Morgan Freeman
Some performers find immediate critical and commercial success when they make the leap into the world of acting. Yet for many others, that path is much more circuitous.
Morgan Freeman falls into the latter camp. Though he started acting in the mid sixties and worked steadily on stage and screen, it wasn’t until the late ’80’s that Freeman finally landed his mainstream breakout roles. It was 1987’s Street Smart that really wowed film critics and brought him his first Oscar nomination. Two years later, in 1989, the one-two punch of Glory and Driving Miss Daisy made him a household name. Today, Freeman is one of the elder statesmen of Hollywood with arguably the most identifiable voice in the world.
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John Hamm
Jon Hamm famously taught high school drama in his hometown of St. Louis prior to pursuing his dreams as a Hollywood actor. Though, this is a somewhat romanticized story as he did so only briefly before moving to Los Angeles. Regardless, the future prestige TV heavyweight struggled through his 20s to make it as a working actor. An early recurring role on Providence in 2000 allowed Hamm to stop waiting tables. From there, he picked up smaller parts on TV and film projects through most of the decade. Hamm’s breakout moment finally came in 2007 when he was cast as the chain smoking, smooth talking ad man Don Draper in Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men.
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Samuel L. Jackson
He may be ubiquitous now, appearing in wall to wall Marvel films and Capital One commercials, but Samuel L. Jackson’s rise to fame came in a trickle. Through the ’70’s and most of the ’80’s, Jackson performed on stage and in small bit parts for television and feature films. Even after landing his first leading role, acting opposite Emilio Estevez in 1993’s spoof National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon I, Jackson was mostly a vaguely recognizable “that guy” on the big screen. After some high profile supporting role in films like Jurassic Park, True Romance and Jungle Fever, Samuel L Jackson exploded into stardom with his performance in Quentin Tarentino’s seminal crime film Pulp Fiction. He was 46 at the time.
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Kathy Bates
At the start of her career, Kathy Bates struggled to find film roles and instead focused her talents on the stage. Through the ’70’s and ’80’s, Bates became one of the most respected theater actors in New York — picking a Tony nomination as well an Obie award for her work in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. At the same time, she also continued to appear in smaller parts in film and on television, including a starring role in 1975’s Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. However, it wasn’t until her masterful performance as the disturbing antagonist of Misery in 1990 that established Bates as a true movie star. The then 42-year-old actress was heaped with praise for the turn, earning her a Supporting Actress Oscar, and the film was both a critical and box office success.
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Betty White
The late, great Betty White’s career spanned eight decades beginning with work in radio in the late 1940’s. In the 1950’s, White hosted her own daily variety show for NBC, and became a staple of a number of celebrity-focused game shows in the ’60’s. Surprising, then, that her biggest successes came in the ’70’s, ’80’s and beyond. She was 51 years old when she first appeared on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and 63 when Golden Girls first aired. Betty White would go on to have yet another late career revival in the late 2000’s. She appeared in The Proposal in 2009, starred in the TV Land series Hot In Cleveland beginning in 2010, and then in 2015 became the oldest person to ever host Saturday Night Live at the age of 88. Few actors have done as much as she did in her incredible 99 years.
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Alan Rickman
People are often shocked to learn that Alan Rickman’s very first appearance on film was Die Hard in 1988. Not a bad first outing. His iconic turn as the droll and proper thief Hans Gruber is heralded as one of the great movie villains of all-time, and it came when the actor was 42 years young. Prior to that, Rickman was a celebrated stage actor, having performed for the Royal Shakespeare Company and even earning a Tony nomination for his work in Les Liaisons Dangereuses in 1987. Funny enough, acting wasn’t even Rickman’s first profession — as he dabbled in the field of graphic design before fully giving in to the acting bug.
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Ken Jeong
Ken Jeong might have the most unique path of any actor to stardom. While he had always had an interest in comedy, Jeong actually graduated from medical school and was a working physician before his big break. Living in Los Angeles, Jeong would amazingly find time to perform improv and comedy in between the demands required of him as a doctor. A few small appearances on sitcoms and comedy shows here and there finally led to Jeong’s first big break in Judd Apatow’s 2007 comedy Knocked Up. From there, at the age of 43, Jeong committed to acting full time and left the medical field.
