10 Actors Who Turned Down Iconic TV Roles For Stupid Reasons

10. John Lithgow - Frasier Crane (Cheers)

Fun fact: The role of Frasier Crane was actually written for Oscar-nominee and all-round awesome guy John Lithgow.

Lithgow is no stranger to TV. He won rave reviews and a handful of Emmys for his hysterical turn in the sci-fi sitcom 3rd Rock From the Sun, and shocked audiences with his turn as the Trinity Killer in the fourth season of Dexter. He's also appeared on How I Met Your Mother and The Crown, and is one of Hollywood's best talents when it comes to switching between TV and the movies.

Before all of these great roles, though, Lithgow was offered the role of Frasier Crane on Cheers. In hindsight, it seems odd that he wouldn't take it. At the time, the actor said that episodic television was "beneath him" and he saw himself as more of a movie star.

Of course, who was to know that Cheers would lead to a spin-off for the character? Frasier ran for eleven seasons with the brilliant Kelsey Grammar as the titular character, and Lithgow has since gone on record to say he regrets the decision - as shown by the multitude of TV roles he has taken since.