Simon Wright, Contributing writer

Actors are feted for their ability to step into the shoes of others and portray their physical mannerisms and emotional traits. However, there are some actors who for one reason or another find themselves simply reprising the same role time after time.

Welcome to the world of that not-so-rare Hollywood creature: the typecast actor.

Being typecast is often viewed in a derogatory fashion. However, we often forget that behind all the razzmatazz, Hollywood is a big business with the success of films being judged as much by return on investment as on artistic merit. If you hit pay dirt then, with an actor playing a particular role, why wouldn't you exploit that by having them play similar roles time after time?

After all, what could be more trendy in Hollywood than recycling, other than botox and reality TV, of course.

With all that in mind, let's take a look at five of the most typecasted actors in Hollywood history.

First Up: Fangs For The Memories >>