Famous actors who have played their eponyms?

Cafe Society
1

After getting back from a screening of Hamnet, I was disappointed to discover that Anne Hathaway has never played the character of Anne Hathaway (for who she was apparently explicitly named after).

I know I said eponym in the title but I’ll accept any performance where an actor plays a real life character of an identical or very similar name EXCEPT when there’s a direct family lineage relationship (ie, John Smith Jr plays the character of John Smith Sr).

When has it happened? In how many instances was it cute stunt casting and where was the actor the genuine best choice for the role and the name thing just happened to be a coincidence?

2

Annette Bening played herself in the Sopranos. If I recall she was used a couple of times in Tony’s dream sequences. Not sure if that counts as just a cameo appearance since it was a surreal dream.

3

Anyone playing a fictional version of themselves is excluded from this list as this is too common to count.

4

NM.

Trip

5

I think the main obstacle with your premise is that it only applies to maybe three people ever, and you’ve already eliminated the big one. Jane Seymour is the only other one that comes to my mind.

6

I can only think of one non-famous example: Andrea Parker played Miss Parker in the ‘90s TV show The Pretender (we eventually learn that the character’s first name is Catherine).

7

I’m not sure that even that meets the OP’s request, as the TV character was a fictional person.

And, unlike Anne Hathaway, that’s a stage name; her birth name was Joyce Frankenberg.

8

Do first-name-only matches count? In All the President’s Men Robert Redford played Bob Woodward.

9

I’m disappointed that Matthew Perry never played Matthew Perry.

10

I’d like to see Edward Norton play Ed Norton from the Honeymooners!

11

Albert Brooks should play Albert Einstein!

12

I could have sworn that Oona Chaplin played her own grandmother, also named Oona Chaplin, at one point.

It turns out that I was thinking of Geraldine Chaplin (Oona’s mother) playing her own grandmother Hannah Chaplin in the movie Chaplin.

13

I’m disappointed that Graham Greene never played Graham Greene!

14

Yep, totally missed that part of the OP. :woman_facepalming:

{Emily Litella} Never mind! {/Emily Litella}

15

I think it’s slightly more than 3. On top of Matthew Perry, Ed Norton, Albert Einstein & Graham Greene mentioned in the thread, Michael B Jordan has been in sports movies but never a basketball movie where he gets to play Michael Jordan.

16

Unless you’re considering one of the much-lesser-known Edward Nortons who have entries on Wikipedia, the Ed Norton whom @crazyjoe mentioned is a fictional character (thus, not fitting your criteria).

And, with Matthew Perry and Graham Greene having passed, you’re down to Brooks/Einstein and Jordan for future possibilities, and maybe Jane Seymour if you’re willing to consider assumed stage names.

17

Would it count since they call her Agnes in the movie?

18

And Richard Burton.

19

John Howard

‘John Howard’: ‘I am sorry. We are sorry’, Apology to aboriginal people, ‘The Games’ - 2000 — Speakola

“Good evening. My name is John Howard and I’m speaking to you from Sydney, Australia, host city of the year 2000 Olympic Games.”

I think the same joke may have been repeated later.

For reference JH was Prime Minister of Australia from 96-2007, The other is a well-known Australian Actor. The two men look totally different from each other, it’s a political joke leaning into mistaken identity. (You had to be there).

20

Singer-songwriter Marc Anthony has yet to expand his acting career to Shakespeare.