An actor is always waiting for the next role to come his way. It’s not an easy job, having to land a part, learn the lines, and really get into the character. It’s even more difficult if little or no pay is involved; so you can imagine what a thrill it would be for an actor to be a regular on a show, or even more so, the lead. Steady work and steady paycheck.
As with any other job, actors have to work with people who they might not get along with;so its great when they find a co-star with whom they get along with well enough for the length of the series’ run. It’s a blessing if they continue to co-star on another show altogether after the initial show. Here are four pairs of actors whose friendship carried on onscreen as well as off screen and were lucky enough to work together more than once as regulars on television programs.
Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis were co-stars on a sitcom called Car 54 Where Are You? with Gwynne as one of the male leads. The police sitcom lasted two years but their friendship was a life-long one. They reunited for another sitcom, one which made them more famous and beloved than their first one. In 1964 they were cast as the male leads for The Munsters, a sitcom about good natured monsters . They were pretty much typecast after that but they had no regrets. They loved those roles.
Larry Storch and Forrest Tucker co-starred in one of the funniest sitcoms about US soldiers in the old west in a show called F-Troop. As Sergeant O’Rourke (Tucker) and Corporal Agarn (Storch) they are caught in the middle of dealing with their troop, their commander, the whole military, the hysterical Heckawis, and several troublemakers (hostile and otherwise) as they focus on their less than legal business ventures. They later co-starred for a short season on alive action children’s Saturday morning sitcom called The Ghost Busters. The ghost chasing detectives they played were similar to their F-Troop characters.
Michael Landon had much success in his short life. First, he was Ben Cartwright’s youngest son, Little Joe on Bonanza, then he starred on Little House on The Prairie, and another starring role on Highway to Heaven. It was on Bonanza where Landon met and befriended Victor French who was on Bonanza for a few episodes and later had French as a co-star on Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven. So really these two lifelong friends were on three shows together, co-starring on two. They both died at 54. Landon of pancreatic cancer, and French of lung cancer.
Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden. The son of Broadway star Mary Martin, Larry Hagman played Major Anthony Nelson on I Dream of Jeannie opposite the beautiful Barbara Eden from 1965-1970. A decade after the popular show ended, Hagman starred on CBS ratings powerhouse Dallas. In 1990, he was reunited with the lovely Ms. Eden for the final five episodes of the season. Ms. Eden portrayed Lee Ann De La Vega, a billionaires who was seeking her revenge against Hagman’s iconic J. R. Ewing.
Four pairs of actors who have entertained people since the 1960s. Lifelong friends who co-starred on a series more than once. Most of have left this life but they will live on in film. Out of the eight entertainers, Ms. Barbara Eden and Mr. Larry Storch are still alive.
Maybe they can guest star together on a show soon.