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Kathryn Joosten
Kathryn Joosten truly had a second act in life, and she made the most of it. In her first career, Joosten was a psychiatric nurse in Chicago, where she raised two children with her husband. Following a divorce, Joosten began acting in community theater and by 1995 she moved to Hollywood to pursue acting full time at the age of 56. From there, it seems like Joosten was always working — winning a number of one-off or recurring sitcom roles. Her true big break, as it were, was when she landed a recurring role on Desperate Housewives in 2005. She would go on to appear in 87 episodes, earning a handful of Emmy nods and Emmy wins for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2005 and 2008
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Christoph Waltz
The story goes that director Quentin Tarentino was struggling with the casting for his outlandish 2009 World War II film Inglourious Basterds. Specifically, he was insistent that he find an actual German actor to play the main antagonist of the film, Colonel Hans Landa. An American or British actor struggling to learn German on top of carrying the weight of the performance just wouldn’t do. Thankfully for Quentin and movie lovers alike, Christoph Waltz found his way into the audition room. Up to that moment, Waltz was a working stage, film and television actor — primarily in non-English speaking productions. He was 52 years old. He blew the director away and was immediately cast in the part. Waltz would go on to win an Academy Award for the role and continue to ply his trade Hollywood.
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Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman struggled to be taken seriously as a young actor when he got his start in the late ’50’s and early 1960’s. He was shunned by classmates at the Pasadena Playhouse, and faced rejection after rejection as a struggling actor in New York. It’s safe to say that Hackman’s “Big break” in Hollywood came in two distinct parts. First, after getting some work on stage and in small parts on TV, Hackman landed a part in the 1967 hit Bonnie and Clyde. He would earn an Oscar nomination for the role.
Then, after some more film and TV work, Hackman landed a leading role in The French Connection in 1971. He would go on to win a Best Actor Academy Award for the part. Finally, at 41, Gene had established himself as a leading man, and quieted all of the doubters and haters of his past.
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Danny Glover
Before he began acting, Danny Glover worked for the city of San Francisco in community development. Given the political activism over the course of Glover’s acting career, this is unsurprising. However, it does explain why his first on-screen credit came so late. Glover began his career on stage with the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco before moving to Los Angeles full time. His first on-screen credit came at the age of 32 in a small part in the 1979 Clint Eastwood thriller Escape From Alcatraz. Glover would go on to build out his resume on film and television screens, ultimately breaking out in two films that would come in 1985 and 1987 respectively: The Color Purple and Lethal Weapon.
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Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford made his way to Hollywood to become an actor in the early 1960’s. While he did land some smaller parts in films and television series, he was unable to get any real traction going in his career. To support his young family, Ford became a carpenter, and it was in this line of work that he was able to make connections that would introduce him to the young director George Lucas and get him cast in American Graffiti in 1973. A few years later, Ford was brought in by Lucas to help read lines during auditions for the director’s next project, an odd science fiction film called Star Wars. Impressed with his delivery, Lucas cast Ford as the charming smuggler Han Solo. Of course, Star Wars would go on to be an unimaginable hit and Ford’s star would rise with it. At the age of 35 Ford had finally made it– and was off to the races.
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Bryan Cranston
Like many of the actors on this list, Bryan Cranston began his career working in local theater before graduating to small bit parts and work in commercials. Cranston also took a number of small jobs to support himself as he pursued his dream, from loading trucks to working security. Bryan’s first big break came in 1994 when he was cast as Dr. Tim Whatley, an occasional recurring character on Seinfeld. His actual “big break” came in 2000 when he was cast as one of the leads on Malcolm in the Middle at the age of 44. Already a success, Cranston’s career took yet another leap when he began filming Breaking Bad in 2008, and upgraded from underrated physical comedian on a cult classic sitcom to one of the most respected actors of his generation.
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Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch was a long time veteran of the Chicago theater and comedy scene before she broke out in Hollywood in a significant way. In the late ’80’s and into the ’90’s she was a working actress, appearing in film, television and numerous commercials. It was actually a part in a commercial spot directed by Christopher Guest that led to her becoming a part of his roster of regular actors for his cult classic mockumentary films.
