U.S. Presidents Portayed in the Movies
AMC Movie List

U.S. Presidents Portayed in the Movies

Hail to the Chief! Which presidential interpretation ranks the highest?

rank title points votes your vote
1 Anthony Hopkins as Richard Nixon, Nixon (1995)
Oliver Stone's biopic may have bombed at the box office, but Hopkins got his due: Another take on Nixon, another best actor nomination. 31 79
2 Frank Langella as Richard Nixon, Frost/Nixon (2009)
Langella had a late-in-life renaissance thanks to his dead-on take on Tricky Dick's interview with David Frost. 29 81
3 Josh Brolin as George W. Bush, W. (2008)
Brolin's performance as Dubya was so good, despite inflamed emotions around the sitting President, the movie raised no ruckus. 28 98
4 Bruce Greenwood as John F. Kennedy, Thirteen Days (2000)
Despite second billing to Kevin Costner, Greenwood steals the show with an underrated and authentic version of JFK. 28 78
5 Anthony Hopkins as John Quincy Adams, Amistad (1997)
The sixth president's term isn't exactly common knowledge, but it's fun to imagine Hopkins's version: Passionate and slightly senile. 20 64
6 Jon Voight as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Pearl Harbor (2001)
Voight undoubtedly hates Roosevelt's politics, but he made an excellent FDR nonetheless. They even look genuinely similar. 16 74
7 Robin Williams as Theodore Roosevelt, Night at the Museum (2006)
Not all presidents must be grave and serious on screen as Robin Williams' outrageous Teddy Roosevelt proves. 13 81
8 James Cromwell as George H.W. Bush, W. (2008)
The "other" President Bush has a smaller part in W. Yet the patrician Cromwell is pretty damn presidential, isn't he? -3 65
9 Edward Herrmann as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Annie (1982)
FDR probably wasn't quite as funny, or nearly as musical, as Herrmann's version. But that doesn't make it any less fun. -9 47
10 Richard Crenna as Ronald Reagan, The Day Reagan Was Shot (2001)
Perhaps it's his out-sized legend, but there are few movies about The Gipper. Crenna's version stands out as the best of a weak field. -10 50