Ever watched the 1996 slapstick science-fiction dark comedy film The Nutty Professor? Were you also surprised to learn that Eddie Murphy was the guy behind seven (yes, SEVEN) different roles in that movie? He practically acted out the entire Klump family all on his own, save for Ernie Klump.
Well, turns out, there are many actors and actresses who have taken on multiple roles in single movies, and, in many cases, without us even noticing it.
Bored Panda has compiled a list of some of the greatest actors who have assumed two or more roles in a single movie, which you can check out below. And while you’re down there, upvote the ones you like the most and let us know what other actors have taken on more or less drastically different roles in movies!
#1 Michael J. Fox As Marty Mcfly And Marlene Mcfly In Back To The Future Part II (1989)
Image source: Amblin Entertainment / Universal Pictures
#2 Benedict Cumberbatch As Doctor Strange And Dormammu (Voice) In Doctor Strange (2016)
Image source: Marvel Studios / Disney
#3 Hank Azaria As Kahmunrah, The Thinker, And Abraham Lincoln Statue In Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian (2009)
Image source: 21 Laps Entertainment / Ingenious Film Partners / 1492 Pictures / Dune Entertainment / 20th Century Fox
#4 Warwick Davis As Gringotts Head Goblin, Griphook (Voice), And Professor Flitwick In The Harry Potter Series (2001-2011)
Image source: Warner Bros. Pictures
#5 Ryan Reynolds As Deadpool And Juggernaut (Voice) In Deadpool 2 (2018)
Image source: 20th Century Fox / Marvel Entertainment / Kinberg Genre / Maximum Effort / The Donners' Company / TSG Entertainment
#6 Eddie Murphy As Prince Akeem, Clarence, Randy Watson, And Saul In Coming To America (1988)
Eddie Murphy is known for being somewhat of a master of all trades when it comes to acting—besides Coming to America from 1988, he was also responsible for at least 2 roles in Bowfinger (1999), The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002), Norbit (2007), Meet Dave (2008), as well as the man behind a whopping 7 roles in The Nutty Professor (1996) and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000).
Also, Arsenio Hall is responsible for a number roles in Coming to America, including Semmi, Morris, and Reverend Brown.
Image source: Eddie Murphy Productions / Paramount Pictures
#7 Jason Isaacs As Mr. Darling And Captain Hook In Peter Pan (2003)
Image source: Universal Pictures / Columbia Pictures / Revolution Studios / Red Wagon Entertainment / Allied Stars Ltd
#8 Jeremy Bullock As Lieutenant Shekil And Boba Fett In Star Wars. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Image source: Lucasfilm Ltd. / Disney
#9 Michael Palin As Sir Galahad The Pure, Dennis, Right Head, The Leader Of The Knights Who Say Ni!, And 5 Other Roles In Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975)
Image source: Python (Monty) Pictures / Michael White Productions / National Film Trustee Company / EMI Films
#10 Dick Van Dyke As Bert And Mr. Dawes Sr. In Mary Poppins (1964)
Image source: Walt Disney Productions / Buena Vista Distribution
#11 Jonathan Hyde As Hunter Van Pelt And Sam Parrish In Jumanji (1995)
Image source: TriStar Pictures / Interscope Communications / Teitler Film / Sony Pictures
#12 Doug Jones As Abe Sapien, Angel Of Death, And Chamberlain In Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Image source: Relativity Media / Lawrence Gordon/Lloyd Levin Productions / Dark Horse Entertainment / Universal Pictures
#13 Ben Mendelsohn As Keller And Talos In Captain Marvel (2019)
Image source: Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
#14 Peter Sellers As Dr. Strangelove, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, And President Merkin Muffley In Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)
Peter Sellers is another actor who’s behind multiple roles in multiple films. Besides Dr. Strangelove, he’s acted in at least three roles in The Mouse That Roared (1959), Soft Beds, Hard Battles (1974), and The Prisoner of Zenda (1979).
Image source: Hawk Films / Columbia Pictures
#15 Rusty Goffe As A Jawa, Kabe, And A Gonk Droid In Star Wars (1977)
Image source: Lucasfilm Ltd.
#16 Eugenio Derbez As Felipe And Felipe’s Grandmother In Jack And Jill (2011)
While it can be quite obvious that Adam Sandler here is doing a double role, but a lesser known fact that Felipe and his grandmother in the movie are actually portrayed by the same guy, Eugenio Derbez.
Image source: Columbia Pictures / Happy Madison Productions / Broken Road Productions / Sony Pictures Releasing
#17 James Remar As Ace Speck And Butch Pooch In Django Unchained (2012)
Image source: A Band Apart / Columbia Pictures
#18 Jack Nicholson As Art Land And U.S. President James Dale In Mars Attacks! (1996)
Image source: Tim Burton Productions
#19 Cheech Marin As A Border Guard, Carlos, And Chet Pussy In From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
Image source: Dimension Films / A Band Apart / Los Hooligans Productions / Miramax
#20 Paul Mcgann As Girard And Jussac In The Three Musketeers (1993)
Image source: Walt Disney Pictures / Caravan Pictures Avnet–Kerner Productions / Buena Vista Pictures
#21 Ralph Fiennes As Ignatz Sonnenschein, Adam Sors, And Ivan Sors In Sunshine (1999)
Image source: Alliance Atlantis and many others
#22 Mike Myers As Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, Goldmember, And Fat Bastard In Austin Powers: Goldmember (2002)
Image source: Gratitude International Team / Todd Moving Pictures / New Line Cinema
#23 Tom Hanks As Dermot Hoggins, Isaac Sachs, Henry Goose, Zachry, And 2 Other Roles In Cloud Atlas (2012)
When it comes to Cloud Atlas, Tom Hanks is but one of many actors to take upon multiple roles I the film. Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jin Strurgess, Bae Doona, Ben Whishaw, and many others fill the shoes of at least 3 in-film characters. Sure, the movie is about the idea of how one soul can be drastically shaped as times passes, but you can’t but admire the amount of effort and creativity that has been put into this movie in general when it comes to casting.
Image source: Cloud Atlas Production / X-Filme Creative Pool / Anarchos Productions / Warner Bros. Pictures
#24 Bella Heathcote As Victoria Winters And Josette Du Pres In Dark Shadows (2012)
Image source: Village Roadshow Pictures and others
#25 George Lopez As Mr. Electricidad, Mr. Electric, And Tobor In The Adventures Of Sharkboy And Lavagirl (2005)
Image source: Dimension Films / Columbia Pictures / Troublemaker Studios / Sony Pictures Releasing
#26 James Mcavoy As Dennis, Hedwig, Patricia, And 5 Other Roles In Split (2016)
This one’s a bit of an interesting entry in this list because it’s technically the same person both as an actor and a character, except that the character in the movie is said to have been diagnosed with 23 distinct personalities and a 24th is emerging. Only eight of them are acted out in the movie, and they truly show just how versatile McAvoy can really be if given a role. Or eight.
Image source: Blinding Edge Pictures / Blumhouse Productions / Universal Pictures
#27 Bruce Boxleitner As Alan Bradley And Tron In Tron (1982)
Tron is one of those movies that has much of the cast performing multiple roles—the people and the visual representations of the programs they have written. Besides Boxleitner, Jeff Bridges, David Warner, Cindy Morgan, Barnard Hughes, Dan Shor, among others play at least two roles each.
Image source: Walt Disney Productions / Lisberger-Kushner Productions / Buena Vista Distribution
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