Oscar-Nominated Actors Who've Played the Same Characters

01 of 10

Michelle Williams and Ana de Armas

Michelle Williams, Ana de Armas — Bbc Films/Kobal/Shutterstock, Netflix

The third of Michelle Williams' five Oscar nominations to date was for her part in 2011's My Week with Marilyn, in which she embodied the late screen siren on a week-long break from her sometimes difficult life. In 2022, de Armas became at least the 16th star to step into Monroe's shoes in the controversial Netflix film Blonde, a fictionalized take on the late actress' life, and earned a 2023 Best Actress nod.

02 of 10

Rita Moreno and Ariana DeBose

In 1962, Rita Moreno made history when she became the first Hispanic woman to win an Oscar when she won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in West Side Story. Sixty years later, DeBose stepped into her dancing shoes and won in the same category for her performance in the 2022 adaptation of West Side Story. With that victory, the women became the third pair of actors to win an Oscar for their separate performances as the same character.

03 of 10

Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro

Different Actors Who Were Nominated for Oscars for Playing the Same Character — Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock (2)

In 1972, Marlon Brando won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance as the patriarch of the Corleone mafia family, Vito Corelone, in The Godfather. Two years later, in 1974, Robert De Niro had his turn as a young Vito Corleone, in the film's sequel, The Godfather: Part II. He won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Talk about an offer he couldn't refuse.

04 of 10

Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix

Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix were the second pair of actors to win an Academy Award for portraying the same character in different films. Ledger played The Joker in The Dark Knight, and was posthumously awarded with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2009 after his tragic death in January 2008. Eleven years later, Phoenix played the Batman villain in Joker, earning himself the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2020.

05 of 10

John Wayne and Jeff Bridges

John Wayne and Jeff Bridges both portrayed Rooster Cogburn in True Grit —Wayne in 1968 and Bridges in 2010 — and both were nominated for Best Actor. Wayne won the Academy Award, while Bridges went home empty handed.

06 of 10

Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench

Is it any surprise that a few historical figures make this roundup? What sets Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench apart is that not only were they both nominated for playing Queen Elizabeth in different films, they were both nominated in the same year! Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress for her performance as the monarch in Elizabeth, while Dench was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Shakespeare in Love. Dench went home with the Oscar.

07 of 10

Anthony Hopkins and Frank Langella

Anthony Hopkins played former president Richard Nixon in the 1995 film, Nixon, and Frank Langella played him in 2008's Frost/Nixon. Both men were nominated for Best Actor, though neither took home the prize.

08 of 10

Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Olivier

Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Olivier were both nominated for Best Actor when they each played Henry V. Branagh took on the role in 1989 after Olivier had played the royal in 1944.

09 of 10

Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart

Though not in a different movie, Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart both played the part of Rose in Titanic. Winslet played the character when she was young, while Stuart played her at the end of her life. Both women were nominated — Winslet for Best Actress and Stuart for Best Supporting Actress.

10 of 10

Kate Winslet and Judi Dench

And that wasn't the first time Winslet would be nominated for playing the same character as someone else! In 2001, she starred in Iris alongside Judi D ench, both of them playing the titular character at different stags in her life. The pair were nominated in the same year — Dench for Best Actress and Winslet for Best Supporting Actress.