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This entry is trivia, which is cool and all, but not a trope. On a work, it goes on the Trivia tab.

Acting for Two
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Acting for Two (trope)
Or Acting for Five, as the case may be.

"David Warner, you are under arrest by order of David Warner!"
— Crow T. Robot, Quest of the Delta Knights

The character you know and love walks off set on one side, and a couple of seconds later walks in on the other side, only he's wearing different clothes! And talking funny! And everyone's calling him Cousin Rick, not Fred!

For many a reason both solid and sordid, an actor might find themselves playing more than one role on the same show. It might be a twin brother (or cousin, aunt, etc. — television has never been fussy on the details). A male character may be put in drag to play his own mother, who looks a lot like him. More than a few action shows have had a lookalike try to frame the main character. Whatever the reason, the actor is Acting for Two. Sometimes more, depending on the role.

It happens occasionally in other media as well, but when the same actor plays multiple characters on TV or in a film, it usually has a very specific purpose. In theatre, it's just as often an economic use of talent. Often certain role-pairings become traditional, so for example some film versions of Peter Pan still cast the same actor for Hook and Mr Darling - even though they could afford two actors, and the stage tradition only arose because of their lack of scenes together. Maybe because it seems symbolic of... something.

This tradition goes way way back. Classical Greek drama was usually performed by two or three actors (wearing masks) plus chorus. As a result, you never see more than three principal characters at the same time, in very specific combinations: Hecuba talks to Cassandra and a Greek Herald, then Cassandra goes offstage (and changes masks) and comes back on as Andromache, then Andromache and the Herald go offstage and come back as Helen and Menelaus... To this day "doubling" of roles is common in theatre, especially in No Budget productions.

See Double Vision for a look at how they manage the trick of getting an actor on-screen more than once, when needed.

Understandably this happens a lot in voice acting, because one person playing two characters can get pretty difficult in live-action if you want both characters in the same place at the same time during the show/film's run, whereas the only hurdle you have to overcome with voice acting is the two characters sounding too similar, and a good voice actor can work around that by differentiating their voice between roles. This is common in a lot of British children's TV shows from before the 2000s, since many of them were produced on a shoestring budget and couldn't afford a big cast, shows like The Clangers, The Wombles and the English dub of The Magic Roundabout being prominent examples. Not to be confused with Talking to Themself, in which the actor plays different personalities of a single character in-story. For the other kind of "acting for two", see Hide Your Pregnancy. Contrast Making Use of the Twin, where an actor happens to have a twin who's cast in order to avoid this trope.

In countries with a smaller voice acting industry, this tends to be quite widespread. Just check out the Indonesian dub's cast for Squid Game.

In audiobook narration, with a few exceptions such as Full Cast Audio a single person voices the whole cast and usually tries to differentiate all of the characters' voices, to varying effect. This is so universal that it's not worth listing all the examples.

This particular little ice cream cone comes in several flavors, depending on the purpose, and varying in utility by medium:

Examples:

For works that have their own pages:

