TV's greatest actors

TELEVISION'S ALL-TIME GREATEST ACTORS
Debaters, on your marks. No Lucy or Gleason? Nope, they only hit greatness once. No Mr. Television himself? Nope, Uncle Miltie failed to put his stamp on an iconic show, and contented himself with one-offs for his last three or four decades. Cloris Leachman and her nine emmies? Nope, nothing iconic. Doubly-iconic Ron Howard? Nope, he walked away while young. There were several close calls. Mary Tyler Moore and Tony Danza? Right on that bubble. Can MATLOCK or DIAGNOSIS MURDER be considered iconic? Or if JOANIE LOVES CHACHI had gone just one full season...
For bonus credit, which two of the following immortals both died ignominiously on the short-lived POLICE SQUAD!?
BILL COSBY
Two iconic roles, plus several animated iconic roles. Given the title progression of his shows, after we get COS out of the way, will the next title be just a picture of his face?
Seasons as a series regular - 23
I SPY (1965-1968)
THE BILL COSBY SHOW (1969-1971)
THE ELECTRIC COMPANY (1971-1972)
FAT ALBERT AND THE COSBY KIDS (1972-2012)
THE COSBY SHOW (1984-1992)
THE COSBY MYSTERIES (1994-1995)
COSBY (1996-2000)
WILLIAM SHATNER
One iconic role, and two semi-iconic. What color is your shat?
Seasons as a series regular - 19
FOR THE PEOPLE (1965)
STAR TREK (1966-1969)
STAR TREK (animated, 1973-1974)
BARBARY COAST (1975-1976)
T.J. HOOKER (1982-1986)
TEKWAR (1994-1996)
BOSTON LEGAL (2004-2008)
$#*! MY DAD SAYS (2010-2011)
Plus recurring roles on 77 SUNSET STRIP, DR. KILDARE, THE PRACTICE, and 3rd ROCK FROM THE SUN. Also the mini-series HOW THE WEST WAS WON, and the sublime INVASION IOWA.
LORNE GREENE
No other actor ever played two such divergently iconic roles, genre-wise.
Seasons as a series regular - 20
SAILOR OF FORTUNE (1955-1958)
BONANZA (1959-1973)
GRIFF (1973-1975)
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978-1979)
GALACTICA 1980 (could it be...)
CODE RED (1981-1982)
He also starred in the greatest mini-series of all time, ROOTS.
BETTY WHITE
I know, i know...you think i might be jumping on the bandwagon, as the country seems to be having a "Betty White moment". Are you kidding?
Seasons as a series regular - 23
LIFE WITH ELIZABETH (1953-1955)
DATE WITH THE ANGELS (1957-1958)
MARY TYLER MOORE (1973-1977)
THE BETTY WHITE SHOW (1977-1978)
THE GOLDEN GIRLS (1985-1992)
THE GOLDEN PALACE (1992-1993)
MAYBE THIS TIME (1995-1996)
LADIES MAN (1999-2001)
HOT IN CLEVELAND (2010-?)
What, you want recurring characters? How about THE LOVE BOAT, MAMA'S FAMILY, EMPTY NEST, BOB, THAT 70's SHOW, THE PRACTICE, BOSTON LEGAL, and um, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL?
TED DANSON
His small screen presence is as large as they come, and his dedication indisputable.
Seasons as a series regular - 24
CHEERS (1982-1993)
INK (1996-1997)
BECKER (1998-2004)
HELP ME HELP YOU (2006-2007)
BORED TO DEATH (2009-2011)
CSI (2011-?)
Plus recurring roles on CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM and DAMAGES, and the TV event GULLIVER'S TRAVELS.
ROBERT URICH
With apologies to the more famous names on this list, Urich might be able to lay claim to the title of "Most Employable TV Actor Ever". Quick! Get this man a series! What, he's done? GET HIM ANOTHER ONE!! He was a regular on twelve, count 'em, twelve different shows. Some of 'em even lasted longer than a season.
Seasons as a series regular - 17
BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE (1973)
S.W.A.T. (1975-1976)
TABITHA (1977-1978)
VEGA$ (1978-1981)
GAVILAN (1982-1983)
SPENSER: FOR HIRE (1985-1988)
AMERICAN DREAMER (1990-1991)
CROSSROADS (1992-1993)
IT HAD TO BE YOU (1993)
THE LAZARUS MAN (1996)
LOVE BOAT: THE NEXT WAVE (1998)
EMERIL (2001)
Plus the mini-series LONESOME DOVE. With all that and movies too, what was his most enduring work? A recurring role as Peter the tennis player, on SOAP.
