9 Times Actor Pairs Portrayed The Same Characters In Different Roles And Were Nominated For An Oscar
The goal of the Oscars is to honor the best work.
Oscar season has a weird little habit of rewarding déjà vu. The same character gets brought back, reimagined, and fought over by different actors, and somehow the Academy still finds room to nominate them like it’s all part of the plan.
Take “West Side Story,” for example. Rita Moreno carved out history as Anita in the 1962 version, then Ariana DeBose stepped into the same role decades later and earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Or look at Vito Corleone, where Marlon Brando won for “The Godfather,” and Robert De Niro later took over in “The Godfather: Part II” and also scored an Oscar win.
By the time you reach the Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix section, you realize this is less “casting coincidence” and more “Hollywood repeating itself at award speed.”
1. Rita Moreno and Ariana DeBose
Rita Moreno, who played Anita in "West Side Story," became the first Hispanic woman to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1962. DeBose's performance in the 2022 rendition of "West Side Story" earned her a nomination in the same category six decades later.
SILVER SCREEN COLLECTION/GETTY2. Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro
Marlon Brando received the Oscar for Best Actor for his outstanding work in "The Godfather" as Vito Corleone, the head of the Corleone crime family. In "The Godfather: Part II," released in 1974, Robert De Niro took on the lead role of a young Vito Corleone.
It came as no surprise that he also won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
PARAMOUNT/KOBAL/SHUTTERSTOCK;3. Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix
Actors Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix both received Oscar nominations for portraying the same role in different films. After his untimely passing in January 2008, Ledger posthumously received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in "The Dark Knight" in 2009.
Phoenix portrayed the Batman villain in "Joker" more than ten years later, winning the Best Actor Oscar in 2020 for his performance.
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4. John Wayne and Jeff Bridges
In "True Grit," Rooster Cogburn was portrayed by John Wayne in 1968 and by Jeff Bridges in 2010. Bridges left without receiving an Oscar, whereas Wayne did.
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5. Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench
Both Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench received Oscar nominations for portraying Queen Elizabeth, the same role. Judi Dench won Best Supporting Actress for "Shakespeare in Love," while Cate Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress for "Elizabeth."
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6. Anthony Hopkins and Frank Langella
Former President Richard Nixon was portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in the 1995 film "Nixon" and by Frank Langella in the 2008 film "Frost/Nixon." Although both men were nominated for Best Actor, neither won the award.
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7. Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Olivier
Henry V was portrayed by Kenneth Branagh in 1989 and Laurence Olivier in 1944. Both were nominated for Best Actor Oscars for their remarkable performances.
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8. Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart
One of the all-time great films, "Titanic," featured both women. Stuart portrayed the role of the woman near the end of her life, while Winslet portrayed her in her youth. Winslet was nominated for Best Actress, and Stuart was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
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9. Kate Winslet and Judi Dench
In "Iris," Kate Winslet and Judi Dench each played the title character at various points in her life. Dench was nominated for Best Actress, and Winslet was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the same year.
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That’s the vibe with Rita Moreno as Anita, because Ariana DeBose basically got nominated for the same role six decades later and still made it feel brand-new.
It also echoes the roommate argument over pet medical bills, when one person had only a fish: Should Roommates Split Pet Medical Bills Equally? AITA for Asking?.
Then the timeline flips to Vito Corleone, where Marlon Brando’s Oscar win in “The Godfather” set the bar, and Robert De Niro’s turn in “The Godfather: Part II” cleared it.
After that, Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix make it even stranger, since one Joker took the world by surprise in “The Dark Knight,” and the other won Best Actor for “Joker” years later.
And once you hit John Wayne and Jeff Bridges in “True Grit,” it becomes clear the character can travel across decades, but the Oscar outcome can still be wildly different.
An Oscar Award not only confers respect and international recognition, but it also significantly contributes to the success of the major winners. The goal of the Oscars is to honor the best work in terms of performance, production, and technical merit.
A nomination for an Academy Award can greatly advance a career, regardless of who ultimately takes home the trophy.
The Academy loves the same character, but it never guarantees the same ending.
For another financial drama, see how Reddit users judged splitting rent after a friend lost their job: Debating Fairness: Splitting Rent Unequally After Friend Loses Job.
