1. John Hurt In The Elephant Man
John Hurt was probably best known for his role in 1979's Alien, specifically as the guy who gets the whole chest-buster thing first. But hardly anyone was prepared for his astounding performance the following year in
David Lynch's The Elephant Man, in which he portrayed the real-life John Merrick, who was born with perhaps the most extreme case of physical deformity ever witnessed in a human. Despite the acclaim given to his (and Anthony Hopkins') performance, it was overshadowed by the revolutionary makeup effects, to the point that there was public outrage at the Academy Awards that year had no way of honoring the work. In response, they introduced a new category the following year, the Academy Award for Best Makeup (now named Best Makeup and Hairstyling).
So what do you think? Any other examples of actors being nearly unrecognizable under their makeup? Sound off in the comments below!