30 Biopic Stars: Best/Worst Likenesses

Some actors are dead-ringers in roles, others not so much; make side-by-side comparisons

01 of 30

BEST: Ice Cube, portrayed by his son, O'Shea Jackson, Jr. in 'Straight Outta Compton'

BEST: Ice Cube, portrayed by his son, O'Shea Jackson, Jr. in 'Straight Outta Compton'
Jaimie Trueblood; Everett Collection
02 of 30

BEST: Abraham Lincoln, portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln

BEST: Abraham Lincoln, portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Culture Club/Getty Images; David James
03 of 30

WORST: Genghis Khan, portrayed by John Wayne in The Conqueror

WORST: Genghis Khan, portrayed by John Wayne in The Conqueror
Popperfoto/Getty Images; Everett Collection
04 of 30

BEST: Aileen Wuornos, portrayed by Charlize Theron in Monster

BEST: Aileen Wuornos, portrayed by Charlize Theron in Monster
Florida DOC/Getty Images; Everett Collection
05 of 30

WORST: Salvador Dalí, portrayed by Robert Pattinson in Little Ashes

WORST: Salvador Dalí, portrayed by Robert Pattinson in Little Ashes
New York Times Co./Getty Images
06 of 30

BEST: Bob Dylan, portrayed by Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There

BEST: Bob Dylan, portrayed by Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There
Express Newspapers/Getty Images; Everett Collection
07 of 30

WORST: J. Edgar Hoover, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar

WORST: J. Edgar Hoover, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar
Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Keith Bernstein
08 of 30

BEST: Charlie Chaplin, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in Chaplin

BEST: Charlie Chaplin, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in Chaplin
Witzel/Getty Images; Everett Collection
09 of 30

WORST: Billie Holiday, portrayed by Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues

WORST: Billie Holiday, portrayed by Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues
Gilles Petard/Redferns; Everett Collection
10 of 30

BEST: Anyone, portrayed by Meryl Streep

Specifically Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady and Julia Child in Julie & Julia . That said, we still have one role in mind for…
Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Alex Bailey; Everett Collection; Jonathan Wenk

Specifically Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady and Julia Child in Julie & Julia. That said, we still have one role in mind for Meryl that would require no transformation whatsoever. Just sayin'....

11 of 30

WORST: Walt Disney and P.L. Travers, portrayed by Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks

Walt Disney, Saving Mr. Banks
Disney; Francois Duhamel
12 of 30

BEST: Jim Morrison, portrayed by Val Kilmer in The Doors

BEST: Jim Morrison, portrayed by Val Kilmer in The Doors
Getty Images; Everett Collection
13 of 30

WORST: Virginia Woolf, portrayed by Nicole Kidman in The Hours

WORST: Virginia Woolf, portrayed by Nicole Kidman in The Hours
Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Clive Coote
14 of 30

BEST: Mahatma Gandhi, portrayed by Ben Kingsley in Gandhi

BEST: Mahatma Gandhi, portrayed by Ben Kingsley in Gandhi
Planet News Archive/SSPL/Getty Images; Everett Collection
15 of 30

WORST: Sid Vicious, portrayed by Gary Oldman in Sid & Nancy

WORST: Sid Vicious, portrayed by Gary Oldman in Sid & Nancy
Brad Elterman/BuzzFoto/FilmMagic; Everett Collection
16 of 30

BEST: Truman Capote, portrayed by Toby Jones in Infamous

BEST: Truman Capote, portrayed by Toby Jones in Infamous
PhotoQuest/Getty Images; Everett Collection
17 of 30

WORST: Frida Kahlo, portrayed by Salma Hayek in Frida

WORST: Frida Kahlo, portrayed by Salma Hayek in Frida
Everett Collection; Peter Sorel
18 of 30

BEST: Joan Jett, portrayed by Kristen Stewart in The Runaways

BEST: Joan Jett, portrayed by Kristen Stewart in The Runaways
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; David Moir
19 of 30

WORST: Che Guevara, portrayed by Gael Garcia Bernal in The Motorcycle Diaries

WORST: Che Guevara, portrayed by Gael Garcia Bernal in The Motorcycle Diaries
Apic/Getty Images; Everett Collection
20 of 30

BEST: Adolf Hitler, portrayed by Bruno Ganz in Downfall

BEST: Adolf Hitler, portrayed by Bruno Ganz in Downfall
Roger Viollet/Getty Images
21 of 30

WORST: Richard Nixon, portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in Nixon

WORST: Richard Nixon, portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in Nixon
Universal History Archive/Getty Images; Sidney Baldwin
22 of 30

BEST: Ray Charles, portrayed by Jamie Foxx in Ray

BEST: Ray Charles, portrayed by Jamie Foxx in Ray
Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; Nicola Goode
23 of 30

WORST: Nelson Mandela, portrayed by Idris Elba in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

WORST: Nelson Mandela, portrayed by Idris Elba in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
AP; Keith Bernstein
24 of 30

BEST: Selena, portrayed by Jennifer Lopez in Selena

BEST: Selena, portrayed by Jennifer Lopez in Selena
Arlene Richie/Media Sources/Media Sources/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images; Rico Torres
25 of 30

WORST: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, portrayed by Bill Murray in Hyde Park on Hudson

WORST: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, portrayed by Bill Murray in Hyde Park on Hudson
Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images; Nicola Dove
26 of 30

BEST: Queen Elizabeth I, portrayed by Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth

BEST: Queen Elizabeth I, portrayed by Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth
Universal History Archive/Getty Images; Laurie Sparham
27 of 30

WORST: Diana, Princess of Wales, portrayed by Naomi Watts in Diana

WORST: Diana, Princess of Wales, portrayed by Naomi Watts in Diana
Peter Carrette Archive/Getty Images; Laurie Sparham
28 of 30

BEST: Muhammad Ali, portrayed by Will Smith in Ali

BEST: Muhammad Ali, portrayed by Will Smith in Ali
Getty Images; Frank Connor
29 of 30

WORST: Alexander the Great, portrayed by Colin Farrell in Alexander

WORST: Alexander the Great, portrayed by Colin Farrell in Alexander
Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Jaap Buitendijk
30 of 30

WORST: Every President and a First Lady in The Butler

Specifically Dwight D. Eisenhower, portrayed by Robin Williams; Jackie and John F. Kennedy, portrayed by Minka Kelly and James Marsden; Lyndon B. Johnson, portrayed by…

Specifically Dwight D. Eisenhower, portrayed by Robin Williams; Jackie and John F. Kennedy, portrayed by Minka Kelly and James Marsden; Lyndon B. Johnson, portrayed by Liev Schreiber; Richard Nixon, portrayed by John Cusack, and Ronald Reagan, portrayed by Alan Rickman.

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