It takes an exceptional performer to be able to brilliantly portray multiple characters in a film, with such pictures often becoming cinema staples. Tackling one role and making it your own is no easy task, which is why it is extremely impressive when actors are able to effectively bring numerous on-screen personas to life in the same project. Some of Hollywood’s most sensational and notable stars have managed to embody a slew of diverse characters, with comedians like Mike Meyers, Peter Sellers, and Eddie Murphy doing so in various films that further establish their extraordinary acting skills.

While the concept is often utilized in the comedy genre, there have also been thrillers and dramas that feature performers in more than one role, with even the horror film Men featuring Rory Kinnear as multiple people in a small country town. Whether you’re in the mood to watch British spy Austin Powers battle against his arch nemesis Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers franchise, or witness the superb James McAvoy terrifyingly embody a man with dissociative identity disorder struggling with his 24 personalities in M. Night Shyamalan’s movie Split, there is a diverse and colorful collection of pictures where actors play a slew of roles in the same film. These are some of the best movies where one actor played many characters.

8 Split (James McAvoy)

James McAvoy Split 2016 Blinding Edge
Blinding Edge Pictures

The brilliant James McAvoy portrays a man struggling with dissociative identity disorder in the 2016 psychological thriller Split, which follows his character Kevin Wendell Crumb and his 24 vastly different personalities as he kidnaps and imprisons a trio of teenage girls. While 23 of his personalities are seemingly harmless, his final personality known ominously as “The Beast” manifests as a terrifying and grotesque cannibalistic sociopath with inhuman strength and power. McAvoy is superb with the portrayal of each of Crumb’s distinct personas, flawlessly taking on the identity of a 9-year-old boy named Hedwig and the nurturing Patricia, among countless others. Critics raved about the actor’s commanding performance, with many hailing it the best of McAvoy’s impressive career.

7 Austin Powers Franchise (Mike Myers)

Mike Myers driving a pink car as Austin Powers
New Line Cinema

The extremely talented Mike Myers is famous for his oddball characters and impeccable improvisational skills, both of which were on full display when he headlined the spy action comedies in the Austin Powers franchise. Throughout the three installments of the sidesplitting series, Myers portrays many memorable and wild characters like the groovy, womanizing British spy Austin Powers, his bald nefarious arch nemesis Dr. Evil, the obese Scottish henchman Fat Bastard, and Dutch supervillain Goldmember.

Myers came up with the character following his departure from Saturday Night Live, having expressed, “After my dad died in 1991, I was taking stock of his influence on me as a person and his influence on my comedy in general. So Austin Powers was a tribute to my father, who introduced me to James Bond, Peter Sellers, the Beatles, The Goodies, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.” Myers recently played nine characters in the recent Netflix series The Pentaverate.

6 The Nutty Professor (Eddie Murphy)

The Nutty Professor
Universal Pictures

Comedy superstar and stand-up legend Eddie Murphy starred in the 1996 sci-fi comedy The Nutty Professor, a remake of the Jerry Lewis ‘60s classic that centers on the compassionate and intelligent professor Sherman Klump who researches an astonishing but experimental weight-loss treatment to combat obesity; after Sherman takes the pharmaceutical himself, he develops a confident and wicked alter ego named Buddy Love.

In the entertaining farce Murphy portrays a whopping seven characters, consisting primarily of Sherman’s family including his grandmother, older brother and parents. The comedy won an Academy Award for Best Makeup, with special makeup effects artist Rick Baker saying that Murphy, “really makes the stuff come to life, and he never complains…he spent 80-odd days in the makeup chair. As much as I love makeup, even I would have been complaining by the end, but Eddie didn’t.”

5 Sunshine (Ralph Fiennes)

Sunshine
Kinowelt Filmverleih 

In the 1999 historical drama Sunshine, the dynamic Ralph Fiennes portrays the lead protagonist in all three generations of a Hungarian Jewish family, depicting the Sors clan and their journey over the span of the Austro-Hungarian Empire through the 1956 Revolution and beyond. The emotionally-driven picture was partially inspired by the life of Hungarian Olympian Attila Petschauer, who was a champion fencer of Jewish heritage and was the basis of one of Fiennes’ characters.

