The title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, also known as "Betelgeuse," has delighted fans through appearances in film, stage, and even an animated series. In the film that marked his first appearance, the ghost with the most was famously played by actor Michael Keaton. In fact, Keaton's performance is so iconic that Burton allegedly would only agree to the sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, being made if Keaton was able to reprise the role.
Beetlejuice
- Release Date
- March 30, 1988
- Director
- Tim Burton
- Runtime
- 92
That said, it can be surprising to learn that Keaton wasn't the first actor considered for the part during the production of the original film. After all, Beetlejuice himself went through various changes early in development before becoming a character familiar to audiences. This means a wide variety of actors with all sorts of different ranges and backgrounds were considered for the part. While these actors didn't get the role in the end, many would go on to play similar characters or work with Burton on other projects. Rent Beetlejuice on AppleTV.
14 Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd is an American actor best known for playing Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the Back to the Future franchise, a character he's also often reprised in cameo appearances over the years. Before this, he had been known for playing Jim Ignatowski in Taxi.
Doc Brown Was Almost the Famous Spectre
Lloyd is also known for his roles in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Clue, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Over the years, Lloyd has also gained notoriety as a voice actor, such as his role in Cyberchase and Over the Garden Wall, as well as animated films like The Pagemaster and Anastasia.
While Lloyd ultimately did not get to play Beetlejuice, he has occasionally played a few spooky characters. Notably, he appeared as Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values.
13 Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian and American former professional bodybuilder, actor, filmmaker, and former politician. At a young age, Schwarzenegger won the title of Mr. Universe and repeatedly won the title of Mr. Olympia, causing him to be one of the most famous bodybuilders of all time.
The Animated Series Would Parody Schwarzenegger
After retiring from bodybuilding, he gained fame as an action star. He is arguably best known for playing the title character in The Terminator franchise, although other films he's known for include Conan the Barbarian, Predator, and Total Recall. He is also known for more comedic roles, like Kindergarten Cop and Jingle All the Way. Outside of show business, Schwarzenegger is also well known for serving as the governor of California from 2003 to 2011.
It's believed that Schwarzenegger had been considered for Beetlejuice in early development, when the story would have been less comedic and more of a straight horror series. Funnily enough, a parody of Schwarzenegger, Armhold Musclehugger, also known as Mr. Neitherworld, also appeared in the animated Beetlejuice series.
12 Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman is an American filmmaker and actor known for his role of the New Hollywood movement. His breakout role was playing Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate. He would later gain notoriety for his roles in Kramer vs. Kramer and Rain Man, both of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.
An Actor of New Hollywood
Some of his other prominent roles include Midnight Cowboy, Tootsie, Little Big Man, Hook, and All the President's Men. Hoffman would also gain some prominence as a voice actor, notably playing Master Shifu in the Kung Fu Panda film series.
11 Robin Williams
Robin Williams was an American actor and comedian, who has often been hailed as one of the greatest comedians of all time. Getting his start in stand-up, his breakout role was arguably playing the alien Mork in the fantastic sitcomMork & Mindy.
From Friendly Alien to Genie of the Lamp
However, his most famous role is arguably the voice of the Genie in the Disney animated film Aladdin. Other notable films Williams appeared in include Good Will Hunting, The Fisher King, Good Morning Vietnam, Hook, Jumanji, and Mrs. Doubtfire.
While Williams did not get the role of Beetlejuice in the final film, he would arguably play a similar character a few years later in the Genie, being a supernatural being who can shape-shift and warp reality, although Genie is usually far more amicable than Beetlejuice.
10 Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian who first got his big break with the sketch comedy In Living Color. Over the years, he's been known for a variety of comedic films: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, The Truman Show, The Cable Guy, Me, Myself, & Irene, Bruce Almighty, and the Sonic the Hedgehog live-action films.
One of Carrey's Characters Often Gets Compared to Beetlejuice
Carrey is also known for his roles in Batman Forever, where he portrayed the Riddler, playing the Grinch in the Christmas film, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and appearing in the science-fiction drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Though Carrey ultimately would not play Beetlejuice, Carrey's character in The Mask, or at least his green-faced alter-ego, has often been compared to the famous ghost.
9 Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson is an American actor and filmmaker with a career spanning decades. Nicholson is best known for playing rather dark-themed characters, like Randle McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Jack Torrance in The Shining.
Famous For Dark-Minded Characters
Nicholson is also known for his roles in Easy Rider, his breakout role, Five Easy Pieces, As Good as it Gets, The Departed, Something's Gotta Give, and Chinatown. Earning at least 12 Academy Award nominations has notably made him the Academy's most-nominated male actor.
Though Nicholson wasn't cast as Beetlejuice in the final film, he would find himself teaming up with Burton. In fact, he would appear in Tim Burton's Batman, which came out the year after Beetlejuice.
8 Bill Murray
Bill Murray is an American actor and comedian who got his break on Saturday Night Live. Murray would go on to appear in a series of comedic films, such as Stripes, Tootsie, Caddyshack, Groundhog Day, Scrooged, Lost in Translation, and the Ghostbusters series.
