Actors Who Nailed Their Performances Of Real People
Playing a real person as an actor can be difficult—particularly if that person is still alive. You want to do them justice. If you're playing an evil (dead) historical figure, you want to portray that evil accurately to commemorate those who suffered at that person's hand. These actors and actresses got their portrayals of real people just right.
Michael Sheen As Brian Clough
British soccer coach Brian Clough was an intense figure on the field, with a huge personality. Michael Sheen played Clough in The Damned United (2009), a biopic about Clough's 44-day assignment at British team Leeds United. His performance was fantastic, but he began his audition by spontaneously impersonating Clough, who hailed from the West Midlands, whereas Sheen is Welsh.
Columbia, The Damned United (2009)
Bruce Greenwood As John F Kennedy
In Thirteen Days (2000), a dramatization of the Cuban Missile Crisis and JFK's handling of the impending disaster, Bruce Greenwood took on the role of the iconic President. Not only does Greenwood bear a close physical resemblance to Kennedy, but his Kennedy accent was right on the money. He and Robert Culp (who played Robert Kennedy), practiced arguing like the Kennedys off-screen to deliver a more compelling performance to the audience.
New Line Cinema, Thirteen Days (2000)
Nigel Hawthorne As King George III
In The Madness Of King George (1994), veteran British actor Nigel Hawthorne stepped in and portrayed the Mad King with aplomb. Hawthorne's extensive theater experience meant he could deliver lines like nobody's business and had the wherewithal to portray the King sensitively, but with the gusto you'd expect when portraying such a powerful figure, with such an unfortunate mental illness.
The Samuel Goldwyn Company, The Madness of King George (1994)
Mathieu Amalric As Jean-Dominique Bauby
In one of the most heartbreaking performances on our list, Mathieu Amalric played Jean-Dominique Bauby in The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (2007). Bauby was a French journalist who suffered locked-in syndrome following a stroke in 1997. He dictated the eponymous memoir on which the film is based by blinking at each letter in a 26-letter alphabet. Amalric's astonishing dedication to Bauby's character is evident in the film's sensitive approach to an extraordinary feat of writing and human endurance.
Pathé, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
Sandra Bullock As Leigh Anne Tuohy
Sandra Bullock brilliantly played Leigh Anne Tuohy, who is best known for becoming the legal guardian of troubled teen turned NFL star, Michael Oher. Bullock turned down the role three times as she didn't think she could accurately portray a devout Christian's beliefs on-screen. In the end, the performance won her Best Actress at the Oscars.
Alcon Entertainment, The Blind Side (2009)
Johnny Depp As Hunter S Thompson
Portraying the creator of 'gonzo' journalism, Hunter S Thompson, was going to take all of Depp's talent. In the 1998 comedy-drama Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998), Depp pulled off a masterful performance of Thompson, leading to a second role as Thompson in The Rum Diary (2011).
Rhino Films, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Marlene Dietrich As Catherine The Great
Portraying the Empress of Russia, who's famous for ushering in Russia's golden age by being somewhat of a brute, takes some doing—Marlene Dietrich was up to the task. Playing Catherine in The Scarlet Empress (1934) would be one of Dietrich's stand-out roles, even though Dietrich (33) was twice Catherine's age (16) at the beginning of the film.
Paramount, The Scarlet Empress (1934)
Sissy Spacek As Loretta Lynn
Fantastically portraying Loretta Lynn in The Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) was Sissy Spacek. Lynn, the country singer who rose from the ashes of a troubled home life to become one of America's sweethearts, selected Spacek herself based only on a photograph of the actress. Spacek's performance earned her an Oscar for Best Actress—it turned out she could really sing, too.
Universal, Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Michael Douglas As Władziu Liberace
Władziu Liberace was the world's highest-paid performer from the 1950s till the 1970s. The pianist and singer was portrayed by Michael Douglas in Behind The Candelabra (2013), an HBO special about Liberace's life. Director Steven Soderbergh wanted Douglas so badly for the role that he waited for Douglas to recover from throat cancer treatments before putting the film together.