Those parts of course led to more opportunity. Her first big splash in the mainstream was her scene-stealing supporting role in The 40-Year-Old Virgin in 2005. She was 45 at the time. A few years later, in 2009, Jane Lynch became a full-blown household name when she was cast as a series regular for the smash hit Glee.
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Dennis Farina
Chicago native Dennis Farina had a unique and interesting road on his way to becoming one of the most interesting character actors of his generation. As a young man, he served a tour in Vietnam as a member of the United States Army. Upon his return home, he joined the Chicago Police Department where he served for 18 years before eventually becoming a detective.
It was in this capacity, as a police consultant, that Farina began working with up and coming director Michael Mann. Initially uninterested in acting, he played a small part in Thief in 1981 and caught the bug at the age of 37. Farina would go on to have a long career appearing in projects like Midnight Run, Get Shorty, Out of Sight and Law & Order.
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R. Lee Ermey
R Lee Ermey joined the US Marine Corps at the age of 17 in 1961. He served until he was forced to retire due to injuries in 1971, having achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant. Following his discharge, Ermey continued his education and became interested in acting. He served as a technical consultant for both Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, the latter of which also led to the breakout performance that would change everything. Impressed with his drill instructor demonstration, director Stanley Kubrick cast Ermey in the film. The iconic performance was largely improvised by the experienced real-life drill instructor, earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and officially launched his second career as an actor.
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Jessica Chastain
Despite being a classically trained actress with an education from Julliard, it took Jessica Chastain a bit of time for her to break out on the silver screen. After graduating and moving to Los Angeles, she took smaller television roles while continuing her theater work in an attempt to get attention from producers and casting directors. Her film debut finally came in 2008 when she was cast in the lead role of Jolene. While she got good press, the film did not perform well. Her true breakout year came in 2011 when she was 34. Her incredible output that year included Take Shelter, The Tree of Life and The Help, all critical winners with the latter being a massive commercial hit that propelled her to stardom.
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Tim Allen
Before he fell victim to a Santa Clause or was a Last Man Standing, Tim Allen began his career in entertainment as a standup comic in Detroit during the mid 1970’s. After a brief hiccup involving a prison sentence caused a temporary drag on his momentum, Allen surged in popularity on the standup scene in the 1980’s. Finally, in 1991 at the age of 38, Tim Allen entered the world of acting with his ABC sitcom Home Improvement. While no one would confuse him for Laurence Olivier, the show was a huge success and soon movie studios game knocking. At one point in 1994, Tim Allen simultaneously had the highest grossing moving of the week and the highest rated TV of the week.
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Tiffany Haddish
Girls Trip hit theaters in wide release in July of 2017 and was a smash hit. While the ensemble cast was lavished with praise, critics went out of their way to single out Tiffany Haddish as the clear breakout star of the film. She was instantly put on the map as a brilliant performer and comedian. However, the road to get to that moment wasn’t easy for Haddish. She had a very difficult childhood growing up in and around Los Angeles. She worked a number of odd jobs as she struggled to work towards her dream, and has explained in interviews that she even had to live in her car at times in her 20s. Despite all of that, she pressed on — impressing people with her standup. She started landing early film and TV roles until finally finding herself as one of the leads in the highest grossing comedy of 2017.
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James Gandolfini
Sometimes even incredible actors can end up typecast. For the bulk of his early career, James Gandolfini played what otherwise would have been one-dimensional tough guy mafiosos, beginning with his turn in True Romance in 1993. What made him truly great, though, was the way that he was able to elevate characters that were thin on the page into truly compelling on-screen performances. He was the perfect actor to play the indulgently complex head of a New Jersey crime family in David Chase’s The Sopranos, a show that redefined the mafia story and defined “prestige” television for decades to come. He was 38 years when that break finally came.
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Melissa McCarthy
Fans of the Gilmore Girls were well acquainted with Melissa McCarthy before she truly broke out in the mainstream. She was charming as Lorelai’s spunky best friend on the cult series. However, McCarthy truly became a mainstream success beginning in 2010 when she was 40 years old. After putting in her time doing improv and taking small parts, she was finally cast as the lead in the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly. The following year cemented her status as an A-lister when she stole the show in Bridesmaids. The incredible actress and comedian hasn’t looked back.
