# BEST physical matches between actor and role **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 7, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682 "2009-03-07T22:22:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [March 8, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/21 "2009-03-08T03:42:37Z")
[Jeremy Brett](http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/holmes1.jpg) as [Sherlock Holmes](http://www.geocities.com/escottish144/Essays/Images/PagetSherlock1.gif). 'Course, all we have are some 100-year-old drawings to go on. ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/22 "2009-03-08T04:42:48Z")
[Matthew Broderick](http://www.zuguide.com/index.php#Glory) (video clip) as [Colonel Robert Gould Shaw](http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1863/august/colonel-robert-shaw.htm) (scroll down; right side) ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/23 "2009-03-08T06:13:59Z")
[Jason Harner](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm307205120/nm0124798) as [Gordon Stewart Northcutt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Stewart_Northcott) in Changeling. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/24 "2009-03-08T07:32:27Z")
[William Devane as John F. Kennedy](http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00042/etc_devane101908_42454c.jpeg) in [The Missiles of October.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071847/) Critics agreed that he absolutely nailed that role. He was nominated for an Emmy. Martin Sheen as Bobby Kennedy was also excellent. Sheen later played JFK in a TV movie, but Devane was a hard act to follow. HBO ran a movie called “The Rat Pack” in 1998. [Joe Mantegna](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S1bdNBvOURk/Rb1cAAZ2CkI/AAAAAAAACAI/2hKquSy4oUI/s320/cap0025.bmp) was uncanny as Dean Martin. [Don Cheadle](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S1bdNBvOURk/Rb1mPQZ2CmI/AAAAAAAACBE/Jbhp8yqRRKI/s320/cap0028.bmp) was also impressive as Sammy Davis, Jr. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/25 "2009-03-08T07:39:59Z")
Another mention for Josh Brolin, but this time as SF Supervisor Dan White in _Milk_ ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/26 "2009-03-08T08:05:47Z")
Just to be timely, I thought the actors they got for Rorschach, NiteOwl II, Comedian, and Silk Spectre II were spot on appearance wise in Watchmen, and all but SS were spot on acting wise as well. Manhattan was a CGI puppet so it’s hard to tell with him. Ozy was tragically miscast and misclothed… ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/27 "2009-03-08T12:46:20Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > [William Devane as John F. Kennedy](http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00042/etc_devane101908_42454c.jpeg) in [The Missiles of October.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071847/) Critics agreed that he absolutely nailed that role. He was nominated for an Emmy. > > Martin Sheen as Bobby Kennedy was also excellent. Sheen later played JFK in a TV movie, but Devane was a hard act to follow. > > HBO ran a movie called “The Rat Pack” in 1998. [Joe Mantegna](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_S1bdNBvOURk/Rb1cAAZ2CkI/AAAAAAAACAI/2hKquSy4oUI/s320/cap0025.bmp) was uncanny as Dean Martin. [Don Cheadle](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_S1bdNBvOURk/Rb1mPQZ2CmI/AAAAAAAACBE/Jbhp8yqRRKI/s320/cap0028.bmp) was also impressive as Sammy Davis, Jr. I almost posted the Cheadle thing! Mantegna was also a good fit. And your other picks are winners, too. We seem to see people’s looks a lot alike. Another I almost posted was Sherilyn Fenn as Elizabeth Taylor, but I chickened out. 🙂 Pictures of Charles Starkweather are not as close to Martin Sheen as I had remembered when _Badlands_ was new, but I have always thought that Sheen tried his hardest to channel James Dean, too. ---
**Author:** ![davekhps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@davekhps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davekhps)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/28 "2009-03-08T23:32:49Z")
While fictional, I’ll say that Alec Baldwin was _perfect_ as Jack Ryan. After reading the first Clancy books, my mental picture of the character was almost exactly matched by Baldwin, both physically and his performance. Alas, whatever his merits, Harrison Ford never quite felt right as Ryan, not even an “older” Ryan. And Willem Dafoe may be awesome, but he’s NOT John Clark. (Actually, I thought Liev Schreiber made a great Clark in “The Sum of All Fears”-- too bad the movie bastardized the story, and while I’m not as hard on some people hit on Ben Affleck, it was still such a weak deal all around). ---
