# Actors portraying HISTORICAL persons. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2000, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-portraying-historical-persons/34012 "2000-09-21T16:41:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-portraying-historical-persons/34012/21 "2000-09-22T20:09:28Z")
Alec Guinness as Hitler in “Hitler: the Last 10 Days.” [http://us.imdb.com/Title?0070184](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0070184) ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-portraying-historical-persons/34012/22 "2000-09-22T20:13:08Z")
Miranda Richardson as Queen Elizabeth (!) Derek Jacobi as Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus John Hurt as Caligula Alec Guinness as Adolph Hitler ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-portraying-historical-persons/34012/23 "2000-09-22T20:34:51Z")
Groucho Marx as Peter Minuit (!) Harpo Marx as Sir Isaac Newton (!!!) Peter Lorre as Nero (All in “The Story of Mankind”, one of the most miscast movies of all time) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-portraying-historical-persons/34012/24 "2000-09-22T21:08:27Z")
Peter Minuit- let’s see, that was the guy who bought Manhatten Island for $29 bucks in beads? Yeah. I can _definitely_ see Groucho playing him. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-portraying-historical-persons/34012/25 "2000-09-22T21:17:32Z")
Ian McKellen as Richard III So evil. MR ---
**Author:** ![Iolanthe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7bcc69/32.png) [@Iolanthe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iolanthe)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-portraying-historical-persons/34012/26 "2000-09-22T21:42:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Arnold Winkelried \* > \*\*Iolanthe, thank you for rescuing my reputation! I was afraid some people would take me seriously and think “what an idiot”. > \*\* Impossible my dear sir, impossible. [anvil-shaped-hint] Of course, I am always happy to assist the great man who writes the imitation Bricker challenges that I miss so terribly. [/anvil-shaped-hint] Please? I tried to write my own, but at the rate I compile questions, it wouldn’t be finished until 2062. You can pay tribute in it to the frightening performance of Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth, and the heroism of Gerard Depardieu as Danton. (Just a gentle whine that of course you may ignore, I know that these things are a bitch to write.) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-portraying-historical-persons/34012/27 "2000-09-22T21:44:38Z")
Re: Milla Jovovich (who’m I’ve met and is a _riot_) and Ingrid Bergman: I like them both, but they are both as infants in the Joan of Arc department. The most amazing performance ever captured on film, by anyone anywhere any time, was Maria Falconetti as Joan in Carl Dreyer’s _The Passion of Joan of Arc._ Ever. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2000, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-portraying-historical-persons/34012/28 "2000-09-23T07:04:14Z")
Dame Judy Dench as Queen Elizabeth the First in Shakespeare in Love - I knew already what Liz Mark One looked like, and i was still amazed. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2000, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-portraying-historical-persons/34012/29 "2000-09-23T17:18:41Z")
Iolanthe - you’re on! There will be an imitation Bricker challenge next week. I will announce it a day previously, so check MPSIMS. lissener - agreed on Ms. Falconetti as Joan of Arc. Was that her only movie? That’s what I remember. And where did you meet Ms. Jovovich? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-portraying-historical-persons/34012.md?page=1)