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Ty Burrell
Had he not been cast in one of the most successful sitcoms of the century, Ty Burrell could have made a fine career for himself as one of most compelling “that guy”s in Hollywood. It’s funny to see him pop up in films like Dawn of the Dead, Black Hawk Down and National Treasure playing characters so unlike the Phil Dunphy that TV audiences would come to love. Burrell was 42 years old when he was finally cast as the lead role, and he would go on to earn eight consecutive Emmy nominations for best actor in a sitcom for his performance in Modern Family. He even managed to actually win one, too.
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John Mahoney
Before he made the leap to acting, John Mahoney was a member of the United States Army as well as the editor of a medical journal. It wasn’t until 1977, at the age of 37, that the future sitcom dad would fully commit himself to acting. He first got noticed performing on stage in Chicago, which then led to a lucrative film career playing supporting roles. Major success came for Mahoney in 1993 when he landed the part of Frasier Crane’s cantankerous father, which brought him two nominations for best supporting actor in a comedy series.
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Jeremy Renner
Jeremy Renner is yet another actor who took a little while to finally land the role that would let him break through and become a mainstream star. When he was cast to play the damaged soldier at the heart of 2009’s The Hurt Locker, Renner was 38 years old. Before that, He had racked up an impressive amount of credits in the ’90’s and 2000’s, beginning in 1994 when he was the lead in the forgettable National Lampoon’s Senior Trip. Everybody has to start somewhere, of course, and this goes to show that being the lead in a movie with 0% on Rotten Tomatoes won’t stop you from going on to be a part of the MCU.
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Burt Reynolds
As a young man, Burt Reynolds’ first ambition was to be a pro football player. A talented half back in college, his career was ultimately hindered by injuries both on and off the field. Reynold’s then turned to acting, first on stage and then the screen. While he had no problem landing parts and was even cast as the lead in both films and television series, it wasn’t until Deliverance in 1972 that Burt Reynolds truly became a household name. Finally, at 36, Reynolds was not only a bankable movie star, but also a sex symbol. The year1972 was also the same year that he posed for the infamous Cosmopolitan centerfold.
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Most Uncanny Celebrity Lookalikes
Logan Marshall-Green and Tom Hardy
There’s a clear likeness between English actor Tom Hardy and Rhode Island native Logan Marshall-Green. LMG has been a character acting dating back to 2003. You’ve seen him in a number of projects ranging from television to film. Among them include 24, Big Sky, The O.C., Across The Universe, and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Of course, Hardy has been critically acclaimed for a plethora of strong performances. An intense and sometimes intimidating performer, you can truly feel Hardy’s emotion popping off the screen with a real fervor. Black Hawk Down, Bronson, The Dark Knight Rises, Dunkirk, and The Revenant are only a few of these sparkling performances.
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Jennifer Lawrence and Bella Hadid
There’s an undeniable similarity between socialite/model Bella Hadid and actress Jennifer Lawrence. The daughter of a Palestinian businessman and a Dutch model, Hadid has long been in the limelight. Her family has been featured in various reality shows, and Hadid herself has carved out a very successful career for herself as one of the most famous models on Earth.
Lawrence hails from the great state of Kentucky. The Louisville native was a child actress on various sitcoms before really emerging in film as an A-Lister. Silver Linings Playbook was her breakout role as a dramatic actress. From there, Lawrence has starred in American Hustle and Joy (among other projects).
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Richard Madden and Gus Kenworthy
Richard Madden (pictured right) is one of those familiar faces you’ve most certainly seen on the silver screen. He played a rather unsavory character in Rocketman (the Elton John-themed film). However, the Scottish actor is likely most known as Robb Stark in Game of Thrones. Madden was also terrific in the series Bodyguard.
Gus Kenworthy (pictured left) hails from England originally — though he and his family moved to the United States when he was just a toddler. Growing up in Colorado, Kenworthy became an exceptional skier. He did represent Great Britain in one competition. However, he switched to Team USA where he ultimately won a Silver Medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.