    open/close all folders 

    Anime 
  • Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash★Star:
  • HuGtto! Pretty Cure: In the Albanian dub, Valdrin Hasani plays Umehashi-sensei and Uchifuji-sensei.
  • JoJo's Bizarre Adventure:
  • Tamagotchi Friends:
    • Chiwa Saitō voices Moriritchi, Furifuritchi, and Clulutchi.
    • Katsuyuki Konishi voices Gotchiman and Oyajitchi.
    • Satomi Koorogi voices Hapihapitchi, Doremitchi, and the narrator from GO-GO Tamagotchi!.
    • In-universe. In episode 37a of Tamagotchi!, we are shown an episode of the TAMAX-TV series Lovelin Hime which stars Lovelin in the roles of the eponymous princess and a ninja, the former helping the latter to escape from her pursuers.
  • One Piece:
    • For the anime, all of the ten voice actors for the Straw Hats acted for two — or in some cases for three or four — at various times. Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Kazuya Nakai and Hiroaki Hirata did it frequently, as they voiced Nami, Usopp, Zoro and Sanji, respectively, in addition to minor/supporting characters and creatures (such as Okamura's Su and Gonbe, Hirata's Karoo, or Yamaguchi's Eyelash). Katsuhisa Hoki did this in the Marineford arc, before Moria began to appear less often. For the Time Skip, eight of the Straw Hat actors would go on to play the Fake Straw Hats.
    • Tomomichi Nishimura also did it in episodes featuring Miyagi and Hyogoro.
    • Ryūzaburō Ōtomo voiced Sir Crocodile, Kozuki Sukiyaki as well as Tenguyama Hitetsu. The latter two is an example of Significant Double Casting, as Kozuki Sukiyaki is Hitetsu.
    • Hideyuki Hori voiced Bartholomew Kuma as well as Sanji's father Vinsmoke Judge.
    • Toshiyuki Morikawa voices Enel and Hatchan.
    • Kotono Mitsuishi voices Boa Hancock as well as S-Snake, which is significant as all the other Seraphims are voiced by different seiyuus other than the Warlords they are based upon.
    • Yasunori Masutani voices Disco, Saint Jalmack and Saint Shepherd Ju Peter.
    • Kazuhiro Yamaji voices Senor Pink as well as Figarland Garling.
    • Shūichi Ikeda voices Shanks as well as Figarland Shamrock, also significant as they are actually twin brothers.
    • Hirohiko Kakegawa voices Dracule Mihawk (after Takeshi Aono passed away) and Saint Roswald.
    • A handful of voice actors from the Funimation dub play multiple roles. For example, Brina Palencia voices Chopper, Zoro (as a child), Rongo and Carmen, Colleen Clinkenbeard plays Luffy, Myure (the Bellamy Pirates' doctor) and a Southbird, and Stephanie Young voices Nico Robin and her mother Olvia (this is a carry-over from the Japanese where Yuriko Yamaguchi also voiced Olvia).
  • Sailor Moon:
    • All of the first anime's principal performers acted for two — or in some cases for three or four — at various times. Chiyoko Kawashima did it for most of the series, as she was the voice of Shingo Tsukino and Haruna Sakurada, in addition to her Sailor Guardian role. Keiko Han did this most often in the first season, before Queen Beryl began to appear less often (likewise Rika Fukami and Keiichi Nanba). Kotono Mitsuishi also did it in Sailor Stars, as she's the voice of Usagi/Sailor Moon and Chibi Chibi.
    • In the Polish dub of the Make Up! Sailor Senshi R special, Queen Beryl and Luna were voiced by Magdalena Krylik.
    • The first English dub also had a limited batch of voice actors. As such, all of them could be heard voicing bit parts at different times in the series, when the secondary batch of actors were otherwise unavailable.
    • This carries over into the second English dub as well. For example, Stephanie Sheh voices Usagi/Sailor Moon and Chibi Chibi, Lucien Dodge voices Zoisite and Motoki Furuhata, Tara Platt voices Ikuko Tsukino and Kaolinite, and so on.
    • In the Albanian dub, Ledina Rabdishta voices both Naru and Setsuna.
  • Yo-kai Watch: In the French dub, Fanny Bloc voices Jibanyan, Komasan, Komajiro, and Kyubi.

    Asian Animation 

    Audio Plays 
  • An in-universe example. On the album Arthur's Really Rockin' Music Mix, the final track, "Goldilocks and the Bears Trio as Told by Sue Ellen" is actually a play presented by Sue Ellen because she claims she can't sing. She tries to cast D.W. for the role of Goldilocks, but D.W. walks off, saying that the role isn't big enough for her talent. As such, Buster is forced to play the role of Goldilocks, even though he's already been cast as the Wolf. Hilarity Ensues.
    Buster: (with a bad German accent) Hello. I am Wolfgang!
    Sue Ellen: (moans) Hold it! You're Goldilocks!
    Buster: Yeah, but I was the wolf first. Does this mean I have to chase myself?

    Film - Animation 

    Film - Live-Action 

    Literature 
  • The Berenstain Bears Big Chapter Books: An in-universe example in The Berenstain Bears in the Freaky Funhouse — some of the circus performers are also regular employees. For example, the circus boss Captain Billy is also the ringmaster, his enforcer Otto is Primo the World's Strongest Bear, and their head clown is the janitor (which turns into a plot point late in the book).
  • The Golden Hamster Saga: Freddy's Final Quest has an in-universe example. The characters go to see a stage production of Freddy in Peril, with the same two actors playing both Enrico and Caruso and Fleischkopf and Brewster.

