The final entry on this list acknowledges the first time in cinema history that an actor has garnered an Academy Award for playing an Academy Award-winning actor. 2004s The Aviator may have been a biopic about aviation pioneer Howard Hughes (and Leonardo DiCaprios performance is bloody good too), but it is Cate Blanchett in the supporting role of his long-term girlfriend and Hollywood actress Katharine Hepburn that really sets the screen alight. Given Hepburns larger-than-life persona, it would have been easy for Blanchett to have overdone it. Roles like this one very often slip into ill-judged caricature, but she nails the character perfectly. She worked with a speech coach to master the difficult, but instantly recognisable Hartford accent, and reportedly even began taking regular cold showers (as Hepburn did herself). The mannerisms and the wardrobe are spot on, and the strong-willed yet vulnerable values of the character are captured wonderfully, resulting in a performance that is difficult to criticise. In fact, one of the only downsides is that as a supporting character, she isnt on screen nearly often enough. Have we missed any other notable actors playing actors? Let us know in the comment section below.
