Playing the President of the United States is a tall order, but a huge number of actors have taken on the task over the years. Some of the more consequential presidents (such as Richard Nixon) have many different interpretations, while others (like Nixon’s successor, Gerald Ford) only have a handful of depictions by comparison. Film and TV offer compelling stories of presidents facing their toughest challenges and acting in the interest of themselves, the American public, or somewhere in between.
Here are some of the famous faces who have portrayed U.S. presidents — from George Washington to Donald Trump — in film and on TV.
Jeff Daniels as George Washington in The Crossing (2000)
Courtesy Everett Collection; GraphicaArtis/Getty Images
Jeff Daniels plays George Washington as he crosses the Delaware River leading into the Battle of Trenton in 1776 in this A&E TV movie.
Christopher Jackson as George Washington in Hamilton (2020)
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Lin-Manuel Miranda’s blockbuster musical used colorblind casting in its reimagining of the life of Alexander Hamilton, allowing nonwhite actors to portray historical figures such as Christopher Jackson’s George Washington.
Paul Giamatti as John Adams in John Adams (2008)
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Paul Giamatti won an Emmy for his portrayal of the second POTUS in this seven-part HBO miniseries event. The series tracks his experiences during the Revolutionary War to his turn as president to his retirement years.
Stephen Dillane as Thomas Jefferson in John Adams (2008)
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Stephen Dillane played Adams’ vice president, Thomas Jefferson, who eventually ran against him in the election of 1800 and won. Like many others in the John Adams cast, Dillane received an Emmy nomination for his performance.
Anthony Hopkins as John Quincy Adams in Amistad (1997)
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Anthony Hopkins, in an Oscar-nominated performance, portrayed John Quincy Adams years after serving as the sixth president of the United States. While a member of the House of Representatives, Adams is recruited to help a lawyer looking to defend a group of enslaved people who led an uprising on the titular boat that was bringing them from Cuba to America.
Gregory Peck as Abraham Lincoln in The Blue and the Gray (1982)
Columbia Tristar/Courtesy Everett Collection; National Archives/Newsmakers
Gregory Peck’s first TV role was playing Abraham Lincoln in this three-part miniseries about the American Civil War.
Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln (2012)
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Daniel Day-Lewis swept awards season with his eerily accurate performance as Abraham Lincoln. This Steven Spielberg-directed biopic centers on Lincoln’s painstaking efforts to pass the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery in the U.S.
Kevin Kline as Ulysses S. Grant in Wild Wild West (1999)
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Kevin Kline played a dual role as a U.S. Marshal and President Ulysses S. Grant in this poorly received Western comedy. Needless to say, this depiction of Grant — which includes him being kidnapped by a man operating a mechanical spider — is not exactly rooted in historical fact.
Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt in Night at the Museum (2006)
20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection; Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Robin Williams played a Teddy Roosevelt exhibit come to life in this fantasy comedy. In this universe, Roosevelt is infatuated with a fellow exhibit, Sacagawea (Mizuo Peck).
Jon Voight as Franklin D. Roosevelt in Pearl Harbor (2001)
Touchstone Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection; Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Jon Voight underwent a major physical transformation to play Franklin D. Roosevelt in the aftermath of the attacks on Pearl Harbor.
Bill Murray as Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)
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Bill Murray became Franklin D. Roosevelt in this drama, which chronicles his relationship with his distant cousin Margaret “Daisy” Suckley (Laura Linney) and a visit by the King and Queen of England to Roosevelt’s Hyde Park estate.
Kiefer Sutherland as Franklin D. Roosevelt in The First Lady (2022)
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Showtime’s miniseries about famous first ladies of history included Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, with Kiefer Sutherland as her presidential counterpart.
James Whitmore as Harry S. Truman in Give ‘em Hell, Harry! (1975)
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This filmed version of James Whitmore’s one-man show as Harry S. Truman earned him an Oscar nomination.
Robin Williams as Dwight D. Eisenhower in Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013)
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This decades-spanning film follows the life of butler Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) who served multiple presidents, starting with Dwight D. Eisenhower, as played by Robin Williams.
Greg Kinnear as John F. Kennedy in The Kennedys (2011)
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This Emmy-winning miniseries tracks the Kennedy family and their rise to political power, with Greg Kinnear portraying John F. Kennedy.