    Live-Action TV 
  • Bless This House: Sid James plays both Sid Abbott and Alf Carter in "Will the Real Sid Abbott Please Stand Up".
  • The Brittas Empire: Chris Barrie plays both Gordon Brittas and Vlad in the episode "At the Double".
  • Carry on Laughing!: In "Short Knight, Long Daze", Brian Osborne played both a knight and a herald.
  • Christopher Mitchell guest starred in the Come Back Mrs. Noah episode, "The Housing Problem", as Henry and George, a pair of robot butlers.
  • Dad's Army:
    • "Sgt. Wilson's Little Secret" has a scene where Walker bothers Wilson while he is waiting for Mrs. Pike outside of her home, and once Walker leaves and Mrs. Pike comes out, an off-screen ARP warden yells, "Oi, put that light out!". As the warden is off-camera, James Beck voices him in addition to playing Walker.
    • In addition to their regular characters, most of the main cast play secondary roles during Jones' Flashback to his Sudan days in "The Two and a Half Feathers"; Arthur Lowe plays Sergeant Ironside, John Le Mesurier plays Colonel Smythe, Ian Lavender plays Lieutenant Franklin, Beck plays Private Green, Arnold Ridley plays the old Fakir, and John Laurie and Bill Pertwee play Dervish warriors.
    • Felix Bowness played a coach driver in "Everybody's Trucking", but also whistled the bird song heard at the beginning of the episode.
    • In the 1975 Christmas Episode "My Brother and I", Lowe starred as both Captain Mainwaring and Mainwaring's estranged brother, Barry.
    • During pre-production, Jack Haig was asked to play both Jones and his twin brother, George. This twin was dropped early in production.
  • Fraggle Rock:
    • All of the five principal Fraggle performers acted for two - or in some cases, for three or four - at various times. Steve Whitmire and Dave Goelz in fact did it in almost every episode, as they were the performers of Sprocket and Traveling Matt, respectively, in addition to their Fraggle Five roles, plus the additional minor/supporting characters they performed (such as Whitmire's Marlon Fraggle and Murray the Minstrel, or Goelz's Philo, World's Oldest Fraggle and Large Marvin). Jerry Nelson did this most often in season one, before the Trash Heap and Pa Gorg began to appear less often (likewise Richard Hunt), but still did it regularly throughout the series run. Kathryn Mullen and Karen Prell had relatively fewer episodes in which they played multiple roles, but they did do it on occasion - for instance, in episodes featuring both Mokey and Cotterpin, or Red and Fluffinella.
    • This carries over into the 2022 reboot as well. For example, John Tartaglia now performs Gobo, Sprocket, Architect Doozer, and Gunge; Dave Goelz still voices Boober, Traveling Matt and World's Oldest Fraggle although the puppetry is now handled by others (two more of Goelz's characters, Philo and Large Marvin Fraggle, are recast to Dan Garza and Frank Meschkuleit, respectively); and so on. Karen Prell (still performing as Red) actually adds a few new characters as well, notably Icy Joe.
    • A handful of voice actors in the 2021 Japanese redub handle multiple roles. For example, Riki Kitazawa dubs both of Dave Goelz's major characters (Boober and Uncle Matt), and Cantus and Convincing John (both Jim Henson characters) were dubbed by Youhei Tadano.
  • In the Inside George Webley episode, "A Lean and Hungry Look", Jack Woolgar plays the misery of a pub landlord who kickstarts George's desire to lose weight, and also briefly plays the bemused gent who George and Simon run past during their workout.
  • The Last of the Baskets: In "It's a Living", Arthur Lowe plays both Mr. Bodkin and his brother, the Reverend Theobold Bodkin.
  • M*A*S*H: In the episode "Mail Call, Again" Gary Burghoff portrays his character Radar's mother in the home movie sent from Iowa.
  • Mystery Science Theater 3000 did this often, as they had a limited cast. For the first seven seasons, Trace Beaulieu played both Mad Scientist Dr. Forrester and Crow, one of the robots on the Satellite of Love. In later seasons, Kevin Murphy played both Tom Servo and Bobo, while Bill Corbett played Crow and Observer. And that's just the regular cast; actors would frequently play one-off characters in sketches as well.
  • On the Buses: In "Going Steady", Blakey shows Stan a picture of his twin sister, also played by Stephen Lewis.
  • The Onedin Line: Alongside Captain James Onedin, Peter Gilmore also played Cousin Richard in "The Passenger".
  • Porridge:
    • Ronnie Barker played Fletcher and also voiced the judge in the intro.
    • Aside from playing Warren, Sam Kelly also provides the off-screen voice of a doctor in "No Way Out" telling Fletcher that he has a perfectly healthy knee.
  • Red Dwarf:
    • "Dimension Jump" has Chris Barrie playing dual roles as Arnold Rimmer and Ace Rimmer, his parallel universe counterpart, in the character's first appearance. The episode also has Craig Charles playing his own counterpart Spanners, as well as Danny John-Jules, Hattie Hayridge and Robert Llewellyn as Padre, Mellie and Bongo respectively (Llewellyn being unrecognisable without Kryten's prosthetics).
    • Llewellyn has played some extra roles in a handful of other episodes, both with the prosthetics (Kryten's hallucinatory alter-ego Jake Bullet in "Back to Reality") and without (Jim Reaper in "The Last Day").
  • On Time Bandits (2024), James Dryden and Felicity Ward play both Mr. Mike Haddock and Mrs. Lisa Haddock as well as those characters own parents: Grandpa Haddock and Lisa's mother (surname unknown).
  • The Toy Castle: Rick Jones, in addition to narrating, voices all of the characters.

    Podcasts 
  • Dungeons & Daddies: In tabletop roleplaying games, the game master plays the vast majority of the non-player-characters. This results in Dungeon Master Anthony Burch (and later Will Campos) sometimes having to have full conversations with himself when two non-player-characters interact. Typically, this is played for laughs with the players cutting in and making comments, but sometimes (like when Grant reveals his depression and confesses his feelings to Yeet after the Supper Bowl) the scenes are played completely straight.
  • King Kirby has at least four actors, three of whom voice multiple characters, while only one plays Kirby himself. It is incredibly easy to tell which actor is playing each role.
  • The Magnus Archives: Due to difficulty casting someone new on a short notice, the voice actor for Martin Blackwood (Alex Newall) was additionally cast as Jared Hopworth (though it's hard to tell they're played by the same person due to the filters layered over Jared's voice). The two characters briefly interact in season 5.