HBO, Behind the Candelabra (2013)
Angela Bassett As Tina Turner
Before Bassett was a cop on 9-1-1 (2018), she starred as Tina Turner in a 1993 biopic, What's Love Got To Do With It? Playing the role brilliantly alongside her on-screen husband Ike, played by Laurence Fishburne, Bassett's role as the courageous, determined, and brilliant Turner could hardly have been portrayed by anyone else.
Touchstone, What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)
Paul Giamatti As Harvey Pekar
Harvey Pekar may not be well-known outside of comic book circles—but his autobiographical graphic novels written from 1976 to 2008 formed the basis for American Splendor (2003). The eponymous film stars Giamatti as the awkward, quirky Pekar in a performance that Giamatti pulls off expertly, leading to more roles in the independent film sector.
Tom Cruise As Ron Kovic
A young Tom Cruise starred as Ron Kovic, a Vietnam War veteran that was injured in combat and left a paraplegic. He became a fervent advocate for disabled veterans and an anti-war activist. Cruise's performance in Born On The 4th Of July (1989) was a masterful, sensitive portrayal of the torment of war and the devastating personal consequences it can have for veterans.
Universal, Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Will Smith As Muhammad Ali
Will Smith's performance as Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001) earned him an Oscar for Best Actor. The Michael Mann biopic about the infamous American boxer took Smith's career to new heights, as he immersed himself in the role—training up to seven hours a day and gaining 35 pounds, and studying Islam to become closer to his character.
Julia Roberts As Erin Brockovich
Julia Roberts gave a commanding performance as the headstrong, fearless, and no-nonsense Erin Brockovich in the movie Erin Brockovich (2000), about a woman who takes the fight to a huge corporation after becoming sick. Interestingly, Roberts learned to write with her right hand to stay true-to-character, as she is left-handed.
Universal, Erin Brockovich (2000)
Ian McKellan As James Whale
Sir Ian McKellan is one of Britain's finest actors, and in 1998, he brought his real-life experiences as an openly gay actor to the role of James Whale. Whale was an openly-gay director in Hollywood in the 1930s who directed Frankenstein. When the chance came to play Whale in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters, McKellan learned all about Whale's life (having known nothing) to play the role. It earned him an Oscar.
Lionsgate, Gods and Monsters (1998)
Jesse Eisenberg As Mark Zuckerberg
Despite bearing little physical resemblance to Zuck, you wouldn't know it. Jesse Eisenberg's masterful portrayal as the cocky, arrogant, smartest-man-in-the-room-and-he-knew-it Zuckerberg saw Eisenberg nominated for an Oscar.
Columbia, The Social Network (2010)
Tom Hardy As Charles Bronson
No, Tom Hardy didn't play that Charles Bronson—instead portraying Britain's most notorious prison escapee, Charles Bronson, in the biopic Bronson (2008). To take on the role, not only did Hardy embody the character brilliantly throughout the movie, but he had to undergo a huge physical transformation by shaving his head and getting into 'prison shape' by doing 2,500 push-ups a day for weeks.
Charles Laughton As King Henry VIII
Long before a young Henry was played by the dashing Johnathan Rhys-Meyers, Charles Laughton played the King in The Private Life Of Henry VIII (1933), a comedy-drama that saw Laughton take home an Oscar for Best Actor. His exuberant, hilarious performance as a character not known for being unserious (ask any of his wives), was refreshing and earned Laughton great acclaim.
London Film Productions, The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
Sigourney Weaver As Dian Fossey
Gorillas In The Mist (1988) is a little-known biopic about the life of zoologist Dian Fossey, who spent 18 years studying gorillas and was murdered in 1985 in the jungles of Rwanda, after protesting against poaching. Weaver portrayed Dian Fossey with great care and reverence for the woman. The role had such an impact that Weaver became the chairwoman of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, an anti-poaching organization.
Universal, Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
Dustin Hoffman As Lenny Bruce
Dustin Hoffman was the perfect person to play Lenny Bruce in Lenny (1974). The upbeat and happy-go-lucky Hoffman portrayed the comedy legend wonderfully, winning an Academy Award nomination in the process. He was so immersed in the character, that he repeated a stand-up routine of Bruce's verbatim from a tape sent to him.
