Who Played Who? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gary Cooper

While Gary Cooper did play Lou Gehrig, before that Cooper won his first Best Actor Academy Award for the 1941 film "Sergeant York". The actor portrayed the highly decorated World War I hero, Sergeant Alvin Cullum York (1887-1964). York was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for taking out 35 enemy machine guns, killing 28 soldiers and capturing 132 more in a battle in France.

The biographical movie was directed by Howard Hawks and was the highest earner for the year. Gary Cooper went on to win another Best Actor Oscar for 1953's "High Noon".

Answer: Meryl Streep

Britain's "Iron Lady", Margaret Thatcher (1935-2013), was played by one of the United States' best actresses, i.e. Meryl Streep. Thatcher led the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. The 2011 movie "The Iron Lady" recounts the story of the first woman to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, and the longest serving Prime Minister of the 20th century.

She went from being a research chemist to becoming a barrister (no, not a barista) and, finally, the first woman to head a major political party.

She was controversial, uncompromising and reelected for two more terms. Streep won a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal.

Answer: Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson has won many awards for his films, e.g. "Terms of Endearment" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", but "Hoffa" was not among them. Directed by Danny DeVito, the 1992 movie "Hoffa" was, appropriately enough, about union boss James Riddle Hoffa (1913-1982).

He was president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1958 until 1971 when scandal brought him down. In 1975 Hoffa disappeared off the face of the Earth, with the prime suspect being the Mafia. He was officially declared dead in 1982.

Answer: Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren not only played Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 film "The Queen", she actually seemed to morph into her; except for the age difference between the two, one might be hard-pressed to tell them apart. "The Queen" was a docudrama which dealt with the events taking place in England after Princess Diana's untimely death or, as Queen Elizabeth II herself has described it, an "annus horribilis".

As for the great Dame Helen Mirren, she has won the Triple Crown of Acting, i.e. the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Tony Award for "The Audience", and several Emmy Awards for "Prime Suspect".

Answer: Michael Sheen

For those of you who are old enough to remember, David Frost was originally a comedian who starred in an American version of the British satirical show "That Was the Week That Was" (aka "TWTWTW" or "TW3") in the mid-1960s. The show featured current events with clever social commentary, sort of an intellectual pre-"Laugh-In".

It was brilliant! Anyway, Frost (1939-2013) went on to become a more serious journalist, eventually interviewing former President Richard Nixon in 1977. "Frost/Nixon" was a 2008 Ron Howard film, with Michael Sheen (previously in "The Queen") as David Frost and Frank Langella as Nixon.

Answer: Jessica Lange

In the days when country music and pop music were two completely separate entities, Patsy Cline (1932-1963) was able to 'cross-over' and become one of the most popular singers of the time. Starting in 1957, the hits kept on coming: "Walkin' After Midnight", "I Fall to Pieces", "Crazy" and, finally, "Sweet Dreams" in 1963.

She was the first woman solo artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1973. Had a plane crash not shortened her life, who knows how high her star might have risen? Award winning actress Jessica Lange played the famous singer, and is also responsible for roles in "Tootsie", "Blue Sky" and TV's "American Horror Story".

Answer: Joaquin Phoenix

Country music legend Johnny Cash (1932-2003), also called "The Man in Black", was portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in the 2005 biopic "Walk the Line". Born J.R. Cash, the movie depicts the singer's life from his childhood on the farm to his incarceration, drug use, love life and his signature sound. "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash". Joaquin Phoenix won a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of Cash, while Reese Witherspoon won a Best Actress Oscar for her role as June Carter Cash. Phoenix played another musical icon, Bob Dylan in "I'm Still Here" (2010).

Answer: Cate Blanchett

Can one great actress convincingly play another? Apparently, the answer is yes when you are talking about Cate Blanchett's performance as Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) in "The Aviator" (2004). The movie is actually a biography of the brilliant, rich and troubled Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio), a pioneer in the field of aviation (The Spruce Goose) and a ground-breaking film director.

The film won a Best Actress in a Supporting Role Academy Award for Blanchett. As for Hepburn's acting abilities, Dorothy Parker once said, "She runs the gamut of emotions from A to B."

Answer: Jamie Foxx

Would you understand what I was talking about if I said Eric Bishop won an award for playing Ray Robinson? Translated into stage names, Jamie Foxx won a Best Actor Oscar for brilliantly portraying the blind, musical genius Ray Charles in the 2004 film "Ray". ("What'd I Say?") One of the greatest 'soul' musicians in history was depicted, flaws and all, i.e. drug addition and infidelity, along with his brilliance as a musician. Foxx, originally a comedian ("In Living Color"), showed us his range as both a singer and an actor.

Answer: Faye Dunaway

"No wire hangers" is one of the phrases that tends to stay with you from the 1981 film "Mommie Dearest", based on the biography by Christina Crawford. You watch this film and you start to lose sight of when Faye Dunaway seems to turn into Joan Crawford. Dunaway exposes the dark core of the controlling, abusive, alcoholic, intimidating, adoptive parent Crawford. Faye Dunaway is also known for her role as Bonnie Parker in "Bonnie and Clyde", and for her award-winning role as Diana Christensen, co-worker of Howard Beale in "Network".