TV Actor Mystery Sort Trivia Quiz

Answer: Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor or Actress (Comedy)

Eddie Murphy won this Emmy Award, his first after four previous nominations for other works, after he appeared on "Saturday Night Live" in its forty-fifth season, hosting the 2019 Christmas episode. Murphy had, of course, been a star on "SNL" in its earlier days in the 1980s before he became a major movie star and Hollywood figure. Although he also hosted the sketch show twice in the 1980s, the 2019 outing was perhaps his most celebrated. He would end up beating out both Adam Driver and Brad Pitt, also up for guest roles on "Saturday Night Live" and his statuette would be awarded during a virtual ceremony, a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Coincidentally, Maya Rudolph would win the corresponding Emmy, though for an Actress, for her work on the same episode.

Answer: Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor or Actress (Comedy)

Jamie Lee Curtis was nominated in two consecutive years for her role as Donna Berzatto in the FX drama "The Bear" (though, and we don't need to get into it, the show was classified as a comedy for the awards). In fact, she and Olivia Colman were both nominated for this show in its second and third seasons. The sixth episode of season two ("Fishes") would also net a win for Jon Bernthal in the 'Outstanding Guest Actor' field.

Curtis' first Emmy win would come from her second Emmy nomination; she'd previously been up for 'Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie' in 1998 with the made-for-TV film "Nicholas' Gift", though she'd lose out to Ellen Barkin.

Answer: Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor or Actress (Comedy)

Joan Cusack was a 'Special Guest Star' character despite appearing substantially in the first five seasons of Showtime's "Shameless", the American version of the UK show of the same name. Playing neighbour Sheila Jackson, known early on for her agoraphobia and relationship with Frank Gallagher (played by William H Macy), she would be nominated for her efforts five, winning once, in 2015, for her guesting in the fifth season. Interestingly, the first two seasons she was nominated, the show was classified as a drama.

"Shameless" would win four Emmy Awards in its eleven season run. The other three would be for 'Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series or Variety Program'.

Answer: Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor or Actress (Comedy)

Though Cranston would be nominated in this category in 2018 for his brief role on "Curb Your Enthusiasm", he would finally win the statuette for his appearance in the Apple TV+ show "The Studio", playing the role of Continental Studios' CEO, Griffin Mills.

Cranston was, already, a multiple-time award-winner at the Emmy Awards, having taken 'Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series' four times for his role as Walter White on "Breaking Bad". And before that he was nominated thrice in the comedy field for "Malcolm in the Middle"!

Interestingly, in 2025, four of the other nominees he was up against were also nominated for their roles in "The Studio"-- Dave Franco, Ron Howard, Anthony Mackie, and Martin Scorsese.

Answer: Appeared on "Lost"

Featured in all manner of TV and films over the years including "Supernatural", "Dexter", and "13 Reasons Why", Mark Pellegrino appeared in "Lost" in only a few episodes playing the role of Jacob, the counterpoint to 'The Man in Black' featured as an antagonist on the show. A seemingly-immortal figure on the island, he fills in the role as overseer of the island, even when considering 'The Others' and anyone else declaring them to be a protector of what mysteries lay in wait.

Jacob is killed by Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) in the fifth season finale, but he reappears in flashbacks throughout the show's final season, including one Jacob-centric episode, set in the past, called "Across the Sea".

Answer: Appeared on "Lost"

Somerhalder is known for playing Boone Carlyle on "Lost", appearing as a main cast member in the show's first season before being killed off in an attempt to open the mysterious 'Hatch' alongside Terry O'Quinn's John Locke. Following this, Boone recurs periodically as a character, both in flashbacks and visions, partly because his sister, Shannon (played by Maggie Grace), lasts on the show until season two.

Somerhalder is also known for playing the role of Damon Salvatore through eight seasons of the CW drama "The Vampire Diaries". He would retire from acting in 2024.

Answer: Appeared on "Lost"

Already a TV mainstay by the time she started appearing on "Lost's" third season, Elizabeth Mitchell would fill the role of Juliet Burke, a potential love interest for Jack Shepherd (Matthew Fox) and a key figure amongst 'The Others' as that storyline unfolded. She would continue appearing through the run of the series though she would end up sacrificing herself for the bomb that needed to detonate at the end of season five.

Following her tenure on "Lost", Mitchell would go on to star in NBC's sci-fi show "Revolution".

Answer: Appeared on "Lost"

Although she might be better-known for playing Claire Dunphy on "Modern Family", Julie Bowen was also Jack's wife, Sarah, in flashbacks found in the first three seasons of "Lost". As it turns out the car crash that occurred before the pair met was as a result of events in Shannon Rutherford's storyline.

Bowen has, otherwise, appeared in countless TV shows and films over the years, winning several Emmy and SAG Awards for her work on "Modern Family". You may also know her from one of her earliest film roles in Adam Sandler's "Happy Gilmore" (1996).

Answer: Victim of Dexter Morgan

An Emmy winner, a Tony winner, and a Grammy and Oscar nominee several times over, John Lithgow had a star turn as 'The Trinity Killer', Arthur Mitchell, in "Dexter's" fourth season, airing back in 2009. The role was so well-received, considered part of the show's best season, that it resulted in both the Golden Globe and the Emmy for Lithgow's appearance. Both Emmy Awards "Dexter" won came from that year.