Marvin Worth Productions, Lenny (1974)
Colin Firth As King George VI
Colin Firth's accent and general upper-class appearance and demeanor made him the perfect actor to portray King George VI, the King of England who overcame a stammer to lead his country into WWII, dramatized in The King's Speech (2010). Firth pulled off the role with help from his sister, who is a speech therapist—he had to train a stammer into his speech pattern for the role.
UK Film Council, The King's Speech (2010)
Jamie Foxx As Ray Charles
Jamie Foxx's diversity as an actor was on full display as Charles in Ray (2004). Not only could Foxx act the part of Charles, but the man went to college on a classical piano scholarship. Despite not singing in Ray, the keyboard you hear is all Foxx. He earned an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance as one of America's greatest voices ever.
Eric Bana As Mark Read
You may not have heard of Mark Read before, probably because he's an Australian criminal-turned-writer who's best-selling autobiographies transformed his life. Eric Bana's performance as Mark Read in Chopper (2000) completely changed his career path—he'd been a stand-up comedian prior to the role. He won Best Actor at the Australian Film Institute.
Film Finance Corporation Australia, Chopper (2000)
Judi Dench As Queen Victoria
One of the greatest actresses of her generation pulled off the role of one of the greatest British monarchs beautifully. Portraying the Queen in Mrs Brown (1997), following the life of Queen Victoria and her relationship with a Scottish servant—John Brown—following the death of her husband, Albert. Dench's performance earned her multiple Academy Award and BAFTA wins and nominations.
BBC Scotland, Mrs. Brown (1997)
Denzel Washington As Malcolm X
Denzel Washington was already a star when he was cast as Malcolm X in the eponymous 1992 drama. Detailing the life and death of Malcolm X, Washington's portrayal was seismic—perfectly capturing the intensity of Malcolm X and his commitment to direct action to achieve civil rights. Washington was already familiar with Malcolm X, having played him in an off-Broadway play some years prior.
Largo Entertainment, Malcolm X (1992)
Gary Oldman As Sid Vicious
Before Gary Oldman was Batman's trusted friend and police detective, he played Sid Vicious, a no-discernable-musical-talent member of The Sex Pistols, in the biopic Sid And Nancy (1986). Gary Oldman went on to portray other real-life characters, but none better than Sid, where he was hospitalized with malnutrition after losing so much weight to accurately portray the drug-addled Vicious.
Zenith Productions, Sid and Nancy (1986)
Meryl Streep As Margaret Thatcher
One of Meryl Streep's most notable lines might be, "No! No! No! No!" verbatim from Margaret Thatcher. She portrayed the divisive, strong-willed "Iron Lady" in The iron Lady (2011), which told the story of Thatcher's time in office as British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. She was one of the most controversial PMs in British history, and Streep's delivery of Thatcher's bullish personality was perfection. She won a third Oscar for her performance.
Sean Penn As Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk was the first openly gay politician to be elected to public office in California in the 1970s. An outspoken activist that helped to improve attitudes in the United States towards the LGBT community, Milk is viewed as an icon. Sean Penn's sensitive take on Harvey Milk in Milk (2008) perfectly captured the man and his commitment to his cause. Harvey Milk was assassinated in 1978. Penn's performance won him an Oscar.
Robert Downey Jr As Charlie Chapin
Robert Downey Jr's appearance as Charlie Chaplin in the sepia-toned/B&W movie, Chaplin (1992) was incredible. Portraying Hollywood's first global superstar and an industry-revolutionary, Downey Jr exuded Chaplin's curious and at times strange personality perfectly, winning him an Oscar for the role.
Carolco Pictures, Chaplin (1992)
George Scott As General Patton
George Scott portrayed General George Patton, the mercurial, decisive American general from WWII who pursued retreating Nazis across Europe after D-Day. Scott won an Oscar for Best Actor in Patton (1970). He refused the Oscar and referred to the Academy Awards as a "two-hour meat parade"—which sounds exactly like something George Patton would have done.
