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When selecting the cast for a biopic, or biographical movie, the director must walk a fine line between selecting someone for their physical similarity vs. selecting them for having the thespian talent required to play the part. Here's a list of actors who definitely succeeded on the physical similarity side of things.
It's not just the actor who does all the work – casting experts and makeup artists also play a huge role in making these famous figures come to life on the big screen.
Many consider biopics to be some of the most difficult and rewarding roles in Hollywood. Most historical figures have a wealth of information available about them, and it is the actor's job to understand and embody all of this available information, all while portraying a historical figure that many people may have strong feelings about.
(h/t: twistedsifter)
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in Ray
Beckilee Staton 11 years ago
Probably the best... His gestures, speaking and singing voice, spot on...
RELATED:
#2
Daniel Day‑Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln
Carmino Gazerro 8 years ago
Awesome. Could watch 29 hour movie of old American Politics. To have someone make you feel as the president 200 years ago came alive is a great. Trump has made me care about out history and important position in the world. Trump says thing wrong. He doesn't hate and does not want to hurt anyone. But I want this country strong like the Swiss they all make 100,000 a year cleaning toilets. Here should be better. To think he hates people is crazy. I was a Dem till 43 I want this country strong and HC could not of done w trump will. She wanted to line her pockets first she's self drive. For personal reasons. DT is so so Rich. Taking zero pay for POTUS His name could get destroyed and he won't let it. American finance first. Want help with out Army. Ok $2999 a day per Troup plus buckets and whatever we use or need. Profit when we help people. Every aspect profit run this country As. Profitable business. Welfare and more names more money must end no more gov help with money WORK
dayum son 5 years ago (edited)
Given that there was no sound/video footage of Lincoln available, it is particularly impressive how well Daniel-Day Lewis fit the descriptions we often hear of Lincoln and his personality. This casting choice fit almost perfectly. Lewis portrayed Lincoln with a finesse that would greatly please historians and analyzers of his life. It is clear that both the actor and the director had a great understanding of Lincoln’s gentlemanly character, wisdom, and charm, and they definitely executed it to a tee. Simply superb.
Carmino Gazerro 8 years ago
Cg is rite. Hate Trump but he played a act he loved Mexicans and USA. So what he don't like abortions unless rape or health of mother. He wants illegal bad people out of country. Sanc Cities. Only Anti American wants illegal Felons in Sancudary cities Get real a wall Mexico has one across south border but ours is bad. Yes Mexico don't want all the people from other countries it cost too much to deport or arrest. So what they do in MX is good for them bet USA bad. And burn a USA flag. In front of me you Will be sipping from a straw. My Pop came here made $1 a day Layind Rail Road. And now he's son at 45 has 7 million in cash. Plus property and biz. This is amazing country. If your not wealthy in USA u refused to speak English only and are lazy or stupid. Start a IRA at 18 you have 2 million at 62 from $107 a WEEK. Everyone can do that. Yea u can who moves out of parents before they can buy a house. Idiots. Parents are teaching kids. Let's come together Trump. HC. It's up 2us
Load More Replies... Beckilee Staton 11 years ago
Make up is a bit too much.. He looks more like a shriveled prune than naturally aged skin
#3
Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison in The Doors
#4
Robert Downey Jr. as Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin
#5
Ben Kingsley as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in Gandhi
RozaniAbdullah 11 years ago
And to think the producers had shortlisted Sir Anthony Hopkins to play Gandi. WTF were they thinking???
Peter Carlin 11 years ago
Are you serious? Shave any half caste guy that's thin and put on Gandhi glasses and Ta Da!
Cynara Desbarats 11 years ago
Perfect casting and beautiful acting paired for a truly amazing film.
#6
Bruno Ganz as Adolf Hitler in Downfall
#7
Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs In Jobs
#8
Denzel Washington as Malcolm X in Malcolm X
Callie Callie J. 3 years ago
Yeah, they don't, but Denzel's superb acting makes you forget about the appearance part.
Load More Replies... #9
Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandella in Invictus
ShannonJordan 11 years ago
Other than being older black men, they don't really look that much alike.
Elizabeth Strydom 11 years ago
Terrence Howard looks a lot more like Mandela than Freeman, for anyone who bothered to look at a younger version rather than the popular one
#10
Andre 3000 as Jimi Hendrix in Jimi: All Is By My Side
Beckilee Staton 11 years ago
If they had just toned the hair down a bit.. Pretty close though!
#11
Jennifer Lopez as Selena Quintanilla in Selena
AngelHu 11 years ago
I think she played it very well. I'm not a fan of JLo, but I loved her in this.
rosacontes 10 years ago
Jlo was perfect in everyway, They couldn't had picked a better latina! @ Yohana YOU ARE blind hunny!! Lol
#12
Adrien Brody As Salvador Dali In Midnight In Paris
Stephen E Sims 11 years ago
I watched Adrian as Houdini recently and he looks reasonably like Dali but he looks nothing like Houdini
#13
Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady
#14
Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb as Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen in Sid and Nancy
AnnaConstantinova 11 years ago
Gary Oldman - Yes! But Chloe Webb definitely older and not that type of... of everything. I mean tottaly unsimilar.
Elizabeth Strydom 11 years ago
Gary Oldman is goosebump-inducing as always and played this wonderfully. As for Chloe... most annoying character ever.
