Bored Panda
68 Actors Vs. Historic People They Played
CuriositiesJUN 30, 2016

68 Actors Vs. Historic People They Played

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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)
268points

#2 Jamie Foxx As Ray Charles In Ray (2004)

Jamie Foxx As Ray Charles In Ray (2004)
266points

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

Robert Downey Jr. As Charlie Chaplin In Chaplin (1992)
236points

#4 Ben Kingsley As Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi In Gandhi (1982)

Ben Kingsley As Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi In Gandhi (1982)
227points

#5 Val Kilmer As Jim Morrison In The Doors (1991)

Val Kilmer As Jim Morrison In The Doors (1991)
226points

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

Daniel Day‑Lewis As Abraham Lincoln In Lincoln (2012)
222points

#7 Cate Blanchett As Bob Dylan In I'm Not There (2007)

Cate Blanchett As Bob Dylan In I'm Not There (2007)
222points

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

Meryl Streep As Margaret Thatcher In The Iron Lady (2011)
222points

#9 Charlize Theron As Aileen Wuornos In Monster (2003)

Charlize Theron As Aileen Wuornos In Monster (2003)
216points

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

Jennifer Lopez As Selena Quintanilla-Pérez In Selena (1997)
211points

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

Hellen Mirren As HM Queen Elizabeth II In The Queen (2007)
198points

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

Gary Oldman As Ludwig Van Beethoven In Immortal Beloved (1994)
198points

#13 Bruno Ganz As Adolf Hitler In Downfall (2004)

Bruno Ganz As Adolf Hitler In Downfall (2004)
189points

#14 Salma Hayek As Frida Kahlo In Frida (2002)

Salma Hayek As Frida Kahlo In Frida (2002)
171points

#15 Ashton Kutcher As Steve Jobs In Jobs (2013)

Ashton Kutcher As Steve Jobs In Jobs (2013)
166points

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

Kirk Douglas As Vincent Van Gogh In Lust For Life (1956
142points

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

Marion Cotillard As Édith Piaf In La Vie En Rose (2007)
135points

#18 Adrien Brody As Salvador Dali In Midnight In Paris (2011)

Adrien Brody As Salvador Dali In Midnight In Paris (2011)
135points

#19 Anthony Hopkins As Alfred Hitchcock In Hitchcock (2012)

Anthony Hopkins As Alfred Hitchcock In Hitchcock (2012)
129points

#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)
117points
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