Forget about the dead ringers between common folk and celebrities (that’s what Facebook is for); what about actors that look eerily similar to other actors? After having seen the recent release of the mind-bending sci-fi thriller Inception, I was reminded once again of the magnitude in which actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt looks like the late Heath Ledger. Strangely enough, these two great actors are far from being the only pair of look-alikes in the world of Hollywood. Using Gordon-Levitt and Ledger as inspiration, let us take a look at five of the myriads of pairs of dead ringers in Hollywood’s history:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Heath Ledger
Not only do these two great actors look the same, they’ve even acted in the same movie before (10 Things I Hate About You). They have also played major roles in Christopher Nolan films (Heath Ledger’s performance as ‘The Joker’ in Nolan’s The Dark Knight will live forever, while Gordon-Levitt recently starred in Nolan’s Inception). If that weren’t odd enough, then get a load of this: rumors have it that Gordon-Levitt will probably be starring as the next Batman villain, ‘The Riddler’, in Christopher Nolan’s third installment of his revisionistBatman trilogy. So not only do Gordon-Levitt and Heath Ledger look alike, they even act alike too!
Tobey Maguire/Jake Gyllenhaal
This pairing of youthful boyish charm has been well-documented for over a decade now. If I had a penny for every time I heard an assessment like, “I loved Brokeback Mountain! Heath Ledger and that guy that looks like what’s his name…Spiderman…Tobey Maguire! Yah! They were so believable in that movie”, I’d be a movie star by now. Let’s just be thankful that it was Heath Ledger and not Tobey Maguire that starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain. Otherwise, Brokeback might have ended up looking like David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers.
Kurt Russell/Jeff Bridges
Born only two years apart, one on the east coast and the other on the west, both Kurt Russell and Jeff Bridges have been acting in film and television for over six decades now. That’s one heck of a long time to look ridiculously the same! Having starred in many westerns and action flicks alike, Russell and Bridges even share comparable scruffy voices. It only took Bridges about 40 years or so to win an Oscar, so Russell’s day in gold must surely be only a matter of time. Then again, if he didn’t win one for Big Trouble in Little China then when will he??!
Robert De Niro/Elias Koteas
Both of these fine actors have been around for a good while now, but the look-alike comparisons have risen only in the last decade or so. Ever since Koteas landed the role of Captain James ‘Bugger’ Staros in Terrence Malik’s The Thin Red Line, movie fans and critics alike have been struck by the physical likeness of Koteas and De Niro. At times they can look so much alike that even some of the most die-hard De Niro buffs were tricked by the trailer for Martin Scorcese’s latest movie Shutter Island. After having watched this trailer, many people thought that the long-awaited reunion between De Niro and Scorcese had finally arrived. But alas, the line between one dead ringer and another is often very thin indeed.
Nick Nolte/Gary Busey
As if Nick Nolte wasn’t frightening enough on his own, God just couldn’t resist when it came to creating Gary Busey. These two Hollywood bad boys have been roughing up the silver screen for the past four decades and counting. If one were to be locked in a movie theatre forced to watch a movie starring both of these cannonballs, then he or she might be too scared to ever watch a movie again. However, if this same trio were to be locked in a jail cell together, then a thrilling new prison-break movie would be a camera’s frame away.
: 3:01 PM
34 Comments
I "like" you on Facebook. Would love these for my oldest boy!
I totally agree about Monica Potter and Julia Roberts and I've thought ever since Patch Adams that Monica and Julia must be closely related. I can hardly believe that they're not!
Eric McCormack (Will and Grace) and Thomas Gibson (Criminal Minds)...they even have the same VOICE..! I argued with someone that the same actor (McCormack) portrayed them both
I always thought that there was an eerie similarity between Phil Hartman (SNL) and Joaquim de Almeida (Only You, Moscow Zero ... a bunch of bit parts in other movies.) He looks just like Phil but with darker eyes and a latin accent.
Good call on JG Levitt & Heath Ledger ... can't beilieve I didn't notice that before.
I think you're all crazy and have eye problems. And to say Meg Ryan and Melanie Griffith look alike is insane. Other than maybe Ledger & the other guy, that's about it. Get your eyes tested!
Never noticed the similarities between Gordon-Levitt and Ledger before, probably because of the blond vs. dark hair, but both are huge talents and do look alike in the pics here.
All the rest are spot on.
(how are Jeff Bridges and Kurt Russell not related?!?! they look like brothers, if not twins!)
Meg Ryan and Melanie Griffith, I still get them mixed up.Also, back in the beginning, before they aged so much, Mickey Rourke and Bruce Willis looked alot alike.
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I "like" you on Facebook. Would love these for my oldest boy!
Posted by: supra footwear | 11/11/2011 at 04:42 PM
bill murray and james belushi
Posted by: sup | 10/13/2011 at 01:09 AM
marlon brando and paul newman
Posted by: sup | 10/13/2011 at 01:04 AM
Clint Eastwood and Hugh Jackman.
Robert Redford and Brad Pitt.
Posted by: Sergei.B | 08/07/2010 at 06:04 PM
What about Brian from family guy and snoopy!!
