8 Actors In 'Gilmore Girls' You Didn’t Realize Played Multiple Roles

Ever watch a show and feel like the actor looks familiar? You might feel like you’ve seen them in another show or movie before, but for Gilmore Girls, you may have seen them in a previous season, but as a different character! I first noticed this with the characters Trix Gilmore and Marilyn Gilmore. Trix is Rory’s great-grandmother in seasons 1-4, and then in seasons 4 and 5, the same actress plays Marilyn Gilmore, Rory’s grandfather’s cousin who likes to gossip. I googled this to be sure I wasn’t mistaken, and it turns out she wasn’t the only actor used for multiple roles. Here are eight actors who played more than one character in Gilmore Girls.

1. Sean Gunn – Kirk and Mick

Our beloved Kirk. For those who are dedicated viewers of Gilmore Girls, you know Stars Hollow wouldn’t be the same without him. Kirk is played by Sean Gunn, who is in other feature films such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad, and the Amazon series Terminal List. Though Kirk was his main role in GG, he started out playing a guy named Mick, a DSL installer, who was in episode 2 of season 1.

He also showed up in episode 3 as Swan Man, who simply just delivered swans to the inn. After this, he finally started playing Kirk, which lasted the rest of the series. 

2. Rose Abdoo – Gypsy and Berta

You’re most certainly familiar with Gypsy of Stars Hollow. She played a recurring role as the town’s mechanic.

Then in 2016, she came back for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, but this time she played Berta, Emily’s new maid who had a large family. Rose Abdoo has played in other shows and movies too – ‘90s babies might recognize her from the comedy series, That's So Raven.

3. Marion Ross – Trix Gilmore and Marilyn Gilmore

As I mentioned earlier, this was the first actress I noticed more than once in GG. Marion Ross first plays Trix Gilmore, who is the mother of Richard Gilmore. Trix is cranky, stubborn, and likes things to be a certain way.

Once Trix’s character passes away on the show, her niece Marilyn attends the funeral. Some of you might’ve noticed the resemblance because she is also played by Ross. Marilyn is very different from Trix. She is outgoing, witty, and likes to gossip with other family members. Marion Ross is currently 94 years old. 

4. Sherilyn Fenn – Sasha and Anna Nardini (April’s mom)

This one really took me by surprise, but once I made the comparison, it was obvious. Sherilyn Fenn starts out as the character Sasha, who is Jess’s father’s girlfriend. She has spiky short hair and a free-spirit personality. In the episode, “Here Comes the Sun,” Jess goes to see his father in Venice, where he meets Sasha.

Fenn shows up again in season 6, but she has a totally different appearance and role. In this season, she plays Anna Nardini, Luke’s ex-girlfriend of many years ago, and he finds out they share a child together. Anna has long brown hair and plays a more serious character as April’s mother. 

5. Alex Borstein – Drella and Miss Celine 

Alex Borstein was originally cast as Sookie on GG, but changed roles when she couldn't get out of her Mad TV contract. She was then cast as Drella, the grumpy harpist who performs at the Independence Inn, and also as Miss Celine, the eccentric dresser for the Gilmore ladies. She played these roles all throughout the show. If she looks familiar to you, you might also recognize her from The Lizzie McGuire Movie, or maybe from the current Amazon Original The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

6. Jacqui Maxwell – Stars Hollow student and Tristin’s Girlfriend

Jacqui Maxwell is most known for her role in Dukes of Hazzard, but she plays multiple roles in Gilmore Girls. It was easy to miss, but she played a student at Stars Hollow high school in the first season, then comes back in another season as Tristin’s girlfriend at Chilton. 

7. Jill Brennan – Mrs. Traister and Crazy Carrie

I completely overlooked this one too. Jill Brennan plays Mrs. Trasiter from Stars Hollow high school at the beginning of the show. But we see her later in the show as Crazy Carrie, who is in several episodes. Outside of Gilmore Girls, Brennan has been in Boston Legal and Desperate Housewives in 2004.

8. Samantha Shelton – Libby the Debutante and Walker the Bridesmaid

You might briefly recall Libby, the debutante holding a flask from season 2 in the episode, “Presenting Lorelai Gilmore.” The actress playing Libby comes back in season 6, as a bridesmaid in Logan’s sister’s wedding. 

Actors Who Played Multiple Minor Roles 

There are a few other actors in Gilmore Girls who reappear for multiple roles in the show, but they might be too minor for you to remember. Riki Lindome plays the nosy high school student who asks Lorelai personal questions about her teen pregnancy in season 3. Then she comes back in later seasons as Juliet, a girl from Yale who barely eats anything. 

Another actor is Seth Macfarlane, who plays the graduate who hates rich people during Lorelai’s graduation, and also plays Bob Merriam, Emily Gilmore’s lawyer in “I Solemnly Swear.”

There is also Lance Barber, who plays a random man helping build the stage for the fashion show in season 2, and then Hugo in season 7, who is the editor of the online magazine that Rory writes for. 

You might remember Kirk’s short film. The woman playing his girlfriend in the short film is Mary Lynn Rajskub, who also plays the troubadour in Stars Hollow. 

Closing Thoughts

It’s easy to get caught up in the plot and not notice repeat actors. Plus, the actors do such a great job of portraying their character that you don’t even realize they come back as someone completely different in another season. While some roles were more noticeable than others, each role made the show as memorable as it is today. It was so popular that they reunited almost 20 years later for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, where many of the original cast members came back for more. 

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