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20 Times Of Actors Manifesting Actual Historical People And Getting Praised

Features based on or inspired by historical stories and events are a huge challenge to producers. They need to buy scripts that include creatively interesting, new, and refreshing details and still are historically exact. Above all, the soul of movies and shows are characters that need playing by excellent actors. Portraying a fictional person and a famous real one requires different acting skills.

Many well-known historical people from the 20th century were familiar to the public since they had cameras, TV, radios, and several technologies. Meanwhile, celebrities from previous eras were described only through books and paintings. Henceforth, Hollywood stars need to think a lot and improvise to fit their roles.

In the genre, some won big, and some failed. Let's dip over these times when actors successfully became popular people existing in the past!

#1. Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator


salvador dalí, audrey tautou style, Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Warner Bros. Pictures


Cate Blanchett was so convincing as iconic actress Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator that she later took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

#2. Jennifer Lopez as Selena Perez in Selena


salvador dalí, audrey tautou style, Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Warner Bros. Pictures


JLo starred as the famous Mexican-American singer killed tragically. This was her first breakthrough role. In 2022, she celebrates the 25th anniversary of this movie’s onscreen.

#3. Will Smith as Muhammad Ali in Ali


salvador dalí, audrey tautou style, Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Columbia Pictures


The young actor learned how to float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee as boxing legend Muhammad Ali for the 2001 sports drama.

#4. Eddie Redmayne And Felicity Jones ss Stephen Hawking with his wife Jane Wilde in The Theory Of Everything


salvador dalí, audrey tautou style, Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Universal Pictures


Critics and audiences highly praised Redmayne’s performance in this Oscar-nominated movie. The actor won a handful of awards thanks to this role.

#5. Robert Pattinson as Salvador Dalí in Little Ashes


salvador dalí, audrey tautou style, Actors who transform into real people in historySource: SOROlla Films | Kaleidoscope Entertainment


The hot vampire from Twilight definitely knew how to rock the famed Spanish painter's iconic facial hair style in the Spanish-British drama Little Ashes.

#6. Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in Invictus


salvador dalí, audrey tautou style, Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Warner Bros. Pictures


The 76-year-old actor stepped into the role of South Africa's greatest anti-apartheid revolutionary in the sports drama Invictus, which recounted the tumultuous events surrounding the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

#7. Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in Ray


salvador dalí, audrey tautou style, Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Universal Pictures


Jamie Foxx got us on our feet when he showed off his music skills as rhythm and blues legend Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film Ray.

#8. Daniel Radcliffe as Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings


salvador dalí, audrey tautou style, Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Sony Pictures


Daniel Radcliffe continues to move away from his Harry Potter days in Kill Your Darlings, which tells the story of the great poets of the Beat Generation who come together after the murder of David Kammerer.

#9. Brad Pitt as Billy Beane


salvador dalí, audrey tautou style, Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Columbia Pictures


The Hollywood superstar entered the world of America's Greatest Pastime in his portrayal of Oakland Athletics baseball manager Billy Beane, who made a name for himself recruiting competitive players on a tight budget.

#10. Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover in J. Edgar


salvador dalí, audrey tautou style, Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Warner Bros. Pictures


Leonardo DiCaprio continued to prove he had a knack for period dramas in 2011's J. Edgar, in which he portrays the United State's powerful first Director of the FBI.

#11. Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in Spencer


salvador dalí, audrey tautou style, Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Neon and Topic Studios


Stewart's portrayal of Diana was hailed as one of the most accurate portrayals of the late Princess. For portraying Diana, Stewart was nominated for the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress.

#12. Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady


Actors who transform into real people in historySource: 20th Century Fox


Meryl Streep offered up an impressive and acclaimed performance in her role as the storied former Prime minister of the United Kingdom in The Iron Lady.

#13. Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network


Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Columbia Pictures


Jesse Eisenberg channeled Facebook founder, and now Silicon Valley cultural icon Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network.

#14. Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly in Grace of Monaco


Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Bauer Griffin, The Weinstein Company


Nicole Kidman gets to do both a Hollywood star and a princess in Grace of Monaco, a biopic of Grace Kelly, another of Alfred Hitchcock's muses, and the bride of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco.

#15. Daniel Day-Lewis as President Lincoln


Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures


Daniel Day-Lewis gave an Academy Award-winning performance in his portrayal of one of the US' most legendary Civil War presidents in the Steven Spielberg-directed Lincoln.

#16. Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth Taylor in Burton & Taylor


Actors who transform into real people in historySource: BBC, Bauer Griffin


Helena Bonham Carter took her turn playing the ups and downs of iconic actress Elizabeth Taylor in the BBC America TV film Burton & Taylor.

#17. Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodruff


salvador dalí, audrey tautou style, Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Focus Features


McConaughey starred as real-life AIDS patient Ron Woodruff in Jean-Marc Vallée's Oscar-nominated film Dallas Buyers Club. The actor lost nearly 50 pounds for the role, a stark contrast from his usual chiseled frame.

#18. Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt in Rush


Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Universal Pictures


Chris Hemsworth felt the need speed when he suited up as British race car driver and Formula 1 champion James Hunt in Ron Howard's Rush.

#19. Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel in Coco Before Chanel


Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Warner Bros. Pictures


French actress Audrey Tautou was all about fashion, fame, and brand in Coco Before Chanel.

#20. Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs in Jobs


Actors who transform into real people in historySource: Open Road Films, GettyImages


Ashton Kutcher depicted the rise of the tech world's greatest (and most controversial) innovator, Steve Jobs, in Jobs.

What do you think of these flicks? Sound off in the comment box below and discuss this topic with your cinema fellows after hitting the like-share button! If you enjoy it, how about checking out another exciting post on the same subject on our site?
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