The Most Perfectly Cast Movie Lookalikes

Michelle Williams took on one of the most iconic women in Hollywood by playing Marilyn Monroe in ‘My Week With Marilyn’. Luckily, she appears to be a dead ringer for the tragic star, as well as nailing the nuances, the character and the affectations.

If it was just a case of gluing on a toothbrush moustache, they could have got Mr T to play the Little Tramp. But no, instead, they got Robert Downey Jr. to do the whole bit, the ‘tache, the hat, the bandy legs, the cane and good god, if he wasn’t the spit of Charles Spencer Chaplin. He was nominated for an Oscar, and won the BAFTA.

They only needed to use the first name in this Ray Charles biopic from director Taylor Hackford, as much thanks to the jazz legend’s iconic status as to Jamie Foxx’s deeply impressive portrayal of the man, and his uncanny similarity of mannerisms. He sneaked the Best Actor from under the nose of Clint, DiCaprio, Depp and Don Cheadle.

Salma Hayek is one of the world’s most beautiful women, whereas Frida Kahlo, well… wasn’t. However with a bit of make-up and some fake facial hair, the Latino actress amazingly transformed into the intense Mexican artist. She got an Oscar nom for her troubles.

“Who to play Bob Dylan…. hmmm,” thought director Todd Haynes, the leather straps creaking on his straight jacket as he planned his 2007 Bob Dylan biopic 'I’m Not There’. “Got it! Jane, can you get me Cate Blanchett’s people on the phone?” Yes, it might seem like madness to cast Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan, being a woman and all, but the decision was inspired.

Charlize Theron set a bit of a benchmark in celluloid transformations when she became serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Patty Jenkins’ harrowing biopic 'Monster’. It wasn’t just because she’s usually so eye-wateringly glamourous and devastatingly pretty (well, not entirely), but because she actually managed to look so much like the woman she was playing. She was also brilliant in the role, of course, and won herself the Best Actress Oscar for her efforts.

Spike Lee impressively brought the story of Malcolm X to the screen back in 1992 with his celebrated biopic, and in terms of who would play the former leader of the Nation of Islam, how could it have been anyone else? Denzel Washington is a dead ringer for Malcolm, and that’s before adding his distinctive cadences and look to make a rather convincing whole.

Maybe it’s the wavy hair, or the broad, welcoming grin, but there’s something eerily similar about Sean Penn and Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician to be elected to public office in California and the man he played in Gus Van Sant’s stunning 'Milk’. It was another case of real life making the best drama, as he stormed home with the Oscar for Best Actor, pipping Mickey Rourke’s star turn in 'The Wrestler’.

Oddly (in fact, very, very oddly indeed), legendary French crooner Serge Gainsbourg was to be played by his own daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg, a successful actress in her own right. Though initially up for it, during rehearsals she found it too painful to play her deceased father and pulled out. The film almost collapsed, but then director Joann Sfar found actor Eric Elmosnino, who pretty much looks exactly like him. Lucky that.

Check out Benicio! All you have to do is stick a beard on him, and voila! He’s that fella who’s on every student’s bedroom wall. Next to Lucy Pinder. Steven Soderbergh is the one who bought Benicio Del Toro the beret for the 2008, two-part film of his life and while Gael Garcia Bernal did the sexy young Che in 'The Motorcycle Diaries’, Benicio nailed him as the older, grizzled revolutionary.

Eyebrows were raised when Ashton “Dude, Where’s My Car” Kutcher was cast as Steve Jobs in Joshua Michael-Stern’s biopic that beat Danny Boyles starrier effort to the cinema by two years. You have to admit though, when it comes to physical similarities to the Apple boss, Kutcher beats Michael Fassbender by a country mile.

Liam Neeson was originally in the frame to play the famed US President in Steven Spielberg’s biopic but he dropped out in 2010 after development dragged and he felt he’d got too old for the part. Lucky for Spielberg (and us) that Lincoln’s dead ringer Daniel Day-Lewis was ready and willing to step in. He won an Oscar for his troubles.

Outkast rapper André Benjamin (aka André 3000) was born to play legendary rocker Jimi Hendrix, it’s just a shame then that John Ridley’s biopic didn’t live up to the dream casting. Hendrix’s estate weren’t happy with the script and denied the film the right to use his music.

Although Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Oscar-winning portrayal of Truman Capote in ‘Capote’ is the one that’ll go down in history, Toby Jones was actually a much better physical fit for the famed author who stood at just 5ft 3in. Jones is 5ft 5in, while Hoffman was 5ft 10in.