The Danza: Difference between revisions
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[[File:mst3k credits 7944.jpg|link=Mystery Science Theater 3000|frame|He's the most troublesome puppet to operate, too.]]
{{quote|"Whatever your character's name is, people are going to call you that. [[I Am Not Spock|For the rest of your life]]. Make your character's name '''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air|Will Smith]]'''."
|[[Will Smith]] quoting [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}hFjwbKMlmF4 valuable advice] }}
{{quote|''"The character I play is called Uncle Deadly, which is also my name. It's like it was written for me!"''
|'''Uncle Deadly''', ''[[The Muppets (film)|The Muppets]]''}}
A character whose name is clearly taken from the actor/actress portraying him/her. This shows up in TV a lot in shows designed as a vehicle for an actor's fame. By lending their name to the fictional character, there's some familiarity created already. The most obvious way to spot this is to see if the title of the show incorporates the lead actor/actress' name, but not always. This seemed to hit its peak in the sitcoms of the late eighties and early nineties. A good majority of sitcoms were based on a stand up comedian's routine (Tim Allen, Roseanne Barr) and many of these comics already were developing fanbases. Creating the Danza was a way to leverage their fame as a comic into success as an actor.
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Compare [[Character as Himself]], [[Adam Westing]] and [[Ink Suit Actor]]. See also [[Name's the Same]], and [[Author Avatar]]. If '''The Danza''' is the writer, then it may be [[Write Who You Know]] as well as [[Author Avatar]].
[[Trope Namer|Named for]] Tony Danza, whose frequent portrayal of people named Tony (see ''[[Taxi]]'' and ''[[Who's The Boss?]]'') has made him the butt of a few jokes, for example, [
{{examples}}
== Anime
* A borderline case is [[Shinichi Watanabe|Nabeshin]] in ''[[Excel Saga (anime)|Excel Saga]]'' and ''[[Puni Puni Poemi]]'', who is voiced by director Wata''nabe Shin''ichi. Furthermore, Watanabe himself appears a few times in both shows with the same character model.
** ''Nabeshin'' was Watanabe's real nickname from ''before'' Excel Saga times, and he still uses it. And he ''[[Truth in Television|indeed]]'' dresses [[Alter Ego Acting|like his animated counterpart]].
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* In ''[[K-On!]]'', Mugi shares her last name (Kotobuki) with that of her voice actress, [[Minako Kotobuki]]. Definitely a coincidence though, seeing how the manga came first. Now, if they could have gotten Hikaru Kotobuki from P-Model to ([[Cross Dressing Voice|somehow]]) play the role...<ref>For those who don't know, the members of Houkago Tea Time are all named after members of P-Model, while other notable cast members are named after members of The Pillows.</ref>
* [[Akira Kamiya]] as Akira Hibiki in ''[[Raideen|Yuusha Raideen]]''.
* [[Playing with a Trope|Played with]] in ''[[Ah! My Goddess]]''. Kosuke Fujishima had written a one-shot story with a character named Chieko Honda. When it came time to animate that story in ''Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy'', they cast [[Chieko Honda]] in the role.
== Films -- Animated ==
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* Possibly the oldest example in film: [[Charlie Chaplin]]'s "Charlie" character, the center of many of his movies.
* [[Laurel and Hardy|Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy]] usually played full-name versions of this in their films.
* Frankie Avalon in the ''Beach'' movies.▼
* [[The Marx Brothers]] did this in some of their films, and on stage.
▲* Frankie Avalon in the ''Beach'' movies.
* Subverted in ''[[Back To The Beach]]'' where Annette Funicello (known as Dee Dee in the classic Beach films) is called Annette while Frankie (her husband) is called "The Big Kahuna".
* Long before Sandra Oh was cast in ''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'', she won a Best Actress Genie Award (the modern day Canadian equivalent of the Oscars) for her role in 1998's ''Last Night''... playing a character named just Sandra.
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* Subverted in ''[[Zack and Miri Make a Porno]]'', with two gay lovers with the name of one being a play on the name of the actor playing another: Bobby ''Long'' played by ''Brandon'' Routh and ''Brandon'' St. Randy played by Justin ''Long''.
* In ''[[Observe and Report]]'' the twin security guards John and Matt are played by John and Matthew Yuan.
* Egyptian American actor Ahmed Ahmed has played a few roles as Ahmed, and many others [[As Himself|as himself]].
* Every single character in ''[[Purple Rain]]'' shares their actor's first name except for that played by Prince (his name is The Kid) and his movie mother and father (they have fictional names).
* [[Stephen Chow]] directs and plays a character named Stephen Chow in ''[[God of Cookery]]''. A particularly brave example since he sets himself up as an [[Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist]] from the beginning.
