Songstress Andra Day is one of the most recent Hollywood stars to win a major award for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in the movie The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Day went on to win a Golden Globe for Best Actress and is also nominated for a prestigious Oscar.
Day and several other stars who have starred as historical figures throughout history have gone on to win the top prize at award shows. Actors who have portrayed queens, presidents, religious leaders, and even mobsters, have taken home awards for Best Actor and Best Actress. These stars below have won major awards for portraying iconic figures in history.
10 Ben Kingsley For 'Gandhi'
Actor Ben Kingsley portrayed Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of India's nonviolent independence movement against British rule in the 1982 film Gandhi. In the movie, Kingsley portrayed the activist during his work in South Africa until his hunger strike in 1932.
Kingsley won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1983, with Roger Ebert sharing at the time, "Ben Kingsley makes the role so completely his own that there is a genuine feeling that the spirit of Gandhi is one the screen."
9 Joe Pesci For 'Goodfellas'
Joe Pesci played Tommy DeVito in the classic mobster movie Goodfellas, who was based on real-life mobster Tommy DeSimone, a member of the Lucchese crime family from New York City. Pesci's role won him an Oscar in 1991 for Best Supporting Actor and he famously gave a five-word acceptance speech when collecting his award.
"It's my privilege. Thank you," Pesci said while on stage at the Academy Awards.
8 Jamie Foxx For 'Ray'
Ray Charles lost his eyesight when he was a child, but that did not deter him from becoming a prolific jazz musician. Often referred to as 'The Genius,' Charles pioneered the genre of soul and it was all captured in the 2004 film Ray.
Actor Jamie Foxx got the chance to star as the pianist in the movie and his brilliant performance won him an Oscar for Best Actor in 2005.
7 Cate Blanchett For 'The Aviator'
Actress Cate Blanchett portrayed Katharine Hepburn in the 2004 movie The Aviator, where she also got to star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio who portrayed billionaire Howard Hughes and Hepburn's boyfriend.
Both Blanchett and DiCaprio were nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress at the 2005 Oscars, but Blanchett ended up taking home the prize. Interestingly, Blanchett became the only actor to win an Oscar for portraying another Oscar-winning actress.
6 Reese Witherspoon For 'Walk The Line'
The movie Walk the Line is a biopic of the life of musician Johnny Cash during the 1960s and 1970s. Johnny Cash is played by actor Joaquin Phoenix and actress Reese Witherspoon portrays the love of his life and second wife, June Carter.
Witherspoon nailed her portrayal of June and went on to win an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role 2006.
5 Helen Mirren For 'The Queen'
Legendary actress Helen Mirren portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 movie The Queen, which follows her reaction and response to the tragic death of Princess Diana. Mirren won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2007, with The New York Times describing her performance as "remarkable in its art and lack of sentimentalism."
4 Meryl Streep For 'The Iron Lady'
Actress Meryl Streep brilliantly portrayed British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the 2011 movie The Iron Lady. Her performance won her an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role with The Guardian sharing, "Margaret is played with cunning and gusto by Meryl Streep, and it is a pious critical convention to praise performances like these on the grounds that they go beyond mere impersonation."
3 Daniel Day-Lewis For 'Lincoln'
Daniel Day-Lewis portrayed the 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln in the 2012 movie Lincoln, which showcased the president's final months before his assassination. The actor ended up winning an Oscar for Best Actor, which is now his third Academy Award. In fact, he is the only male actor to win Best Actor at the Oscars three times.
2 Renee Zellweger For 'Judy'
In 2020, actress Renee Zellwegger won the Golden Globe for Best Actress and the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Judy Garland in the movie Judy.
The film explores the end of the troubled star's life as she travels to London to perform a series of concerts for one last time. During Zellwegger's speech, she thanked Garland, Martin Scorsese, Harriet Tubman, and "our first responders."
1 Andra Day For 'The United States Vs. Billie Holiday'
Andra Day found herself portraying the iconic jazz singer Billie Holiday in the 2021 drama The United States Vs. Billie Holiday. Day's incredible performance won her a Golden Globe for Best Actress and she is also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Speaking about her first-ever acting role, Day shared, "I'm just grateful to God because, I mean literally, it was Him who told me, 'I'm gonna cause you to do an act of great faith' and I was like, 'Oh crap, not this one! Can we do another one?'"