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There have been a few cases where someone has played their own father because the biopic usually tells the story of their younger self.
Tommy Steele is one of those rare "forever young" people who could get away with playing his younger self
Steve
Is Tommy Steele playing himself in the lead role of "The Tommy Steele Story" a unique occurrence?
There have been a few cases where someone has played their own father because the biopic usually tells the story of their younger self.
Tommy Steele is one of those rare "forever young" people who could get away with playing his younger self
Steve
Audie Murphy played himself in "To Hell & Back".
American athlete Bob Mathias played Bob Mathias in "The Bob Mathias story"!
Al Jolson did a cameo in the Jolson Story.
Tommt Steele was 21 when he made The Tommy Steele story. I think audiences could just about suspend their disbelief to imagine him as a 19-year-oldOriginally Posted by Steve Crook
A few sportspeople have played themselves - as well as Bob Matthias, there's Muhammed Ali and Jackie Robinson
Milton Berle played a thinly disguised version of himself in Always Leave Them Laughing
Samantha Spiro morphed into Dame Babs for the last scene of Cor Blimey!
If we're talking cameos, I'm fairly sure Ronnie Hilton does a brief one at the end of the ITV dramatisation of his life... I think it's fairly common
And Tommy Steele did it right at the start of his career, which in itself was unusual!
In 1983 I saw "Edith et Marcel", a biopic of the romance between Edith Piaf and boxer Marcel Cerdan, who died in 1949. He was played by his son, Marcel Cerdan Jr. - so that's almost what the thread is about. (Evelyne Bouix was great as Piaf).
And while looking that title up, I found that his Dad played himself in a film, but I don't know if it's a documentary or a biopic.
Similarly, Will Rogers Jr played his own father in "The Story of Will Rogers" & "The Eddie Cantor Story".
Eddie Foy jnr played his father quite a few times on film and tv including Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Doesn't Bruce Willis play Bruce Willis in everything he's in?
Alan Cobham in Flight Commander (1929)
As does Sean Connery.
To go back to the original question, I can't think offhand of any other showbiz figures who have starred as themselves in a biopic about their showbiz career (so that excludes Audie Murphy). Are there any others?
Arlo Guthrie played himself in Alices's Restaurant a film of a true incident ( and a great song) and not to forget Coral Browne in An Englishman Abroad.
While it not a bio the original Jazz Singer is "inspired "by Al Jolson's life.
Last edited by Mr Sloane; 27-05-11 at 03:28 PM.
Not exactly showbiz - but M E Clifton James plays himself in I Was Monty's Double (as well as playing Monty!).
On a similar note, Larry Parks plays himself, briefly, observed by himself playing Al Jolson in Jolson Sings Again!
Oops! Sorry Cap'n, didn't mean to distract from the topic!
Chubby Checker (Quantum Leap) and Steve "Visage" Strange (Ashes To Ashes) both played their much younger selves in cameos, i think Billy Idol may have done too.
Laurel and Hardy were often credited onscreen as "Themselves", but of course this was never accurate as Stan was more of the creative power behind the team and Ollie, probably the better actor, was happy to go along with his suggestions. I suspect most performers created as playing "Himself" or "Herself" are doing nothing of the sort!
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