Murray Is Better Known For Busing Ghosts
He would also gain notoriety for appearing in Wes Anderson films, like The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Moonrise Kingdom. He also notably voiced the titular cartoon cat in Garfield and its sequel, Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties.
For some fans, there is some irony in him being considered to play Beetlejuice when one of his most famous roles is playing Dr. Peter Venkman, one of the titular Ghostbusters.
7 Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro is an American actor and producer, who has a reputation of being one of the most influential actors of all time. One of De Niro's most prominent roles was playing a young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II.
A First Audition Not Forgotten
Interestingly, De Niro had originally auditioned for the first installment for the parts of Sonny, Michael and Paulie, which caused him to be considered for his role for the follow-up film. Other films he's known for include Mean Streets, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Cape Fear, Goodfellas, Casino, Brazil, Once Upon a Time in America, and Silver Linings Playbook. He would ultimately pass on the title role in Beetlejuice.
6 Sam Kinison
Sam Kinison was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Kinison was known for his crass humor, often focusing on relationships and dating. He became more well-known through various television appearances, such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Saturday Night Live.
From Would-Be Ghost To Guardian Angel
Kinison had a few acting roles during his career. He notably played Al Bundy's guardian angel during a guest appearance on Married with Children, Hugh in the short-lived sitcom Charlie Hoover, and Professor Terguson in Back to School. He also had some notable appearances in various music videos, such as Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine" and Mötley Crüe's "Kickstart My Heart." Kinison also notably recorded a few covers as well, such as his own rendition of "Wild Thing."
5 Dudley Moore
Dudley Moore was an English actor, comedian, and musician who first came to prominence in the 1960s. Some of his more prominent film roles include Bedazzled, Foul Play, Arthur, Santa Claus: The Movie, and Micki & Maude. Moore earned various accolades in his life, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the title of CBE, or Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, by Queen Elizabeth II.
Moore Has Dealt with Sinister Spirits Before
Notably, Bedazzled cast Moore in a contemporary retelling of Faust, playing a young man who is granted seven wishes by a demon played by Moore's frequent comedic partner, Peter Cook. This means, had Moore gotten the Beetlejuice role, it could've been a role-reversal compared to the earlier film.
4 John Cleese
John Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is arguably best known as one of the co-founders of the Monty Python comedy troupe and the sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. Thanks to this, Cleese is known for the Monty Python films like Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, and The Meaning of Life.
Cleese Wound Up Playing A Ghost in Harry Potter
Cleese is also well-known for his role of Basil Fawlty in the sitcom Fawlty Towers. Other film roles include A Fish Called Wanda, Fierce Creatures, two of the James Bond films, and the Shrek films. Although he ultimately did not end up playing Beetlejuice, Cleese would end up playing a ghost character in the first two Harry Potter films, where he would play Nearly Headless Nick.
3 Tim Curry
Tim Curry is a British actor and singer, arguably best known for his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Over the years, Curry has been known to play dark characters, such as in Legend and the It miniseries, where he played Pennywise, as well as more delightfully spooky roles, such as in The Worst Witch and Addams Family Reunion. Other prominent film roles of his include Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Muppet Treasure Island, The Hunt for Red October, and Clue.
Curry Would Also Gain Fame For His Voice Work
Outside of his live-action roles, Curry is also a prominent voice-actor. His most famous voiceover role is arguably the memetic Nigel Thornberry in The Wild Thornberrys. Other prominent animated projects he can be heard in include Duckman, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost, and Over the Garden Wall.
2 Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito is an American actor and filmmaker who first rose to fame with the series Taxi. Over the years, he has also become known for his role in the sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as the character Frank Reynolds.
DeVito Would End Up as Burton's Penguin
DeVito is also known for a variety of film roles, such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Terms of Endearment, Twins, Matilda, and Junior. He's also been a prominent voice actor, such as his roles in Disney's Hercules and The Lorax. In addition to his on-screen work, DeVito is also notably a founder of Jersey Films. Despite not playing Burton's famous ghost, DeVito would occasionally work with Burton over the years, such as his role as The Penguin in Batman Returns.
1 Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr. is an American singer, dancer, and actor who is arguably best known as a member of the Rat Pack. Davis started his career in show business as a young child, his roles on stage, screen and the music industry would earn him the title of "Mister Show Business."
Burton's Original Choice
Davis is particularly known for his rendition of "The Candy Man," the opening theme to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, where it was performed by Aubrey Woods as the character Bill. Reportedly, Sammy Davis Jr. also had shown interest in playing Bill, but was rejected as it was felt he was too big a star. In popular culture, Davis was also famous for making guest appearances on television shows, such as I Dream of Jeannie and All in the Family.
Allegedly, Sammy Davis Jr. was actually Tim Burton's first choice to play the famous ghost with the most, as the performer was a childhood favorite of Burton's. However, it's believed studio executives rejected the idea.
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