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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)
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#1
Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in Ray
RELATED:
#2
Daniel Day‑Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln
#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
#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
#9
Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandella in Invictus
ShannonJordan 10 years ago
Other than being older black men, they don't really look that much alike.
#10
Andre 3000 as Jimi Hendrix in Jimi: All Is By My Side
#11
Jennifer Lopez as Selena Quintanilla in Selena
#12
Adrien Brody As Salvador Dali In Midnight In Paris
#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 10 years ago
Gary Oldman - Yes! But Chloe Webb definitely older and not that type of... of everything. I mean tottaly unsimilar.
#15
Hellen Mirren as HM Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen
StephenESims 10 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
#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
#21
Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan in I’m Not There
CynaraDesbarats 10 years ago
Cate was channeling Bob! Absolutely mesmerizing perfromance imho.
#22
James Franco As James Dean In James Dean
#23
Geoffrey Rush as Peter Sellers in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Ian Pennick 2 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
#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 10 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 10 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
#36
Reese Witherspoon and Joacquin Phoenix as June Carter Cash and Johnny Cash
#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. 2 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 10 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 4 years ago
How could you leave out Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life? Untitled-5...fa950b.jpg 
Christopher Jones 4 years ago
How could you leave out Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life? Untitled-5...fa950b.jpg
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