The 10 Best Versions Of Winston Churchill In Movies & Television, Ranked
Winston Churchill is a national treasure in the UK, and one of the most famous politicians of all time. Because of that, and the time period that he was the Prime Minister, it is no surprise that he has been depicted in movies and television countless times. With Winston having a very distinct look, sound, and personality, being able to showcase him in the right manner is certainly important.
He's such a well-known figure that people are well aware when things are not right with the depiction. However, these 10 examples of times Winston Churchill was involved in movies and television are amongst the very best, playing the legendary politician to perfection.
10 Robert Shaw (Young Winston)
As the title alludes to, this is actually a look at Winston Churchill when he was far younger and is based on his 1930 autobiography. Because of that, this doesn't show the Winston that most people are familiar with, with the cigar-smoking politician leading his country during World War II.
Instead, it looks at a much younger Winston, trying to make a name for himself at any cost. Robert Shaw puts in a great performance here, and while it might not be showing the most well-known version of Winston Churchill, it is still very entertaining and provides a great glimpse at what Winston was like at that point.
9 Robert Hardy (The Wilderness Years)
Robert Hardy played the role of Winston Churchill a few times throughout his career, both on-screen and on stage. He is someone who has been heavily praised for his work as the Prime Minister, being able to dive into his personality and traits in fantastic detail.
Robert Hardy knows Winston Churchill better than most, and that is clear by the way he plays him. Hardy manages to get all of the small details in that really provide a perfectly well-rounded performance.
8 Albert Finney (The Gathering Storm)
This is an example of a movie that showcases Winston Churchill and his family setting, with his son (brilliantly played by Tom Hiddleston) and Winston having tension at points. It highlights different sides to the Prime Minister and Albert Finney really did a great job with the role.
He won a BAFTA Award for Best Actor and an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor for his performance in the movie, which highlights how great his work was. While he may not have been as physically large as other actors in this role, he certainly brought the personality.
7 Rod Taylor (Inglorious Bastards)
Rod Taylor's performance as Winston Churchill was actually his last ever movie role, but it was certainly a brilliant one. This movie is deeply wrapped up in wartime excitement and as expected with any Quentin Tarantino movie, it was full of action and violence.
Rod Taylor did a brilliant job within the role, bringing the loud and brash approach that people know and expect from Winston Churchill. Rod was a perfect casting for this role, and while it wasn't one of the main parts, it was certainly a great addition to the movie.
6 Ian McNeice (Doctor Who)
When people think about Doctor Who, they typically think about aliens and monsters from out of this world, which is what the science fiction show does so well. However, the show has also brought in real characters from history on plenty of occasions as well.
One of the best was Ian McNeice's version of Winston Churchill, which happened in a couple of episodes of the show. This was a slightly more over-the-top version of Winston than some of the others, due to the show he was on, but it was incredibly entertaining and proved to be a hit with fans.
5 Brendan Gleeson (Into The Storm)
Brendan Gleeson certainly has the physical presence to be Winston Churchill, which is why he was perfect in this role. He played the part well, and even though he brought his own twist to the role in terms of the vocals, he really nailed his mannerisms.
Gleeson commits to the part perfectly. The fact that he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie showcases just how good his performance was within the role, with this movie that follows on from The Gathering Storm showing how Churchill dealt with World War II.
4 Timothy Spall (The King's Speech)
The King's Speech is obviously more about King George VI than it is about Winston Churchill. However, the politician was involved in helping the King attempt to get rid of his stammer in order to give the best possible speech as the leader.
Timothy Spall certainly played the role well, with his cigar smoking and confident attitude, it is a brilliant performance. While he's not the lead role, Timothy Spall still brings a very accurate and entertaining portrayal of the politician.
3 Brian Cox (Churchill)
Brian Cox did a fantastic job playing the Prime Minister in this movie, with his work as Winston Churchill being incredibly convincing. This movie focuses on Winston leading up to D-Day, with heavy pressure and stress upon his shoulders.
Because of that, Brian Cox had to really showcase a major side of Churchill's time in charge of the country. He did a fantastic job with the performance, and he was heavily praised within reviews of the movie for what he did.
2 John Lithgow (The Crown)
While John Lithgow might actually be American, that didn't stop him putting together one of the most incredible performances of Winston Churchill that has ever happened. He was superb within this role in the hit Netflix show, The Crown, which highlighted his relationship with The Queen, and how much he helped her.
John was able to really get the physical aspect of Winston done right, being able to scrunch himself up, showing the pain that he was under in his later years. The show highlighted some of his strengths and negatives, and John Lithgow navigated them all perfectly.
1 Gary Oldman (The Darkest Hour)
The Darkest Hour is a movie all about Winston Churchill, and because of that, it is no surprise that Gary Oldman's version of the politician is the best to date. Oldman underwent a brilliant transformation in order to look as similar as possible, and while he certainly looked the part, he also acted it brilliantly.
Oldman got all of the details about Winston Churchill perfect, from the voice to his mannerisms and that was what really drove the movie. It's the greatest performance of the legendary Prime Minister to date, and one that anybody who wants to know more about Winston should watch.
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