# In Comedy, Is There A Difference Between Impression And Impersonation **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 4, 2018, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-comedy-is-there-a-difference-between-impression-and-impersonation/808176 "2018-02-04T18:41:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-comedy-is-there-a-difference-between-impression-and-impersonation/808176/1 "2018-02-04T18:41:07Z")
I hear the terms “impression” and “impersonation” used interchangeably. In the comedy/performance industry, are they the same thing? Or does the industry prefer one term over the other? ---
**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:** [February 4, 2018, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-comedy-is-there-a-difference-between-impression-and-impersonation/808176/2 "2018-02-04T19:04:04Z")
My unexpert, off-the-top-of-my-head understanding is that an impersonation is supposed to copy a person as closely as possible, while an impression may exaggerate things for comic effect—it just has to give the _impression_ of the person. Like the difference between a realistic portrait and a caricature. But you can’t always trust people who use these words to make this distinction. A bit of googling seems to support my understanding, though I haven’t found anything “official” or definitive. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-comedy-is-there-a-difference-between-impression-and-impersonation/808176/3 "2018-02-04T19:07:14Z")
There really isn’t a line between them. Some performers think there is and others don’t see a difference. Kevin Pollack likes to say that everyone who does voices looks for that one hook that opens up the impression for them. Once someone finds that hook everyone else does an impression of the impression. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-comedy-is-there-a-difference-between-impression-and-impersonation/808176/4 "2018-02-04T19:07:28Z")
The term of art is usually “impression.” “Impersonation” isn’t technically different, but implies pretending to be someone for fraudulent reasons, not entertainment. If you faked your way into someone’s apartment past the dooraman to steal things by using a disguise, you’re impersonating someone, not doing an impression. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-comedy-is-there-a-difference-between-impression-and-impersonation/808176/5 "2018-02-04T19:12:52Z")
Yet we refer to “Elvis impersonators”, rather that “Elvis impressionists”. Of course maybe latter term would be confused with a certain artistic style using a black velvet medium. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-comedy-is-there-a-difference-between-impression-and-impersonation/808176/6 "2018-02-04T19:32:00Z")
My inclination would be to agree with **Thudlow Boink**. In a successful impression, the audience would say “Yeah, that guy was definitely doing \_\_\_\_\_”. In a successful impersonation, the audience would think it actually was \_\_\_\_\_. Impersonation need not be fraudulent: It could also be used, for instance, to replace an actor who’s dead, or too old for the role. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2018, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-comedy-is-there-a-difference-between-impression-and-impersonation/808176/7 "2018-02-04T19:48:58Z")
Impressionists do the voices and generally don’t try to look like the people they’re doing impressions of. An impersonation is different in that the performer is trying to do more than just imitate the voice: they dress up and try to look as close to the original as possible. The older term “female impersonator” was a man dressing up like and appearing like a woman (now, of course, it’s called “drag.”). ---
**Author:** ![Shawn1767](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shawn1767](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shawn1767)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-comedy-is-there-a-difference-between-impression-and-impersonation/808176/8 "2018-02-05T00:06:09Z")
Hmmm… I always thought impressions were not attempts at trying to look or sound like someone famous, but rather more along the lines of “Here’s my impression of the first man on the sun: 'Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-comedy-is-there-a-difference-between-impression-and-impersonation/808176/9 "2018-02-05T00:27:35Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Yet we refer to “Elvis impersonators”, rather that “Elvis impressionists”. Of course maybe latter term would be confused with a certain artistic style using a black velvet medium. I think most such performers would say they “interpret” Elvis, rather than impersonate him. When I did different voices on the radio (e.g., Shatner, Perot, Bullwinkle), I always thought I was doing impressions. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-comedy-is-there-a-difference-between-impression-and-impersonation/808176/10 "2018-02-05T00:36:12Z")
> [@Shawn1767](#): > > Hmmm… I always thought impressions were not attempts at trying to look or sound like someone famous, but rather more along the lines of “Here’s my impression of the first man on the sun: 'Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!” In a way, the last part of your post is not far off. Typically a comedy impression would be something like, “Here’s Nixon as a window washer. ‘Let me make this perfectly clear’.” Only funnier and probably more topical.