 in early 2023.

70. Wayne Allwine as Mickey Mouse
35 years, 8 months, 11 days (1977-2012)

Franchise: Mickey Mouse

First Appearance: The Mickey Mouse Club - “Premiere” - Jan. 17, 1977

Last Appearance: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - “The Golden Boo-Boo” - Sept. 28, 2012

Wayne Allwine succeeded James MacDonald in the role of Mickey Mouse, and held the title longer than anyone else, having voiced the character for 32 years at the time of his death in 2009. However, at that time, he had already recorded his voice for use for episodes of “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” for another three years! Hence, his tenure as the Mouse continued for years after his own death!

He was also notably married to Russi Taylor, the longrunning voice of Minnie Mouse!

68. 2-Way Tie
Tom Cruise as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell
Val Kilmer as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky
35 years, 11 months (1986-2022)

Franchise: Top Gun
Appearances: 2 films
First Appearance: Top Gun - May 16, 1986
Last Appearance: Top Gun: Maverick - May 27, 2022

Many a nostalgic ‘80s-kid is excited for the return of these characters after a 35-year absence. To be fair, we’re counting these based on the release date, but Cruise and Kilmer finished filming their roles in time for a 2020 release, which was pushed back because of COVID. Were it not for the pandemic, these two would be a little lower on the list, but still very much present on it.

67. Steve Whitmire as Rizzo the Rat
36 years (1980-2016)

Franchise: The Muppets
First Appearance: The Muppet Show, season 4 - 1980
Last Appearance: The Muppets - “Because…Love” March 1, 2016

Steve Whitmire had one of the longest careers with The Muppets, being a part of the The Muppet Show in the 1970s and '80s, where this character originated, until his firing by Disney in 2016.

66. Steve Whitmire as Lips
36 years (1980-2016)

Franchise: The Muppets
First Appearance: The Muppet Show, season 4 - 1980
Last Appearance: The Muppets - 2016

See above entry.

65. Desmond Llwellyn as Q
36 years, 1 month (1963-1999)

Franchise: James Bond
Appearances: 17 films
First Appearance: From Russia With Love
Last Appearance: The World is Not Enough

For the record, Llwellyn holds the record for the greatest number of films as a character (17). Which makes it crazy to think he's only 66th on this list

The much-loved maker of Jame Bond’s gadgets, who lamented the fact that the agent never brought them back in one piece, and constantly urged him to “grow up, 007,” was portrayed by Llwellyn from the second James Bond film all the way to the 19th, only missing one film in between, 1973’s Live and Let Die.

In an eerie bit of coincidence, Llwellyn’s last film featured the character training his replacement, played by John Cleese, and planning his retirement, even making something of a grand exit, despite the fact that Llwellyn was not officially retiring from the role. Then, shortly after the film’s release, the 85-year-old actor was killed in a car accident. Seamlessly picking up where the last film had left it, Cleese portrayed the new Q again in 2002’s Die Another Day.

When the series was rebooted, a new, younger version of Q was portrayed by Ben Whishaw in 2012’s Skyfall and 2015’s Spectre, a role he reprises in this year’s No Time to Die.

64. John Fiedler as Piglet
36 years, 2 months, 21 days (1968-2005)

Franchise: Winnie the Pooh
Appearances: Many short films and episodes of television, 9 films
First Appearance: Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day - Dec. 20, 1968
Last Appearance: Pooh’s Heffalump Movie - Feb. 11, 2005

Fiedler has almost as many credits as Piglet as Jim Cummings does as Winnie the Pooh! So lets take another deep breath!

Fiedler created the famous voice of the character of Piglet in the second Winnie the Pooh short, 1968’s short film Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, reprising it in 1974’s Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! The three short films were then edited together, with some new footage, for the 1977 feature film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Fiedler continued to play Piglet in the short films Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons (1981), Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (1983), and then on the television series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which aire for four seasons, from spring 1988 to 1991. 

He then appeared in the shorts Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too (1991), Winnie the Pooh Playtime: Detective Tigger (1994), Winnie the Pooh: Spookable Pooh (1996), and Boo to You! Winnie the Pooh (1996).

