There are a handful of roles that some actors dream of getting the opportunity to play. Plenty of women long to act as the ingenue, or as the femme fatale with a penchant for seducing unsuspecting men. But while playing the main character in a film or television series may seem like a fantasy come to life, it wasn't ever the dream of someone like Jean Stapleton.

Stapleton frequently found herself playing quirky, offbeat characters like Edith Bunker of All in the Family. Edith made Stapleton a star, and it was a role that she was remembered for throughout her career. Edith may have begun the series fairly timid, but she later stepped out of Archie's shadow, becoming a fan-favorite character of the series.

But after years playing Archie's better half, Stapleton departed to series to continue her career. The actor appeared in programs like Eleanor, First Lady of the World, a television program for which Stapleton was nominated for an Emmy Award.

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"My decision is to go out into the world and do something else. I'm not constituted as an actress to remain in the same role...My identity as an actress is in danger if I invested my entire career in Edith Bunker," said Stapleton during an interview with the Associated Press.

Stapleton made a name for herself playing characters who walked to the beat of their own drum. They were the sort of characters that audiences couldn't help but laugh with and admire deeply. She wasn't interested in standing in the spotlight if she couldn't be herself.

"I wasn't a leading lady type," said Stapleton when speaking to the Associated Press. "I knew where I belonged. And actually, I found character work much more interesting than leading ladies."