    Puppet Shows 
  • Bear in the Big Blue House:
    • Peter Linz played Tutter, Pip, and Luna (puppetry only).
    • Tyler Bunch played Treelo and Pop.
  • Fraggle Rock:
    • Jerry Nelson played Gobo, the Trash Heap, and Pa Gorg.
    • Dave Goelz plays Boober, Uncle Travelling Matt, and Philo.
    • Steve Whitmire played Wembley and Sprocket.
    • Kathryn Mullen played Mokey and Cotterpin.
    • Richard Hunt played Junior Gorg and Gunge.
  • The Muppets:
    • Jim Henson played Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, Waldorf, Link Hogthrob, the Newsman, and the Swedish Chef (head and voice).
    • Frank Oz played Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Animal, Sam the Eagle, and the Swedish Chef (hands).
    • Dave Goelz plays Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, and Beauregard.
    • Jerry Nelson played Floyd Pepper, Robin the Frog, Camilla, Lew Zealand, Pops, and Crazy Harry.
    • Richard Hunt played Scooter, Janice, Statler, Beaker, and Sweetums.
    • Steve Whitmire played Kermit the Frog, Beaker, Rizzo, Statler, and Lips.
    • Bill Barretta plays Rowlf the Dog, Pepe the King Prawn, Dr. Teeth, Bobo the Bear, and the Swedish Chef (head and voice).
    • Eric Jacobson currently plays Frank Oz's characters.
    • Peter Linz plays Walter, Statler, Lips, and Robin the Frog.
    • David Rudman currently plays Scooter, Janice, and Beaker.
    • Matt Vogel currently plays Kermit the Frog, Floyd Pepper, Uncle Deadly, Sweetums, and most of Jerry Nelson's other characters.
  • Sesame Street
    • Caroll Spinney played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
    • Jim Henson played Kermit the Frog, Ernie, and Guy Smiley.
    • Frank Oz played Bert, Cookie Monster, and Grover.
    • Jerry Nelson played Count von Count, Herry Monster, Mr. Johnson, Sherlock Hemlock, and Mumford, and was the original performer of Mr. Snuffleupagus.
    • Richard Hunt played Forgetful Jones and Don Music.
    • Martin P. Robinson plays Mr. Snuffleupagus and Telly Monster.
    • David Rudman plays Baby Bear and Cookie Monster.
    • Eric Jacobson currently plays Grover, Bert, Oscar the Grouch, and Guy Smiley.
    • Matt Vogel currently plays Big Bird and Count von Count.

    Radio 
  • The Navy Lark:
    • Leslie Phillips plays Sub-Lieutenant Phillips and Captain McDoom.
    • Jon Pertwee plays CPO Pertwee, Commander Wetherby, Vice Admiral Buttenshaw, Vice Admiral Burwasher, and the Master.
    • Stephen Murray plays Commander Murray and Lord Quirk.
    • Heather Chasen plays Wren Chasen, Ramona Povey, Lady Todhunter-Brown, Second Officer Maclootie, Myrtle Pertwee, Rita Murray, and Wren Simpkins.
    • Ronnie Barker plays Johnson, Commander Stanton, Intelligence, Lieutenant Managing Director Harold Golfball, Mr. Merrivale, Commander Bell, Lieutenant Queeg, and Captain Hardcastle.
    • Tenniel Evans plays Goldstein, Nunkie, both Admirals, Sir Willoughby Todhunter-Brown, and Lieutenant Deacon.
    • Michael Bates plays Commander Shaw, Ginger, Commander Bracewell, Sub-Lieutenant General Samuel Pepys Washington-Burt, Pierre, Lieutenant Bates, Rear Admiral Ironbridge, Jervais Batsford Shaw, the Padre, Flag Lieutenant Dingle, Captain Atcheson, Lieutenant Birkett, and Vice Admiral Prout.
    • Janet Brown plays Janet Brown and Vera Timkins.
    • Close attention to the closing credits reveals that the main cast appears as some of the caricature-voiced minor characters.
  • The Stan Freberg Show: More than one instance, due to the limited cast and Freberg's talent for voices. In the interview with the Abominable Snowman, Freberg does the Snowman voice by inhaling as he speaks, making his rapid-fire back-and-forth dialogue even more impressive.

    Scripts 
  • Carry On Escaping: Kommandant Fokker and Lieutenant Briggs were intended to be played by the same actor.

