---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was typecast in 'Bonanza.' NBC…"
description: "\"I was typecast in 'Bonanza.' NBC officials - didn't realize this for about a year - had seen me in a 'Wagon Train' as a patriarch with a son. So when w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/lorne-greene-5780_father_i-was-typecast-in-bonanza-nbc-officials_2320377.jpg"
---

#  I was typecast in 'Bonanza.' NBC officials - didn't…

![“I was typecast in 'Bonanza.' NBC officials - didn't realize this for about a year - had seen me in a 'Wagon Train' as a patriarch with a son. So when we started 'Bonanza,' they had me playing the father as a 65- year-old.” quote by Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/lorne-greene-5780_father_i-was-typecast-in-bonanza-nbc-officials_2320377.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/lorne-greene-5780_father_i-was-typecast-in-bonanza-nbc-officials_2320377.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c82/lorne-greene-5780_father_i-was-typecast-in-bonanza-nbc-officials_2320377.jpg)

> “I was typecast in 'Bonanza.' NBC officials - didn't realize this for about a year - had seen me in a 'Wagon Train' as a patriarch with a son. So when we started 'Bonanza,' they had me playing the father as a 65- year-old.”

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Casting decisions can be based on past roles, leading to typecasting that limits an actor’s range.

**In simple terms:** Past roles shape future casting.

Key Takeaway

Seek diverse roles to avoid being pigeonholed.

Themes

career typecasting mediaindustry

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

observation industry

When to use this quote

- audition preparation
- career planning
- acting workshops
- networking

Key Concepts

film studies identity professional growth

Questions to Reflect On

- What steps can actors take to break typecasting?
- How does typecasting affect audience perception?

A Different Perspective

Typecasting can restrict creative growth and reduce opportunities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/)

## Related quotes

> [If someone had asked me when we started 'Bonanza' what was Ben Cartwright like, I couldn't have articulated very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/if-someone-had-asked-me-when-we-started-bonanza-what-was-ben/)

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> [I think the hearing loss started with 'Bonanza.' Sometimes the director would put us in a box canyon and have us fire our guns.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-think-the-hearing-loss-started-with-bonanza-sometimes-the-director/)

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> [Ben Cartwright was patterned after my father, who never saw 'Bonanza.' In that sense, my father will live for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/ben-cartwright-was-patterned-after-my-father-who-never-saw-bonanza-in/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [Bonanza' was on too long. I've never believed any TV show should go on that length of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/bonanza-was-on-too-long-i-ve-never-believed-any-tv-show-should-go-on/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [Yes, 'Bonanza' has made me very comfortable. I have a big four-level contemporary house in West Los Angeles and a modest summer home in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/yes-bonanza-has-made-me-very-comfortable-i-have-a-big-four-level/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [Galactica' resembles 'Bonanza' because it's all theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/galactica-resembles-bonanza-because-it-s-all-theater/)

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> [My feeling is that no series should run over five years, but I'm glad that 'Bonanza' went as long as it did. I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/my-feeling-is-that-no-series-should-run-over-five-years-but-i-m-glad/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [Even 'Bonanza' was derivative of other westerns and, of course, other westerns were derivative of 'Bonanza.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/even-bonanza-was-derivative-of-other-westerns-and-of-course-other/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [Bonanza' was never a violent show, yet it is set in an era when men wore guns and violence was a fact of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/bonanza-was-never-a-violent-show-yet-it-is-set-in-an-era-when-men/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [For 14 years I had that run in Canada as a newscaster. When I decided to quit in 1953 I was making more money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/for-14-years-i-had-that-run-in-canada-as-a-newscaster-when-i-decided/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [Bonanza' has given me the springboard to dive in so many other things. You'll hear no complaints from me. Certainly, there are times when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/bonanza-has-given-me-the-springboard-to-dive-in-so-many-other-things/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [I never had even been on a horse and I thought guns were for the police until 'Bonanza' came along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-never-had-even-been-on-a-horse-and-i-thought-guns-were-for-the/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [I lived with my 'Bonanza' family for 14 years. On 'Battlestar,' we jumped right in and got to know each other later. That's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-lived-with-my-bonanza-family-for-14-years-on-battlestar-we-jumped/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [When NBC switched the series in September to Tuesday nights opposite 'Maude' it died. 'Bonanza' had become too familiar with a Sunday audience. Tuesday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/when-nbc-switched-the-series-in-september-to-tuesday-nights-opposite/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [My mother says I was two-and-a-half when I started playing. My father was a minister, and when he went to church in the morning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/my-mother-says-i-was-two-and-a-half-when-i-started-playing-my-father/)

[Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/)

## More by Lorne Greene

> [I feel energetic when I'm working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-feel-energetic-when-i-m-working/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [The Cartwrights happen to be a family that other families want to be like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/the-cartwrights-happen-to-be-a-family-that-other-families-want-to-be/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [I think the hearing loss started with 'Bonanza.' Sometimes the director would put us in a box canyon and have us fire our guns.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-think-the-hearing-loss-started-with-bonanza-sometimes-the-director/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [If I were following trends, I would never have done 'Ringo.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/if-i-were-following-trends-i-would-never-have-done-ringo/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [Ben Cartwright was patterned after my father, who never saw 'Bonanza.' In that sense, my father will live for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/ben-cartwright-was-patterned-after-my-father-who-never-saw-bonanza-in/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

> [A diversity of interests keep me very much alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/a-diversity-of-interests-keep-me-very-much-alive/)

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> [I left Canada in 1953 because I could find nothing very satisfying about delivering commercial pitches on camera. I felt the whole atmosphere of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-left-canada-in-1953-because-i-could-find-nothing-very-satisfying/)

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> [In my youth I wanted to be a concert violinist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/in-my-youth-i-wanted-to-be-a-concert-violinist/)

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> [That's the joy of acting, to bring something to it. That's what makes acting exciting. Just saying lines is not terribly exciting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/that-s-the-joy-of-acting-to-bring-something-to-it-that-s-what-makes/)

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> [I lived with my 'Bonanza' family for 14 years. On 'Battlestar,' we jumped right in and got to know each other later. That's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-lived-with-my-bonanza-family-for-14-years-on-battlestar-we-jumped/)

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> [Getting old doesn't frighten me. But I've got to take care of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/getting-old-doesn-t-frighten-me-but-i-ve-got-to-take-care-of-myself/)

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> [People go to see Shakespeare plays over and over, not because the story is new, but because they want to see how a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/people-go-to-see-shakespeare-plays-over-and-over-not-because-the/)

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> [I played Big Brother in a Studio One presentation of '1984,' and that should have marked me as a villain to American producers. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-played-big-brother-in-a-studio-one-presentation-of-1984-and-that/)

[Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

[Explore all 100 Lorne Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/)

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