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Actors pretend to be other people. It's what actors do. Sometimes they fail. Other times they succeed. And sometimes they embody their characters so completely that you forget you're watching a movie. Take some of the best biopics for example. Did you notice Helen Mirren while watching The Queen, or was it Elizabeth II you saw? What about Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, or Daniel Day Lewis in Lincoln? Even now it's difficult to think of Ben Kingsley or Mahatma Gandhi without associating one with the other, because like all of the above, the actor didn't just play a role - they became that role.

In homage to these amazing performances, Bored Panda has compiled a list of the most accurate real-life portrayals to ever hit the silver screen. Take a look at the pictures below and vote for the most convincing!

#1

Eddie Redmayne And Felicity Jones As Stephen Hawking With His Wife Jane Wilde In The Theory Of Everything (2014)

Eddie Redmayne And Felicity Jones As Stephen Hawking With His Wife Jane Wilde In The Theory Of Everything (2014)

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varwenea
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8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Seriously nailed it in every way possible!! Great acting, story, movie.

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#3

Robert Downey Jr. As Charlie Chaplin In Chaplin (1992)

Robert Downey Jr. As Charlie Chaplin In Chaplin (1992)

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varwenea
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This was THE movie that showcased Robert Downey Jr as a true actor. Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes movies are forgettable compared to this signature piece.

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#4

Ben Kingsley As Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi In Gandhi (1982)

Ben Kingsley As Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi In Gandhi (1982)

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Olha Khanas
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He also played a Jew Itzhak Stern in "Schindler`s List", by the way))

Tammy Chapman
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I loved him in this role, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't know very much about the real Gandhi. I also loved him in "Schindler's List". He is an excellent actor.

Pavel Nekoranec
Community Member
8 years ago

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Why British actor playing Indian historical figure?! That is so insensitive.

Zombie
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You should probably look up Ben Kinglsey. He is British but he is half Indian.

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LeJoy Rothe
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ben Kingsley is half British, but also Indian by way of his father who was Ismaili Muslim Khoja decent. Whitewasing doesn't really fit here. I also don't remember anyone getting upset by his portrayal. He was amazing in this role and showed great respect for the man.

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#5

Val Kilmer As Jim Morrison In The Doors (1991)

Val Kilmer As Jim Morrison In The Doors (1991)

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#6

Daniel Day‑Lewis As Abraham Lincoln In Lincoln (2012)

Daniel Day‑Lewis As Abraham Lincoln In Lincoln (2012)

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Luis Sancho
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know he looks the part, but I read somewhere that Lincoln seemed to have a high toned voice, instead of the gravely sounding voice on the movie...would be wonderful to have had recording technology when he was alive.

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#8

Meryl Streep As Margaret Thatcher In The Iron Lady (2011)

Meryl Streep As Margaret Thatcher In The Iron Lady (2011)

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#9

Charlize Theron As Aileen Wuornos In Monster (2003)

Charlize Theron As Aileen Wuornos In Monster (2003)

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Maria Ivanova
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She was amazing in this role! It is more than difficult for pretty woman like her to become such a monster!

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#10

Jennifer Lopez As Selena Quintanilla-Pérez In Selena (1997)

Jennifer Lopez As Selena Quintanilla-Pérez In Selena (1997)

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#11

Hellen Mirren As HM Queen Elizabeth II In The Queen (2007)

Hellen Mirren As HM Queen Elizabeth II In The Queen (2007)

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Liz Miller
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Helen Mirren is absolute class, elegance and style. She was born for that role!

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#12

Gary Oldman As Ludwig Van Beethoven In Immortal Beloved (1994)

Gary Oldman As Ludwig Van Beethoven In Immortal Beloved (1994)

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#13

Bruno Ganz As Adolf Hitler In Downfall (2004)

Bruno Ganz As Adolf Hitler In Downfall (2004)

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#14

Salma Hayek As Frida Kahlo In Frida (2002)

Salma Hayek As Frida Kahlo In Frida (2002)

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#15

Ashton Kutcher As Steve Jobs In Jobs (2013)

Ashton Kutcher As Steve Jobs In Jobs (2013)

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iblowsheep
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

he did Okay with the look but his performance was total c**p.

