# Ron Perlman = Tom Waits **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2004, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838 "2004-09-18T12:11:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838/1 "2004-09-18T12:11:06Z")
I _always_ have to look at the cast list to find out which of these two is which if see one of them in a movie. Natalie Portman and Kiera Knightley occasionally confuse me too. Anyone else have similar problems with these two? Other celeb mix-ups? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838/2 "2004-09-18T12:32:15Z")
I don’t confuse the ones in the OP, but I used to confuse Bill Paxton and Bill Pullman. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838/3 "2004-09-18T12:51:23Z")
For some reason, I have found myself getting Jude Law and Ewan McGregor confused. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838/4 "2004-09-18T14:42:24Z")
I have indeed noticed the similarity between the two, **jjimm**. But you’re missing the best part of the comparison. Tom Waits, you see, is a good deal smaller than Ron Perlman. One might even say that he’s a miniature version of the latter gentleman. That is to say, he’s a _Mini Perlman_. Ha! Get it? “Minnie Pearl-man!” Ha! Shut up. My grandfather thought it was funny. As far as other actors who are eerily similar, when I was a kid, I always thought Dustin Hoffman and Jack Klugman were the same person. I still think they look a great deal alike (or at least, Hoffman looks like Klugman used to). Apparently I’m the only one who sees it, though. ---
**Author:** ![yastobaal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/258eb7/32.png) [@yastobaal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yastobaal)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838/5 "2004-09-18T14:56:53Z")
Ok, having no idea what Tom Waits looks like other than a bit like Ron Perlman I IMDBed him. First I see the photo and think “I can see how the two could be confused” then I see he’s listed as a composer for Hellboy. Odd world, neh? Anyways back to the OP. Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon, I can easily get the faces of those two confused. ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838/6 "2004-09-18T16:30:54Z")
In _Pirates of the Caribbean_, there were several scenes where I thought Kiera Knightley resembled Winona Ryder. I don’t see the similarity with Natalie Portman, Natalie’s eyes are too distinctive. And there’s a lot to be said, IMO, about a woman who looks like Winona Ryder and Kiera Knightley, but not that I would write here. Ha ha. ---
**Author:** ![milquetoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@milquetoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milquetoast)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838/7 "2004-09-18T17:22:12Z")
I had some problems with Julia Stiles and Erika Christenson initially, but not so much anymore. I would confuse Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlson (in both sound and appearance) when they first hit the scene . But I’ve since seen a pictorial of Michelle Branch in Maxim magazine. I think that helped burn her image into my brain. ---
**Author:** ![Ronnie\_James\_Dio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@Ronnie\_James\_Dio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronnie_James_Dio)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838/8 "2004-09-18T17:46:16Z")
Waits and Pearlman even have the same gravelly, deep voice. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838/9 "2004-09-18T18:59:36Z")
Interestingly enough: Keira Knightly played Natalie’s decoy Queen in _The Phantom Menace_ and Jude Law and Ewan McGregor used to be roommates. ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838/10 "2004-09-18T20:51:22Z")
I think lots of actors look alike. Sometimes I see movies and can’t tell the main characters apart. Can’t think of any examples, though. Maybe I have prosopagnosia. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2004, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838/11 "2004-09-18T23:30:28Z")
About the only way I can tell Charlize Theron and Angelina Jolie apart is by Angelina’s huge puffy lips. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838/12 "2004-09-19T02:28:12Z")
Elijah Wood looks like Winona Ryder, but not enough so that I’d get them confused. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ron-perlman-tom-waits/264838/13 "2004-09-19T04:30:35Z")
I was almost certain that Kevin Smith from **Xena** was in fact, Timothy Daly from **Wings**. I just figured, “wow, he’s really been working out!”