The following is a list of actors who appeared on Columbo multiple times, or as we like to call them, Repeat Offenders.
Multiple Murderers[]
Jack Cassidy appeared as a Columbo killer three times, making his debut in the first episode of the series, Murder by the Book.
Appearances:
- Murder by the Book (1971) as Ken Franklin.
- Publish or Perish (1974) as Riley Greenleaf.
- Now You See Him (1976) as The Great Santini, A.KA. Stefan Mueller.
Robert Culp also made three Columbo appearances as the killer, as well as an additional performance in Columbo Goes to College as the father of one of the murderers.
Appearances:
- Death Lends a Hand (1971) as Investigator Carl Brimmer.
- The Most Crucial Game (1972) as Paul Hanlon.
- Double Exposure (1973) as Dr. Bart Keppel.
- Columbo Goes to College (1990) as Jordan Rowe.
Culp appeared in one episode of each of the show's first three seasons. With his appearance in Season 3's Double Exposure he set the record for the time of being the most prolific Columbo killer, but was later matched by Jack Cassidy and both were ultimately surpassed by Patrick McGoohan.
McGoohan holds the record for most recurring Columbo killer, having appeared as a murderer four different times. Robert Culp also appeared in four episodes but played the killer in only three.
Appearances:
- By Dawn's Early Light (1974) as Colonel Lyle C. Rumford.
- Identity Crisis (1975) as Nelson Brenner.
- Agenda for Murder (1990) as Oscar Finch.
- Ashes to Ashes (1998) as Eric Prince.
Addtionally, McGoohan directed all but the first episode in which he appeared, as well as;
- Last Salute to the Commodore (1976)
- Murder with Too Many Notes (2001)
George Hamilton was one of the few actors to appear on both a 1970s Columbo episode and a 1990s one. He played the killer both times.
Appearances:
- A Deadly State of Mind (1975) as Dr. Mark Collier.
- Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health (1991) as Wade Anders.
William Shatner also appeared in both eras of Columbo, each time playing a murderer.
Appearances:
- Fade In to Murder (1976) as Ward Fowler.
- Butterfly in Shades of Grey (1994) as Fielding Chase.
Finally, even though Martin Landau only appeared in one Columbo episode, 1973's Double Shock, he did technically play two killers, as he appeared in a dual role as murderous twins Norman and Dexter Paris!
Friend or Foe?[]
Some of Columbo's allies would later appear as enemies in future adventures.
Dabney Coleman first appeared as police officer Detective Murray in the 1973 episode Double Shock then returned as the murderous Hugh Creighton in Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star in 1991. His latter performance earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Ed Begley Jr. also spend some time in the L.A.P.D. in the 1970s, playing Officer Stein in How to Dial a Murder (1978) before turning to crime, appearing as Irving Krutch, the killer in 1994's Undercover.
Both men played cops in the 1970s and murderers in the 1990s, with both of their later appearances coming during the show's tenth and final season.
Joyce Van Patten made an amusing cameo in 1974's Negative Reaction as a saintly nun who mistakes Columbo for a vagrant when he shows up at a homeless shelter to do some snooping. Two years later, Van Patten appeared as the killer in the 1976 episode Old Fashioned Murder, playing Ruth Lytton.
