Jodie Dallas (1977-81): His recurring part on "Soap" was one of the first openly gay characters on TV. Jodie came out to his brother, Danny (Ted Wass), a big sports fan who idolizes Joe Namath, by telling him that his lover was another quarterback.
Fernando (1982): "The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour" was a flop on NBC, but it introduced a character inspired by actor Fernando Lamas, which Crystal developed into a staple on "Saturday Night Live" along with impressions of Muhammad Ali and Sammy Davis Jr.
Harry Burns (1989): The cocksure male title character in "When Harry Met Sally." In the film's most famous scene, Crystal plays it cool while co-star Meg Ryan fakes an orgasm at Katz's Delicatessen.
Academy Awards host: Crystal emceed the telecast nine times since 1990, most recently in 2012.
Mike Wazowski (2001-13): Crystal voiced the one-eyed aspiring monster in the Pixar franchise "Monsters Inc." Like Crystal himself, the character has major league dreams.
Rohan Preston