    Theatre 
  • As You Like It: In many productions, the good Duke Senior and his evil usurping brother Duke Frederick (who never appear on stage together) are played by the same actor, making Frederick an Evil Twin.
  • Cross Road:
    • Costa the violin teacher in act 1 and Hector Berlioz in act 2 are played by the same actor (Kenji Sakamoto in the 2024 production). Costa is Niccolo Paganini's music teacher in his youth, who celebrates his talent at first, then denounces him for having acquired musical skill from a Deal with the Devil. Berlioz is another great composer of the era, younger than Paganini, who has fallen on hard times. At first, Paganini rejects him, but eventually he helps him. Costa is a minor figure, but in act 1, he has power over Paganini; Berlioz, on the other hand, is important, but this time, Paganini is the one with power over him.
    • In the Japan Musical Festival Winter 2022 concert, Akinori Nakagawa, who played the devil Amduscias in the original cast, performed both roles (Amduscias and Niccolo) in the duet "Contract of Blood", singing Amduscias live with a pre-recorded projection of himself as Niccolo.
  • Fireman Sam On Stage: Andy Medhurst acts as both Elvis and Tom, while Adele Scott plays both Penny and Dilys.
  • In A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, all eight of the D'Ysquith heirs plus Chauncey D'Ysquith, both male and female, are portrayed by a single actor; in the original cast, Jefferson Mays earned a Tony nomination for the feat.
  • In Little Shop of Horrors, the actor who plays Orin Scrivello usually plays several other roles, such as a bum during "Skid Row (Downtown)", the first customer to notice the Audrey II, the radio host who interviews Seymour, all three business people during "The Meek Shall Inherit", and Patrick Martin.
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream: The mortal rulers Theseus and Hippolyta, and the fairy rulers Oberon and Titania, are often played by the same duo of actors.
  • In Peter Pan (1904), the same actor traditionally plays Mr. Darling and Captain Hook. J. M. Barrie, the author, reportedly suggested that Captain Hook should be played by the same actor as Mrs. Darling.
  • Team StarKid productions do this to keep the cast small. Most of the cast will play multiple small roles in addition to their main characters and/or switch costumes to join the ensemble when their main character is offstage.
    • Joey Richter plays "Everyone Else" in The Trail to Oregon!, meaning almost every character outside the main family. Every other cast member has an extra role or two when needed.
    • The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals: Jeff Blim appears as Sam, Paul's boss Mr. Davidson, General MacNamara, and the Man in a Hurry.
    • Black Friday: Jon Matteson briefly reprises his role as Paul from The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals, plays Gary Goldstein for most of the mall scenes and provides the voice of Wiggly.
    • Nerdy Prudes Must Die: Jon Matteson reprises his role as Wiggly from Black Friday as an onstage role along with playing Richie. Other available cast members portray the other four Lords in Black during "The Summoning" on top of their main roles.
  • The Sleeping Beauty (1889): In the original production, Marie Pepita played both the Lilac Fairy and Cinderella.
  • In Spring Awakening, two actors play all the adult characters.
  • The Forbidden Broadway parody of the above has Wendla and Melchior both recognise the Adult Woman as their mother simultaneously and freak out about Surprise Incest before she explains that she's "four different characters, all wearing the same dress."

    Video Games 

    Web Animation 
  • Big Bunny: Creator Amy Winfrey voices every character except for the titular Big Bunny, who is instead voiced by her husband Peter Merryman.
  • In Crash Zoom, Alice Ann Stacey voices both Lucy and Kate.
  • Chikn Nuggit:
    • Kyra Kupetsky voices Chikn Nuggit and Milkshek.
    • Kellen Goff voices Bezel, Iscream's Overlord, and Christmas Spirit.
  • Day of the Diesels Rewrite: Most of the characters share voice actors, including...
    • PieceofJay as Edward, James, and Thomas.
    • Brandon Littzi as Norman, Dennis, and Flynn.
    • TheGreatNateVA as Donald, Douglas, Rocky, Mr. Percival, Victor, and Salty.
    • ILoveTrains323 as Percy and Paxton.
    • Mainland Studios as Bill, Ben, and Kevin.
    • Joey Turner as 'Arry and Bert.
    • MrMerlinMan02 as Splatter, Dodge, and Spencer.
    • SteamTeam3211 as Sir Topham Hatt and Gordon.
    • FantasticMr.S as Den and Duck.
    • RosietheCutie1995 as Rosie and Mavis.
    • Papy_Petey_James as Annie and Clarabel.
    • Crane Engine Studios as Cranky and Hiro.
  • Hooray For Hell: Amy Winfrey and her husband Peter Merryman voice all the characters.
  • Humans-B-Gone!: Series creator Rev Storm voiced every character for the first 10 episodes.
  • Making Fiends:
    • Series creator Amy Winfrey voices Charlotte, her grandmother Charlene in the TV version, Marion, Maggie in the web series, Mrs. Millet and Giant Kitty. The Mandarin Chinese dub of the episode "A Fiendish Fiend" included on the DVD release of the web series' first season also had her voice Vendetta as well as reprising Charlotte.
    • Character designer Algaia Mortcheva voices Vendetta in both versions as well as her mother Vendetta in the TV version. The French dub of the episode "Vegetables" included on the DVD release of the web series' first season also had her voice all female characters, Vendetta included.
    • Amy Winfrey's husband Peter Merryman voices Grudge, Mr. Milk, Malachi, Marvin and Ms. Minty in both the web series and the TV series, in addition to voicing the Onion Man in the latter.
    • Chris Fria voices the monkey fiend in the web series episode "Show and Tell" and the vegetable fiends in the web series episode "Vegetables" (only voicing the carrot in the TV series version).
    • The Japanese dub of the episode "Halloween" featured on the DVD release of the web series' first season has all voices done by Junichi Ishumira.
    • TV series composer Ego Plum voices the tomato and the broccoli in the TV version of the episode "Vegetables".
    • Dave Wasson in the TV series voices Vendetta's father Viktor, Mr. Gumpit, Mr. Bank Manager, Ms. Helga and the fiend impersonating Charlotte's father in the episode "Parents".
    • Fred Tatasciore in the TV series voices the toupee fiend in "Toupee" and the fiend impersonating Charlotte's mother in "Parents".
  • Muffin Films: As with many of Amy Winfrey's web series, all voices are provided by either herself or her husband Peter Merryman.
  • almost all voice actors in Wolf Song: The Movie voice at least 2 characters (there are around 6 who only voice one each). Most prominently co writer It’s beastly time voices both Cobalt and Lightning, who are the second in command of their respective packs.