Twentieth Century, Patton (1970)
Anne Bancroft As Anne Sullivan
Anne Bancroft was one half of the acting duo that portrayed Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller's partially-blind tutor, in The Miracle Worker (1962). Bancroft's inspiring performance as Sullivan originally took place in a Broadway play of the same name three years earlier, and it would land her the nod for Arthur Penn's film adaptation.
Playfilm Productions, The Miracle Worker (1962)
Patty Duke As Helen Keller
Patty Duke's performance as Helen Keller is nothing short of extraordinary. For the movie, she had to put herself in the role of someone who was both deaf and blind despite being able to see and hear. The skill required to pull off such a feat convincingly is amazing. It's no wonder both Duke and Bancroft earned Oscars for their performances.
Playfilm Productions, The Miracle Worker (1962)
Helen Mirren As Queen Elizabeth II
Helen Mirren's portrayal of the late Queen Elizabeth II may be one of the most iconic portrayals of the longest-reigning British monarch in cinema history. Mirren's performance as Her Majesty is both extremely accurate, believable, and gripping. The Queen (2006) is one of Mirren's best roles, which won her an Oscar.
Ray Liotta As Henry Hill
Ray Liotta portrayed Henry Hill in Goodfellas (1990), the now-iconic crime drama about the New York Mafia's robbery of an Air France shipment. Liotta's perfect New York accent, demeanor, and the ability to play a menace lent itself perfectly to Henry Hill's character. Goodfellas is now widely considered one the greatest movies of all time and one of Martin Scorsese's best.
Warner Bros., Goodfellas (1990)
Phillip Seymour Hoffman As Truman Capote
Phillip Seymour Hoffman was an expert at playing the serious guy when he needed to. That's why he nailed Truman Capote so well in Capote (2005). Capote was the iconic author of Breakfast At Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1966), which became American classics. Hoffman had to lose 40 pounds to play a much smaller Capote, which he did successfully.
Cate Blanchett As Queen Elizabeth I
While not quite acquiring the synonymy with Queen Elizabeth I as Helen Mirren has with her first cousin (many generations removed), Cate Blanchett's masterful performance as a young Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth (1998) saw her pay homage to the Queen's early years with a sweeping swagger that befitted the young monarch. She would reprise her role in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007).
PolyGram Entertainment, Elizabeth (1998)
Michael Fassbender As Bobby Sands
In 1981, Bobby Sands, along with other prisoners in the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland, went on a hunger strike to protest against prison conditions and British rule in Northern Ireland. Irishman Michael Fassbender portrayed Sands in Hunger (2008), using his Irish background and knowledge of The Troubles conflict to his advantage. Fassbender went on a diet of no more than 600 calories per day for the film to replicate Sands' gaunt appearance.
Richard Attenborough As John Christie
One of the most shocking anti-type portrayals in British cinema came when Richard Attenborough played John Christie—a ruthless serial killer who framed his illiterate lodger for his crimes. Christie was only arrested after the lodger had been executed. Attenborough said of 10 Rillington Place (1971) that it was "the most devastating statement on capital punishment," even though he hated playing the part.
Columbia, 10 Rillington Place (1971)
Liam Neeson As Oskar Schindler
One of the most impactful and heart-breaking movies of all time is Schindler's List (1993), detailing the story of Oskar Schindler, a German factory owner who saved the lives of 1,200 Jewish workers during WWII. Liam Neeson was the perfect actor for the role—a hard-man full of conviction and self-belief—which was his breakout role and won him an Oscar.
Universal, Schindler's List (1993)
Marion Cotillard As Edith Piaf
Edith Piaf was one of France's national symbols during WWII, despite the German occupation of the country. Portrayed by Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose (2007), the role brought the actress international fame—she even agreed to have her hairline shaved back and her eyebrows shaved off to recreate Piaf's look.
TF1 international, La Vie en Rose (2007)
Adrien Brody Gives Away Everything For The Pianist
To play Wladyslaw Szpilman in The Pianist (2002), Adrien Brody wanted to experience the kind of destitution that would have befallen Szpilman. So, he gave away his apartment and his car. He also reduced his body weight to just 130 pounds and took up classical piano. He also lost his relationship with a girlfriend at the time and was scarred by what the movie did to him, telling SFGate: "I was very disturbed by what I embraced in the making of that film".
