Side-by-side photos: Actors vs. the real people they played in movies

Of all the characters available for actors and actresses to tackle, some of the greatest come not from a writer's imagination but from our own history books. These real-life personas vary from musicians to presidents, entertainers to heroes. Within each, there's an inspiring story to be told that demands incredible talent, research and execution.

The following pages contain just a few of the memorable, often award-winning, performances of Hollywood stars raising their craft to new levels as the embodiment of real-life people.