Longest gap where an actor reprises the same role?

For clarity, I mean "reprises the same role, but in a sequel." I'm sure certain Shakespearean actors or whatever have played some role in their 20s and the same role in their 60s or 70s in the same play, but whatever, not what I'm talking about.

Until recently, I might've suggested that Paul Newman, playing the same character in The Hustler (1961) and The Color of Money (1986), a span of 25 years, might've been up there. But now we have the Star Wars films coming out, with the main cast all appearing in Return of the Jedi (1983) and in The Force Awakens (2015), a span of 32 years.

Any other notable examples you can think of where such a crazy amount of time has passed and an actor returns to the same role?

Is Harrison Ford attached to the untitled Blade Runner sequel? If so, I can't see that movie coming out until 2019 at the earliest, so it'd have been about 37 years.

There was a 19 year gap between Last Crusade and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Harrison Ford is also set to come back for the new Blade Runner if that actually comes out.

Edit: Found some more. There were 23 years between Psycho and Psycho II (Anthony Perkins and Vera Miles), 20 between Rambo III and Rambo (Stallone), 23 between Wall Street and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Michael Douglas), 28 between Tron and Tron: Legacy (Jeff Bridges), and 34 years between The Maltese Falcon and The Black Bird (Lee Patrick and Elisha Cook Jr.).

16 years between Godfather 2 and 3 - At least Al Pacino, I have never seen 3 so I assume others return

30 years between Odd Couple 1 and 2 - Both leading actors returned

17 years between Halloween 2 and H20 - Jamie Lee Curtis returned

19 years between Last Crusade and Crystal Skull - Harrison Ford

some Brazilian actor had a gap of 41 years for some Coffin Joe character in some Brazilian movie... does that count?

18 years between Star Trek 6 and the reboot for Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy, I think we all know what I'm talking about here.

Michael Douglas -- 23 years between Wall Street and Wall Street: Money never Sleeps.

Leonard Nimoy -- 18 years between Star Trek VI and Star Trek (2009).

Johnny Depp had a 22 year gap between playing Tom Hanson in 21 Jump Street (the tv show and then a cameo in the movie as the same character).

Jack Nicholson - 26 years between Chinatown and The Two Jakes.

Come to think of it, the better Indiana Jones pull would actually be Marion Ravenwood, played by Karen Allen, appearing in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and then Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), a span of 27 years.

Also: paging Screened alumni @rorie, @alex, and @finaldasa, if you guys care to weigh in.

@bisonhero: I try not to think of the Crystal skull thus didn't make the connection that she returned in it. Good pull.

@nightriff: Probably for the best. My mind goes to a dark place whenever I have to remember that Crystal Skull exists.

@bisonhero: that god damn swinging monkey scene....fucking a....

18 years between the Tron movies, Jeff Bridges.

I keep waiting for Jack Nicholson to do a Joker cameo in one of these Batman movies.

28 years (1982, 2010). That was actually the one I was going to bring up.

Sigourney Weaver will reprise her role as Lt. Ripley again next year, 19 years after the last movie, 37 years after her first appearance as said character.

64 year gap between Bambi and Bambi 2. Pretty sure it's the same deer in both.

@nightriff: Actually it was only 16 years between Godfather 2 and 3.

@htr10: You win.

20 years the twins from full house

@bisonhero: I completely forgot that she came back for that. Now that I think about it, the only thing I remember about Crystal Skull is Harrison Ford. That's...probably a good thing.

@jsnyder82: Thanks for the correction

@thebrokenpinion said:

I still sorta refuse to believe that the Boy Meets World continuation and the Full House continuation are happening. Why do people think we need a continuation of 90s family sitcoms?

Also, I disqualify Full House for the same reason I disqualify "Harrison Ford will be in the Blade Runner sequel", because it hasn't happened yet, and who knows what could happen to either of those projects.

Marlon Brando count from Superman and Superman Returns?

Rambo was already mentioned but there were also 16 years between Rocky 5 and Rocky Balboa.

Ted Prior played Mike Danton in both Deadly Prey (1987) and Deadliest Prey (2013), a gap of about 26 years.

Anyway, I feel like the actual winner of this award is someone from one of those incredibly long running soap operas like General Hospital. There must be someone from the first season or two that came back way, way later. I'd look into it, but that seems like a dark road to go down.

Psycho to Psycho 2 and Godfather 2 and Godfather 3 are examples that come straight to mind I don't already see in the thread.

Boring. I am waiting for Jim Carey as the Riddler or Arnold as Mr.Freeze.

If you don't count the Evil Dead games, Bruce Campbell is about to reprise his role as Ash on screen for the first time in 23 years. I can't. Fucking. Wait.

You just had to remind me. Thanks.

Cloris Leachman and Bill Mumy both played characters in the Twilight Zone episode "It's A Good Life" (1961) who returned in the Twilight Zone revival episode "It's Still A Good Life" (2003). 42 years.

Jerry Lewis played Julius Kelp in The Nutty Professor (1963) and in the Direct-to-DVD computer-animated sequel The Nutty Professor (2008) That is a 45 year gap.

Erland Josephson and Liv Ullman played the same characters in "Scenes from a marriage" (1973) and "Saraband" (2003) so 30 years. Also under the same director, Ingmar Bergman.

Sigourney Weaver is about to hit a 20 year gap between Alien: Resurrection and the new one.

I almost said she's coming back for the first time since Alien 3 in '92... and then I sadly remembered about that other thing.

20 years between "Dumb and Dumber" and "Dumb and Dumber To". Although maybe it's best to pretend that movie doesn't exist.

Like someone said, Paul Newman in The Colour of Money is a great example, 27 years.

@csl316: Alien Resurrection being of legal drinking age in my country makes me feel ooooooooooooold.

Tru dat!

All this thread makes me think is "please don't ruin Star Wars even more".

There's a Bambi 2? Right, I'm out of here.

It's been 23 years since Bruce Campbell has played Ash, but the Evil Dead T.V series is coming out soon. Can't wait, I hope it's as amazing as the movies!

Given some of the other examples on this thread this number is pretty damn low but Arnold is returning as the Terminator and its been 13 years since T3, 31 years since the original Terminator though.

In the BBC series 'Doctor Who' actors Katy Manning and Stewart Bevan played the characters of Professor Clifford Jones and his fiancé Josephine Grant, both of whom were last seen in the series in a 1973 serial called 'The Green Death'. Both reprised their respective roles again in 2019 for the BBC's Blu-Ray promotional drama (where the characters drive back to the setting of their original serial to have another adventure) That is a gap of 46 years between their last original appearance and their return in character. (Katy Manning started the role in 1971 so, for her, the period between first playing the part and her last appearance as the character was 48 years).

lol Alien 5 lol

I think Mark Hamill at this moment wins with Luke Skywalker - 1977 to 2019 is 42 years. But, Jamie Lee Curtis could pull off playing Laurie Strode from Halloween a few more time. Yet, again if Mark plays ghost luke in other Star Wars movies he could grab the crown again - I think more Luke in Star Wars movies is more likely.

Actually, I think it's officially Billy Dee Williams if I remember correctly, for coming back and lando in one of the new movies.

@oursin_360: Yeah, and technically he came back as Luke at the end of Force Awakens, so he would have the same amount of time as the rest of the OG cast.

The voice actress for Alice in Disney's Alice in Wonderland(1951) reprised her role as Alice in Kingdom Hearts in 2002, 51 years later.