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#16

Kirk Douglas As Vincent Van Gogh In Lust For Life (1956

Kirk Douglas As Vincent Van Gogh In Lust For Life (1956

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#17

Marion Cotillard As Édith Piaf In La Vie En Rose (2007)

Marion Cotillard As Édith Piaf In La Vie En Rose (2007)

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#19

Anthony Hopkins As Alfred Hitchcock In Hitchcock (2012)

Anthony Hopkins As Alfred Hitchcock In Hitchcock (2012)

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#20

André 3000 As Jimi Hendrix In Jimi: All Is By My Side (2013)

André 3000 As Jimi Hendrix In Jimi: All Is By My Side (2013)

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#21

Gary Oldman And Chloe Webb As Sid Vicious And His Girlfriend Nancy Spungen In Sid And Nancy (1986)

Gary Oldman And Chloe Webb As Sid Vicious And His Girlfriend Nancy Spungen In Sid And Nancy (1986)

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#22

Denzel Washington As Malcolm X In Malcolm X (1992)

Denzel Washington As Malcolm X In Malcolm X (1992)

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#23

Hannah Taylor-Gordon As Anne Frank In Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001)

Hannah Taylor-Gordon As Anne Frank In Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001)

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Cesi Baca
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember watching this. The acting was not great. But then I haven't seen any movie about holocaust victims so far that has seemed realistic. It must be close to impossible to duplicate and act out what it was really like living through what must have been hell on earth.

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#24

Morgan Freeman As Nelson Mandela In Invictus (2009)

Morgan Freeman As Nelson Mandela In Invictus (2009)

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#26

Anthony Hopkins As Pablo Picasso In Surviving Picasso (1996)

Anthony Hopkins As Pablo Picasso In Surviving Picasso (1996)

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#27

Geoffrey Rush As Peter Sellers In The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers (2004)

Geoffrey Rush As Peter Sellers In The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers (2004)

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#28

James Franco As James Dean In James Dean (2001)

James Franco As James Dean In James Dean (2001)

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#29

Robert Downey Jr. As Charlie Chaplin In Chaplin (1992)

Robert Downey Jr. As Charlie Chaplin In Chaplin (1992)

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#31

Hilary Swank As Amelia Earhart In Amelia (2009)

Hilary Swank As Amelia Earhart In Amelia (2009)

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#32

Audrey Tautou As Coco Chanel In Coco Before Chanel (2009)

Audrey Tautou As Coco Chanel In Coco Before Chanel (2009)

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#33

Daniel Brühl As Niki Lauda In Rush (2013)

Daniel Brühl As Niki Lauda In Rush (2013)

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Paulina
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Daniel Brühl was the absolute and brilliant highlight of that movie!

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#34

Michelle Williams As Marilyn Monroe In My Week With Marilyn (2011)

Michelle Williams As Marilyn Monroe In My Week With Marilyn (2011)

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Rajani Sarasan
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've never found Michelle pretty.. she seems kinda ordinary to be playing such a diva!

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#35

Meryl Streep As Julia Child In Julie And Julia (2009)

Meryl Streep As Julia Child In Julie And Julia (2009)

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#36

Halle Berry As Dorothy Dandridge In Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (2000)

Halle Berry As Dorothy Dandridge In Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (2000)

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#37

Michael Douglas As Liberace In Behind The Candelabra (2013)

Michael Douglas As Liberace In Behind The Candelabra (2013)

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#38

Albert Finney As Winston Churchill In The Gathering Storm (2002)

Albert Finney As Winston Churchill In The Gathering Storm (2002)

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#39

Jim Carrey As Andy Kaufman In Man On The Moon (1999)

Jim Carrey As Andy Kaufman In Man On The Moon (1999)

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#40

Johnny Depp As James 'Whitey' Bulger In Black Mass (2015)

Johnny Depp As James 'Whitey' Bulger In Black Mass (2015)

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#41

Benicio Del Toro As Ernesto "Che" Guevara In Che (2008)

Benicio Del Toro As Ernesto "Che" Guevara In Che (2008)

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Linda Abbott
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just adding a mustache an a beard doesn't make you look like someone. (and the mustache and beard are wrong, too)

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#42

Liam Neeson As Oskar Schindler In Schindler's List (1993)

Liam Neeson As Oskar Schindler In Schindler's List (1993)

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#43

Reese Witherspoon Andjoacquin Phoenix As June Carter Cash And Johnny Cash In Walk The Line (2005)

