The voters of Oscar have proven over and again, that they love actors who portray historic figures.
Whatever the reason may be, it’s been happening since the very beginning. For any aspiring actor, getting one’s big break is the key to finding success in the world of cinema. Down below are the names of five actors who won an Oscar for playing eminent historical figures.
Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth I
Judi Dench in 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love” played the role of Queen Elizabeth I. The screentime of Dench in the movie was eight minutes only but she stole every one of the scenes she was in. She bagged her Oscar for her stunning acting. She acknowledged the brevity of her role when she accepted her Oscar saying, “I feel for eight minutes on the screen, I should only get a little bit of him.”
Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi
Ben Kingsley, after working for fifteen years on the London stage, the young actor struck Oscar gold in only his second film, the sprawling biopic of India’s most eminent activist leader, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. His incredible performance as Gandhi earned Kingsley a place as one of the most celebrated actors of his generation and was knighted by the British government in 2001.
Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf
To play Virginia Woolf in “The Hours”, Nicole Kidman, the left-handed actress learned to write with her right hand and began smoking the writer’s preferred roll-your-own cigarettes. Kidman is seen sporting a frumpy wig in the movie, with a prosthetic nose and heavy makeup. She was nearly unrecognizable and her mesmerizing acting in the movie won her an Oscar.
Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher
Meryl Streep has the most Academy Award nominations and has taken home the top acting prize thrice. In “The Iron Lady”, Streepplayed Margaret Thatcher. Though the movie failed to impress the critics, the performance of Streep won universal raves as a spot-on incarnation of the popular conservative prime minister from her early days in politics to her later life.
Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln
Daniel Day-Lewis is popularly known for going to the extreme to prepare for a role. For playing Abraham Lincoln in “Lincoln”, the actor spent a year reading and minutely studying the sixteenth president and worked tirelessly to cultivate his folksy manner of speaking and high-pitched voice. To stay in character, Day-Lewis spoke in Lincoln’s voice between takes, and even after filming wrapped. This role helped the towering actor to bag an Oscar and became the first performer ever to win three Academy Awards for Best Actor.
Who do you think is the most deserving actor to have won the Oscar from the above list?
