Ciaran Hinds as Frankie Howerd...
lets cast historical figures.
- Thread starter Yevetha
- Start date
I think that artists are important and I see no problem referring to them as historical figures. That said, I agree that the focus of this thread was most likely not intended for actors. It's just that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to point out how much Mel Gibson is starting to look like Henrry Fonda.
It's just that "This pop-culture figure looks like that pop-culture figure" seems like such a generic topic of BBS discussion. "Let's cast historical figures" is refreshingly different.
And seriously, when someone's idea of a historical figure is Terry Farrell, that's just kind of sad. (Unless they mean that her figure is historic, in which case I can't disagree...)
And seriously, when someone's idea of a historical figure is Terry Farrell, that's just kind of sad. (Unless they mean that her figure is historic, in which case I can't disagree...)
Harry Lennix as President Obama
In the otherwise pisspoor Little Britain USA, he basically did play him. The admittedly occasionally entertaining sketch with the Prime Minister's aide Sebastian who is in love with his boss (played by by Buffy's Anthony Head) featured a transatlantic summit. The Obama character was played by Lennix.
Interestingly, the part was written and cast before the 2008 election, so the LB guys admitted that they were crapping themselves in case McCain won!
^ Not bad, but apparently Ed Harris is playing him in the forthcoming HBO movie about the 2008 election.
Yeah, I agree. I think maybe there should be a separate thread for casting pop-culture figures. I do find this thread pretty interesting.
That said, I wish someone would make a historical epic of the the beginnings of Canada, or more precisely a biopic about the first Canadian Prime Minister, Sir John. A MacDonald, though I'm at a loss at who could play him.
Oh and I do like Harry Lennix as Obama. When I watched Commander-in-Chief, he quite struck me and he was my first thought at who could play Obama.
I was going to say Sam Waterston as Abraham Lincoln, but I think that already happened.
At one point, Hugh Jackman was touted to play Bill Bixby.
Well, that's an interesting convergence, considering that Wolverine debuted in a Hulk comic.
If I may be forgiven for taking the thread slightly off-topic, it's interesting to look at the various actors who have played the same historical character and its also interesting to see how one actor might have played diverse historical characters.
For example, JFK has been played by Martin Sheen, Bruce Greenwood, Stephen Collins, Cliff Robertson, Greg Kinnear, Kevin Anderson, Bruce Campbell, Tim Matheson, Dabney Coleman, William Peterson, Patrick Dempsey, James Franciscus and William Devane.
At least two of those actors, namely Sheen and Anderson, have also played RFK, as have Stephen Culp, Barry Pepper, Robert Knepper, Jeffrey Donovan (this means both leads in Burn Notice have played the Kennedy brothers), Andrew McCarthy, Zeljko Ivanek, Casey Affleck, Brad Davis and John Shea.
Richard Nixon has been played by actors as diverse as Anthony Hopkins, Frank Langella (they both got Oscar noms for playing him, making him the only US President to have been played by two actors who've both got a nod for playing him), Dan Hedaya, Philip Baker Hall, Lane Smith (meaning that alongside Langella, two Perry Whites have played him) and Beau Bridges. Curiously, Warren Beatty was chased for both Oliver Stone's Nixon and Frost/ Nixon but didn't do either.
The said Anthony Hopkins has played Nixon and two other POTUS in the form of John Quincy Adams and George Washington, as well as Hemmingway, Ptolemy, Picasso, Guy Burgess, William Bligh, Adolf Hitler, Yitzak Rabin, Lloyd George and Frederick Treves. Fellow Welshman Michael Sheen is coming up fast in having played Tony Blair three times, as well as Kenneth Williams, Brian Clough, David Frost and Caligula (incidentally, go watch some footage of Brian Clough and then Kenneth Williams and marvel at how the same person may play them both so well).
Liam Neeson has been Oscar Schindler, Michael Collins, Alfred Kinsey and the commander of the Russian sub in K-19, as well as almost playing Lincoln for Spielberg.
Gary Oldman has been Sid Vicious, Beethoven, Joe Orton and Lee Harvey Oswald
James Cromwell has been George WH Bush and Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Any other real-life expert actors you can think of?
For example, JFK has been played by Martin Sheen, Bruce Greenwood, Stephen Collins, Cliff Robertson, Greg Kinnear, Kevin Anderson, Bruce Campbell, Tim Matheson, Dabney Coleman, William Peterson, Patrick Dempsey, James Franciscus and William Devane.
At least two of those actors, namely Sheen and Anderson, have also played RFK, as have Stephen Culp, Barry Pepper, Robert Knepper, Jeffrey Donovan (this means both leads in Burn Notice have played the Kennedy brothers), Andrew McCarthy, Zeljko Ivanek, Casey Affleck, Brad Davis and John Shea.
Richard Nixon has been played by actors as diverse as Anthony Hopkins, Frank Langella (they both got Oscar noms for playing him, making him the only US President to have been played by two actors who've both got a nod for playing him), Dan Hedaya, Philip Baker Hall, Lane Smith (meaning that alongside Langella, two Perry Whites have played him) and Beau Bridges. Curiously, Warren Beatty was chased for both Oliver Stone's Nixon and Frost/ Nixon but didn't do either.
The said Anthony Hopkins has played Nixon and two other POTUS in the form of John Quincy Adams and George Washington, as well as Hemmingway, Ptolemy, Picasso, Guy Burgess, William Bligh, Adolf Hitler, Yitzak Rabin, Lloyd George and Frederick Treves. Fellow Welshman Michael Sheen is coming up fast in having played Tony Blair three times, as well as Kenneth Williams, Brian Clough, David Frost and Caligula (incidentally, go watch some footage of Brian Clough and then Kenneth Williams and marvel at how the same person may play them both so well).
Liam Neeson has been Oscar Schindler, Michael Collins, Alfred Kinsey and the commander of the Russian sub in K-19, as well as almost playing Lincoln for Spielberg.
Gary Oldman has been Sid Vicious, Beethoven, Joe Orton and Lee Harvey Oswald
James Cromwell has been George WH Bush and Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Any other real-life expert actors you can think of?
^ Well, Meryl Streep has been Karen Blixen, Julia Child, Margaret Thatcher, and probably a few other real-life figures I've forgotten.
And, in an earlier era, Charlton Heston was Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid, and others. Richard Burton was Marc Antony, Sir Thomas Beckett, Henry the Eighth, etc. Rex Harrison was Julius Caesar, Saladin, and at least one Pope. Kirk Douglas was Van Gogh and Spartacus!
Back in the sixties, you couldn't be a serious actor without starring in lots of historical epics!
And, as for whether we should count actors as "historic," I'd allow certain bygone Hollywood icons: Valentino, Charlie Chaplin, W. C. Fields, Mae West, Bela Lugosi . . . .
As opposed, to say, modern celebrities.
And, in an earlier era, Charlton Heston was Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid, and others. Richard Burton was Marc Antony, Sir Thomas Beckett, Henry the Eighth, etc. Rex Harrison was Julius Caesar, Saladin, and at least one Pope. Kirk Douglas was Van Gogh and Spartacus!
Back in the sixties, you couldn't be a serious actor without starring in lots of historical epics!
And, as for whether we should count actors as "historic," I'd allow certain bygone Hollywood icons: Valentino, Charlie Chaplin, W. C. Fields, Mae West, Bela Lugosi . . . .
As opposed, to say, modern celebrities.
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I think Liam Neeson would make a great Fidel Castro.