    Web Videos 
  • Critical Role: Matt Mercer, as the Dungeon Master, of course voices all NPC characters, but some of the players have also played dual roles:
    • In campaign 1, Sam Riegel plays Scanlan Shorthalt, but switches to playing Taryon Darrington after Scanlan gets into a massive fight with Vox Machina and leaves.
    • In campaign 2, Taliesin Jaffe starts off playing as Mollymauk Tealeaf, but switches to playing Caduceus Clay after Molly dies. When Molly is eventually resurrected in the finale, the other players immediately troll Taliesin by pushing Molly and Caduceus into conversation with eachother.
    • In campaign 3, Sam Riegel plays F.C.G., but switches to playing Braius Doomseed after F.C.G.'s Heroic Sacrifice.
    • Also in campaign 3, Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein return for a Crisis Crossover, with the players reprising their past characters. The Mighty Nein even end up traveling with Bell's Hells for a bit, meaning every player except Robbie Daymond ends up having to play two characters at the same time.
  • The Unlucky Tug: As in CGI Thomas & Friends, Joe Mills voices Douglas, Oliver, and Toad in the story segments in "The COMPLETE History of Oliver the Western Engine", and all three of his characters have conversations together.

    Western Animation 
  • Angry Little Girls: Lela Lee voiced everyone in the original Angry Little Asian Girl shorts, and all of the Angry Little Girls except for Wanda in the 2014 cartoon. The latter also has Margaret Cho voice both Mother Lee and Wanda, and Scott Menville voice both Pat and Bruce.
  • The Backyardigans: In the UK dub, Maria Darling voices both Tyrone and Tasha.
  • In Ben 10: Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, Dee Bradley Baker voices nearly every single alien Ben transforms into. Of the 44 aliens Ben transforms into in Ultimate Alien, only 6 of them aren't voiced by him.
  • Bubble Guppies: In the Spanish dub, Miriam Aguilar voices Goby and Deema.
  • Codename: Kids Next Door:
    • Benjamin Diskin voices Numbuhs 1 and 2, which leads to interesting moments when they're paired together. He's also one of the voices of the Delightful Children From Down the Lane.
    • Lauren Tom voices Numbuh 3 and her mother, Genki Sanban. This is Played for Laughs in "Operation: C.L.U.E.S.", which sees the stern, reserved Genki sound like her daughter as her mask of repression cracks.
    • Dee Bradley Baker voices Numbuh 4, recurring villains the Toiletnator, Heinrich von Marzipan, and Mr. Fibb, and Numbuh 2's brother, Tommy Gilligan. He's also one of the voices of the Delightful Children.
    • Cree Summer voices Numbuh 5 and her villainous sister Cree, and is also one of the voices of the Delightful Children.
    • Grey Griffin, then going by Grey DeLisle, voices Lizzie, Numbuh 1's girlfriend, as well as recurring villains Gramma Stuffum and the Crazy Old Cat Lady.
  • Esme & Roy: Lilly Bartlam voices Franny and Lottie.
  • Fifi and the Flowertots:
    • Maria Darling voices both Violet and Pip.
    • In both the UK and US dubs, Marc Silk voices Bumble (Fuzzbuzz in the US dub) and Slugsy.
  • FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman takes this trope up to eleven, as, outside of Blossom and Chet, every animated character in the show is voiced by Jim Conroy. This includes the titular character Ruff, his brother Scruff Ruffman, Grandma Ruffman, Gerry Geranium, etc.
  • Fireman Sam:
    • In Series 1-4, all the characters were voiced by one actor, John Alderton.
    • In Series 5, John Sparkes voices all the adult male characters (and Dilys Price), Joanna Ruiz voices Sarah, James, and Bella, and Sarah Hadland voices Penny, Mandy, and Helen.
    • In the CGI seasons, Steven Kynman plays Sam, Elvis, Norman, and Charlie, David Carling voices Station Officer Steele, Tom, and Mike, and Tegwen Tucker plays Penny and Bronwyn.
    • Following some recasts in the CGI seasons in 2021, Siu-see Hung plays Mrs. Chen and Lily, and Ayesha Antoine plays Mandy and Helen.
    • In the US dub, Andrew Hodwitz plays Sam and Elvis, while Lily Cassano plays Sarah, Mandy, and Lily.
  • Gravity Falls: Alex Hirsch, the creator of the series, did extensive voice work for the show, providing the voices for Stan, Soos, Old Man McGucket, Bill Cipher, and many, many minor characters.
  • Hazbin Hotel: Alex Brightman voices both Sir Pentious and Adam, as well as Amir Talai as Alastor and Tom Trench, Blake Roman as Angel Dust and the Egg Boiz and Kimiko Glenn as Niffty and Susan.
  • Joshua Jones: All the male characters are voiced by George Layton, while all the female characters are voiced by Barbara Flynn.
  • Justice League Action takes it to a new level in the short "Missing the Mark" where Mark Hamill is not only playing himself, but the Joker, Trickster, and Swamp Thing. He is the only person talking the entire time.
  • Kid vs. Kat: In the Spanish dub, Melanie Henríquez voices Fiona and Phoebe.
  • Kindergarten: The Musical has twins Kat and Ellie both voiced by Alice Halsey.
  • Little Dracula:
  • The Loud House:
    • Catherine Taber voices Lori, Catherine Mulligan, and Girl Jordan.
    • Nika Futterman voices Luna and Boris.
    • Cristina Pucelli voices Luan and Dante.
    • Jessica DiCicco voices Lynn Jr., Lucy, and Zach.
    • Grey DeLisle voices twins Lana and Lola, Lily, Scoots, Nurse Patti, Cheryl and Meryl, and Ms. Bernardo.
    • Lara Jill Miller voices Lisa, Liam, and Persephone.
    • Brian Stepanek voices Lynn Sr., Hunter Spector, and Todd.
