Actors Who Played Doctors More Than Once
Actors keep returning to white coats and lab badges for a reason. Doctors bring clear stakes, specialized vocabulary, and a built in authority that can reshape a scene the second they walk in. Some performers have stepped into that world more than once, moving from surgeons to psychiatrists to scientists without missing a beat.
This list rounds up actors who have portrayed doctors in multiple projects. It includes medical doctors and PhD level scientists as long as the character is presented as a doctor within the story. Each entry notes the roles and where to find them so you can track down the performances you want to revisit.
Hugh Laurie
He played diagnostician Dr. Gregory House on ‘House’ as the head of a maverick diagnostic team at a New Jersey teaching hospital. He later returned to medicine as Dr. Eldon Chance in ‘Chance’, a forensic neuropsychiatrist who evaluates patients for legal cases in San Francisco.
Across both series he works inside hospital systems and consult rooms and the stories center on complex cases rather than routine care. The roles highlight different specialties as one focuses on rare illnesses and the other on mental health and legal risk.
Ken Jeong
He starred as Dr. Ken Park in ‘Dr. Ken’, drawing on his real life background in internal medicine to play a community clinic physician. He also appears as obstetrician Dr. Kuni in ‘Knocked Up’, handling delivery room scenes with a brisk bedside manner.
His voice work adds another recurring doctor with dentist Dr. Yap on ‘Bob’s Burgers’. Between sitcom episodes and film cameos he has logged many screen hours in scrubs and lab coats across comedy projects.
Omar Epps
He first appeared on ‘ER’ as Dr. Dennis Gant, a surgical intern navigating trauma cases and residency demands. He later joined ‘House’ as neurologist Dr. Eric Foreman, a core member of the diagnostic team who works up rare and complicated conditions.
Both roles place him in teaching hospitals where specialists collaborate on high pressure cases. The performances cover different stages of a medical career from internship to senior specialist within complex hospital hierarchies.
Anthony Hopkins
He portrayed surgeon Dr. Frederick Treves in ‘The Elephant Man’, presenting clinical documentation and surgical care for a patient with severe deformities. He also played psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter across multiple films where the character’s medical training is central to investigations and interviews.
He extended his doctor portrayals to ‘Westworld’ as Dr. Robert Ford, a park co creator who approaches artificial life with a scientist’s precision. The work spans surgery, psychiatry, and advanced research with each role defined by distinct professional expertise.
Gillian Anderson
She plays Dr. Dana Scully on ‘The X-Files’, an FBI agent and physician who conducts autopsies and lab work while investigating unexplained cases. She also appears in ‘Hannibal’ as Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier, a psychiatrist whose consultations and case notes are critical to the plot.
Her doctor roles continue in ‘Sex Education’ as Dr. Jean Milburn, a sex therapist who offers counseling sessions and practical guidance. These projects show medical training applied to law enforcement, forensics, and private practice.
Laurence Fishburne
He joined ‘CSI’ as Dr. Ray Langston, a pathologist who transitions into crime scene analysis while maintaining a clinical approach to evidence. He later played Dr. Bill Foster in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’, a biophysicist with experience in size changing research and academic work.
Public health enters the picture in ‘Contagion’ where he appears as Dr. Ellis Cheever, a Centers for Disease Control official coordinating outbreak response and communication. The roles cover pathology, laboratory science, and federal epidemiology.
Jeff Goldblum
He headlined ‘The Fly’ as Dr. Seth Brundle, a research scientist whose teleportation experiment becomes a case study in catastrophic biomedical transformation. He also appears in the ‘Jurassic Park’ series as Dr. Ian Malcolm, a mathematician who applies chaos theory to complex biological systems and park safety.
Both characters bring doctor level analysis to high risk experiments and crisis management. The projects place him in labs, control rooms, and field sites where scientific reasoning drives key decisions.
Nicole Kidman
She plays psychologist Dr. Chase Meridian in ‘Batman Forever’, a consultant who uses profiling and clinical insight in police work. She also appears in ‘Days of Thunder’ as neurosurgeon Dr. Claire Lewicki, evaluating concussion risk and recovery protocols for a professional driver.
These characters operate in different settings as one works alongside law enforcement and the other in hospital neurology. Each role centers on evaluations, risk assessment, and patient decision making.
Keanu Reeves
He appears in ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ as Dr. Julian Mercer, a cardiologist responsible for emergency care and follow up for a patient with chest pain. He later stars in ‘Replicas’ as Dr. William Foster, a neuroscientist focused on memory transfer and synthetic bodies.
The first role situates him in clinical practice with exams and tests, while the second tracks lab procedures and experimental protocols. Both rely on doctor patient or researcher subject relationships to move the story forward.
Michael Caine
He plays psychiatrist Dr. Robert Elliott in ‘Dressed to Kill’, a clinician whose practice and patient charts drive a complex investigation. He also portrays Dr. Wilbur Larch in ‘The Cider House Rules’, an obstetrician and orphanage director responsible for deliveries and daily medical care.
The roles span urban private practice and institutional medicine. Each character’s responsibilities include record keeping, treatment plans, and supervision of vulnerable patients.
Robert Picardo
He serves as the Emergency Medical Hologram known as The Doctor on ‘Star Trek Voyager’, a program that performs diagnostics, surgery, and crew care aboard a starship. He also plays Dr. Lewis Zimmerman within the franchise, the hologram’s creator whose research labs appear in multiple episodes.
His earlier credits include psychiatrist Dr. George Waggner in ‘The Howling’ and army physician Dr. Dick Richard on ‘China Beach’. Across science fiction and drama he consistently handles triage, counseling, and medical procedures on screen.
George Clooney
He became widely known as Dr. Doug Ross on ‘ER’, a pediatric emergency physician who handles trauma cases and pediatric consults in a busy county hospital. He later starred in ‘Solaris’ as Dr. Chris Kelvin, a psychologist sent to evaluate a space station crew and assess the mission’s viability.
The two roles place him in emergency care and behavioral assessment. Each project uses medical interviews, case notes, and patient histories to reveal new information.
Martin Clunes
He leads ‘Doc Martin’ as Dr. Martin Ellingham, a general practitioner who treats a coastal community with office visits and house calls. Before the long running series he portrayed Dr. Martin Bamford in two television films that introduced the character in a different tone.
Across the films and the series he performs routine examinations, referrals, and community based care. The setting emphasizes continuity of care and the logistics of a small practice.
Richard Gere
He headlines ‘Dr. T & The Women’ as Dr. Sullivan Travis, a gynecologist with a full roster of patients and a busy clinic schedule. He also appears in ‘Nights in Rodanthe’ as Dr. Paul Flanner, a surgeon confronting the outcome of a high risk procedure while away from his hospital.
Both characters manage patient expectations, consent, and follow up. The stories include clinic operations and the professional responsibilities that define their work.
Ben Kingsley
He plays psychiatrist Dr. John Cawley in ‘Shutter Island’, overseeing a hospital for the criminally insane and supervising treatment plans and staff. He also appears in ‘The Wackness’ as Dr. Squires, a therapist whose sessions and personal life intersect with a teenager’s coming of age.
These roles show inpatient and outpatient models of mental health care. Each project presents therapy sessions, case files, and the boundaries that frame clinical relationships.
Share the names you would add to this list in the comments and tell us which doctor role you think stands out the most.