# Celebrities You Have a Hard Time Recognizing

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-have-a-hard-time-recognizing/778997>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 4, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-have-a-hard-time-recognizing/778997 "2017-02-04T18:46:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-have-a-hard-time-recognizing/778997/1 "2017-02-04T18:46:27Z")

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I don’t know why, but there are certain celebrities who I am quite familiar with, but have difficulty identifying in normal head-shots. Sharon Stone and Lady Gaga are two that come to mind.

Neither of them have particularly non-nondescript facial features, so it always baffles me when I need to see their name, then think, _“ of course, that’s who that is.”_

Anyone else have this problem? If so, with whom?

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**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-have-a-hard-time-recognizing/778997/2 "2017-02-04T21:21:08Z")

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I saw Gary Oldman in five different movies and each time thought “Wow, this guy’s amazing… what else has he been in?”

That’s bad enough, but when I saw the cast list for _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,_ I thought “Oh, cool, I wonder who he’s going to play?”

Kind of the opposite of the OP, but even though I’ve never seen Katherine Heigl in anything, I mistake her for Tricia Helfer when I see her in the news.

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**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-you-have-a-hard-time-recognizing/778997/3 "2017-02-04T22:12:29Z")

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> [@Ethilrist](#):
>
> I saw Gary Oldman in five different movies and each time thought “Wow, this guy’s amazing… what else has he been in?”  
> \<snip\>

Yes, Oldman is an actor who also blends into his surroundings for me. The sign of superior acting, I believe.