    • John DiMaggio voices Mr. Grouse, Flip, and Chunk.
    • James Arnold Taylor voices Mr. Bolhofner and Bertrand.
  • Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends: In the UK dub, Maria Darling voices both the titular Miss Spider and her adopted son, Dragon.
  • Mixels: Many of the voice actors who worked on this show played at least two characters. In fact, it would be easier to list the cast members who only voiced one character.
  • The Mr. Men Show:
    • Both versions: Joey D'Auria voices Mr. Scatterbrain and Mr. Rude.
    • UK version:
      • Simon Greenall voices Mr. Happy (Season 1), Mr. Strong, Mr. Quiet, Mr. Bump, Mr. Grumpy, and Mr. Bounce.
      • Rob Rackstraw voices Mr. Tickle, Mr. Messy, Mr. Fussy, Mr. Noisy, and Mr. Happy (Season 2).
      • Jo Wyatt voices Miss Sunshine and Miss Naughty (Season 1).
      • Teresa Gallagher voices Miss Chatterbox and Miss Whoops.
    • US version:
      • Godfrey voices Mr. Stubborn and Mr. Tall.
      • Cheryl Chase voices Miss Whoops and Miss Curious.
      • Danny Katiana voices Mr. Nosey and Mr. Nervous.
  • In the original British version of Muzzy in Gondoland, Derek Griffiths voices both Bob and Corvax.
  • PAW Patrol: Ron Pardo acts for three as Cap'n Turbot, Mayor Humdinger, and Farmer Al.
  • Phineas and Ferb:
    • Alyson Stoner as Isabella and Jenny.
    • Dan Povenmire as Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Candace's allergy-affected voice.
  • Postman Pat:
    • In Series 1, all the characters were voiced by one actor, Ken Barrie.
    • In Series 2, Ken Barrie voices all the adult male characters (and Granny Dryden), while Carole Boyd plays all the female characters and young boy characters.
    • In Series 3-5, Ken Barrie voices Pat, Alf, and Ted, Carole Boyd voices Sara, Mrs Goggins, and Sarahnote , Janet James plays Julian, Lucy, and Lauren, and Kulvinder Ghir plays Ajay, Bill, and Tom.
  • Roary the Racing Car: Maria Darling voices Roary and Cici.
  • Rubbadubbers: Maria Darling acts for three as Sploshy, Amelia, and Winona.
  • The Smurfs (2021): In the Finnish dub, both Smurfblossom and Smurflily are voiced by Viivi Tamminen.
  • Sofia the First: In the Dutch dub, Vajèn van den Bosch voices Lucinda and provides Amber's Non-Singing Voice.
  • Jaleel White voiced Sonic, Sonia, and Manic in Sonic Underground.
  • SpongeBob SquarePants:
    • Tom Kenny as SpongeBob, Gary, the French Narrator, and Patchy the Pirate.
    • Doug Lawrence as Plankton, Larry, and the Realistic Fish Head.
  • Star Wars: Dee Bradley Baker is the voice of every single Clone trooper in the animated shows, including The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Bad Batch. This is especially notable in the latter because that series centers on a group of clones who are all voiced by Dee Bradley Baker with the exception of the one female clone Omega.
  • Terrytoons had actor and author Lionel Wilson, who voiced all of the characters in Tom Terrific, Possible Possum, and Winky Dink and You. He also provided multiple voices for other Terrytoons shows such as The Mighty Heroes and The Deputy Dawg Show
  • Thomas & Friends:
    • Thomas and Percy were both voiced by Martin Sherman in the US from Seasons 13-18, and they have lots of scenes with each other. Diesel also had the same US voice actor from Seasons 17-18.
    • The three big engines (Gordon, James, and Henry) plus Harold, Kevin, and Mr. Percival are all voiced by Kerry Shale in the US, until Season 19 when Rob Rackstraw took over for James. As did Sir Topham Hatt before his UK voice actor took over as of Season 19.
    • In the UK dub, Keith Wickham has voiced about half the male cast (and Dowager Hatt) at some point. This is most prominent in The Adventure Begins, where he voices every important male character except Thomas.
    • Edward and Toby are both voiced by William Hope in the US.
    • Joe Mills voices Oliver, Toad, and Douglas. The first two have several scenes talking to each other.
    • Glenn Wrage voices Cranky and Spencer in the US.
    • Since Season 19, John Hasler voices Thomas and Rheneas in the UK dub, replacing Ben Small in both roles.
    • Most of the female characters (Emily, Rosie, Mavis, Lady Hatt) are voiced by Theresa Gallagher in the UK and Jules de Jongh in the US; in the case of the middle two, Rosie's voice was replaced by Nicola Stapleton in both dubs as of Journey Beyond Sodor while Mavis switched to her UK voice in the US as of Season 17.
  • While the only upload of The Tool Street Gang is of such poor video quality that the names of the voice actors are all but impossible to make out, the fact that there are seven speaking characters but only three people listed means that this is guaranteed to have happened.
  • Underground Ernie:
    • Janet Brown voices both Victoria and the museum worker Miss Relic.
    • Chris Jarvis voices Circle, City, Sam 7, and Colin Wilson.
    • Howard Ward voices Bakerloo, Mr. Rails, and Brooklyn.
    • Emma Weaver voices Millie, Sydney, and Alice.
    • Tim Whitnall voices Jubilee, Hammersmith, the underground entertainer, and Farmer Sprout.
  • VeggieTales: Creators Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki were the voices of a good chunk of the main cast prior to leaving the franchise in 2022.
  • Willo the Wisp (1981) had all of the characters voiced by Kenneth Williams, with James Dreyfus doing so in the 2005 revival.
  • Wonder Pets!: In the Spanish dub, all three Wonder Pets are voiced by Miriam Aguilar.