Then came the direct-to-video film Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search  for Christopher Robin (1997), the shorts Winnie the Pooh Friendship: Three Cheers for Eeyore and Rabbit (1998) and A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving (1998), the video game My Interactive Pooh (1998), shorts Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You (1999), Winnie the Pooh: Pooh Wishes (1999), the theatrical film The Tigger Movie (2000), shorts Sing a Song with Tigger (2000) and the Book of Pooh: Stories from the Heart (2001), the direct-to-video Mickey’s House of Villains (2001), three episodes of House of Mouse and 32 episodes of The Book of Pooh, both from 2001 to 2002, the video game Kingdom Hearts (2002), the direct-to-video , A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002), the shorts The Tigger Read-Along DVD (2002) and Playhouse Disney: The Book of Pooh, the Story Without a Tail,  the theatrical Piglet’s Big Movie (2003), the short Piglet’s Big Game (2003), the direct-to-video Springtime with Roo (2004), shorts Winnie the Pooh: 1 2 3s (2004), Winnie the Pooh ABCs: Discovering Letters and Words (2004), Winnie the Pooh’s Rumbly Tumbly Adventure (2005), one episode of Growing Up with Winnie the Pooh (2005), the theatrical  Pooh’s Heffalump Movie (2005), the direct-to-video Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005), which marked his final appearance as the character before his death that year.

Piglet was voiced by Travis Oates in the 2011 film Winnie the Pooh, and by Nick Mohammed in the live-action 2018 film Christopher Robin.

63. Yuji Okamoto as Chozen
36 years, 2 months, 19 days

Franchise: The Karate Kid
Appearances: 1 film, several television episodes
First Appearance: The Karate Kid Part II - Jun. 20, 1986
Last Appearance: Cobra Kai, season 5 - Sept. 09, 2022

61. Two-Way Tie
Elisabeth Shue as Ali Mills
Ron Thomas as Bobby Brown
36 years, 6 months

Franchise: The Karate Kid
Appearances: 1 film, 2 TV episodes
First Appearance: The Karate Kid - Jun. 22, 1984
Last Appearance: Cobra Kai - "Now You're Gonna Pay" - Jan. 01, 2021

Ali Mills was the ex-girlfriend of Johnny Lawrence who stole the heart of Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid (1984), only to dissapear by the sequel.
One of Johnny Lawrence's high school karate buddies, Bobby became a pastor and, after his appearance in season 2, returns in season 3 to continue to help Johnny along the path of righteousness. Ali then turns up near the end of the season, reuniting with her two ex-boyfriends and convincing them to work together.

Technically, Shue appears in later episodes than Thomas , but since all the episodes of these shows dropped in a single day, I'm counting them together. 

59. 2-Way Tie
Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine
Warwick Davis as Wicket W. Warwick
36 years, 7 months (1983-2019)

Franchise: Star Wars
Appearances: 5 films (McDiarmid), 4 films (Davis)
First Appearance: Return of the Jedi - May 25, 1983
Last Appearance: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Dec. 20, 2019

Both Palpatine and the central Ewok both made their first appearances in Return of the Jedi. Davis, then only a teenager, then appeared in two made-for-television spinoffs, Ewoks: Caravan of Courage (1984), and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985).

McDiarmid, still in his thirties in Return of the Jedi but covered in makeup, was able to return as a younger version of the character in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002). Nick Jameson voiced the character in the micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars, before McDiarmid reprised the role again in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. McDiarmid then 

Ian Abercrombie voiced the role of Palpatine in the film Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and for the first six seasons of the subsequent TV series, until his death in 2012. 

McDiarmid reprised his role once more in the much-derided Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, with Davis making a small cameo as Wicket at the end.

In 2020, Tim Curry voiced Palptaine in the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

58. Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo
36 years, 10 months (1982-2019)

Franchise: Rambo
Appearances: 5 films
First Appearance: First Blood - Oct. 22, 1982
Last Appearance: Rambo: Last Blood - Sept. 20, 2019

Rambo went from being a tragic, traumatized figure in 1982’s first blood, to being the ultimate action hero in the subsequent sequels Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Rambo III (1988), Rambo (2008), and Rambo: Last Blood (2019), the latter featuring a 72-year-old Stallone still taking out bad guys.

53. 5-Way Tie
Bill Murray as Peter Venkman
Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz
Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore
Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett
Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz
37 years, 5 months, 11 days (1984-2021)

Franchise: Ghostbusters
Appearances: 4 films, 1 video game (Aykroyd), 3 films, 1 video game (Murray, Hudson, Potts), 3 films (Weaver)
First Appearances: Ghostbusters - Jun. 08, 1984
Last Appearance: Ghostbusters: Afterlife - Nov. 19, 2021

These five actors created five lasting characters in Ghostbusters (1984), and reprised the roles in Ghostbusters II (1989). Aykroyd then appeared in a cameo as Stantz in the film Casper (1995). All but Weaver returned to voice their characters in Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009), while all now return for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, out this year.

This is another one where the dates are only as they are due to COVID, with Afterlife being delayed multiple times. The actors filmed their roles in time for a 2020 release date, which would have put them further down on this list, but they would still be here nevertheless.