Rob Lowe as John F. Kennedy in Killing Kennedy (2013)
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Based on the book by Bill O’Reilly, the TV movie Killing Kennedy follows the lives of John F. Kennedy, played by Rob Lowe, and his assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald (Will Rothhaar).
Liev Schreiber as Lyndon B. Johnson in Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013)
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Liev Schreiber portrays Lyndon B. Johnson as he inherits the presidency from John F. Kennedy. He is spurred to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965 upon seeing Cecil’s son marching from Selma as part of the civil rights movement.
Tom Wilkinson as Lyndon B. Johnson in Selma (2014)
Atsushi Nishijima/Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection; Universal History Archive/Getty
Selma dramatizes the events of Martin Luther King Jr.’s (David Oyelowo) efforts to eliminate voting restrictions for Black voters, with Tom Wilkinson portraying President Lyndon B. Johnson’s evolution to finally approving the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Bryan Cranston as Lyndon B. Johnson in All the Way (2016)
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Bryan Cranston won a Tony for his turn as Lyndon B. Johnson in the 2012 play All the Way and reprised the role four years later in this HBO TV movie.
Anthony Hopkins as Richard Nixon in Nixon (1995)
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Oliver Stone’s biopic about Richard Nixon — played by Anthony Hopkins — tries to get into the psychology of the man, speculating on his feelings over the Watergate scandal and the JFK assassination.
Dan Hedaya as Richard Nixon in Dick (1999)
Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection; David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images
Dick plays fast and loose with the facts of the Watergate scandal. Dan Hedaya plays Richard Nixon, who finds himself outwitted by two teenage girls whom the film implies to be the legendary whistleblower Deep Throat.
Frank Langella as Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon (2008)
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Oscar nominee Frank Langella portrays Richard Nixon three years after his resignation as he is interviewed by British journalist David Frost (Michael Sheen).
John Cusack as Richard Nixon in Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013)
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Continuing The Butler‘s parade of famous faces as presidents, John Cusack played Richard Nixon during his highly contentious presidency.
Kevin Spacey as Richard Nixon in Elvis & Nixon (2016)
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Kevin Spacey plays Richard Nixon in this dramatization of his meeting with Elvis Presley (Michael Shannon) in 1970.
Aaron Eckhart as Gerald Ford in The First Lady (2022)
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Aaron Eckhart played the rarely portrayed Gerald Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer’s frequent scene partner as Betty Ford.
Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan in Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013)
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Alan Rickman took on the role of Ronald Reagan, the final president Cecil serves, with whom he has a complicated relationship leading to Cecil’s resignation.
Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan in Reagan (2024)
Patrick Ecclesine; Michael Evans
Dennis Quaid stars as Ronald Reagan in this biopic told from the perspective of a KGB agent.
James Cromwell as George H.W. Bush in W. (2008)
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W. is primarily a biopic of George W. Bush, though James Cromwell certainly looms large as his presidential father, George H.W. Bush.
Dennis Quaid as Bill Clinton in The Special Relationship (2010)
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The Special Relationship depicts the friendship between President Bill Clinton, portrayed here by Dennis Quaid, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen).
Clive Owen as Bill Clinton in Impeachment: American Crime Story (2021)
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Clive Owen transformed into Bill Clinton for the third season of American Crime Story, which depicts the president’s scandalous affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky (Beanie Feldstein).
Josh Brolin as George W. Bush in W. (2008)
Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection; Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AFP/Getty Images
Josh Brolin portrayed George W. Bush in this Oliver Stone comedy, released in the final months of the real-life W.’s presidency.
Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush in Vice (2018)
Matt Kennedy/Annapurna Pictures; SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
Sam Rockwell played up the more buffoonish aspects of George W. Bush in Adam McKay’s Dick Cheney biopic Vice, earning an Oscar nomination for his performance.
O-T Fagbenle as Barack Obama in The First Lady (2022)
Jackson Lee Davis/SHOWTIME; Kris Connor/WireImage
O-T Fagbenle stepped into the shoes of Barack Obama, sharing the screen with Viola Davis as Michelle Obama.
Brendan Gleeson as Donald Trump in The Comey Rule (2020)
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Two-part miniseries The Comey Rule centers on the pivotal lead-up to the 2016 election and its aftermath. Jeff Daniels stars as FBI Director James Comey alongside Brendan Gleeson as Donald Trump.