 
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Video Example(s):

Anas Abdul Aziz - 7 characters

Probe asks who would be power-hungry enough to voice seven characters. Anas Abdul Aziz voices Adu Du, Tok Aba, Mr. Kumar, Mr. Mat, Yoyo Oo, the Sleep Monster and finally... Probe himself. (From "Di Sebalik Tabir - BoBoiBoy The Movie")

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RDJ in The Symp...

Creature Commandos

Gonzo

Mayberry Garden...

Caduceus meets ...

Charlie meets t...

Kerry Washingto...

The Future McFlys

Katherine Clare...

Ryan George

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Alternative Title(s): Voice Acting For Two, Loads And Loads Of Roles

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Anas Abdul Aziz - 7 characters

Probe asks who would be power-hungry enough to voice seven characters. Anas Abdul Aziz voices Adu Du, Tok Aba, Mr. Kumar, Mr. Mat, Yoyo Oo, the Sleep Monster and finally... Probe himself. (From "Di Sebalik Tabir - BoBoiBoy The Movie")

How well does it match the trope?

5 (3 votes)

Example of:

Main / ActingForTwo

Media sources:

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Anas Abdul Aziz...

Answering Machine

RDJ in The Symp...

Creature Commandos

Gonzo

Mayberry Garden...

Caduceus meets ...

Charlie meets t...

Kerry Washingto...

The Future McFlys

Katherine Clare...

Ryan George

Pitch Meetings