52. Henry Thomas as Elliott Taylor
37 years, 5 months, 17 days (1982-2019)

Franchise: E.T.
Appearances: 1 film, 1 short film / commercial
First Appearance: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - Jun. 11, 1982
Last Appearance: A Holiday Reunion - Nov. 28, 2019

I don’t care what anyone says, that commercial is canon. At 4 minutes long, it’s short, sweet, and lets you know that the characters saw one another again after so many years. He beats the cast of Ghostbusters by less than a week! Now go buy Xfinity!

51. Mel Blanc as Marvin the Martian
38 years, 2 months (at least)

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: Haredevil Hare - Jul. 24, 1948
Last Appearance: The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show - Unknown, Sept. 13 1986 at earliest

48. 3-Way Tie
Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso
William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence
Martin Kove as John Kreese
38 years, 6 months (release date pending) (1984-2022/3)

Franchise: The Karate Kid
Appearances: 3 films, many TV episodes (Macchio). 2 films, many TV episodes (Zabka). 2 films, many TV episodes (Kove).
First Appearance: The Karate Kid - Jun. 22, 1984
Last Appearance: Cobra Kai, season 5 - (Likely New Years) 2022/3

All these characters made their debut in The Karate Kid (1984), which saw Daniel LaRusso defeat Johnny Lawrence, student of John Kreese, in the Under-18 All-Valley Karate Championship.. Johnny and Kreese made brief appearances in The Karate Kid Part II (1986), and Kreese returned again to menace Daniel in The Karate Kid Part III (1989).

Then came Cobra Kai, which saw Daniel and Johnny return as regulars on a series, back for the first time in three decades. Kreese returned in the season 1 finale to wreak havoc on the karate world of the valley. Johnny and Daniel have finally united to stop him and his pal Terry Silver.
Season 4 ended with Silver framing Kreese for aggravated assault and getting him thrown in jail. Thus, Martin Kove is not officially confirmed for season 5, but it seems like a foregone conclusion we'll still see him. with that in mind, it is presumed that season will hit, as with the last two, on New Years.

47. Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca
38 years, 7 months (1977-2015)

Franchise: Star Wars
Appearances: 5 films, 1 TV special
First Appearance: Star Wars - May 25, 1977
Last Appearance: Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Dec. 18, 2015

Standing at 7’3, Mayhew was an easy choice for the role of Chewbacca after having met George Lucas in 1976. He appeared as Chewbacca in Star Wars (1977) The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). Suffering from health problems that prohibited him even from standing for long periods of time, Mayhew only returned for part of the character’s screentime in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the rest of the character’s screentime being portrayed by the 6’11 Joonas Suotamo. Suotamo reprised the role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), which debuted eight months after Mayhew’s death.

46. Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime
38 years, 8 months (1984-2023)

Franchise: Transformers
Appearances: Many television episodes, 8 films
First Appearance: The Transformers - “More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1” - Sept. 17, 1984
Last Appearance: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Jun. 09, 2023

Peter Cullen’s voice as Optimus Prime created a heroic and inspiring figure for countless children in the 1980s, portraying the role initially for the show’s first two seasons, from 1984 to 1986. In an attempt to sell more toys, Hasbro had the character killed off in 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie, replacing him with a new leader, Rodimus Prime. Due to great demand, the character made his return in the season 3 finale, The Return of Optimus Prime, although the show only lasted for three more episodes, the three-part The Rebirth making up the entire fourth season.

Cullen was brought back to voice the character in the live-action film series, having done so now in six films: Transformers (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), and the reboot Bumblebee (2018). He is scheduled to make his return to theaters next year in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

45. Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane
38-39 years (1984-2022/3)

Franchise: Cheers/Frasier
First Appearance: Cheers - “Rebound Part 1” - Sept. 27, 1984
Last Appearance: Frasier, season 12 - 2022 or 2023

Kelsey Grammer is one of the few actors to have portrayed a character on American television for twenty consecutive seasons. He joined the cast of Cheers at the beginning of its third season in 1984, and following the series' end in 1993, was granted his own spinoff, which ran for 11 years until 2004. It was recently announced that a continuation of that series will stream on Paramount Plus, likely this or next year.

44. 2-way tie: 
Dave Goelz as Boober Fraggle
Dave Goelz as Uncle Travelling Matt
39 years, 11 days (1983-2022)

Franchise: Fraggle Rock
First Appearance: Fraggle Rock - “Beginnings” - Jan. 10 1983
Last Appearance: Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock - “All of Us” - Jan. 21 2022

Proving once more that he is a legend, Dave Goelz, who appears on this list more than anyone else, performed and voiced these characters in the original Fraggle Rock series in the 1980s, and in the recent reboot Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock.

43. Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian
39 years, 6 months (1980-2019)

Franchise: Star Wars
Appearances: 3 films
First Appearance: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Last Appearance: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Lando Calrissian became an auxiliary member of the central Star Wars group in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and reprised the role in Return of the Jedi (1983).
When Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, 3PO, and R2 showed back up for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), many a fan wondered where in the galaxy Lando was. So they were delighted when Lando showed up in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)...even if they weren't delighted with much else.  

42. Jerry Nelson as Count Von Count
39 years, 11 months, 11 days

Franchise: Sesame Street
First Appearance: “Big Bird on the Street” - Nov. 13, 1972
Last Appearance: “Practice Makes Proud” - Oct. 24 2012

41. Casey Kasem as Shaggy Rogers
40 years, circa 2 months (at least)

Franchise: Scooby-Doo
First Appearance: Scooby-Doo, Where ARe You! - “What a Night for a Knight!” - Sept. 13, 1969
Last Appearance: Possibly Peter Kay’s Animated All-Star Band: The Official BBC Children in Need Medley - Nov. 2009

40. Frank Oz as Bert
40 years, 2 months, 11 days

Franchise: Sesame Street
First Appearance: Sesame Street, episode 1 - Nov. 10, 1969
Last Appearance: Sesame Street - “The Planet G” - Jan. 21 2010

39. Frank Oz as Yoda
40 years, 5 months, 29 days (1980-2020)

Franchise: Star Wars
Appearances: 6 films
First Appearance: The Empire Strikes Back - May 21, 1980
Last Appearance: Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge - Nov. 19, 2020

Yoda didn't appear until the second Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back (1980), but quickly became one of the most iconic characters in cinema history, retuning for Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (2002), and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002). Tom Kane voiced the character in the micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003), before Oz returned for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). 

Kane then voiced the role again in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), and the first six seasons of the subsequent animated series (2008-2014). Oz then returned in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) and briefly in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Kane picked the role back up for the final season of The Clone Wars in 2020, but that same year Oz's voice appeared in both the online series Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge and the video game Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge.

38. Mel Blanc as Pepe LePew
41 years, 8 months (at least)

Franchise: Looney Tunes

First Appearance: Odor-able Kitty - Jan. 06, 1945

Last Appearance: The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show - Unknown - Sept. 13 1986 at earliest

37. Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa
42 years (1976-2018)

Franchise: Rocky
Appearances: 8 films
First Appearance: Rocky - Nov. 21, 1976
Last Appearance: Creed II - Nov. 21, 2018

Stallone wrote his way into stardom by writing and starring in Rocky (1976), which earned him dual Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay. He then wrote and directed the sequels Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), and Rocky IV (1985), and writing Rocky V (1990). Unsatisfied with the much-maligned fifth film, Stallone returned as the boxer at the age of 60 in Rocky Balboa (2006), believing that to be his final time.

But then Ryan Coogler called, and Stallone found himself playing the character for the first time saying lines he didn’t write in Creed (2015), which he also produced, and which earned him his third Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He took up the role one more time in Creed II (2018), which also co-wrote and produced.

Rocky will reportedly not appear in the upcoming Creed III, but Stallone has an idea for another spinoff in which Rocky will train an undocumented immigrant. It remains to be seen if that will become a reality, though, so for now, Rocky maintains this place on the list.

36. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones
42 years, 18 days (1981-2023)

Franchise: Indiana Jones
Appearances: 5 films
First Appearance: Raiders of the Lost Ark - Jun. 12, 1981
Last Appearance: “Indiana Jones 5” - Jun. 30, 2023

Ford appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), before reprising the role at the age of 66 in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). If people thought that was old, he is now reprising the role once again in the still untitled fifth film, being 80 years old at the time of its release!

In what seemed like an ill omen for the film, Ford suffered a shoulder injury shortly into filming while practicing a fight scene. Well, that's what happens when you put a septugenarian in an action film!

35. Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo
42 years ??

Franchise: Scooby-Doo
First Appearance: Unknown, 1979
Last Appearance: Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? - “Scooby-Doo and the Sky Town Cool School” - Oct. 01, 2021

34. Mel Blanc as Foghorn Leghorn
42 years, 5 months, 15 days (at least)
Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: Walky Talky Harvey - Aug. 31, 1946
Last Appearance: Bugs Bunny’s Wild World of Sports - Feb. 15, 1989

31. 3-Way Tie
Harrison Ford as Han Solo
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia
Dennis Lawson as Wedge Antilles
42 years, 6 months, 23 days (1977-2019)

Franchise: Star Wars
Appearances: 6 films, 1 TV special (Fisher), 5 films, 1 TV special (Ford), 
First Appearance: Star Wars - May 25, 1977
Last Appearance: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Dec. 20, 2019

Fisher and Ford originated their two iconic roles in Star Wars (1977). Lawson played a much more subtle character, but still one much loved by the fan community, especially fans of Star Wars literature. Fisher and Ford returned for the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), and all three returned for The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983).