Posted by: Grant | 07/27/2010 at 02:16 PM
what about Dee Snyder from twisted sister and Sarah Jessica Parker they look like twins
Posted by: chevy | 07/27/2010 at 11:30 AM
Jason Alexander and George Clooney are dead ringers!
Posted by: dave | 07/27/2010 at 10:38 AM
Helen Hunt and Leelee Sobieski,Sobieski looks like Hunt's little sister.
Posted by: Beathoven | 07/27/2010 at 08:42 AM
Everytime I see a young Glenn ford in an old movie I'm amazed by how much he looks like John Stamos.
Posted by: Colby | 07/27/2010 at 08:10 AM
I totally agree about Monica Potter and Julia Roberts and I've thought ever since Patch Adams that Monica and Julia must be closely related. I can hardly believe that they're not!
Posted by: Tammy | 07/27/2010 at 03:19 AM
Monica Potter and Julia Roberts - look alike sound alike
Posted by: Diane | 07/27/2010 at 01:55 AM
Javier Bardem and Jeffery Dean Morgan. people often get them mixed up.
Posted by: hmmm | 07/26/2010 at 10:59 PM
Eric McCormack (Will and Grace) and Thomas Gibson (Criminal Minds)...they even have the same VOICE..! I argued with someone that the same actor (McCormack) portrayed them both
Posted by: Penny | 07/26/2010 at 10:10 PM
Mark Walberg and Matt Damon. I can never tell the differenca between these two!
Posted by: queenivy101 | 07/26/2010 at 10:04 PM
I have to look twice every time I see Natlie Portman or Keira Knightley
Posted by: amo | 07/26/2010 at 09:03 PM
Katy Perry and Zooey Deschanel look so alike
Posted by: tallia | 07/26/2010 at 08:35 PM
I think Benicio Del Toro looks like he could be Brad Pitt's "brother from another mother" Ha.
Posted by: Joanie | 07/26/2010 at 07:48 PM
I always thought that there was an eerie similarity between Phil Hartman (SNL) and Joaquim de Almeida (Only You, Moscow Zero ... a bunch of bit parts in other movies.) He looks just like Phil but with darker eyes and a latin accent.
Good call on JG Levitt & Heath Ledger ... can't beilieve I didn't notice that before.
Posted by: Tea Rose | 07/26/2010 at 04:43 PM
Oh man, I hate when I end up posting twice. Apologies!
Posted by: Michelle | 07/26/2010 at 03:28 PM
I have to agree with G. Goodman. I don't think any of these pairings qualify as "dead ringers." Some vague similarities, but not much more.
Posted by: Michelle | 07/26/2010 at 03:27 PM
I've got to agree with G. Goodman - I don't think any of these pairings qualify as "dead ringers." Some vague similarities, but not much more.
Posted by: Michelle | 07/26/2010 at 03:23 PM
Robert Downey Jr. and Jeffery Dean Morgan.
And I have to say, I cannot for the life of me see the resemblance between Jake and Toby. Weird.
Posted by: Amanda | 07/26/2010 at 03:01 PM
how about ADAM SCOTT (from step brothers) and ERIC BANA??
Posted by: MIKE | 07/26/2010 at 02:54 PM
What about Ted Dansen and Robert Hays (from the Airplane Movie)?
Posted by: Char | 07/26/2010 at 02:49 PM
How about Chris Pine and Ray Liotta?
Posted by: Dana | 07/26/2010 at 02:29 PM
I think you're all crazy and have eye problems. And to say Meg Ryan and Melanie Griffith look alike is insane. Other than maybe Ledger & the other guy, that's about it. Get your eyes tested!
Posted by: G. Goodman | 07/26/2010 at 02:12 PM
Never noticed the similarities between Gordon-Levitt and Ledger before, probably because of the blond vs. dark hair, but both are huge talents and do look alike in the pics here.
All the rest are spot on.
(how are Jeff Bridges and Kurt Russell not related?!?! they look like brothers, if not twins!)
Posted by: Amelia | 07/26/2010 at 02:04 PM
Elias Koteas also looks alot like Law & Order: SVU and Oz star Christopher Meloni. Plenty of people get those two mixed up.
Posted by: Amelia | 07/26/2010 at 02:01 PM
The only ones you got right are Levitt/Ledger -
Posted by: Joh | 07/26/2010 at 01:55 PM
Don't forget Skeet Ulrich and Johnny Depp.
Posted by: Alice | 07/26/2010 at 01:28 PM
Meg Ryan and Melanie Griffith, I still get them mixed up.Also, back in the beginning, before they aged so much, Mickey Rourke and Bruce Willis looked alot alike.
Posted by: Bossman | 07/26/2010 at 01:28 PM
How about Joaquin Phoenix and Jonathan Rhys Meyers?
Posted by: bob | 07/26/2010 at 01:08 PM
What about Jason Bateman and Jerry O'Connell? You gotta add these two...
Posted by: Jerry/Jason | 07/26/2010 at 12:45 PM
These are hilarious!
Posted by: Alex | 07/24/2010 at 07:35 AM