re: Was watching Beetlejuice last night and

"For television examples - for you youngsters this might be tough to believe, but Robin Williams as Mork. He had to work really hard to shed that character down the line."

something that Henry Winkler or Mark Hamill could not achieve.

A good subject in itself.
Characters that could shed the characters they became--

Tom Hanks is another good example of moving on, and past an iconic figure (Gump)