Sunshine was lauded for its honest depiction of how history can ravage people and families, with Fiennes garnering praise for his powerful performances of three vastly different characters; the Associated Press wrote, “There’s no denying the rare ambition of a film with intelligence and empathy to burn: You go in expecting a history lesson and emerge impressed by the shifting hues of humanity.”

4 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Michael Palin)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail cast
20th Century Studios

The beloved 1975 British classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail features the notorious surreal comedy troupe’s members taking on multiple hilarious roles while parodying the legend of King Arthur and his crusade to locate the Holy Grail. While each funny man tackles many characters in the picture, Michael Palin portrays five amusing personas such as Lord of Swamp Castle, Sir Galahad the Pure, Dennis, Leader of the Knights Who Say Ni, and the right head of the Three-Headed Giant, among a slew of others.

Related: Here's What to Watch if You Love Monty Python

Since its initial release, the beloved Monty Python movie has gone on to become a highly-revered comedy staple and attracted a large cult following, with the farce being ranked as the fifth greatest comedy film of all time by Total Film magazine.

3 Cloud Atlas (Tom Hanks)

Tom Hanks in Cloud Atlas
Warner Bros. Pictures

Based on the David Mitchell novel, the 2012 epic science fiction drama Cloud Atlas features a dazzling cast of Hollywood elite like Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant and Halle Berry, in which the actors portray multiple roles throughout the span of five centuries and how their actions and behaviors impact the world. America’s sweetheart Tom Hanks is just one of the actors in the stunning picture that takes on numerous characters, appearing as Dr. Henry Goose, a hotel manager in Cambridge in the 1930s, and a man named Zachry from a post-apocalyptic Hawaii in 2321 (among many others). Upon its premiere, Cloud Atlas polarized both critics and audiences alike, with some critiquing the interwoven stories and others praising the sci-fi drama for its visuals, ensemble performances and overall ambition.

2 Dr. Strangelove (Peter Sellers)

Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove
Columbia Pictures

The revered Stanley Kubrick directed the 1964 black comedy Dr. Strangelove, a satire of the Cold War that chronicles the tension between the United States and the Soviet Union amidst the nuclear conflict during the uncertain period in history. Widely regarded as one of the greatest comedies ever created, it stars the hilariously gifted Peter Sellers as the nuclear expert and former Nazi titular doctor, British RAF exchange officer Lionel Mandrake, and the President of the United States Merkin Muffley.

Related: Here Are Some of the Best Dark Comedies Ever Made

The comedian was also supposed to portray Air Force Major T.J. “King” Kong, but he was worried he couldn’t nail the character’s Texan accent down and felt his workload was already heavy, so Slim Pickens took over the role. Sellers is said to have improvised most of his dialogue in Dr. Strangelove, with Kubrick later commenting that the concept behind having the performer take on so many roles was so that “everywhere you turn there is some version of Peter Sellers holding the fate of the world in his hands.”

1 Coming to America (Eddie Murphy)

Eddie Murphy in Coming to America
Paramount Pictures

Beverly Hills Cop star Eddie Murphy is no stranger to showing off his impressive abilities as a talented comedic performer, having flawlessly portrayed multiple roles in a plethora of hilarious pictures. For John Landis’ 1988 romantic comedy Coming to America, the renowned comedian appears as Prince Akeem Joffer, the prince of Zamunda who travels to America in search of a bride who will love him for who he is and not his social status. In addition to portraying Akeem, Murphy also plays soul singer Randy Watson, Jewish barbershop customer Saul, and the shop’s owner Clarence.

Coming to America was a blockbuster hit and critical success, with Murphy’s delightful performance lauded by reviewers; the New York Daily News wrote, “Murphy has dealt audiences the movie equivalent of a royal flush, and he is now clearly Hollywood’s reigning king of comedy.” The star reprised all of his roles from the original picture for the 2021 sequel Coming 2 America, which garnered mixed reviews from critics.