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* In ''[[Titanic]]'', the modern-time crew (aside from Brock Lovett, played by Bill Paxton) are named after the actors portraying them, e.g. Lewis Bodine is played by Lewis Abernathy. The crew in question is also the real-life crew of the ship.
* Eddie Redmayne as "Eddie" in ''Hick''.
* Susan Sarandon has a rare last-name version in the 1982 film ''[[Tempest (1982 film)|Tempest]]'' -- her character Aretha's last name, Tomalin, is her own maiden name.
== Literature ==
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** Similarly, Jack Kerouac wrote many novels starring a protagonist named Jack Duluoz.
* Charles Yu, time-machine repairman in ''[[How to Live Safely In A Science Fictional Universe]]'' by Charles Yu. It really says something that this is one of the ''[[Mind Screw|less confusing]]'' things about the book.
* A couple of author John
* Darren O'Shaughnessy (who usually writes under the penname Darren Shan) is best known for a book series about a young vampire named [[The Saga of Darren Shan|Darren Shan]].
* [[Tanith Lee]], who wrote for British sf series ''[[Blake's 7
* J(ames) G(raham) Ballard in his novels ''Empire of the Sun'' and 'The Kindness of Women'' has the protagonist "Jim Graham".
* Another borderline case is dancer Lucinda Dickey as "Lucy Dickens" in ''[[Grease 2]]''.
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* Ray Romano as Ray Barone in ''[[Everybody Loves Raymond]]''.
* [[Ellen DeGeneres]] played "Ellen Morgan" in the 1993-98 sitcom ''[[Ellen]]'', which was known as ''These Friends Of Mine'' for the first season. In 2001, she played "Ellen Richmond" in the sitcom ''The Ellen Show''.
* Sandy Duncan as Sandy Stockton in ''[[Funny Face]]'' (later called ''The Sandy Duncan Show''). Duncan was also Sandy Hogan in her [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]] role on the show known variously as ''[[Valerie]]'', ''
* Speaking of which, Valerie Harper as Valerie Hogan in the early seasons of the same show.
* Tim Allen as Tim Taylor in ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]''.
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* John Ritter as John Hartman and Billy Bob Thornton as Billy Bob Davis in ''[[Hearts Afire]]''.
* ''[[Cheers]]''
** Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd looks like this, but it's a coincidence: the character was named Woody before Harrelson was cast.▼
** Harry Anderson as "Harry the Hat". Anderson had used "Harry the Hat" as a stage name for years before appearing on TV, when he was a
** Selma Diamond as Baliff Selma Hacker and her replacement Bailiff Florence Kleiner played by Florence Halop.▼
* Speaking of ''[[Night Court]]''...
▲** Selma Diamond as
** Charles Robinson shares the same last name as his character Mac Robinson.
** One could also argue Yakov Smirnoff as Yakov Korplenko.
* [[Miley Cyrus]] as Miley Stewart in ''[[Hannah Montana]]''—this also counts as [[Alter Ego Acting]] because Miley
▲** Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd looks like this, but it's a coincidence: the character was named Woody before Harrelson was cast.
▲* [[Miley Cyrus]] as Miley Stewart in ''[[Hannah Montana]]''—this also counts as [[Alter Ego Acting]] because Miley is seen performing as Hannah onstage in real life too. More so since she legally changed her name to "Miley" from her birth name of "Destiny Hope Cyrus". ("Smiley Miley" was a nickname her father gave her as an infant.) The character was named ''Chloe Stewart''. [[Word of God]] says the writers changed it to "Miley" as there were too many names for a then-12-year-old to remember.
* Nick, Joe, and Kevin Jonas play alternate universe versions of themselves on ''[[Jonas]]'', which includes keeping their real names.
* Both Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell as Kenan Rockmore and Kel Kimble, respectively, in ''[[Kenan and Kel]]''.
* Jim Belushi as Jim in ''[[According to Jim]]''.
* Victoria Jackson as Victoria in the failed 1984 ''[[M*A*S*H (television)|M*A*S*H]]'' spinoff, ''W*
* Rare last-name Danza: Mackenzie Phillips as Molly Phillips in ''[[So Weird]]''.
* Another especially convoluted example would be Redd Foxx (born John Elroy Sanford), playing Fred Sanford in ''[[Sanford and Son]]''.
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** [[Larry David]] in ''[[Curb Your Enthusiasm]]'' is actually an [[As Himself]], but the show has a number of Danzas—regular characters, Cheryl, Jeff, Susie, plus some one-shot characters with just one name, which happens to be the actor's.
