Sandy Wood
Brain Game: Roosevelt Franklin!
by Sandy Wood - March 4, 2010 - 7:30 AM

bloghead_braingames.jpg

Today’s Brain Game has an unknown number of correct answers. Your job is simply to come up with a solution that someone else hasn’t already mentioned in a comment, and post it in your own comment. (Remember, mentalfloss.com comments are moderated, so your entry won’t show up right away.) Good luck!

While browsing some movie channel listings recently, I noticed something odd: two hit movies that featured actors whose first and last names were the reverse of one another. The two were Keith David (in Dead Presidents) and David Keith (in An Officer and a Gentleman).

Can you name two famous people
(real or fictional) whose first and last
names are reverses of one another
as in the example above?

Please add ONE unique solution in the
comments (and leave extras for other players).

« Previous Post   -   Next Post »
Click here to get a Risk-Free issue of mental_floss magazine
Comments (47)

  1. Yang Yang and Yang Yang

    Interestingly enough, they’re both famous for the same reason, speed skating.

    posted by Chilla on 3-4-2010 at 7:45 am

  2. They’re not famous, but I had a classmate named Joy Scott who knew a man named Scott Joy.

    posted by BlueAloe on 3-4-2010 at 7:51 am

  3. Paul Pope is a comic book writer.

    posted by RichS on 3-4-2010 at 8:17 am

  4. I think this counts.

    Craig James, SMU and NE Patriots running back and sportscaster

    James (Jim) Craig, USA gold medal winning goalie

    posted by Mark on 3-4-2010 at 8:34 am

  5. William (Jennings) Bryan
    and
    Bryan Williams (rapper)
    and if spelling doesn’t matter..
    Brian Williams (news anchor)

    posted by Shawn on 3-4-2010 at 8:36 am

  6. Its not an exact match, but in the 2007-08 season both Ray Allen and Allan Ray were on the Boston Celtics.

    posted by Ben on 3-4-2010 at 8:43 am

  7. James (Jimmy) Stewart and Stewart James (famous Magician).

    posted by Tim on 3-4-2010 at 9:03 am

  8. David (James) Elliott (actor), and Elliot David (designer)

    posted by Karthik on 3-4-2010 at 9:21 am

  9. Ray Charles – musician
    Charles Ray – sculptor

    posted by Kyle on 3-4-2010 at 9:30 am

  10. Kind of a stretch but…
    William “Bill” Berry- drummer for R.E.M. and Barry Williams- Greg from the Brady Bunch

    posted by Dave on 3-4-2010 at 10:00 am

  11. Brandon Lee – “The Crow”
    Lee Brandon – women’s long-drive champion (golf)

    posted by NukeGuy on 3-4-2010 at 10:13 am

  12. This probably doesn’t count, but there’s the whole Washington Irving/Irving Washington thing in Catch-22.

    posted by Jenny on 3-4-2010 at 10:17 am

  13. A bit of a stretch–the actor who played Little Ricky in I Love Lucy (and Johnny Paul on Andy Griffith)was sometimes billed as Richard Keith and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones

    posted by Dennis on 3-4-2010 at 10:25 am

  14. Two things on previous answers:

    Yep, Mark, I remember Jim Craig. There was excitement in Georgia when the Atlanta Flames drafted him… then the team up and moved to Calgary.

    And Dave? Your mention of Barry Williams reminds me of a trivia tidbit: that his real full name is Barry William Blenkhorn.

    And okay, I’ll steal one from the mix: In the sitcom “Roseanne,” Tom Arnold portrayed a character known as Arnold (Arnie) Thomas.

    posted by Sandy Wood on 3-4-2010 at 10:26 am

  15. Luther Martin: U.S. founding father.

    Martin Luther: initiator of Protestant Reformation.

    posted by Patrick on 3-4-2010 at 10:28 am

  16. Derrick Thomas, late KC Chiefs LB

    Thomas Derrick, according to wiki, \a notable English executioner from the Elizabethan era.\

    posted by Andrew on 3-4-2010 at 10:52 am

  17. I did a little searching and found this:

    Thomas Jefferson-President

    Jefferson Thomas-one of the “Little Rock Nine”, the group of students that desegregated Arkansas schools

    posted by David on 3-4-2010 at 11:22 am

  18. Scott Travis, drummer for the band Judas Priest
    Travis Scott, Canadian Hockey player for EC KAC

    posted by Dave on 3-4-2010 at 11:40 am

  19. Spencer Tracy – actor
    Tracie Spencer – 1987 Star Search winner & pop/R&B artist

    posted by Vanessa on 3-4-2010 at 12:06 pm

  20. patrick stewart from star trek:tng and stewart patrick from the league

    posted by joe on 3-4-2010 at 12:19 pm

  21. Avery John (born June 18, 1975 in Point Fortin) is a Trinidadian soccer player.

    John Edward Avery, Jr. (born January 11, 1976 in Richmond, Virginia) is a former professional Canadian football and American football player.