Everyone assumed for decades that that was the end, but Fisher and Ford then returned for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), which saw Han Solo killed off. Ford also suffered an ankle injury during filming, which means he had some sort of accident in all three places on this list!

Fisher returned for Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), which was released a year after her untimely death in 2016. 

Utilizing footage shot for and deleted from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the filmmakers were able to put Fisher in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), which also starred Harrison Ford as an apparition of Han Solo, and a surprise appearance by Lawson, once again piloting his X-wing into battle.

Given that this apparition may or may not have actually been Han Solo, and that Fisher didn’t actually return to film The Rise of Skywalker, there’s an argument to be made for both these roles to be lower on this list. But either way, they would still be on the list, so here they are.

30. Majel Barrett Roddenberry as the Starfleet Computer
42 years, 6 months, 25 days (1966-2009)

Franchise: Star Trek
Appearances: Many television episodes, 5 films
First Appearance: Star Trek - “Mudd’s Women” - Oct. 13, 1966
Last Appearance: Star Trek (film) - May 08, 2009

This might be stretching what constitutes a “character,” but Barrett Rodenberry, wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, was the voice of the computers of Starfleet for 42 years, on five different television series, as well as the eleven films, and, counting that as one character, she beats out Ford, Fisher, and Lawson on this list by a mere two days!

She voiced the computers throughout the three seasons of the original Star Trek series (1966-1969), the one season of the animated series (1973-1974), seven seasons each of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (spring 1993-1999), and Star Trek Voyager (spring 1995-2001), and in two episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005. She also voiced the computers in the Next-Generation-era films Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), and the reboot film Star Trek (2009), which was released after her death in 2008, and dedicated to the memory of her and her husband.

Barrett Roddenberry also appeared as three more characters: The first officer in the original Trek pilot “The Cage,” which was re-edied into the two-part episode “The Menagerie,” nurse Christine Chapel, who appeared throughout the original series and in two of the films, and as Counsellor Troi’s mother Lwaxana Troi on both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

29. Mel Blanc as Elmer Fudd
42 years, 10 months, 4 days (at least)

First Appearance: Egghead Rides Again - Jul. 17, 1937
Last Appearance: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Bunny - May 21, 1980

26. 3-Way Tie
Charles Cyphers as Leigh Brackett
Kyle Richards as Lindsey Wallace
Nancy Stephens as Marion Chambers
43 years (1978-2021)

Franchise: Halloween
Appearances: 4 films (Stephens), 3 films (Cyphers), 2 films (Richards)
First Appearance: Halloween - Oct. 25, 1978
Last Appearance: Halloween Kills - Oct. 15, 2021

Cyphers, Richards, and Stephens originated these roles back in 1978’s Halloween, and Cyphers and Stephens immediately reprised them in 1981’s Halloween II. Cyphers’ character of Sheriff Leigh Brackett retired to make way for a new sheriff in subsequent films.

Then, the 1998 sequel Halloween H2O: Twenty Years Later essentially originated the trend of making a sequel that ignores previous sequels, ignoring everything past Halloween II. In it, Stephens reprises her role as nurse Marion Chambers before being attacked and killed by Michael Myers in the opening scene.

Then they did it again! 2018’s Halloween ignores all previous sequels, this time since the original Halloween, and was followed by a sequel, Halloween Kills, which saw Cyphers and Richards’ return, with Richards back for the first time since the first film!

Stephens, as it turns out, came back only to be murdered by Myers for the second time in the franchise! What a tough break!

25. Mel Blanc as Sylvester the Cat
43 years, 2 months, 29 days (at least)

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: Life with Feathers - Mar. 24, 1945
Last Appearance: Who Framed Roger Rabbit - Jun. 22, 1988

24. Frank Oz as Grover
43 years, 4 months, 17 days

Franchise: Sesame Street
First Appearance: Sesame Street - “Grover Prefers Capital G” - May 01, 1970
Last Appearance: Sesame Street - “The Flower Show” - Sept.18, 2013

23. Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
43 years, 5 months, 23 days (1977-2020)

Franchise: Star Wars
Appearances: 11 films, 1 TV special, many TV episodes & video games, 2 theme park attractions, many special apperances
First Appearance: Star Wars - May 25, 1977
Last Appearance: The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special - Nov. 17 2020

Anthony Daniels has definitely portrayed his character longer and more often than anyone else in the Star Wars universe. He played the role in Star Wars (1977), The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), the single-season animated series Droids (1985-86), the filmed portion of the theme park attraction Star Tours (1989), Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), the micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003), Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), and the first six seasons of the series of the same name (2008 to 2014). During that time, after the closure of Star Tours, he appeared in the filmed portion of the updated ride, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (2011). 