** The kids on ''[[You Can't Do That on Television]]''.
** Sean Hughes in ''
** Norman Lovett in ''I Lovett''.
** [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] in ''[[The Weird Al Show]]''.
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** Ed Begley, Jr. guest starred as Ed Begley, Jr. on ''[[Dharma & Greg]]''. He was always addressed on screen by his full name, "Ed Begley, Jr.", not Ed or Mr Begley.
** Jon Dore on ''The Jon Dore Television Show''.
** ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' had a few of these in the early years, including Headmaster of the New York School for the Hard of Hearing, Garrett Morris. (The first six or seven years had a lot of first-name examples as well - the 'WASP Translator' sketch with Ray Sharkey centered around a couple named Charles and Ann. Guess which
* Delores Hall as Nurse Delores Mitchell in ''[[Diagnosis: Murder]]''
* Yasuko Nagazami as Yasko and Alibe Parsons as Alibe in ''[[Space: 1999]]''.
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* ''[[The Goodies]]''—Tim (Brooke-Taylor), Graeme (Garden) and Bill (Oddie). Plus, the books that spun off from the show give their full names in appropriate places, and their "brochure" in ''The Goodies File'' lists their real-life years and places of birth. Needless to say, the characters are just highly exaggerated versions of themselves.
* ''[[In Plain Sight]]'' has lead character Mary Shannon played by Mary McCormack. Whenever she needs an alias-to testify in court, let's say-she goes by "Mary [[Meaningful Name|Shepherd]]".
* Subversion: ''[[Hope & Faith]]'' starred Kelly Ripa and Faith Ford in the title roles... but Faith played Hope and Kelly played Faith.
* Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor in ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]''.
* In ''[[Make Room For Daddy]]'' (aka ''The Danny Thomas Show''), Danny Thomas starred as Danny Williams.
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* Mr. Mackay in ''[[Porridge]]'' was played by Fulton Mackay
* Neil (Buchanan) and Kim (Goody) on ''No 73'', a 1980s [[ITV]] kids' [[Sitcom]] [[Magazine Show]]. None of the other main characters were Danzas. Possibly this was because Neil and Kim were generally more involved with the magazine show elements (artwork and interviewing popstars respectively) than the plots (at least to begin with), and were therefore more presenters than characters.
* [[Phil Collins]] as Phil Mayhew in ''[[Miami Vice]]''. This could also be a nod to John Mayhew, Collins' predecessor as drummer for the rock band [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]].
* [[Playboy]] Playmate Julie McCullough as Mike's girlfriend Julie Costello on ''[[Growing Pains (TV)|Growing Pains]]'' in the 1989-1990 season.
* Bob McGrath as Bob Johnson and Linda Bove as Linda in ''[[Sesame Street]]''.
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{{quote|Roger Price said "What's your favorite name?" and I was kind of fazed, and I said, "Elizabeth." And that's how the role got its name.}}
* In ''[[The Wire]]'' the character Felicia "Snoop" Pearson is played by [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1787519/ Felicia "Snoop" Pearson]—who also happens to be a former Baltimore drug dealer with [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/may/24/the.wire.season.five a conviction for second-degree murder].
** Also Detective Ed(ward) Norris is played by Ed Norris, former Baltimore City chief of police ([https://web.archive.org/web/20150622083115/http://www.hbo.com/thewire/cast/ Cast List]).
** And while Jay Landsman is played by Delaney Williams, from Season 3 the character Dennis Mello is played by Jay Landsman.
** Well-renowned attorney Billy Murphy more-or-less [[As Himself]] playing the role of Clay Davis's lawyer.
* Cherie Johnson as Cherie Johnson on ''[[Punky Brewster]]''. (The character was actually named after her by her uncle, who created the series, and she insisted on auditioning for the role after he showed her the script.)
* Half the cast of ''[[Out of This World]]'': Donna Pescow as Donna Garland, Buzz Belmondo as Buzz, and Peter Petofsky as Peter.
* Mary Kay Stearns as essentially herself in the very first TV [[Sitcom]], ''Mary Kay And Johnny'', which first aired in 1947 on the Dumont Network.
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* Spoofed on ''[[Mega 64]]'', with Rocco Botte as Rocko Boaty, Derrick Acosta as Derek Ackawzdha, and Shawn Chatfield as Sean Chatfield. In other words, the same names, yet different spellings.
* Joey Lawrence made guest appearances on both ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]'' and ''[[Silver Spoons]]'' as a kid named Joey before landing the role of Joey Donovan on ''[[Gimme a Break!]]'' This was followed by Joey Russo on ''[[Blossom]]'' and Joe Roman on ''[[Brotherly Love]]'' (in which brothers Matt and Andy play Matt and Andy Roman). He ices the cake by playing himself in the 2008 horror/comedy ''Killer Pad''. As of 2010, he is playing a character called Joe Longo on the sitcom ''[[Melissa and Joey]]'', alongside Melissa Joan Hart.
