Top 10 Celebs Who Look Exactly Like Historical Figures

Haven’t we seen you in a textbook somewhere? Welcome to Watchmojo.com, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Celebs Who Look Like Historical Figures.



For this list, we’re looking at current famous faces that bear a striking resemblance to figures, whether well-known or not, from bygone eras.

King Philip IV


One’s a feared and reviled monarch at the apex of power, controlling everything in his kingdom with ruthless efficiency . . . the other was the King of Spain and Portugal in the 17th Century. Seriously, the facial similarity here is pretty intense, right? The founding father of Facebook does bear a striking resemblance to the Spanish royal, complete with poutiness. And the resemblance isn’t just skin-deep: Philip was known as the “Planet King”, due to his, get this, “need to project power and authority, over both Spaniards and foreigners alike”. Sound like anybody you know whose inescapable social networking platform is used by about, oh, two billion people? Yeah.

Oscar Wilde



In their respective youths, Oscar Wilde and Stephen Fry bore a striking resemblance to one another. Clearly this similarity was not lost on the casting department of the film “Wilde”, as the English actor, comedian and presenter brought the late writer to cinematic life by playing him in the 1997 film. Suffice it to say, the performance was incredibly well-met. Sadly, the celebrated and incendiary Irish playwright and poet died at the age of 46, so we’ll sadly never know what he would have look like in his later years. But it’s not hard to imagine that his looks would have evolved similarly to Fry’s.

Arthur Schopenhauer



Young Sheldon? Nope, Young Schopenhauer! The German philosopher, notable for his bracingly pessimistic take on the nature of reality, is also known as the “artists’ philosopher”. Which makes perfect sense for our purposes, because the youthful brainiac does bear quite a strong resemblance to everybody’s . . . favorite . . actor! . .. who . . . has . . . inspired . . .many . . . bad . . impressions! . . like . . . this one. Just look at their eyes, similarly burning with passion. And the two share an existential affinity as well. Schopenhauer famously said: “Life swings like a pendulum backward and forward between pain and boredom.” Or, as Mr. Walken phrases it: “MORE COWBELL!”

President Andrew Johnson



How this celebrated actor never managed to play President Andrew Johnson is totally beyond us. Oh… maybe it’s because Johnson isn’t exactly the best candidate for a biopic, unless it was intended as an inherently critical one. The Vice-President when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, Johnson was drunk during his own inaugural address, was impeached, and is widely considered one of the worst leaders in the history of the country. Be that as it may, the gruff but widely respected Tommy Lee Jones feels like a perfect casting choice, at least physically speaking. From forehead, to eyes, to nose, to mouth through the chin, these two share pretty much every facial feature in common.

Charles Darwin



One is considered to be one of the greatest comedians to ever take the stage, the other a scientific colossus, the most influential naturalist to ever live, and bringer of the theory of evolution. Apart from big legacies, they don’t really share much in common, that is until you look at portraits of the two of them side by side. Yes, you could dismiss this as the generic similarities of appearance between any two bearded, bald-headed aging white men, but hey, there’s more to it than that. It’s the nose, the cheekbones, the shape of the head. Could George Carlin have evolved from Charles Darwin?

General Douglas MacArthur



An action star known for playing grim and gritty, often sarcastic heroes, Bruce Willis sure feels like the right man to play the tough as nails legendary American general should the need ever arise. Given that Willis grew up in a military family and is a big supporter of the troops, it’s not hard to imagine that he’d be game for it! But let’s get down to why he’d be such a good fit, aesthetically speaking. MacArthur looks like he could be Willis’ father. They have the same small, steely eyes and similarly shaped, thin, angular noses. The also share a similarly strong jawline and ears that curve outwards ever so slightly.

President Millard Fillmore

Another Hollywood actor with a lengthy resume... another candidate to play the role of a lesser known president of the United States of America. Born January 7th, 1800, Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States, leading the country from 1850 to 1853, and was the last President to do so as a member of the now long-defunct Whig party. And serving as his modern-day doppelganger, we have . . . Mr. Alec Baldwin himself. When you look at these two side by side, the resemblance is downright uncanny. It might be time to take another look at the Baldwin family tree!

William Shakespeare



This actor and producer is best known for his work on television series like “American Dreams” and tv movies like “The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning”. We personally think that he should be picking up a plume and trying his hand at writing though, because he is a dead ringer for the William Shakespeare, even without the fancy collars. There’s something about Shulman’s eyes, nose and the long facial shape that gives him an uncanny resemblance to the bard. However, the similarities don't stop there. Shulman is married to actress Anne Hathaway, and Shakespeare wife's name was...ALSO Anne Hathaway! Woah...

Sir David Wilkie


We think it’s time that you ‘fess up, good sir. Either you’re a 19th century Scottish painter with a knack for painting portraits, among other things, or you’re a 21st century English actor and producer, best know for your work in the “Harry Potter: franchise. Either way, you’re clearly a time traveller who’s decided to lead two totally different but successful lives, separated by roughly 200 years’ time in order to avoid suspicion! Yes, the often tousled ginger hair does go a long way in making this comparison work, but Rupert Grint and Sir David Wilkie also have shockingly similar faces.

Paul Revere



It’s hard to imagine what it would be like if silversmith and patriot Paul Revere were to sit down to share a beer with funnyman Jack Black, but whichever time period they agreed to do it in, we assume that they’d be mistaken for brothers by all those who saw them. With similarly round faces, comparable builds and rather boyish features, the two men are indeed two of a kind - if only in appearance. Revere is famous for his late night horseback ride to warn the colonial militia about the advancing British forces, whereas Jack Black is known for his comedic acting chops. A biopic about the former starring the latter? Stranger things have happened!