He once again reprised the role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), and in 2016, made an appearence at the Academy Awards to congratulate John Williams on his 50th Oscar nomination, for The Force Awakens. He continued to appear in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), before voicing the character again in the final season of The Clone Wars (2020).

Daniels has also voiced the character in Lego video games, the most recent being The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special in 2020. He has also recorded a role in the  animated series Star Wars: Detours, though this has been largely abandoned, with no immediate plans for release.

22. Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
43 years, 6 months, 24 days (1977-2020)

Franchise: Star Wars
Appearances: 6 films, 1 commercial, 1 television episode
First Appearance: Star Wars - May 25, 1977
Last Appearance: The Mandalorian - "Chapter 16: The Rescue" - Dec. 18 2020

Hamill played Skywalker in Star Wars (1977), The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983), and returned in 1999 to voice over a commercial for the book Star Wars: New Jedi Order - Vector Prime. He then appeared in the films Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Fans thought that would be it. But Hamill made a super-surprise guest appearance in the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian in 2020, with CGI used to make him resemble his youthful self. It was one of the most delicious fan-service moments in nerd history that still makes many fans squeal with delight.
Hamill appeared to return in a similar way for the 2022 episode of The Book of Boba Fett, "From the Desert Comes a Stranger," but it was later revealed that his voice in this episode was entirely synthesized!

21. Mel Blanc as Yosemite Sam
43 years, 5 months (at least)

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: Hare Trigger - May 05, 1945
Last Appearance: Unknown, possibly Sept. 1986 - The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show

20. Fran Drill as Prairie Dawn
43 years, 9 months, 11 days

Franchise: Sesame Street

First Appearance: Sesame Street, episode 2.128 - May 05, 1971

Last Appearance: Sesame Street - “The Cookie Thief” - Feb. 16, 2015

19. Mel Blanc as Tweety Bird
43 years, 10 months (at least)

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: A Tale of Two Kitties - Nov 21, 1942
Last Appearance: The Bugs and Tweety Show - Unknown - Sept. 1986 at earliest

18. Dave Goelz as Dr. Bunsen Honeydew
43 years, 11 months, 25 days (1976-2020)

Franchise: The Muppets
First Appearance: The Muppet Show - “Paul Williams” - Oct. 10 1976
Last Appearance: Muppets Now - “Socialized” Sept. 04, 2020

Dave Goelz is the longest-serving cast member of The Muppets still performing today, and the only one from The Muppet Show in the 1970s. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew of Muppet Labs is just one of his characters.

16. Two-Way Tie
Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode
Nick Castle as Michael Myers
44 years (1978-2022)

Franchise: Halloween
Appearances: 7 films (Curtis), 3 films (Castle)
First Appearance: Halloween - Oct. 25, 1978
Last Appearance: Halloween Ends - Oct. 14, 2022

Okay, with Nick Castle, this is definitely cheating. Castle, a film school classmate of director John Carpenter’s, played “The Shape” in the original 1978 classic Halloween, killing several teenagers, and trying, and failing to kille Lauie Strode, played by Jamie Lee curtis. Castle then went on to a successful writing and directing career, directing films like The Last Starfighter (1984), and co-writing films like Hook (1991), while other actors portrayed the silent killer in sequels.

Curtis returned fo Halloween II, surviving Michael's rampage again, but her character was then killed off offscreen in a car accident, while Michael Myers terrorized her daughter in Halloween 4, 5, & 6 (Halloween 3 had been a separate story intended to turn the films into an anthology series).

As stated, the 1998 sequel Halloween H2O: Twenty Years Later essentially originated the trend of making a sequel that ignores previous sequels, ignoring everything past Halloween II. In it, a living Laurie Strode once again facing down her brother and apparently killing him (again). But return he did, and Curtis made a brief appearance in 2001’s Halloween: Resurrection, just enough time for her brother to finally kill her. 

Again, as stated, they then did it again! 2018’s Halloween ignores all previous sequels, this time since the original Halloween, obliterating the concept of Michael and Laurie being siblings. Curtis returned as Michael escapes for the “first” time in 40 years.

Director David Gordon Green, when making the film, was so intent on creating a feeling of direct continuity with the first movie, he cast Castle as the killer again. However, Castle was unwilling or unable to play the role throughout the film (Possibly because The Shape is...a little different shape now, if you know what I mean). So, just to be able to say he’s in the film, Green put Castle in one single shot, and counted it as playing the character alongside the main actor, James Jude Courtney. One more measure was taken to include Castle: It’s his breathing you hear coming out of Michael Myers’ mask.