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Zach Braff and Dax Shepard
These two could be brothers! Both are exceptionally funny, charismatic, and wholesome guys with very loyal fan bases. Dax Shepard (pictured left) is more of a comedic actor with tons of appearances in different big-time projects (among them, Parenthood and The Ranch). More recently, Shepard has been exploding in the world of podcasts with his show Armchair Expert.
Zach Braff broke out with the quirky comedy Scrubs — and followed that up with notable performances in Garden State and BoJack Horseman. As his career has developed, Braff has transitioned more and more towards a behind-the-camera capacity. He even directed an episode of the hit show Ted Lasso.
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Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Javier Bardem
Now, these two legitimately look to be related (despite Bardem hailing from Spain — and Morgan born and raised in Seattle). A man of many talents growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Morgan ended up moving down to LA where he pursued gigs in both television and film. Of course, most know him as Negan in The Walking Dead. But he was also a regular in The Good Wife and Grey’s Anatomy.
Without a doubt, Bardem is one of the best actors in this generation. He’s been nominated for four Academy Awards in total (winning one for his role in No Country For Old Men). Married to fellow actor Penelope Cruz, Bardem continues to star in projects that millions across the globe enjoy on an annual basis.
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Millie Bobby Brown and Halsey
The transformations of both Halsey and Millie Bobby Brown have been quite profound. Stranger Things was the platform for Brown to showcase her immense ability on screen. She portrays the mysterious Eleven — and has since she was a young girl. As she’s now become a young adult, Brown’s range as an actress has expanded to more serious projects with more serious content matter.
Halsey had an atypical upbringing which involved some real issues in her private life. Living on the East Coast, she was able to push those aside and let her vocal talent shine in a massive way. Since overcoming everything in her life, Halsey has become a massive pop star.
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Ed Sheeran and Prince Harry
There are three defining characteristics linking these two individuals:
- Fame/wealth
- Red hair/blue eyes
- Both hailing from the U.K.
Prince Harry obviously grew up in the limelight his entire life (as a part of the Royal Family). He’s since left England and now resides reportedly close to Santa Barbara (in Southern California). Ed Sheeran has built a lofty career for himself which includes a multitude of Grammy Awards and adoration from millions across the planet.
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Ed Sheeran and Rupert Grint
There’s a clear likeness here between both performers. We’ve spoken in the previous slide about Sheeran’s exploits as one of the biggest singers within the pop genre. Speaking of pop culture over the last 20ish years, Rupert Grint has been firmly engrained into the era. He played the plucky sidekick Ron Weasley in the iconic book series-turned-film series focused around the exploits of a young wizard named Harry Potter.
Even though Grint continues to act and has branched away from the franchise, he’ll still always be known by many as ‘Ron’.
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Niall Horan and Allen Leech
Even if you’re not a music lover, the band One Direction is surely a group you’ve heard of before. In the post-Boy Band era, One Direction might’ve been the biggest entity since the days of *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys. One of those members is Niall Horan (pictured left). Hailing from Ireland, the 29-year-old musician has gone solo and is currently experiencing some real success.
Also coming from Ireland is actor Allen Leech. You may first recognize him from his role in Bohemian Rhapsody (as one of Freddie Mercury’s closest allies). He also is a fixture in Downton Abbey as Tom Branson.
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Sophia Bush and Katharine McPhee
These two beauties have been performing on stage for quite some time. Katharine McPhee (left) grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles. She first became known from her spot on American Idol. From there, McPhee’s career skyrocketed — as she both sang and acted in a number of very successful projects. She’s currently married to famed musical genius David Foster.
Bush — on the other hand — is more so known for her roles in the realm of acting. Brooke on One Tree Hill is most likely the role she’s most known for. Since then, the Southern California native has featured in various films (John Tucker Must Die, Marshall, Incredibles 2) over the years. There’s no denying the similarities between the two!
