I’m not really sure where I’m going with this. I can’t seem to find any information on a conspiracy behind this trend. Most people sum it up as “The actor is too stupid to respond to anything other than their own name.” which I don’t believe to be true.
Perhaps it is easier for the actors to respond to his or her own name. More likey, it makes it that much easier for them to confuse reality with their on-camera lives. It is often said how “characters” are actually spirits possessing the actors bodies who believe that the events going on on-camera are actually happening. But that still doesn’t explain why certain people repeatedly play characters who share their name.
Joey Lawrence played Joey Thompson on Silver Spoons, Joey Donovan on Gimme a Break, and Joey Russo on Blossom. On Brotherly Love he and his brothers Matt and Andy, all played characters named Joe, Matt, and Andy Roman. On Melissa and Joey he plays Joe Longo.
Tony Danza played Tony in a TV movie called Fast Lane Blues, Tony Banta on Taxi, Tony Micelli on Charmed Lives, Living Dolls, and finally Who’s the Boss, Tony Canetti on Hudson Street, and Tony DiMeo on the Tony Danza Show (how THAT makes any sense, I don’t know)
On nearly everything he’s done, Jerry Seinfeld plays Jerry Seinfeld. On Eddie, on Mad About You, on Curb Your Enthusiasm, on Louie…he is Jerry Seinfeld.
Mary Tyler Moore played Marilee Goddard (close enough to Mary) on Bronco, Mary Richards on Phyllis, and Rhoda, and on the Mary Tyler Moore Show (again, this makes no sense. If its a show literally named after the actor or actress, why not just keep the name exactly the same?), on the Mary Tyler Moore Hour she played Mary McKinnon, Mary Brenner on Mary, Mary Todd Lincoln on Lincoln, and just plain ol’ Mary on The Ellen Show
Lucille Ball played a Lucille in I’ll Love You Always, Lucille Ball in A Night at the Biltmore Bowl, as well as in Best Foot Forward, and in Thousands Cheer, again in Ziegfeld Follies, and in Bud Abbot and Lou Costello in Hollywood, everybody knows her as Lucy Ricardo in I Love Lucy, whom she was on quite a few other shows, she was Lucy Carmicheal when she did Lucy in London and then in the Lucy Show, Lucy Carter in Make Room for Grand-daddy and again in Here’s Lucy, Lucy Collins in Lucy Gets Lucky, Lucy Whittaker in Lucy Calls the President, and finally Lucy Barker in Life with Lucy
Shirley Jones was Shirley Renfrew Partridge on the Partridge Family, Shirley Miller on Shirley, Shirley/Evil Shirley on Deadly Games, and Shirley Gallagher on Ruby and the Rockits
Charlie Sheen voiced Charlie Barkin in All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, he was Charlie in Being John Malkovich, Charlie Crawford on Spin City, Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men, Charlie in She Wants Me, Charles Swan in A Glimpse Inside Charles Swan II, and Charlie Harper in Anger Management
Ellen Degeneres played Ellen Morgan on The Dana Carvey Show, and on Ellen, then she was Ellen Richmond on The Ellen Show before finally landing her own talk show
Dave Foley was Dave Nelson on NewsRadio, Dr. Dave Foley on Tom Goes to the Mayor, and is Dave Lyons on Spun Out
Wanda Sykes has been Wanda (Mel’s Date) on Tomorrow Night, Wanda on Down to Earth, Gladys Murphy and Wanda on Crank Yankers, Wanda Mildred Hawkins on Wanda at Large, Wanda Sykes on Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Wanda Sykes on Real Husbands of Hollywood
Sources: IMDB
Thy Unveiling 