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Sir Anthony Hopkins has transformed himself into Alfred Hitchcock for the newly released biopic "Hitchcock."While the actor was nearly unrecognizable in his lastest on-screen role, he is certainly not alone in the transformation required to play an historical figure. Indeed, layers of silicone, body suits, fake teeth, fake hair -- as well as painstaking hours spent in makeup -- are the bread and butter of many of the most successful biographical films.
From Mozart's powder white wigs to Frida's unibrow to Hopkins (again) as Nixon, below, is a round up of the most jaw-dropping makeup in biopics.
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Gallery | The Best Makeup in Biopics
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Meryl Streep ('The Iron Lady')
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Meryl Streep ('The Iron Lady')
Merly Streep starred in the Phyllida Lloyd-directed biopic of the first woman Prime Minister of Britain, Margaret Thatcher. Transforming the actress into Thatcher -- at various ages through her career -- took two and a half hours each day. Mark Coulier, who worked on "Harry Potter" and "Star Wars," used a silicone mask, dentures and altered her hairline. Streep won the Oscar for Best Actress in 2011 and Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland won for Best Makeup and Hair. -
Daniel Day-Lewis ('Lincoln')
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Daniel Day-Lewis ('Lincoln')
Day-Lewis is the spitting image of Honest Abe in Steven Spielberg's biopic "Lincoln." While no one can deny that the actor is a dead ringer for Abe, critics were put off by his interpretation of Lincoln's voice. Of course, Day-Lewis had done nearly a year's worth of research in crafting the president's tone but the filmmakers saw a bit of Abe in Day-Lewis from the start. "Obviously, when we cast Daniel we knew that in many respects, physically, he would look very much like Lincoln,"producer Kathleen Kennedy said. "But it was a combination of the work that was being done in the makeup and hair trailer and also what Daniel himself took on for the physical appearance. He got quite thin and gaunt. It was quite extraordinary to see him for the first time." -
Ben Kingsley ('Gandhi')
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Ben Kingsley ('Gandhi')
Ben Kingsley made his career-defining performance in the 1982 epic biographical film on the life of Mohandas Gandhi. The movie spans much of the activist's life until his assassination on January 30, 1948. Celebrated makeup artist Tom Smith transformed the actor into the peace harbinger and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Makeup. Kingsley won the gold for Best Actor. -
Anthony Hopkins ('Nixon')
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Anthony Hopkins ('Nixon')
The Oliver Stone-directed biopic stars Anthony Hopkins as President Nixon. Told through non-linear scenes, the film follows the life and presidency of Nixon, which spans the Watergate crisis and continues through to his resignation, even showing footage of Nixon's own broadcasted funeral. In order to get Nixon's distinctive look, makeup artists lowered Hopkins's eyebrows and used wigs for his noir coiffe. Hopkins received the Best Actor nomination for his performance. -
Charlize Theron ('Monster')
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Charlize Theron ('Monster')
Charlize Theron was a far cry from her typical beauty in 2003's "Monster." Here, she portrayed ex-prostitute-turned-serial killer Aileen Wuomos, who was executed in 2002. The actress packed on the pounds for the role and her face was made up to give her a splotchy complexion. She was also fitted with a set of not-so-pearly whites. The beauty downgrade paid off: Theron won the Oscar for Best Actress. -
Leonardo DiCaprio ('J. Edgar')
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Leonardo DiCaprio ('J. Edgar')
For the swoon-worthy Leonardo DiCaprio, transforming into the fastidious FBI director took a lot of time and effort. The film followed J. Edgar Hoover from his mid-20s into his 70s, and required the actor to have layers of silicone applied to his face, as well as latex body pads, fake teeth, a bald cap and a device that reshaped one of his nostrils. -
Salma Hayek ('Frida')
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Salma Hayek ('Frida')
2002's "Frida" sees Salma Hayek as the surrealist Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. The film chronicled the artist's private life and her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination. Capturing Kahlo's distinctive brow required the use of faux brows to be glued on daily. John E. Jackson and Beatrice De Alba took home the gold for Best Makeup. -
Marion Cotillard ('La Vie En Rose')
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Marion Cotillard ('La Vie En Rose')
In 2007, Marion Cotillard portrayed French singer Edith Piaf in the biopic "La Vie En Rose." Becoming the songstress required immense physical changes -- the actress spent as much as five hours a day getting her makeup done. Of course, painstaking as it was, the work paid off. Cotillard -- and her wow-worthy makeup -- both won Oscars that year, making "La Vie En Rose"the first French film to win more than one Academy Award. -
Tom Hulce ('Amadeus')
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Tom Hulce ('Amadeus')
The story of Mozart comes alive in the 1984 biopic "Amadeus." Here, Tom Hulce plays the musical savant as he goes up against his secret rival Antonio Salieri. Hulce's cloud-white coiffe and period-approved makeup earned artists Dick Smith and Paul LeBlanc a Best Makeup Oscar. -
Michelle Williams ('My Week With Marilyn')
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Michelle Williams ('My Week With Marilyn')
While Michelle Williams was a dead ringer for Marilyn in the 2011 film, the actress and makeup artist Jenny Shircore decided to opt out of using any prosethetics. "Michelle was very against using anything stuck on her or changing her in any drastic way...Michelle and I were happy in knowing we had captured a very strong essence of Marilyn. In the end she has to use it and interpret it, and put it there on the screen, which I think she did brilliantly."
