Stepping into the shoes of an infamous historical figure is no easy feat. An actor not only has to treat their portrayal with respect to that individual’s impact on society, but they really have to look the part. If not, it could take the viewer completely out of the story because they’re too distracted by the flaws — no matter how subtle.
Luckily for these actors, that wasn’t a problem. They will actually have you doing double takes. Whether it’s thanks to clever makeup artists or that they were simply blessed with uncannily similar genetics, there’s just no doubting that they were born for these roles.
1.) Sarah Palin played by Julianne Moore in Game Change
2.) Mahatma Gandhi played by Ben Kingsley in Gandhi
3.) Aileen Wuornos played by Charlize Theron in Monster
4.) John F Kennedy played by Greg Kinnear in The Kennedys
5.) Abraham Lincoln played by Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
6.) Jim Morrison played by Val Kilmer in The Doors
7.) Truman Capote played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote
8.) James Dean played by James Franco in James Dean
9.) Marilyn Monroe played by Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn
10.) Jimi Hendrix played by André Benjamin in Jimi: All Is by My Side
11.) Catherine Hepburn played by Cate Blanchett in The Aviator
12.) Charlie Chaplin played by Robert Downey, Jr. in Chaplin
13.) Margaret Thatcher played by Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady
14.) Nelson Mandela played by Morgan Freeman in Invictus
15.) Muhammad Ali played by Will Smith in Ali
16.) Ray Charles played by Jamie Foxx in Ray
17.) Sid Vicious played by Gary Oldman in Sid and Nancy
18.) Walt Disney played by Tom Hanks in Saving Mr. Banks
19.) James Hunt played by Chris Hemsworth in Rush
20.) Édith Piaf played by Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose
21.) Idi Amin played by Forest Whitaker in The Last King Of Scotland
22.) Princess Diana played by Naomi Watts in Diana
23.) Harvey Milk played by Sean Penn in Milk
24.) Malcolm X played by Denzel Washington in Malcolm X
25.) Queen Elizabeth II played by Helen Mirren in The Queen
26.) Bob Dylan played by Cate Blanchett in I’m Not There
27.) Joan Jett played by Kristen Stewart in The Runaways
(H/T: Imgur)
With the help of talent, makeup and movie magic, these actors were able to really embrace these famous roles. I couldn’t even tell some of these apart! Share these amazing transformations with others by clicking on the link below.