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Carla Bruni and Bella Hadid
If one didn’t know better, you’d legitimately think both of these stunning women are related. Bruni and Hadid do have some similarities. As you’d expect, both are fashion icons having modeled for quite some time. Bruni has Italian heritage, and grew up mostly in France. Much of her career professionally has been spent modeling across Europe. However, she’s also acted in a number of projects — and has cultivated a nice career as a singer. Bruni is currently married to former French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
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Alex Daddario and Tiffany Thiessen
For one generation, Kelly Kapowski was the dream girl for millions of people tuning in to watch Saved By The Bell. The actress who played Kapowski — Tiffani Thiessen — was the ‘it’ girl for a long spell from the late ’80’s well into the ’90’s. Her big blue eyes and iconic chestnut brown hair made her quite popular.
Actress Alex Daddario cultivated a similar following a generation later with strikingly similar looks herself. Daddario has featured in children films, adult comedies, dramatic roles, and pretty much everything in between.
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Keira Knightley and Natalie Portman
Keira Knighley exploded onto the scene in the early 2000’s — starring in Bend It Like Beckham where she played the sidekick to a girl who was hiding the fact from her parents that she was secretly playing soccer. Knightley continued on what’s been a very lucrative film career. Among her next big projects included Love Actually and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Portman is among the better actors on the planet. Since she was a little girl, we’ve seen her take the silver screen in such as films as Leon: The Professional, Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, V For Vendetta, Closer, and Black Swan.
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Kacey Musgraves and Kyle Richards
Another mother and daughter duo? Not quite! Kyle Richards was a child actress-turned-reality television star. You can routinely see her on Bravo! as a member of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She’s very family oriented, and is quite fashionable in the process.
Pictured on the right is country star singer Kacey Musgraves. The 34-year-old native of Texas has won four Grammy Awards throughout her illustrious music career. Without a doubt, the resemblance between these two media figures is quite strong!
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Henry Cavill and Matt Bomer
We’ve seen numerous iterations of Superman over the years. The most recent version of the famed superhero is portrayed by Henry Cavill. The English actor has been a fixture in film and television for nearly 20 years. The Tudors, The Witcher, Enola Hughes, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and the aforementioned Superman are among his biggest achievements and accomplishments.
Fellow lookalike Matt Bomer is also an actor. His career arc is fascinating– as he went from a soap opera actor to one who dabbled in the realms of dramatic television and film. Bomer is highly versatile, and has played a number of very captivating roles (which even includes time on Broadway as a theater actor).
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Thandiwe Newton and Zoe Saldana
Often times, Thandiwe Newton and Zoe Saldana are mistaken for one another. Both are beautiful actresses with a long list of highly popular and successful projects. Hailing from England, Newton has garnered massive praise for her roles in the likes of Crash, Westworld, Mission: Impossible 2. and The Pursuit of Happyness.
Saldana is one of the primary stars of the Avatar franchise. From Scratch was a highly popular series shown on Netflix, and Saldana also was featured in Avengers: Endgame. She split her time growing up in both New Jersey/New York and the Dominican Republic.
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Victoria Justice and Nina Dobrev
These two virtually look like twins. Victoria Justice (pictured right) was a child actor. She primarily featured on Nickelodeon as one of their headlining leads. Along with that, the Florida native has since appeared in a plethora of noteworthy shows in the form of cameos. She’s also cultivated a rather nice music career for herself.
Bulgarian-Canadian actress/model Nina Dobrev has featured in a number of shows which people absolutely love. Among them, Degrassi: The Next Generation and The Vampire Diaries. Most recently, the 33-year-old has entered into a relationship with Olympic athlete Shaun White.
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Emma Mackey and Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie has turned into a legitimate superstar within the world of acting. Hailing originally from Australia, she has since acted with true heavyweights in the industry. We’re talking about the likes of Will Smith, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Saorise Ronan, Charlize Theron, and Nicole Kidman (among others). Her two Oscar nominations came in I, Tonya (where she portrayed Tonya Harding) and Bombshell (where she portrayed an employee of Fox News).
Mackey was born to an English mother and a French father. Being bilingual (growing up in both countries), Mackey has performed professionally in each language. However, without a doubt her breakout role came as the mysterious Maeve in Sex Education. Mackey has since become involved in a number of big-budget Hollywood productions including Death on the Nile and Barbie.