Both Curtis and Castle returned Halloween Kills (2021) with Castle again simply providing the sound of Michael's breathing, while both are expected to again appear in next year's Halloween Ends!

15. Paul Julian as the Road Runner
ca 44 years

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: Fast and Furry-ous - Sept. 17, 1949
Last Appearance: Unknown, 1994

Paul Julian created the signature “Beep-Beep” sound for the Roadrunner. Although only archive audio of this has been used since 1996, Julian apparently would recreate the sound over the course of time, from the Roadrunner’s first appearance to the end of Julian’s run in 1994, just before his death.

14. James Earl Jones as Darth Vader
45 years (1977-2016)
Franchise: Star Wars
Appearances: 5 films
First Appearance: Star Wars - May 25, 1977
Last Appearance: Obi-Wan Kenobi - Jun. 2022

Jones provided the voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy: Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983), returning to the role twice more, in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). Jones also lent his voice to the film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, but that was actually the voice of Sidious imitating Vader. Jones returned to the role again in the 2022 mini-series Obi-Wan Kenobi.

13. Dave Goelz as Gonzo
45 years, 1 month (1976-2021)

Franchise: The Muppets
Appearances: Many television episodes and specials, 8 films
First Appearance: The Muppet Show - "Joel Grey" - Sept. 05, 1976
Last Appearance: Muppets Haunted Mansion - Oct. 08, 2021

Goelz has voiced this particular muppet from his inception to the modern day. While Muppets Haunted Mansion may be his latest venture, it remains to be seen for how much longer Goelz will play the role, and how far up this list he will move.

12. Leonard Nimoy as Spock
47 years (1966-2013)

Franchise: Star Trek
Appearances: Many television episodes, 8 films
First Appearance: Star Trek - “The Man Trap” - Sept. 06, 1966
Last Appearance: Star Trek Into Darkness - May 17, 2013

Leonard Nimoy is the only one of the main Star Trek cast members who was there in the original pilot for Star Trek, The Cage, which was later re-edited into the two-part episode The Menagerie, in which Spock flashes back to his past. Nimoy played the role of Spock for all three seasons, from 1966 to 1969, and returned with most of the cast for the animated series for one season, from 1973 to 1974.

Nimoy openly disliked the role and the stigma it gave him, publishing a book in 1975 called I Am Not Spock. He had to be talked into returning to the role in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and only appeared in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on the condition that the character be killed off in the end.

But then something happened during the making of Wrath of Khan. Nimoy had a complete change of heart, and began to really enjoy himself. He went back to the producers and asked that the character be brought back. An extra little scene was filmed teasing Spock’s return, something which ticked off director Nicholas Meyer who refused to shoot the scene.

Nimoy went so far as to direct the sequel, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, which saw the return of the character, as well as the next film, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. He continued to star in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, which he also executive produced, and which was intended as the final send-off for the Enterprise crew. To promote the film, Nimoy then filmed an appearance in a two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Reunification,” which aired before the film. 

Nimoy later published a new book, reflecting his change of hear on the character, entitled I Am Spock, in 1995.

And that was it. Nimoy turned own multiple offers to reprise the role over the years, preferring the ending that the character was given. But when he was contacted by the filmmakers of what became the 2009 film Star Trek, he fell in love with the idea. Calling the film “wonderful,” he returned to the role after 18 years, while also passing the torch to Zachary Quinto, who played a younger version of the character who meets his older, time-travelling counterpart. Nimoy returned one more time, once again conversing with his younger self, in a brief appearance in 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness. 

Nimoy passed away in 2015, and his character of Old Spock, or “Spock Prime” was referenced as having died offscreen in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. 

Where Quinto’s version of the character goes from here remains to be seen. A new film has been announced, but no one really knows if it will feature the Enterprise crew or another cast.

11. Dave Goelz as Zoot
47-48 years (1975-2023)

Franchise: The Muppets
First Appearance: Unknown, 1975
Last Appearance: The Muppets Mayhem, 2022/3

Goelz's longest-running Muppet character isn't the iconic Gonzo, but this rather obscure band member of The Electric Mayhem.

