Since Friends is widely considered to be one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, it would be a huge understatement to say it has a lot of fans. Despite that, the fact remains that Friends fans can still be surprised to learn about the show. A perfect example of that is when fans were shocked to learn Jennifer Aniston thinks Friends couldn't last today.
Part of the reason why fans love Friends so much is many people believe it changed sitcoms. While there is truth to that, it also is the case that like many older sitcoms, the people behind Friends cut corners at times. That probably is the reason why several actors played more than one Friends character over the years.
How Many Friends Actors Played More Than One Character?
Since Lisa Kudrow was one of Friends' six main stars, she comes to mind first when fans think about the show's actors that played more than one character. Best known for playing Phoebe Buffay, Kudrow did double duty by portraying her character's twin sister Ursula Buffay in eight episodes as well.
While Kudrow gets the most attention for playing two Friends characters, several other actors did the same thing. That said, some fans erroneously think that Jon Lovitz played two different Friends characters, and they have valid reasons to believe that.
During the first season episode "The One With The Stoned Guy", Lovitz portrays a restaurant owner who Monica tries to impress not realizing he is under the influence. Many years later during the ninth season, Lovitz returned in the episode "The One With The Blind Dates" where his character went on a blind date with Rachel.
Since Rachel met Lovitz's character in his first episode and doesn't recognize him during his return to the show, some fans assume the actor played two different actors. However, Lovitz is credited as Steve in both episodes and lots of people wouldn't recognize someone they met once years earlier.
Unlike Lovitz, several actors who haven't risen to fame played two Friends characters. For example, during the seventh season, an actor named Ashley Clark played a guy trying to get candy from Monica, and in the following season, he played a different character named Roger.
Amazingly enough, there are two actors who played four different Friends characters over the years. Douglas Looper is credited as a Fireman, Grant, The Paramedic, and The Vampire in four different episodes. Then there is Kim Harris who is credited as Casting Director #1, Store Owner, Woman in Coffee House, and the Cologne Spritzer in four episodes.
Of course, most Friends fans have no idea who those two actors are, but they are much more likely to remember Cynthia Mann. After all, Mann appeared in five episodes of Friends and one of her characters is quite memorable for big Friends fans.
During the very first episode of Friends, Mann was cast as a waitress who Rachel orders from after walking into Central Perk for the first time. Much more memorably, Mann appears in four episodes of Friends as Phoebe's friend and co-worker, Jasmine.
During one of her appearances, Jasmine plays a pivotal role in Rachel finding out Ross got involved with Chloe because she told Gunther. In another episode, Jasmine gave Phoebe's brother a massage and gets angry at him.
What Other Friends Character Did Joey's Agent Estelle Play?
Throughout Friends' ten seasons comprised of 236 episodes, most of the characters that appeared onscreen seemed like actual people. On the other hand, Joey's agent Estelle Leonard was delightfully off-kilter between her over-the-top accent and always having a cigarette in her hand.
After Friends' viewers learned that Estelle existed during the first season of the show, the character appeared onscreen for the last time during the eighth season. Including Estelle's first and final appearances, the character appeared in twelve episodes of the beloved show.
Given how broad of a character Estelle is, it will likely shock a lot of Friends viewers that Gable played another Friends character. More than that, Gable's lesser-known character shared screen time with Joey.
During the first season of Friends, an episode titled "The One With The Birth" aired. In the memorable episode in which Ross' son Ben was born, Joey spends his time in the hospital being there for the character Lydia whom Leah Remini portrayed as she gave birth.
In Lydia's hospital room, there is a nurse there to help her who also takes care of Joey at one point and she was brought to life by Gable.
What Other Friends Character Did Giovanni Ribisi Play?
During Giovanni Ribisi's incredible career, he has played memorable roles in a long list of wildly successful shows and movies. Most notably, Ribisi even played a pivotal character in the highest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar.
Years before Ribisi became a part of James Cameron's blockbuster movie, he played a character who had a huge impact on Friends fans. Cast as Frank Buffay Jr., Ribisi portrayed Phoebe's brother who somehow was even weirder than she was.
Overall, Frank appeared in nine Friends episodes and was a part of several memorable moments. Most importantly, it was because of Frank that Phoebe was pregnant for a season as she carried her brother's triplets for him.
Before Ribisi was cast as Frank, he was previously hired to appear in an episode of Friends as a throwaway character. During the second season episode "The One With The Baby On The Bus", Ribisi showed up as his first Friends character.
During a scene from that episode, Phoebe sat outside busking with her guitar. Ribisi's mostly forgotten character meant to throw money into Phoebe's guitar case, but gave her his only condom instead. After Ribisi's character discovered his mistake, he made his return to where Phoebe was playing guitar to get his condom back.
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