The Male Actor Who Collaborated with Hitchcock the Most Often

Hitchcock loved to cast his favourite stars in multiple films. Ingrid Bergman. Cary Grant. Grace Kelly. James Stewart. They all starred in multiple films with the Master of Suspense. If you look at the list of actors who appeared in two of Hitch's films, the names include Joan Fontane, Gregory Peck, and Farley Granger.

Who appeared in more Hitchcock films than any other?

Among women, there is a character actress who rarely had any lines and often didn't have an official character name other than "Juror" in Hitchcock's British career. However, since Hitchcock would use the same people-including himself-to create crowd scenes, that is not surprising.

If we ignore extras and focus on  people with speaking roles in Hitchcock's films, who has appeared with the Master of Suspense the most often?

How many of you want to say that Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart are tied for first place, with a total of four each?

Well, you are wrong. Although Grant and Stewart starred in more Hitch films than any other *leading* actor, character actor Leo. G. Carroll starred in six. He is one of those famous nameless faces that you see pop up in dozens of classic films in a variety of roles-villains, good guys, and curious characters. And the spectram of Carroll's Hitchcock characters reflects this. Without giving away any spoilers to anyone who has never seen these films, he has portrayed a member of the law, the criminal, a spy, a doctor and several characters who had nothing to do with the solution of the crime at all-regardless of his profession.

Here are brief descriptions of Leo G. Carroll's characters in Hitchcock films, in chronological order:

Rebecca

Carroll plays Dr. Baker, the doctor of the late Rebecca DeWinter. He appears near the end of the movie.

Suspicion

Carroll plays Captain Melbeck, an estate agent and the cousin of Cary Grant's character. Cary Grant starts to work for him and soon there is money missing. Melback is wiling to avoid charges if the money is paid back....

Spellbound

Carroll plays Dr. Murchison, the head of the hospital where Ingrid Bergman works and Gregory Peck is one of her patients. Peck has amnesia and is suspected of murder. Carroll is convinced Peck is guilty.

The Paradine Case

Carroll plays Sir Joseph in this courtroom murder drama. Sir Joseph is the Council for the Prosecution opposite Gregory Peck who is defending Alida Valli

Strangers on a Train

Carroll plays Senator Morton, the father of the woman Farley Granger loves. Granger wants to marry Carroll's daughter, but his wife refuses to give him a divorce. Enter Robert Walker.....

North By Northwest

Carroll plays The Professor, the head of a Government Agency. When Cary Grant accidentally gets mistaken for Mr. Kaplan, one of their agents, he lets Grant continue in the role of International Spy. See, Kaplan doesn't actually exist...