**Author:** ![davekhps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@davekhps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davekhps)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/29 "2009-03-08T23:37:55Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > George C. Scott and Patton. It wasn’t an exact match but it was pretty good. Physically (and spiritually), Scott was a fantastic choice. Thankfully, however, Scott’s unforgettable voice was MUCH better than the high-pitch of Patton’s real voice (here’s [a link to a sound file of Patton speaking](http://www.pattonhq.com/sounds/gsp.au)). BTW, I’ve heard that the real Abraham Lincoln suffered the same deal-- contrary to many actor’s performances, in real life he apparently had a high voice. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/30 "2009-03-08T23:52:34Z")
I haven’t seen the movie but I would guess that [Fred Thompson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Thompson) was a perfect match for [Fred Thompson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Thompson) in the movie [Marie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_(film)). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/31 "2009-03-09T00:18:03Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > [Ed Harris](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3958610432/tt0183659) as [Jackson Pollock](http://www.seymour.k12.wi.us/rle/art/images/artists/Jackson%20Pollock.jpg). Ed Harris as John Glenn (_The Right Stuff_). Ed Harris as Gene Kranz (_Apollo 13_). ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/32 "2009-03-09T00:18:19Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Mickey Rourke was perfect as Marv in Sin City What? I didn’t realize there was anyone besides Jessica Alba as Nancy the stripper in that movie. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/33 "2009-03-09T00:19:04Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I haven’t seen the movie but I would guess that [Fred Thompson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Thompson) was a perfect match for [Fred Thompson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Thompson) in the movie [Marie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_(film)). John Malkovich was uncanny as John Malkovich in _Being John Malkovich_. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/34 "2009-03-09T01:36:59Z")
I thought Christopher Reeve was a good match for both Superman and Clark Kent. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/35 "2009-03-09T02:10:10Z")
Richard Belzer as John Munch. Read the book HOMICIDE was based on, it’s hard to imagine anybody else in the role. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/36 "2009-03-09T02:59:35Z")
> [@davekhps](#): > > While fictional, I’ll say that Alec Baldwin was _perfect_ as Jack Ryan. After reading the first Clancy books, my mental picture of the character was almost exactly matched by Baldwin, both physically and his performance. > > Alas, whatever his merits, Harrison Ford never quite felt right as Ryan, not even an “older” Ryan. And Willem Dafoe may be awesome, but he’s NOT John Clark. > > (Actually, I thought Liev Schreiber made a great Clark in “The Sum of All Fears”-- too bad the movie bastardized the story, and while I’m not as hard on some people hit on Ben Affleck, it was still such a weak deal all around). As a big Clancy fan, I agree that though I like Harrison Ford, I never thought he was as good a fit for Ryan as Baldwin. I wish Baldwin would have kept with the franchise. And I also agree that though Willem Dafoe is great, he was not my picture of Clark. I always thought Howie Long (former Raider, now sportscaster) would have been the perfect Clark (if he could act). But while we’re on the subject of “Clear and Present Danger”, I did think that Raymond Cruz was the PERFECT Chavez (“'ding”). And it was fun to see him “in the flesh”. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/37 "2009-03-09T05:14:26Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > John Malkovich was uncanny as John Malkovich in _Being John Malkovich_. If we’re going there, Julia Roberts was brilliantly cast as a regular woman who happens to look enough like Julie Roberts to impersonate her in a wacky scheme in Ocean’s 12. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/38 "2009-03-09T05:20:55Z")
Dan Hedaya as Dick (Nixon) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/39 "2009-03-09T13:51:41Z")
Madonna as Eva Peron Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls Wilder. ---
**Author:** ![Nightingale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@Nightingale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightingale)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682/40 "2009-03-09T13:59:04Z")
Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara. I’m re-reading Gone With The Wind, and the descriptions of Scarlett sound like they were written for Leigh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-physical-matches-between-actor-and-role/488682.md?page=3)