In baseball, a utility player is someone who can play several different positions well. These athletes are not usually the stars of the team, but they do whatever grunt work is necessary for the team to shine. Since that level of versatility is rare, those who can move seamlessly between positions are highly admired by their teammates.

While this same characteristic is valued in film stars -- take chameleons Johnny Depp and Gary Oldman, for example -- TV actors, on the other hand, historically perform best when choosing roles of a similar nature. Not anymore.

A number of today's gifted actors are standing out by proving their versatility, nailing dramatic characters as well as sitcom roles. Of those multifaceted actors, here are the five we think are the best utility players on TV.

5. Alison Brie
Notable roles: Trudy Campbell on 'Mad Men,' Annie Edison on 'Community'
Versatility Fact: Before stardom, Brie worked as a clown at birthday parties.
Details: Few actors, especially at such a young age, can accomplish playing two unique characters on two completely different hit shows at the same time. Casual viewers don't even connect the two characters -- Brie said in an interview that almost no one recognizes her as Trudy in everyday life.



4. Kevin Alejandro
Notable roles: Detective Nate Moretta on 'Southland,' Jesus Velasquez on 'True Blood'
Versatility Fact: He played Dominic Hughes for 15 episodes on 'The Young and the Restless.'
Details: Over the last five years, Alejandro's credits range from a gay hustler on 'Big Love' to an Islamic Latin gang member in 'Sleeper Cell' to the father of a gay son on 'Ugly Betty' to a rival biker in 'Sons of Anarchy.' He plays gay and straight so naturally, it's hard to tell which he is in real life. Straight, it turns out.



3. Neil Patrick Harris
Notable roles: Doogie on 'Doogie Howser, M.D.,' Barney Stinson on 'How I Met Your Mother'
Versatility Fact: He once demonstrated his magician skills on a Jerry Lewis Telethon.
Details: Few child stars are able to become adult stars, and even fewer openly gay actors are able to land high-profile straight roles. After being typecast as Doogie for years, Harris now has four Emmy nominations for playing womanizer Barney. This year he's also nominated for his guest appearance on 'Glee' and his hosting duties on the Tony Awards.


2. John Lithgow
Notable roles: Dr. Dick Solomon on '3rd Rock from the Sun,' Arthur Mitchell on 'Dexter'
Versatility Fact: Graduated from Harvard University with a BA in history and literature.
Details: A respected film actor for decades, Lithgow led the over-the-top sitcom '3rd Rock' for six seasons. He was nominated for an Emmy each year and won three. After seeing how well he can play goofy, it's remarkable that he transitioned so seamlessly into playing a completely terrifying serial killer on last season's 'Dexter.'



1. Katey Sagal
Notable roles: Peg Bundy on 'Married ... with Children,' Cate Hennessey on '8 Simple Rules,' Turanga Leela on 'Futurama,' Gemma Teller Morrow on 'Sons of Anarchy' and Helen Norwood on 'Lost'
Versatility Fact: Before acting, she sang backup for Bob Dylan, Tanya Tucker and Gene Simmons, whom she also dated.
Details: Not to take anything away from this year's Emmy nominees for Best Actress in a Drama Series, but Sagal was robbed. Her character in 'SOA' is easily one of the most fascinating and devious female roles on television. Even worse, she has never been nominated. Who could have guessed Peg Bundy would end up being the brains behind a feared biker gang?

Honorable mentions: Bryan Cranston ('Malcolm in the Middle,' 'Breaking Bad'), Jon Hamm ('Mad Men,' '30 Rock'), Zosia Mamet ('United States of Tara,' 'Mad Men')

Who are some of your favorite utility players on TV?