* Ricky Schroeder as Ricky Stratton on ''[[Silver Spoons]]''.
* Chuck Campell plays Chuck the Gate Tech on ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'', though this may actually have been a mistake. The character was without a name for quite a while, and it's rumored that another actor dropped his name into a line. He is, however, later called Chuck again by another character. Notable in that fans had been calling him Chuck the Gate Tech (or, alternately, "Chucknician") for some time previous.
* Lee and Tim from ''[[Not Going Out]]'' are played by Lee Mack and Tim Vine respectively. There is also Tim and Lucy's father, Geoffrey, who is played by Geoffrey Whitehead, but this is an odd case as he was originally played by Timothy West.
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* The French series ''Hénaut Président'' is made of this trope; of the 7 main characters SIX are playing characters with whom they share a first name - every major character other than the lead (the eponymous Hénaut).
* Subverted on the UPN show ''Eve'', where the rapper Eve's character was named...Shelley. (The series was originally called ''The Opposite Sex'' until the title change.)
* A case of the almost-Danza: The character of Rollin Hand in ''[[Mission: Impossible (TV series)||Mission: Impossible]]'' was written for actor Martin Landau, and was almost named "Martin Land".
* Almost every single bloody sketch on ''[[French and Saunders (TV)|French and Saunders]]'' has Dawn and Jennifer as... Dawn and Jennifer. Even in the film spoofs.
** Oh, and also Jen in ''Girls on Top''.
* Jeff Hyslop as Jeff the mannequin on the Canadian children's show ''[[Today's
* Oliver Babbish on ''[[The West Wing]]'' is played by Oliver Platt.
* ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'' had Michael Vaughn (played by Michael Vartan) and Rachel Gibson (played by Rachel Nichols).
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* Simon Templeman plays Simon Leeds in ''[[Just Shoot Me]]''.
* Billy Connolly again as Billy MacGregor in ''[[Head of the Class]]'' and ''Billy''.
* In ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]'', Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith
* Miranda Hart as the title character of ''[[Miranda]]''.
** These are something of a fictionalized version of [[As Himself|as themselves]]
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* [[Jessica Alba]] played a character named "Jessica" in three episodes of ''[[The Secret World of Alex Mack]]''.
* A well-hidden example lurks in ''[[The Stockard Channing Show]]'', with main character Susan -- which is Stockard Channing's ''real'' first name.
* ''[[Chico and The Man]]'' had several -- most obvious were [[Della Reese]] as Della Rogers and [[Charo]] as "Aunt Charo". And [[Shelley Winters]] also played the owner of a local bakery named Shirley Schrift -- which is Winters' real name.
* Greg Evigan as "Greg" and Paul Shaffer (yes, of ''[[David Letterman]]'' fame) as "Paul" in the 1977 ''[[Faust]]''-inspired [[CBS]] [[Sit Com]] ''[[A Year at the Top]]''.
== Music ==
* Played with on the [[BTS (band)|BTS]]'s ''BU Universe'' content. The characters the members play are indicated to have the same legal names of the members in question, but in the videoclips that had a credit roll, they are credited under their stage names. Their mobile game "BTS World" has more of an "[[As Himself]]" approach despite the "[[Alternate Universe|Another Story]]" feature.
== Radio ==
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== Theater ==
* The cast of ''[[Godspell]]'', sans Jesus and John/Judas, are [[Original Cast Precedent|named after the actors who portrayed them in the original cast.]] Newer performances of this show often change character names to match their own casts.
* Similarly, the main character of ''[[The Magic Show]]'' is named for the actor/magician who plays him.
* ''[[Finian's Rainbow]]'' has a harmonica-playing minor character named Sunny, originally played by Sonny Terry.
* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' stage play "Seven Keys to Doomsday", the companions were going to be called Dave and Jenny; but when James Mathews was cast, his character was renamed to Jimmy. Later stage revivals reverted to "Dave", but in the [[Big Finish]] audio version he's "Jimmy" again.
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** ''"O"'': Le Vieux, the emcee, was long known as Eugen after original performer Eugene Brim.
* A strange inversion: Born Joseph Lane, a name that was already in use by another actor, Nathan Lane took his stage name after, Nathan Detroit, his favorite character in Broadway classic ''[[Guys and Dolls]]''. Years later, his Broadway career reached new heights when he received rave notices for playing Nathan Detroit in a revival.
== Theme Parks ==
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