Top 10 Hilarious Celebrity Impressions Done by Comedians
Top 10 Comedian Impressions of Celebrities
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These are some of the funniest comedians doing some of their best impersonations. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Comedian Impressions of Celebrities. For this list, we’ll be focusing on performers who are known for their stand-up, rather than just comedic actors, and leaving out impressions done solely as part of film performances or fictional television shows.
#10: Will Sasso as Arnold Schwarzenegger
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This is one multi-talented gem from Canada. Sure, he has produced some hilariously weird Vine videos involving lemons and had a memorable turn as Curly in 2012’s “The Three Stooges” reboot. However, we feel it’s his MADtv stint that showcased Sasso at his best, and by his best, we mean his recurring portrayal of the governator himself. Big shoutouts to Arnold's bedtime sketch and the one where Arnie tries out voice acting. However, our favourite has to be the Stolen Identity 3 sketch, where Arnie plays a man who meets his clone who meets another clone who...well, you get the picture.
#9: Jay Mohr as Norm Macdonald
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While he’s done a lot of acting since his humble beginnings, it’s his time as a featured player on SNL that first got this funnyman noticed. He would later come to produce, host, and even perform on the hit show “Last Comic Standing.” But especially on platforms like YouTube, Mohr has come to be known for his impressions, and none so much as his crystal-clear Norm Macdonald. Something about the way he mimics the nasally, slurring mannerisms of the Canadian comedian, writer, and actor makes us burst out in giggles every time, even when it’s just over a podcast.
#8: Frank Caliendo as George Bush
There are only a few people that we consider to be royalty in the world of impressions, and he is one of them. Whether you remember him from his early days on “MADtv,” or his short-lived but hilarious show “Frank TV,” he has always dazzled us with his knack for impersonations. But none that we know of have reached the popularity and charm of his take on the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush. He perfects the accent, the mannerisms, the gestures, and even the squint, making you feel that if you closed your eyes, it would be hard to tell the two apart.
#7: Jay Pharoah as Denzel Washington
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You know you’ve made it when you’re among the 60 greatest cast members of “Saturday Night Live” as ranked by Rolling Stone magazine. Pharaoh, who had his start on YouTube and as a standup comic, quickly rose to fame with his uncanny ability for impersonating celebrities. While it was his impression of President Barack Obama that made him famous (an impression that he would later do on SNL in recurring appearances), we would say his most iconic is that of actor Denzel Washington. With the authoritative voice, the head shake and the laugh, his Denzel is the complete package.
#6: Jimmy Fallon as Jerry Seinfeld
Fallon has come a long way from the starry-eyed youth who moved to L.A. to make it as a stand-up comedian. Although the spotlight has been on a lot of his silly games on “The Tonight Show” recently, he makes sure that we don’t forget his ability to do dead-on impressions. With segments like Wheel of Impressions and Wheel of Musical Impressions, we’ve seen the giggly host do many great ones. But there’s just something about his spot-on Seinfeld that cracks us up like no other. It has been a Fallon mainstay ever since his audition with SNL right up to that time on his own show with the real Seinfeld right beside him.
#5: Melissa Villaseñor as Owen Wilson
This hilarious comedian first appeared on all of our radars with her talent for imitations on season six of “America’s Got Talent.” Although she didn’t win the show, she won our hearts, and it wasn’t too long after that she appeared as a featured player on “Saturday Night Live.” We’ve since thoroughly enjoyed the long list of celebrities she’s brought to life, but the one that we think is most charming is her Owen Wilson. Maybe it’s because it’s so good on its own merit, or maybe it’s because it's such an unexpected one for her to have in her repertoire, but darn if it doesn’t bring us an extreme amount of joy.
#4: James Adomian as Bernie Sanders
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This comedic chameleon may not be a household name, but there’s no doubt you’ve seen him before. From his legendary Jesse Ventura impression on “Comedy Bang! Bang!” to his regular collaborations with Craig Ferguson as George W. Bush, Adomian can do them all. However, dare we say that his Bernie Sanders impressions is the best one out there, which is most evident in the gut-busting skits on his YouTube channel. In fact, his interview with Bernie Sanders while playing Bernie Sanders is one of the single greatest things we’ve seen in a long time.
#3: Bill Hader as Alan Alda
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Don’t get us wrong, this was a hard one. Almost every sketch this comedian has contributed to on “Saturday Night Live” has become comedy gold. Moreover, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that, for his tenure on the TV sketch comedy and variety show, he was the king of impressions. While there are schools of thought that believe that Al Pacino may be one of Hader’s best impressions, we feel that it is narrowly beat out by his take on actor Alan Alda. It’s more than just his voice; it’s his face, his smile, his gestures, even down to his clothing. Everything about this impersonation is nailed perfectly.
#2: Kate McKinnon as Ellen DeGeneres
If Hader was the king of impressions during his time with “Saturday Night Live,” then ladies and gentlemen, all hail the queen! Nominated for over half a dozen Primetime Emmy Awards, McKinnon has become recognizable for loads of recurring celebrity characters. To be true, we were conflicted between some of her funniest impressions (like her Justin Bieber) and some of her most famous ones (like her Hillary Clinton). But we just kept coming back to her eerily accurate impersonation of the host of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” It’s an impression so good that even with the two of them next to each other, it still holds its own. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Rob Brydon & Steve Coogan as Michael Caine Eddie Murphy as Mr. T Rich Little as Johnny Carson Andy Kaufman as Elvis Presley
#1: Jim Carrey as William Shatner
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With a career in comedy as prolific as the one that Carrey has enjoyed, how can you possibly pick a standout in terms of his impressions? He’s done both killer Clint Eastwood and Jack Nicholson impersonations on stage with Eastwood and Nicholson watching. He’s nailed hilarious impressions as diverse as Sylvester Stallone and Vanilla Ice while on “In Living Color.” But it’s his William Shatner impression that’s had us laughing for years. Since his early days on “In Living Color” to his appearances as Ace Ventura and many more times, Carrey has never quit making us bust up with that eccentric, broken-up way of speaking that Shatner is famous for.