#15
Hellen Mirren as HM Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen
StephenESims 11 years ago
I know my eyesight isnt as good as it used to be, but im sure Hellen Merron looks nothing like the Queen,, To Slim and To Young.
#16
Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock in Hitchcock
Elizabeth Strydom 11 years ago
Another goosebump-inducing performance by the Sir - this role was a lot more than the make-up involved.
#17
Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo in Frida
#18
Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in Milk
#19
Eddie Redmayne And Felicity Jones as Jane And Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything
#20
Charlize Theron As Aileen Wuornos In Monster
Final score:
53points
dayum son 5 years ago
HUGELY similar. This one belongs in the top 10 imo. This is at a degree where Charlize Theron is almost completely indistinguishable from Aileen Wuornos. Aside from being slightly more articulated and a bit softer around the edges, Theron’s portrayal of her is SUPERBLY accurate. Chillingly eery and memorable, just like the real person.
#21
Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan in I’m Not There
CynaraDesbarats 11 years ago
Cate was channeling Bob! Absolutely mesmerizing perfromance imho.
#22
James Franco As James Dean In James Dean
MartinedeZoete 11 years ago
There are better pics to show their similarity, they really do look alike.
#23
Geoffrey Rush as Peter Sellers in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Ian Pennick 3 years ago
No one could play Sellers apart from Geoffrey I hope one day he'll be cast as Ian Fleming
#24
Hilary Swank as Amelia Earhart in Amelia
Cameron Wolfe 4 years ago
She look like the extra cutting the fish in the black hole sun music video 😂😂😂💀
Load More Replies...
#25
Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel in Coco Before Chanel
#26
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote in Capote
#27
Sam Riley As Ian Curtis In Control
Final score:
26points
#28
Edie Sedgwick & Andy Warhol (sienna Miller / Guy Pearce)
Final score:
25points
#29
Benicio Del Toro As Ernesto "che" Guevara
Final score:
24points
Elizabeth Strydom 11 years ago
He definitely has strong similar features. And wins because he is Benicio del Toro.
#30
Hannah Taylor-gordon As Anne Frank In Anne Frank: The Whole Story
Final score:
24points
#31
Michael Douglas as Liberace In Behind The Candelabra
#32
Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn
#33
Jared Leto As Mark David Chapman In Chapter 27.
Final score:
16points
#34
John Hurt As Joseph Merrick In The Elephant Man
Final score:
15points
GrazielaLeon 11 years ago
I believe this is more a merit of the makeup staff than of the casting.
#35
Glenn Miller And James Steward In The Glenn Miller Story
Final score:
15points
ellemme67 (Submission author) 11 years ago
Sorry the mistake was due to automatic corrector... it does not know great american actors
#36
Reese Witherspoon and Joacquin Phoenix as June Carter Cash and Johnny Cash
Debby Hood 11 years ago
I love Reese, but she didn't really portray 'june' in any way. June, let's face it, was homely & sang off-tune. Reese re-made June
#37
Stephen Fry As Oscar Wilde
Final score:
14points
#38
Sherilyn Fenn As Elizabeth Taylor In Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story
Final score:
14points
#39
Ralph Fiennes as Charles Dickens in The Invisible Woman
#40
Jim Carrey as Andy Kaufman in Man On The Moon
#41
Joaquin Phoenix/ Johnny Cash
Final score:
10points
#42
Will Smith As Muhammad Ali
Final score:
10points
#43
Colin Firth as King George VI in The King's Speech
#44
Nicole Kidman As Virginia Woolf
Final score:
8points
Callie Callie J. 3 years ago
A prosthetic nose doesn't make them magically look alike. Great actress, but no.
#45
Benedict Cumberbatch As Stephen Hawking In "hawking"
Final score:
7points
#46
James Franco As Allen Ginsberg In Howl
Final score:
5points
#49
Ian Curtis As Sam Riley (joy Divivsion) In Control
Final score:
3points
#50
Óscar Janeada As Cantinflas In Cantinflas.
Final score:
1point
#52
Gary Busey As Buddy Holly
Final score:
0points
#53
Vincent D'onofrio As Orson Welles
Final score:
0points
#56
Steve Carell As John Du Pony
Final score:
-2points
#57
Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network
JamesKinahan 11 years ago
Daniel Bruhl as Niki Lauda in Rush, Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt, same film.
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What do you think ?
Christopher Jones 5 years ago
How could you leave out Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life? Untitled-5...fa950b.jpg 
TimmyGriffin 11 years ago
The producers and directors of each film know who to cast for their films.
LaszloKomaromi 11 years ago
Brody-Dali,Kilmer-Morrison,Kingsley-Gandhi they look very similar. All the other actors look totally different from the characters they play
Hassan Sadek 11 years ago
The important thing is : this article change my mood of this Monday. #bored :)
Christopher Jones 5 years ago
How could you leave out Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life? Untitled-5...fa950b.jpg
TimmyGriffin 11 years ago
The producers and directors of each film know who to cast for their films.
LaszloKomaromi 11 years ago
Brody-Dali,Kilmer-Morrison,Kingsley-Gandhi they look very similar. All the other actors look totally different from the characters they play
Hassan Sadek 11 years ago
The important thing is : this article change my mood of this Monday. #bored :)
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