Some completely missed the mark
Throughout film history, we have seen the incredible transformative effects of movie makeup, including old-age makeup. Many of our favorite movie stars have played older characters on the big screen, meaning these actors had to be transformed through makeup to appear much older than they were at the time.
But have you ever thought about what these actors would look like when they reached the age of the older characters they played? Click on to see the comparison!
The late Marlon Brando played his iconic character Vito Corleone in 'The Godfather' (1972), and we can see the actor wearing heavy makeup to make him appear older.
Here is Marlon Brando in 1989. It looks like the makeup artists did a pretty good job in Francis Ford Coppola's movie!
F. Murray Abraham, then 44, looked like this in 'Amadeus' (1984). The special effects makeup artist responsible even won an Oscar for his extraordinary work.
And this is how the actor actually looked like back in 2020, at the age of 80.
Doc Brown was around 65-70 in the 'Back to the Future' movies. But Christopher Lloyd was just 43 when he starred in the first film.
Here is how Christopher Lloyd actually looked like at the age of 70.
Sally Field played Forrest Gump's aging mother in 'Forrest Gump' (1994). Field was 48 when she played the role.
Fast forward to 2016, and we have the actress aged 70, and looking a lot younger than her character at about the same age!
Max von Sydow played the iconic Father Merrin in the horror classic 'The Exorcist' (1973). The character was portrayed as being aged around 80. The actor was 43 at the time.
Here is Max von Sydow actually aged 80 back in 2010. Not too far off, right? The beloved actor left us in 2020.
In 'Legends of the Fall' (1994), we see Col. William Ludlow aging into his seventies. Anthony Hopkins was 56 when he played the role.
Here is a picture of Anthony Hopkins in 2016, when he was 79.
Remember this 47-year-old version of Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future Part II' (1989)? The actor was 28 at the time.
And here is how Michael J. Fox actually looked at the same age as his character.
In 1984's 'Once Upon a Time in America,' we see Robert De Niro's character aging until around 70. De Niro was 41 when he shot the movie.
If you're wondering how the actor really looked like at age 70, here is a photo.
Pacino played an older Michael Corleone in 'The Godfather Part III' (1990). The character was about 60.
Here's a picture of the actor at the same age as his iconic character during the 2001 Golden Globe Awards.
Like De Niro, Wood's character in 'Once Upon a Time in America' also ages. The actor was 37 when he starred in Sergio Leone's movie.
And here is James Woods at the same age as his character in the movie.
The actor played Charles Foster Kane in 1941’s 'Citizen Kane.' His character then grows old and eventually dies at the age of 78.
This is a photo of Welles at the 1984 Director's Guild Awards. He was 69, and would pass away the next year.
The then-34-year-old actress played an older character in 'Shining Through' (1992).
If you're wondering how Griffith looked at age 59, here's a photo.
Elizabeth Taylor played Martha in the 1966 film 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' It was a role for which she wore a wig to appear older.
Here is the late Hollywood star at about the same age as her character, in 1971.
Sources: (Ranker) (Digital Spy)
See also: Actors who were way too young or too old for their roles
Actors with old-age makeup vs how they actually looked at the same age
Pretty close, or a complete miss?
MOVIES Transformations
Throughout film history, we have seen the incredible transformative effects of movie makeup, including old-age makeup. Many of our favorite movie stars have played older characters on the big screen, meaning these actors had to be transformed through makeup to appear much older than they were at the time.
But have you ever thought about what these actors would look like when they reached the age of the older characters they played? Click on to see the comparison!