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Jaime Pressly and Margot Robbie
Robbie’s career has continued to flourish. One of her most noteworthy roles was when she played Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Being cast in a Tarantino role truly did cement Robbie’s legacy as a massively famous actress.
Jaime Pressly was pretty much a comedic actor early in her career. You saw her in a number of those crude ‘teen’ movies where her good looks and iconic North Carolina accent were showcased. The role in which her talent really shined came in My Name is Earl. She then spent over 120 episodes as a recurring member on Mom.
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Anna Gunn and Woody Harrelson
No…despite the internet rumors, Woody Harrelson and Anna Gunn are not siblings despite the strong resemblance. Gunn grew up in New Mexico. Ironically enough, it served as the setting for perhaps her most famous role as Skyler in Breaking Bad. The two-time Emmy Winner also performed in Deadwood and Sully.
You’ve seen Harrelson on screen in virtually every role possible. He’s played serious roles, comedic ones, and virtually everything under the proverbial sun. Among his most critically acclaimed performances, one could include Harrelson’s roles in White Men Can’t Jump, Cheers, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Messenger, and The People vs. Larry Flynt.
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Leighton Meester and Minka Kelly
It’s quite common for people to mix up Kelly and Meester. Both were on hit shows around the same time, and are roughly in the same age range. Everyone fell in love with Kelly during her days on Friday Night Lights as Lyla Garrity. This role propelled her career into both modeling and on-screen roles in such projects as Jane the Virgin, The Roommate, and Parenthood.
Meester’s big role came on Gossip Girl. She was a model as a young girl before really breaking into the world of performance — which featured film, television, and also vocal work. Since then, we’ve seen her in a number of films (The Roommate, That’s My Boy).
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Katy Perry and Zooey Deschanel
For years upon years, these two have been compared to one another from a looks standpoint. The big, bright blue eyes against dark brown hair and a porcelain complexion. Actress Zooey Deschanel has been in the limelight for over 20 years — performing in a number of very good projects. Almost Famous was a great role for her, as was (500) Days of Summer. The sitcom New Girl will forever make her a darling in syndication.
Katy Perry went from being a shy, quiet girl growing up in Santa Barbara to one of the biggest and most prolific pop stars in the entire world. There are literally only a handful of musical giants considered to be ‘bigger’ than her at this point. Without a doubt, Perry forever etched herself into the fabric of high-end pop culture.
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Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Chastain
Of all celebrity lookalikes, these two might be the ones most often mixed up for one another. We can’t blame the masses — as Chastain and Howard have striking physical similarities. The daughter of famed director/producer/writer/actor Ron Howard, Bryce (pictured right) stepped into her own shadow where she’s since created her own big-time career. This has included roles in the Jurassic Park franchise, The Help, and Rocketman.
Chastain reportedly grew up with some personal challenges as it pertained to her family’s background. The Sacramento native ultimately made it out to New York where her theater craft was honed. To this day, Chastain is considered one of the most talented American actors in the world. She’s earned three Oscar nominations — ultimately winning Best Actress for The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
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Maggie Lawson and Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone will forever be known as the lead in one of the most iconic teen movies of all time, Clueless. Cher Horowitz continues to be a character over 20 years later which people dress up as for Halloween. Aside from that film, the Northern California native also starred in Batman & Robin, Miss Match, The Baby-Sitters Club, and American Horror Stories.
Looking like her identical twin, Maggie Lawson (right) grew up in Kentucky. She was also a child actor before moving to Hollywood and landing other roles. Some of them you may have heard of (Psych, Cybill, Home Improvement, Boy Meets World, Step by Step) and others you not be as familiar with (Model Behavior, The Ranch).
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Kate Middleton and Lauren Conrad
While both of these individuals work in completely different professions half way across the world from one another, there’s certainly a resemblance! Lauren Conrad (left) aka LC was first brought to us on the dramatic reality television show Laguna Beach. The Hills followed, and eventually Conrad became a very successful fashion designer with her own line (and she’s even written a number of books for good measure).
Kate Middleton — better known as her official title as the Princess of Wales — married into the British Royal Family. She married Prince William, which means that one day she’ll eventually become the Queen of England.
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