Top 10 Actors Who Looked Exactly Like the Historical Figures They Played
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the performers who bore an uncanny resemblance to the real-life people they played in historical movies. Which of these actors do you think most resembled their character? Tell us in the comments.
#10: Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill
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“Darkest Hour” (2017)
Once news dropped that there was a movie about Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s leadership during World War II, everyone knew Gary Oldman was about to win an Oscar. While the movie itself was received by some critics as a naked attempt to gobble up some awards, “Darkest Hour’s” most thrilling moments come courtesy of Oldman’s excellent performance. In the climactic scene where he gives one of the leader’s best remembered speeches, he really does disappear into the role. Given how many times we’ve seen Oldman on screen in very different roles, it’s no wonder he can disappear so completely. He’s trained us to see the character instead of the actor, even one as towering as Winston Churchill.
#9: Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II
“The Queen” (2006)
It’s one thing to play a reigning queen who’s been dead for centuries, but it’s a whole other can of worms to play the one currently sitting on the throne. That was what Helen Mirren did in this 2006 historical drama, which depicts Queen Elizabeth II’s reaction to the media frenzy surrounding Princess Diana’s 1997 death in a car wreck. The actress’s commitment to the role is evident in every frame. She is the spitting image of the then-head of the royal family, from her furled brow and downturned mouth to her stoic leadership and conservative approach to showing emotion.
#8: Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher
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“The Iron Lady” (2011)
Her accent is incredible as always, but without longtime makeup artist J. Roy Helland and prosthetic designer Mark Coulier, Meryl Streep would have just sounded like Margaret Thatcher. In makeup and costume, she’s spellbindingly close to the real woman. Portraying the former prime minister as she rises through the ranks of Parliament on the way to becoming the UK’s highest elected official, “The Iron Lady” is arguably Streep’s most uncanny film work. Beneath that trademark helmet of hair and steely gaze, she is a mask of uncompromising authority, immovable and kind of terrifying. Streep and her makeup team won well-deserved Oscars for the movie.
#7: Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf
“La Vie en Rose” (2007)
Carefully researched and brimming with heartfelt emotion, Marion Cotillard’s performance as the French chanteuse is something that has to be seen to be believed. And the perfect makeup job is essential to creating the character of Edith Piaf. Part of what makes “La Vie en Rose” so unforgettable is that Cotillard plays Piaf through several stages of her relatively short life. The movie volleys back and forth between various years of Piaf’s life, from her troubled youth to a middle age marked by chronic pain and disappointment. With her face painted to resemble Piaf’s, including her distinctive pencil thin eyebrows, Cotillard’s work is more than mimicry. It’s alchemy.
#6: Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe
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“Blonde” (2022)
Great actors have given successful performances as the mid-century screen goddess, but few have ever truly radiated the way Monroe did on screen. Although “Blonde” was lambasted by many critics who felt it was disrespectful to Marilyn Monroe’s legacy, Ana de Armas was widely praised. Not only was her performance incredibly believable, but she manages in some scenes to recapture the woman herself rather than just the screen image. In shimmering blonde and made up in the styles of the time, she managed to give equal time to both the effortlessness of Monroe’s star persona and the very real pain in her life. Whether it’s in stills or in motion, there are moments where it almost seems like Marilyn’s been resurrected.
#5: Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela
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“Invictus” (2009)
Based on events surrounding the 1995 Rugby World Cup, “Invictus” fully utilizes the legendary Morgan Freeman’s commanding voice and presence. The film follows former prisoner and South African president Nelson Mandela as he encourages the country’s entry into the rugby world cup in the name of racial unity. Freeman, who was hand chosen by Mandela, tempers his usual strength with the real man’s humility and vulnerability. The actor noted how Mandela’s own sense of self inspired his performance. He did not want to play a great man. He wanted to play a man of conviction. With his stature and gravitas, Freeman somehow plays against his physical similarities to Nelson Mandela to find the real person.
#4: Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi
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“Gandhi” (1982)
Given the nature of Gandhi’s life and work, any film about him is likely to attract some controversy and questions about accuracy. While many criticized director Richard Attenborough’s saintly portrayal of the real-life Indian leader, few would argue actor Ben Kinglsey didn’t bear a striking resemblance. Kingsley threw himself into the role, shaving his head completely bald. He also committed to a vegetarian diet that helped him shed 20 pounds. The physical resemblance is amazing, but it’s his ability to be soft-spoken and fill the screen with his whole presence that makes him seem larger than life, much like the real Gandhi.
#3: Denzel Washington as Malcolm X
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“Malcolm X” (1992)
Director Spike Lee’s dramatic rendering of the life, times, and fierce activism of Malcolm X runs over three hours long, and it rises and falls completely on the performance of his star. Portraying the human rights leader, Denzel Washington is asked to channel the real man’s power, charisma, and intelligence for the entire runtime. That would be a steeper hill to climb if not for the way Washington really does channel Malcolm X. As the character ages, growing out his facial hair and refining his speeches, we watch the process of how the star becomes his subject. He disappears behind Malcolm’s careful but pointed way of speaking and his measured gestures and mannerisms.
#2: Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles
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“Ray” (2004)
Blind since childhood, soul singer, composer, and pianist Ray Charles went on to become one of popular music’s most influential and versatile performers. His legacy was memorialized in the 2004 film “Ray,” anchored by Jamie Foxx’s Academy Award winning performance. Up to then, Foxx was mostly known for comedy, but a dramatic turn in another biopic, “Ali,” brought attention to his aptitude for drama. Foxx turned out to be the perfect choice, nailing Charles’ distinctive look and characteristic movements at every turn. The actor even got the blessing of the man himself, who sat in while Foxx showcased his piano skills.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Austin Butler as Elvis Presley, “Elvis” (2022)
Who Would’ve Thought the Former Teen Star Would Be a Dead Ringer for the King?
Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo, “Frida” (2002)
She Played the Iconic Artist Whose Look Was as Recognizable as Her Work
Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I, “Elizabeth” (1998)
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Based on Portraits, the Movie Recreates the Queen’s Look to a T
Robert Downey Jr. as Charlie Chaplin, “Chaplin” (1992)
He Has the Real Film Legend’s Look & Mannerisms Down Pat
Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock, “Hitchcock” (2012)
Through Expert Prosthetics, Hopkins Provides the Director’s Famously Droll Expression
#1: Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln
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“Lincoln” (2012)
His painstaking if obsessive commitment to his roles is the stuff of Hollywood legend. But the star of this Civil War-set biopic is miraculous as the 16th president. The famous iconography of “Honest Abe,” with his bushy dark beard and top hat, has made him an American icon. Daniel Day-Lewis embodies him totally. His Lincoln is not a stoic hero. He struggles and maneuvers and sweats to achieve his political goals of abolition in post-Civil War America. In fact, it may be because he looks just like the Lincoln we remember from school that his choices as an actor really shine.