10. Mel Blanc as Bugs Bunny
48 years, 6 months, 19 days (at least)

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: A Wild Hare - Jul. 27, 1940
Last Appearance: Possibly Bugs Bunny’s Wild World of Sports - Feb. 15, 1989

9. Carroll Spinney as Oscar the Grouch
49 years, 1 month, 19 days

Franchise: Sesame Street
First Appearance: Sesame Street, episode 1 - Nov. 10, 1969
Last Appearance: Sesame Street - “New Year’s Eve on Sesame Street” - Dec. 29, 2018

8. Kathryn Beaumont as Wendy Darling
49 years, 7 months (1953-2002)

Franchise: Peter Pan
Appearances: 1 film, 1 video game
First Appearance: Peter Pan - Feb. 05, 1953
Last Appearance: Kingdom Hearts - Sept. 17, 2002

The 12-year old Beaumont, who made a splash at Disney with her performance as the title character in Alice in Wonderland, was brought back to voice Wendy Darling in Disney’s 1953 adaptation of Peter Pan. 

49 years later, at the age of 63, Beaumont was brought back to voice the character in the video game Kingdom Hearts, with her voice sounding just as it had a half century earlier.

7. Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil
49 years, 10 months (1973-2023)

Franchise: The Exorcist
Appearances: 2 films
First Appearance: The Exorcist - Dec. 26, 1973
Last Appearance: "Untitled Exorcist Sequel" - Oct. 13, 2023

Burstyn appeared as Chris MacNeil, a mother of a possessed girl seeking help from a priest, in The Exorcist in 1973, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. There have been numerous sequels, prequels, and even a television series, based on the film since then, none of them featuring Burstyn. In time for the 50th anniversary of the film, Burstyn will reprise her role as MacNeil in a sequel that ignores all previous sequels. This time around, the father of a possessed boy seeks out MacNeil for her aid.
 

6. Carroll Spinney as Big Bird
50 years, 8 months, 1 day

Franchise: Sesame Street
First Appearance: Sesame Street, episode 1 - Nov. 10, 1969
Last Appearance: Sesame Street - “Let’s Go Camping” - Jul. 11, 2020

5. Kathryn Beaumont as Alice
51 years, 1 month (1951-2002)

Franchise: Alice in Wonderland
Appearances: 1 film, 1 video game
First Appearance - Alice in Wonderland - Jul. 28, 1951
Last Appearance: Kingdom Hearts - Sept. 17, 2002

10 years old at the time of her casting as the title character of Alice in Wonderland (1951), it must have been a surreal experience for the 63-year-old to pick up the role again. Beaumont is still alive and well, and must have fond memories of these two roles she played for the great Walt Disney!

It should be noted that Kingdom Hearts is not a sequel to either Alice in Wonderland or Peter Pan, but actually features alternate version of the characters in those films, essentially being a reboot. Nevertheless, it counts for our purposes here, and Beaumont nearly holds the all-time record. Nearly...

4. Mel Blanc as Porky Pig
51 years, 5 months, 7 days (at least)

Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Apperance: Porky’s Duck Hunt - Apr. 17, 1937
Last Appearance: Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters - Sept. 24, 1988

3. Mel Blanc as Daffy Duck
51 years, 9 months, 28 days (at least)

51 years, 9 months, 28 days
Franchise: Looney Tunes
First Appearance: Porky’s Duck Hunt - Apr. 17, 1937
Last Appearance: Possibly Bugs Bunny’s Wild World of Sports - Feb. 15, 1989

2. Frank Welker as Fred Jones
52 years, 18 days

Franchise: Scooby-Doo
First Appearance: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! - “What a Night for a Knight!” - Sept. 13, 1969
Last Appearance: Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? - “Scooby-Doo and the Sky Town Cool School” - Oct. 01, 2021

1. Burt Ward as Dick Grayson / Robin
53 years (1966-2019)

Franchise: Batman
Appearances: Many television episodes, 1 film
First Appearance: Batman - “Hi Diddle Riddle” - Jan. 12, 1966
Last Appearance: Supergirl - “Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 1” - Dec. 08, 2019

Bruce Wayne’s young ward Dick Grayson adventured as Robin in the spring of 1966 in the first season of Batman, following it up with the feature film Batman that summer. He then continued to play the role for two more seasons, until the series’ end in 1968.

No one ever expected to see this version of the character again. But then came the major crossover TV event Crisis on Infinite Earths, which peered into the worlds of several DC Comics adaptations. In the opening moments, we see an old version of Dick Grayson, still wearing his trademark colors, walking a dog that looks awfully like Ace the Bathound from the comics. As the skies turn red, indicating the evil force that is coming, Dick looks up and shouts “Holy crimson skies of death!” That world is then destroyed, but after our heroes bring the entire multiverse back from destruction, we can assume it was brought back much the same.

Some will argue that the character in this scene is not ever actually confirmed onscreen as Dick Grayson and shouldn’t count. But it seems pretty clear what the creators’ intention was, and for this writer’s purposes, Burt Ward takes the top spot on our list!