Lithgow is, of course, also known for his roles in TV's "3rd Rock From the Sun" and for his award-winning turn as Winston Churchill on the Netflix drama "The Crown".

Oh yeah, and Dexter Morgan killed him in the season four finale, but not before he killed Dexter's wife, Rita, played by Julie Benz.

Answer: Victim of Dexter Morgan

Although Peter Dinklage was never a part of the original run of "Dexter" (which spanned 2006 and 2013), he did appear in the first season of "Dexter: Resurrection", a reboot/sequel series which saw Dexter Morgan headed to New York City. Dinklage played Leon Prater, a billionaire and psycho responsible for bringing together many of modern society's most infamous serial killers. Naturally, the season closed out with Dexter killing Prater (to save his son) and dumping his body into New York Harbor.

Dinklage, otherwise, is perhaps best-known for his role as Tyrion Lannister on HBO's "Game of Thrones", a role for which we would be a four-time Emmy Award winner (with eight nominations). He was, at one time, one of TV's highest-paid actors.

Answer: Victim of Dexter Morgan

Appearing in a single episode of "Dexter: Resurrection" as Lowell Sloane, Neil Patrick Harris played one in a handful of serial killers organized by Peter Dinklage's Leon Prater (and he joined David Dastmalchian, Krysten Ritter, Eric Stonestreet, and others). Harris' character, known as 'The Tattoo Collector', was known to target women with or getting tattoos, and upon laying out his next murder, Dexter made a quick target of him.

Harris, of course, has a long and storied history in film, TV, and theatre, being a household name for his roles in everything from "How I Met Your Mother" to "A Series of Unfortunate Events" to "Doogie Howser, M.D." and his role, as himself, in the "Harold & Kumar" film series.

He's also the winner of an Emmy Award for 'Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series' (for a stint on "Glee"), but the way this quiz works, he only fits here!

Answer: Victim of Dexter Morgan

Jimmy Smits was featured in "Dexter's" third season as Miguel Prado, an Assistant District Attorney who Dexter lets in on his code, revealing his nature as a serial killer in order to help him along following his brother's death. The catch is that Prado also appears to be manipulating Dexter, forcing him to step in and put an end to this new foe, framing him for other ongoing murders. He dies before the season is closed out.

Smits is also known for his award-winning and nominated works on TV's "NYPD Blue" and the FX drama "Sons of Anarchy".

Answer: Played a Vampire

Although a recurring character throughout the first several seasons of "What We Do in the Shadows", The Guide was made into a permanent fixture in the fifth and sixth seasons of this FX comedy, based on Taika Waititi's New Zealand comedy film of the same name and airing from 2019 to 2024. Kristen Schaal joined a cast of Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Harvey Guillén, and others as they tried to live their modern lives as vampires while also featuring in a mockumentary set in and around their home.

In the comedy sphere for decades, Kristen Schaal is known for her distinctive voice which has been lent to animated shows like "Bob's Burgers" (where she plays Louise Belcher) and "Gravity Falls" and she's played lead and supporting roles in "Flight of the Conchords" and "The Last Man on Earth".

Answer: Played a Vampire

Though Jonathan Rhys Meyers has a filmography in cinema stretching back to the 1990s, some of his most famous roles are in lush period pieces on TV; he starred as King Henry VIII in all four seasons of HBO's "The Tudors". He played a vampire (or rather THE vampire) in the NBC adaptation of "Dracula" which aired for a single season in 2013 before its cancellation.

"Dracula" has, naturally, seen numerous adaptations over the decades. BBC One and Netflix would try again with a version in early 2020 with Claes Bang in the Dracula role. It was created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, known for their work on "Doctor Who".

Answer: Played a Vampire

Perhaps the most unknowing of the set here, Hamish Linklater's Father Paul Hill was a holy man who, after encountering a vampire during a pilgrimage, brought him back to the isolated island village of Crockett Island in "Midnight Mass", releasing on Netflix in 2021. As it turned out, Father Hill had actually been transformed and influenced by a being known only as 'The Angel', and his actions would lead him to slowly transform most of the town into the ravenous undead.

Linklater's role was seen with significant praise from critics and viewers alike. On TV he's also known for his roles in "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and the single season of "The Crazy Ones". He is, perhaps, better known for a long career in theatre, specifically with his Shakespeare credits.

Answer: Played a Vampire

Years before becoming Booth in the FOX TV show "Bones", David Boreanaz played the vampire Angel in both "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off show, "Angel", playing the role of the damaged being with the attributes of a vampire but the soul of a human. His role helped contribute to the depiction of a much sexier vampire that emerged throughout the 1990s; it would take a while before vampires reclaimed a certain monstrousness again (arguably after "Twilight" passed through).

Boreanaz spent more than one hundred sixty TV episodes as Angel across both shows and would proceed to play Seeley Booth in more than two hundred forty episodes of "Bones"... before another more-than-hundred episodes as Jason Hayes on the CBS/Paramount+ show "SEAL Team". A TV actor through and through.