30 Actors who look like the famous people they played

SalmaHayek didn’t need much transforming to become a look alike to famed artist Frida Kahlo from the 2002 film Frida.

A set of false teeth was the icing on the cake to becoming the Queen frontman look alike Freddy Mercury. The spot on dance moves and mannerisms from Malek also added to selling the look of the rock star.

The glasses definitetly sell Eddie Redmayne’s portrayel of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, but theres no denying the similarities in the eyes and facial structure.

A woman playing the part of a man is very unlikely in Hollywood, but Cate Blanchett can pull off Bob Dylan in I’m Not There with just a messed up hairdo and some dark shades. With a little 5 o’clock shadow this look would be even more spot on.

Watching the movie Lincoln was like taking a step back in time, it was as if Able Lincoln himself had stepped out of one of his old time photographs. The similarities are uncanny when comparing the two side by side.

Some might say that it doesn’t take much to transform into a grumpy old man in a movie, but Gary Oldman was committed to becoming Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour and everything about his character, from his looks to his mannerisms, nailed the part.

Steve Carell made becoming another person look easy. The similarities these two had already were enough to make them look related. With a new hairstyle, sideburns, and thick rimmed glasses, Carell had the look down.

Similar to Winston Churchill, playing the part of an old man can be complete with some deep set wrinkles and some gray hair. Geoffery Rush and Alberto Giacometti could be brothers, except for the fact that the famous sculptor passed away before Rush was even a teenager.

Christian Bale as Dick Cheney is a perfect example of method acting. The lengths that Bale would go for a part are truly amazing. From the superhero level fit as Batman, to the older, chubbier politician, there isn’t a body that Bale can’t transform into.

Sissy Spacek not only perfectly embodies the queen of country Loretta Lynn through her performance in Coal Miners Daughter, but looks just like her.

Both Hollywood heartthrobs at one point, James Franco does a great job at transforming into James Dean in this movie. From the hair to his half smile, James becomes James.

This blockbuster hit has a number of famous look a-likes, but Gwilym Lee as Brian May is one of the best transformations. He nails the hair and the clothes of the eighties, not to mention the mannerisms and attitude of the rock star. It probably also helped to have the real Brian May watching and coaching you through filming.

Everyone knows that Tina Fey can play a spoof of Sarah Palin better than anyone, so seeing Julianne Moore play the Politician in the movie Game Change to perfection was surprising at first. With Palin’s signature hair-up and rimless galsses, Julianne Moore could pass as Palin in sweats a t-shirt.

On top of already being musically inclined, Jamie Foxx didn’t need much of a transformation to become Ray Charles in the film Ray. He played the part so well, you would have thought Ray Charles time traveled.

Though it may seem like the only think Val Kilmer had to do to become Jim Morrison was take off his shirt and grow out his hair, he still nailed the part of the struggling musician in the movie The Doors.

The similarities between these two men are uncanny. Sean Penn and Harvey Milk already look so much alike, you would have thought that Harvey Milk played himself.

No one knows how Hollywood can take a heartthrob like Ashton Kutcher and see him playing the part of a tech mogul like Steve Jobs, but hey, thats Hollywood magic.

Adrien Brody must have the look of a true artist because not only did he win an Academy Award for The Pianist, he is also as spitting image of Salvador Dali in Midnight in Paris.

This example of a musician transforming into a musician is a good one. Though not many people have seen the film Jimi: All Is By My Side compared to some of the movies on this list, Andre 3000 definitely needs some recognition for his portrayal of the 70’s rocker.

Though this transformation is a little on the creepy side, it deserves to be recognized. Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of Charlie Chaplin is impressive, considering all they’re footage they had to work with imitating the look came from black and white.

Meryl Streep is one of the best of the best so becoming Margaret thatcher in The Iron Lady was just another day at the office. From the exact hair style to the gap in her teeth, Meryl truly became Margaret in this film.

Another band member from Bohemian Rhapsody made the cut for this list and that’s Joe Mazello as John Deacon of Queen. From this photo alone you an see that the two have the same smile, making Mazello a great fit for the role.

Similar to Meryl Streep, it seems like Helen Mirren can tackle any role you throw at her, including Her Majesty. Playing this role would not be an easy task, but based on looks alone, its clear that Mirren was perfect for the part.

There may not be many photos of Colonel Robert Gould, but from the few there are, you would think that he time traveled to play himself in the film Glory. Matthew Broderick nailed this role in the look alike department and did an excellent job portraying Gould on screen.

I mean, just look at these two. If it weren’t for the quality of the photo proving this was taken in different decades, Anthony Hopkins nad Alfred Hitchcock could be the same person.

In this creepy transformation, Charlize Theron does a great job at becoming famed serial killer Aileen Wuornos. At first glance, you can’t even tell that it’s Theron in the photo, the beauty has changed so much for the role.

Lopez had some high expectations to meet by agreeing to pplay the famed Selena Quintanilla in the film Selena. But like most things that she does, she crushed this role in performance and looks.

Playing a character we wouldn’t expect from Douglas, there are some surprising similarities between the performer and the actor when looking at them side by side.

It was clear why Eric Elmosnino was chosen for this role. On top of being an impressive actor, the similarities that these two have in facial structure is uncanny.

Some would say that taking on the role of Marylin would be a hard role to tackle due to her beauty and reputation, but Michelle Williams made it look easy, and the similarities are clear just by looking at the photo of the two of them side by side

Hollywood magic can turn everyday people into anything. In this case, it turned 30 actors into the exact famous person that they were told to portray in a film. The likeliness of each actor is uncanny, and obvious as to why they were chosen for a certain role.