12 Actors Who Played Real People With Insane Accuracy

It's hard to bring a character to life, especially when that character is a real person who exists in history. Yet these actors who played real people somehow nailed their roles with insane accuracy. They got every detail down to a T. Their portrayals are so realistic and emotional that we can't help but feel like we are reliving a specific moment in history.
So let's see how these movie stars have brought epic historical moments from the pages to life. Here are 12 actors who played real people so well we couldn't tell the difference from their original historical figures.

1. Emma Stone as Billie Jean King

Source: © Batlle of the Sexes / Fox Searchlight Pictures and co-producers

Emma Stone played the role of legendary tennis player Billie Jean King in the 2017 film Battle of the Sexes. The movie told the story of a match between a man and a woman that would forever change the way we look at sports. Stone’s transformation and her performance were amazing. She really got the details down to a T.

2. Julia Roberts as Elizabeth Gilbert

Source: © Eat Pray Love / Columbia Pictures and co-producers

Eat, Pray, Love told the story of its author, Elizabeth Gilbert. Julia Roberts was chosen to play the role of Elizabeth, and it was a good call. The actress did a great job bringing her character to life.

3. Tom Hanks as Captain Richard Phillips

Source: © Captain Phillips / Scott Rudin Productions and co-producers

In 2009, Somali pirates took Captain Phillips hostage but failed. Phillips then wrote a book called A Captain’s Duty, which recalled the whole event. In the movie adaptation of the book, Captain Phillips was played by none other than the legendary actor Tom Hanks.

4. Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking

Source: The Theory of Everything/ IMBd

Eddie Redmayne did a fantastic job portraying the life of Stephen Hawking in the 2014 biographical drama The Theory of Everything. Redmayne spent six months researching Hawking's life and studying his accent and speech patterns. His performance was so realistic that even Hawking had to shed a tear upon seeing it at the Toronto International Film Festival.

5. Willem Dafoe as Leonhard Seppala

Source: © Togo / Walt Disney Pictures and co-producers

Willem Dafoe played the role of Leonhard Seppala in the 2019 film Togo. The movie was about a small husky named Togo. It told the story of Togo’s upbringing until he matured and became one of Seppala’s sled dogs.

6. Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci

Source: MGM / courtesy Everett Collection

Lady Gaga was given the role of Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci. She worked hard for her role, practicing the accent days and nights even when the camera wasn’t filming. Needless to say, her performance came out amazing.

7. Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady

Source: Alex Bailey / Weinstein Company/ courtesy Everett Collection

In the movie The Iron Lady, Meryl Streep played the role of the first and only female Prime Minister of England, Margaret Thatcher. The movie told the story of Thatcher after she lost her husband, her struggles with his death, and how she recounted her life to him as if he were there. Thanks to her amazing performance, Streep won an Oscar and Golden Globe Award.

8. Robert Downey Jr. as Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin

Source: TriStar Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

Robert Downey Jr. nailed his role in the movie Chaplin. In this film, he brought the legendary comedian Charlie Chaplin to life with his mesmerizing performance. He got his first Academy Awards Nomination for this role.

9. Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II

Source: Miramax / courtesy Everett Collection

The 2006 movie The Queen told the story of the time after Princess Diana's death. It focused on Queen Elizabeth II’s coping methods throughout the tragic period. Helen Mirren played the queen so well that not only did she receive a nomination for an Academy Award, but she also was invited to a royal dinner at Buckingham Palace by Queen Elizabeth II herself.

10. Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in Invictus

Source: Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection

Morgan Freeman did a fantastic job portraying the famous Nelson Mandela in the movie Invictus. He got every detail right and brought the beloved first president of South Africa to life through his portrayal on screen.

11. Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln

Source: 20thCentFox / Courtesy Everett Collection

The 2012 historical drama Lincoln recalled the events that happened in the final four months of the president's life. It focused on his struggle for the Thirteenth Amendment passed by the United States House of Representatives. To make his performance as realistic as possible, Day-Lewis dedicated an entire year to preparing and reading over 100 books on Lincoln.

12. Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe

Source: Laurence Cendrowicz / The Weinstein Company/ courtesy Everett Collection

In the 2011 movie My Week With Marilyn, Michelle Williams did a great job of bringing miss Monroe to life. The film told the stories of what happened during the shooting of the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl, highlighting the relationship between Monroe and Colin Clark along with her marriage at the time to Arthur Miller.
That concludes our list of 12 actors who played real people with an insane amount of accuracy. Do you agree with us, or do you think these guys still have something to work on? Many other actors also have to transform themselves completely to play their roles. They did it so well that we can't even tell that it's them until the credit rolls!