Actors Who Won Oscars For Playing Famous People

Lots of actors over the years have won Oscars for playing famous people (The Great Ziegfeld, Lawrence Of Arabia, Gandhi...), here are some of the more recent winners:

Julia Roberts - Erin Brockovich: Julia won her only Oscar for playing activist Erin Brockovich in 2000. Ed Harris as Jackson Pollock in Pollock and Willem Dafoe as Max Schreck in Shadow Of The Vampire were also nominated that year.

Nicole Kidman - Virginia Woolf: Nicole won best actress in 2002 playing the famous author in The Hours. She beat out Salma Hayek who was playing famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in Frida.

Charlize Theron - Aileen Wuornos: Charlize won in 2003 for playing a real life serial killer in the movie Monster.

Jamie Foxx - Ray Charles: 2004 was a big year for Academy Award nominated bio pics. Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in Ray won for best actor. Other nominations included Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes in The Aviator, Johnny Depp As Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie in Finding Neverland, Laura Linney as Alfred Kinsey's wife in Kinsey

Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Truman Capote: Hoffman won best actor in 2005 for his performance in Capote. Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk The Line and David Strathairn as Edward R. Murrow in Good Night And Good Luck were nominated the same year.

Reese Witherspoon - June Carter Cash: Joaquin didn't take home an Oscar as Johnny Cash in Walk The Line (2005), but Reese did as Johnny's wife June.

Forest Whittaker -  Idi Amin: Forest as an African dictator in The Last King Of Scotland was the big winner in 2006

Helen Mirren - Queen Elizabeth II: Also in 2006, Helen Mirren won best actress for playing the British monarch in The Queen.

Sean Penn - Harvey Milk: Sean won his second best actor Oscar in five years for playing the first openly gay politician in Milk.