3. Tony Curran - Vincent Van Gogh
In the Doctor Who episode Vincent and the Doctor, Tony Curran plays the prototypical tortured artist, Vincent Van Gogh. And he's such a dead ringer for the Dutchman that they can actually get away with having Van Gogh's famous self portrait held next to Curran's face. With his tremendous ability to capture the emotional fragility of the frequently depressed painter, only Curran's Scottish accent makes an easy distinction between actor and character. Doctor Who is no stranger to historical figures showing up from time to time, but it's rare that an actor manages to portray one so effectively in such a short time.