Reese Witherspoon Andjoacquin Phoenix As June Carter Cash And Johnny Cash In Walk The Line (2005)

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#44

Emile Hirsch As Christopher McCandless In Into The Wild (2007)

Emile Hirsch As Christopher McCandless In Into The Wild (2007)

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#45

Robert De Niro As Jake Lamotta In Raging Bull (1980)

Robert De Niro As Jake Lamotta In Raging Bull (1980)

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#46

James Franco As Aron Ralston In 127 hours (2010)

James Franco As Aron Ralston In 127 hours (2010)

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#47

Philip Seymour Hoffman As Truman Capote In Capote (2005)

Philip Seymour Hoffman As Truman Capote In Capote (2005)

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#48

Peter O'Toole As T.E. Lawrence In Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)

Peter O'Toole As T.E. Lawrence In Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)

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Lily Mae Kitty
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I fell in love with those blue eyes. what a beautiful man he was when he was young

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#49

Naomi Watts As Princess Diana In Diana (2013)

Naomi Watts As Princess Diana In Diana (2013)

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with a Y and a Z
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

still the authenticity..they can recreate clothes from the 1800's and not the 90's?

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#50

Leonardo DiCaprio As Hugh Glass In The Revenant (2016)

Leonardo DiCaprio As Hugh Glass In The Revenant (2016)

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#51

Colin Firth As King George Vi In The King's Speech (2010)

Colin Firth As King George Vi In The King's Speech (2010)

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#52

Jeff Daniels As Joshua Chamberlain In Gettysburg (1993)

Jeff Daniels As Joshua Chamberlain In Gettysburg (1993)

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#53

Ralph Fiennes As Charles Dickens In The Invisible Woman (2013)

Ralph Fiennes As Charles Dickens In The Invisible Woman (2013)

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#54

Eddie Redmayne As Lili Elbe In The Danish Girl (2015)

Eddie Redmayne As Lili Elbe In The Danish Girl (2015)

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#55

Jason Scott Lee As Bruce Lee In Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)

Jason Scott Lee As Bruce Lee In Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)

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#56

Ed Harris As Jackson Pollack In Pollack (2000)

Ed Harris As Jackson Pollack In Pollack (2000)

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#57

Leonardo Dicaprio As Tycoon Howard Hughes In The Aviator (2004)

Leonardo Dicaprio As Tycoon Howard Hughes In The Aviator (2004)

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#58

Jesse Eisenberg As Mark Zuckerberg In The Social Network (2010)

Jesse Eisenberg As Mark Zuckerberg In The Social Network (2010)

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#59

Morgan Freeman As Nelson Mandela In Invictus (2009)

Morgan Freeman As Nelson Mandela In Invictus (2009)

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#60

Actor Will Smith As American Boxer Muhammad In Ali (2001)

Actor Will Smith As American Boxer Muhammad In Ali (2001)

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#61

Nicole Kidman As Grace Kelly In Grace Of Monaco (2014)

Nicole Kidman As Grace Kelly In Grace Of Monaco (2014)

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#62

Johnny Depp As Hunter S. Thompson In Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998)

Johnny Depp As Hunter S. Thompson In Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998)

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#63

Chadwick Boseman As James Brown In Get On Up (2014)

Chadwick Boseman As James Brown In Get On Up (2014)

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#64

Madonna As Eva Peron, The Second Wife Of Argentine President Juan Perón, In Evita (1996)

Madonna As Eva Peron, The Second Wife Of Argentine President Juan Perón, In Evita (1996)

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Gy Tis
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not a photograph from Evita, it's from the "Take a Bow" video. Madonna had brown contacts and special makeup not visible here...

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#65

Angelina Jolie As Mariane Pearl In A Mighty Heart (2007)

Angelina Jolie As Mariane Pearl In A Mighty Heart (2007)

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#66

Jason Segel As David Foster Wallace In The End Of The Tour (2015)

Jason Segel As David Foster Wallace In The End Of The Tour (2015)

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Valkyrie
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Christian Kane would have been the smarter choice for this one.

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#67

Bryan Cranston As Dalton Trumbo In Trumbo (2015)

Bryan Cranston As Dalton Trumbo In Trumbo (2015)

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#68

Toby Jones As Alfred Hitchcock In The Girl (2012)

Toby Jones As Alfred Hitchcock In The Girl (2012)

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