ALAN ALDA
His resume is thin, but being the only actor ever a regular on two of the top three shows of all time puts him over the top.
Seasons as a series regular - 12
M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
THE WEST WING (2004-2006)
Plus recurring roles on ER, 30 ROCK, and THE BIG C.
HEATHER LOCKLEAR
Disinclined to respect? Cop show, soap, sitcom...name another who genre-jumped so successfully. With even an average life span, she might become the most successful television actor of all time.
Seasons as a series regular - 25
T.J. HOOKER (1982-1986)
DYNASTY (1981-1989)
GOING PLACES (1990-1991)
MELROSE PLACE (1993-1999)
SPIN CITY (1999-2002)
LAX (2004-2005)
Plus a recurring role on HOT IN CLEVELAND. And, not that it's relevant to this article, but...THE RETURN OF SWAMP THING. You know you wanna see it.
KELSEY GRAMMAR
He makes it by a hair's breath, courtesy of an iconic turn as a recurring character on THE SIMPSONS...that plus the longest-running sitcom character ever.
Seasons as a series regular - 23 (what, do he and Danson have a wager going?)
CHEERS (1984-1993)
FRAZIER (1993-2004)
BACK TO YOU (2007-2008)
HANK (2009-2010)
BOSS (2011-2012)
MICHAEL LANDON
Okay, one third of his canon belongs on the short bus. But he's Robert Urich with a 0% failure rate. Every time someone hired him as a series regular, the show went at least five seasons.
Seasons as a regular - 28
BONANZA (1959-1973)
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE (1974-1983)
HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN (1984-1989)
WILLIAM SCHALLERT
His name isn't big, so much as wiiiiiiiiiide. He started acting in television basically when television began, and there's no one else in his league (Actually, there's one in his league - James Hong. Ultimately, the only way i could choose just one was by counting credits. William tops James, 262 to 238. Not 262 episodes, but 262 different shows...and those numbers are premature, as they're both still going.). In sixty some years, William's been a regular on THE PATTY DUKE SHOW, THE NANCY WALKER SHOW, THE NEW GIDGET, and THE TORKELSONS. He's the Urich of recurring characters, with turns on COMMANDO CODY, HEY JEANNIE!, THE ADVENTURES OF JIM BOWIE, STEVE CANYON, PHILIP MARLOWE, THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS, GET SMART, THE MAN AND THE CITY, THE HARDY BOYS/NANCY DREW MYSTERIES, THE MISADVENTURES OF SHERIFF LOBO, THE WALTONS, ST. ELSEWHERE, THE NEW LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, DREAM ON, and TRUE BLOOD. If he's not on your dream dinner party list yet, how about a small sampling of his guest appearances - DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, ER, ROSEANNE, MAGNUM P.I., CHiPS, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, MAUDE, THE BIONIC WOMAN, THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN, LOVE AMERICAN STYLE, GUNSMOKE, KUNG FU, THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY, HAWAII FIVE-O, BEWITCHED, THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW, STAR TREK, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, LASSIE, BONANZA, THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, THE RED SKELTON HOUR, THE TWILIGHT ZONE, THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM, and THE GEORGE BURNS AND GRACIE ALLEN SHOW. If actors didn't already have to sit and wait so much, i'd order somebody to get this man a lounge chair.
SID CAESAR
No star ever burned brighter, or under more intense (and exhausting) conditions. His first show still holds the distinction of being the only show ever cancelled for being too successful (the advertisers couldn't keep up with the demand for product).
Seasons as a regular - 10
THE ADMIRAL BROADWAY REVUE (1949)
YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS (1950-1954)
CAESAR'S HOUR (1954-1957)
SID CAESAR INVITES YOU (1958)
THE SID CAESAR SHOW (1963-1964)
THE HOLLYWOOD PALACE (1966-1970)
HELEN WORTH
More episodes than any actor ever - 1461 and counting (1449 of them on the british soap CORONATION STREET). Co-star William Roache is hot on her heels at 1454. Oy.