    posted by Berni on 3-4-2010 at 12:22 pm

  22. Joseph “Joe” Nathan: ace closer for the Minnesota Twins.
    Nathan “Nat” Joseph: founder of Transatlantic Records.

    posted by amaneaux on 3-4-2010 at 12:33 pm

  23. robert patrick foom T2.
    patrick robert from prisoner

    posted by angi on 3-4-2010 at 12:59 pm

  24. Les Paul and Paul Lester (a British Music Journalist)

    Captcha: Deepens moscow

    posted by Kevin on 3-4-2010 at 12:59 pm

  25. Craig David – Singer

    David Kreig – NFL QB for Seattle & KC amongst others. Reminded of him by the Derrick Thomas post above. Kreig was the victim of Thomas’ record-setting 7 sack performance in 1990.

    posted by Sean O. on 3-4-2010 at 1:06 pm

  26. Rich(ard) Little and Little Richard should work. At least that’s the impression that I get. :p

    posted by worthey on 3-4-2010 at 1:20 pm

  27. Howard Dean- Presidential Hopeful
    Dean Howard- Guitarist in the band T’Pau

    posted by JasonK on 3-4-2010 at 2:04 pm

  28. David Keith – character actor (Major League II, Officer and a Gentleman)
    Keith David – character actor (Clockers, Requiem For a Dream)

    posted by Eric on 3-4-2010 at 2:29 pm

  29. Sandy, this is so weird. I’ve always thought that Keith David/David Keith thing is interesting but I found myself obsessing about it sometimes. Yesterday I was panicky because I thought I was forgetting which was which and was afraid that I would meet one of them and call him by the wrong name! Then I came back to the real world. I’m fine now.

    posted by Barbara on 3-4-2010 at 2:47 pm

  30. Thomas Jane – actor

    Jane Thomas – US revolutionary who passed important intelligence during the Revolutionary War.

    posted by jmayhp on 3-4-2010 at 3:54 pm

  31. Late ’80s/early ’90s Major League Baseball Players Andy Allanson and Allan Anderson.

    posted by Scott on 3-4-2010 at 4:45 pm

  32. Craig Charles – British actor, Lister from Red Dwarf & Lloyd from Coronation Street

    Charles Craig – American actor, several movies in the 1910s-1930s

    Love the title, btw, great reference!

    posted by NyghtBeauty on 3-4-2010 at 4:59 pm

  33. Larry David – Curber of Enthusiasm
    David Lawrence – L.A. (and online) radio personality – and apparently also a Seattle men’s clothing store

    posted by PartiallyDeflected on 3-4-2010 at 5:13 pm

  34. How about Robert John-Singer “Sad Eyes”
    John Roberts-US Chief Justice

    posted by Derrick on 3-4-2010 at 5:43 pm

  35. Michael Michele-Actress ER, Ali

    Michelle Michaels-Adult Movie Star

    posted by Derrick on 3-4-2010 at 6:03 pm

  36. Thomas “Tommy” John – MLB pitcher with a surgery named after him
    John Thomas – about fifty different marginally famous people, including two former US Senators, a Revolutionary War general, one of the screenwriters for the movie Predator, and a high jumper.

    posted by Zach on 3-4-2010 at 6:05 pm

  37. Greg Kelly-Fox News White House Correspondent

    Kelly Gregg-NT Baltimore Ravens

    posted by Derrick on 3-4-2010 at 6:10 pm

  38. Lewis Carroll-English Author & Mathematician 1832-1898.

    Carol Lewis-American former Track & Field Star, Sister of Carl Lewis.

    posted by Derrick on 3-4-2010 at 6:17 pm

  39. This is fun. I could go on all day.

    posted by Derrick on 3-4-2010 at 6:28 pm

  40. Ronald Paul – libertarian
    Paul Ronald – Cinematographer

    posted by Ken on 3-4-2010 at 7:24 pm

  41. Allan Ray (NBA D-League Player), Ray Allen (Boston Celtic)

    this one is a little different version, but still worth sharing: Richard Jefferson (NBA Player) and Jeff Richardson (Photographer).

    posted by Jack on 3-4-2010 at 10:55 pm

  42. King George, he of the “madness”, and George King, the “Skinner”‘s alias on Dexter.

    posted by Mark on 3-4-2010 at 11:26 pm

  43. William James, pioneering psychologist and brother to American novelist Henry.

    James Williams, wiki says there are plenty, including: 7 politicians of various congressional, gubernatorial, and mayoral importances; 6 football players; 1 labor leader; 1 astronomer; and 1 Georgian antiques dealer made (im)famous in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

    (whew)

    posted by Lizzie on 3-4-2010 at 11:31 pm

  44. Henry “Hank” Aaron – Non-Steroid HR King
    Aaron Henry – Former member of Mississippi House of Representatives

    posted by AaronGNP on 3-8-2010 at 4:11 pm

  45. Kirk Cameron and (Edward)Cameron Kirk – author of American Textbook of Operative Dentistry

    posted by rd on 3-9-2010 at 5:01 pm

  46. Thomas Phillips, the 18-19th century painter, and Philip (Michael) Thomas, the actor. Philip (Francis) Thomas, the politician, would also work.

    posted by Drake on 5-31-2010 at 8:57 pm

  47. DAVID JASON- ENGLISH TV ACTOR BORN
    FEB. 2, 1940

    JASON DAVID- NFL CORNERBACK DRAFTED TO THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS IN 2004 WHO IS NOW A FREE AGENT BORN JUNE 12, 1982

    posted by BEYUNKA on 2-9-2011 at 9:02 am

Comment

commenting policy