24 Actors Who Won Oscars For Playing Real People
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It seems that whenever an actor takes on a famous face in history — or even a lesser-known person with a great true story — it only ups the chances of taking home Oscar gold. Just last year, Leonardo DiCaprio was added to the long list of actors who have taken home an award for playing a real person, thanks to his role in The Revenant. This year, Ruth Negga, Natalie Portman, Meryl Streep, and Andrew Garfield all received nods for playing real people. There are many more among the Hollywood elite who have won a statue for spot-on portrayals of real people (so many that we can't even list them all here!), but take a peek at this short list of memorable performances.
— Additional reporting by Shannon Vestal and Kelsie Gibson
01
Ben Kingsley, Gandhi
- The real-life role: Mahatma Gandhi
- Why he's famous: He was a peacemaker and Indian leader, inspiring many civil rights movements.
- The award: Best actor, 1983
The Real-Life Mahatma Gandhi
02
Geoffrey Rush, Shine
- The real-life role: David Helfgott
- Why he's famous: He was a child prodigy and concert pianist despite having schizoaffective disorder.
- The award: Best actor, 1996
The Real-Life David Helfgott
03
Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich
- The real-life role: Erin Brockovich
- Why she's famous: As a legal clerk, Brockovich uncovered a multimillion dollar scandal against utility company PG&E.
- The award: Best actress, 2001
The Real-Life Erin Brockovich
04
Adrien Brody, The Pianist
- The real-life role: Wladyslaw Szpilman
- The award: Best actor, 2003
- Why he's famous: The Polish-Jewish Holocaust survivor was a famous pianist and composer.
The Real-Life Wladyslaw Szpilman
05
Nicole Kidman, The Hours
- The real-life role: Virginia Woolf
- Why she's famous: The British author wrote the classics Mrs. Dalloway and A Room of One's Own.
- The award: Best actress, 2003
06
Charlize Theron, Monster
- The real-life role: Aileen Wuornos
- Why she's famous: Wuornos was a former prostitute turned serial killer.
- The award: Best actress, 2004
The Real-Life Aileen Wuornos
07
Jamie Foxx, Ray
- The real-life role: Ray Charles
- Why he's famous: The soul singer achieved icon status for his legendary voice and ability to cross over into rock during the '60s.
- The award: Best actor, 2005
The Real-Life Ray Charles
08
Cate Blanchett, The Aviator
- The real-life role: Katharine Hepburn
- Why she's famous: An Oscar-winning actress herself, Hepburn had a long-term relationship with Howard Hughes (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film).
- The award: Best supporting actress, 2005
The Real-Life Katharine Hepburn
09
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
- The real-life role: Truman Capote
- Why he's famous: Diminutive author Capote wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood.
- The award: Best actor, 2006
The Real-Life Truman Capote
10
Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
- The real-life role: June Carter Cash
- Why she's famous: The country singer was already a successful performer when she married Johnny Cash, with whom she continued to make beautiful music.
- The award: Best actress, 2006
The Real-Life June Carter Cash
11
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
- The real-life role: Idi Amin
- Why he's famous: The notorious dictator of Uganda led a bloody regime that resulted in the deaths of at 100,000 to 500,000 citizens.
- The award: Best actor, 2007
The Real-Life Idi Amin
12
Helen Mirren, The Queen
- The real-life role: Queen Elizabeth II
- Why she's famous: She's the bloody Queen of England.
- The award: Best actress, 2007
The Real Life Queen Elizabeth II
13
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
- The real-life role: Edith Piaf
- Why she's famous: Piaf had a personal life as dramatic as her amazing voice, marked by addiction and tragedy.
- The award: Best actress, 2008
The Real-Life Edith Piaf
14
Sean Penn, Milk
- The real-life role: Harvey Milk
- Why he's famous: Milk was a gay rights activist and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California.
- The award: Best actor, 2009
The Real-Life Harvey Milk
15
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
- The real-life role: Leigh Anne Tuohy
- Why she's famous: The Tennessee mother's story of adopting pro football player Michael Oher is the subject of Michael Lewis's 2006 book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, which was later made into a movie.
- The award: Best actress, 2010
The Real-Life Leigh Anne Tuohy
16
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
- The real-life role: King George IV
- Why he's famous: The former Duke of York suffered from a stammer that he worked hard to improve before taking the throne.
- The award: Best actor, 2011
17
Christian Bale, The Fighter
- The real-life role: Dicky Eklund
- Why he's famous: He was a former boxer turned drug addict, who also trained his brother Micky Ward.
- The award: Best supporting actor, 2011
The Real-Life Dicky Eklund
18
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
- The real-life role: Margaret Thatcher
- Why she's famous: She was the former prime minister of England (and the first and only female in the job).
- The award: Best actress, 2012
The Real-Life Margaret Thatcher
19
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
- The real-life role: Abraham Lincoln
- Why he's famous: He was the 16th president of the United States.
- The award: Best actor, 2013
The Real-Life Abraham Lincoln
20
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
- The real-life role: Ron Woodroof
- Why he's famous: He was a real-life AIDS patient who smuggled AIDS medication through an underground network.
- The award: Best actor, 2014
21
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
- The real-life role: Stephen Hawking
- Why he's famous: He is a world-renowned physicist, known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology, general relativity and quantum gravity.
- The award: Best actor, 2015
The Real-Life Stephen Hawking
22
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
- The real-life role: Rudolf Abel
- Why he's famous: He was a Soviet intelligence officer who was arrested by FBI agents for conspiracy.
- The award: Best supporting actor, 2016
23
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
- The real-life role: Gerda Wegener
- Why she's famous: She was an artist and the wife of Einar Wegener (later Lili Elbe) the first publicly known person to have a sex reassignment surgery.
- The award: Best supporting actress, 2016
24
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
- The real-life role: Hugh Glass
- Why he's famous: He was a fur trapper who survived an incredibly gruesome journey on the Yellowstone River.
- The award: Best actor, 2016