32 Celebs Who Are Awesome at Impressions

impressions - tom hiddleston, ariana grande — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Celebrities never fail to impress us: Not only are some of our most famous singers and actors incredibly talented in their own right, but many of them are also great at impressions. These skills might have been honed while preparing for a role or picked up while working with another famous actor. Some of these celebrities have even made a full career out of their exceptional vocal mimicry. (No surprise, there are some Saturday Night Live alums on this list.) There are celebs who do a few impressions exceptionally well, and then there are celebs who can basically do any voice you throw at them. Ahead, you'll find both. Keep reading to discover 32 celebs who are awesome at impressions.

KJ Apa

No biggie, but in an interview with ELLE in 2020 and a video Camila Mendes posted to Instagram, KJ Apa revealed he can sing like John Mayer. He also does an amazing Luke Perry, according to a 2018 interview with Access Hollywood (which makes sense, considering he played a younger version of the character).

will.i.am

Aside from being a Black Eyed Peas member, will.i.am has done a couple of exceptional impressions—including one on The Graham Norton Show in 2016 during which he recounts Michael Jackson coming to one of his shows while doing a pitch-perfect impression of the singer.

Nicole Sherzinger

Nicole Sherzinger is a television personality and talented vocalist in her own right, but she is exceptional at copying the voices of other singers. She can do Britney Spears, Alanis Morissette, Shakira, Judy Garland, Journey, and even Led Zeppelin!

James Austin Johnson

In addition to impressions of former presidents on Saturday Night Live, James Austin Johnson can do impressions of Jeffrey Tambor, Bobby Flay, Batman reading Where's Waldo?, and Adam Driver from Star Wars acting in Girls. Those last two were for SNL, if you want to look them up!

Benedict Cumberbatch

You may know Benedict Cumberbatch best from his Alan Rickman impression (which is very, very good, if you're wondering). But he can also do Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Owen Wilson, Chris Pratt, David Tennant, Hugh Grant, and many others.

Darrell Hammond

Darrell Hammond is probably most lauded for his exceptional mimicry of political figures that includes a spot-on President Bill Clinton, as well as Al Gore. But his versions of Sean Connery, Elmer Fudd, and Al Sharpton are also worth seeking out, as well.

Andy Samberg

Andy Samberg, Saturday Night Live alum, can do a range of impressions. He's done Doug Emhoff (husband to Kamala Harris)—who approves of the mimicry—as well as actors like Nicolas Cage and Mark Wahlberg. In 2014, he also did a wide range of very terrible impressions in the span of 60 seconds during his SNL monologue.

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway does an incredible version of Britney Spears singing "...Baby One More Time," and it's absolutely spot on. She can also do Katie Holmes and Claire Danes, as well as an absolutely ingenious Matthew McConaughey impression—body language and all.

Will Ferrell

Thanks to his time on Saturday Night Live, we were graced with some stellar Will Ferrell impressions (my favorite might be his aggrieved Alex Trebek on Jeopardy—it's subtle but smart). He can also do Doctor Phil, James Lipton, Harrison Ford, and George Bush, among others.

Seth Macfarlane

No one is surprised that Seth MacFarlane is great with voice work and impersonations, given his longstanding work on Family Guy. But thanks to his various late night interviews, we also know he does an incredible Kermit the Frog, Liam Neeson, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Ray Romano.

Chloe Fineman

When Jimmy Fallon challenged Saturday Night Live cast member Chloe Fineman to do as many impressions in a minute as humanly possible, she broke out Meryl Streep, Drew Barrymore, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Timothée Chalamet, Julianne Moore, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, JoJo Siwa, Shia LaBoeuf, Kim Cattrell, and Jennifer Coolidge. Holy crap.

Keke Palmer

You might be most familiar with Keke Palmer's Angela Bassett impression (she does two different versions, if you're wondering!). But she shared with Jimmy Fallon that she can also do a stellar Cher and Shakira, including some incredible singing mimicry.

Phil Hartman

If you're unfamiliar, the late Phil Hartman was a cast member of Saturday Night Live and a voice actor on The Simpsons, and this work lent itself well to impressions. He could do Frank Sinatra, Jack Nicholson, John Wayne, Peter Graves, and a whole bunch more (and in more than one language!).

Chris Pine

While appearing on The Late Late Show With James Corden, actor Chris Pine revealed that he can do a pretty decent Christopher Walken (including the exact mannerisms and cadence), as well as an exceptional version of Jeff Bridges and William Shatner. Who knew??

Sarah Paulson

While you might not have expected it, Sarah Paulson does a few exceptional impressions of other celebrities. While playing "Wheel of Impressions" with Jimmy Fallon (which is how we know about a lot of the celebrities on this list), she revealed she can do Kathleen Turner, Holly Hunter, and Drew Barrymore.

Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper is, obviously, an exceptional actor, but he can do a few really awesome impressions. His prodigious gifts include doing Owen Wilson, Christopher Walker, Robert De Niro, Bill Clinton, and Clint Eastwood—that's a pretty impressive range.

Titus Welliver

Like a lot of impressionists, actor Titus Welliver can do a great Christopher Walken impression. But his true gift is his Al Pacino voice work: Welliver can do Pacino in all four eras of his career, from his soft-voiced early days to the "Hoo-ah!" later years.

Maya Rudolph

It's not just Kamala Harris that she impersonates (although that impression is incredible)! The New York Times literally called her "the master of impressions," and it is borne out in the sheer scale of imitation she can do, including Beyoncé, Charo, ABBA, Halle Berry, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, Oprah, and Maya Angelou.

Nick Kroll

If you happened to watch The Kroll Show, you'll know that Nick Kroll's special gift is voice work (and he can craft characters with wild voices as well as do impressions of actual people). My favorite is probably Pitbull, but his Jason Statham and Seth Rogan are also incredible.

Jamie Foxx

Considering that Jamie Foxx started life as a comedian, it makes sense that he can do a ton of impressions. Among the best include Dave Chappelle, Denzel Washington, President Barack Obama, Snoop Dogg, Robert Downey Jr., Jay-Z, Kanye West, and LeBron James.

Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg can't do every impression under the sun, but the impressions he can do (and the reasoning behind it) are incredible: He can do all four of the Beatles in just a few seconds and explain exactly where the accents live "in your mouth" to do them effectively (if you're wondering, it's John at the back, Paul at the top, Ringo in the front, and George on the side).

Christina Aguilera

Like a few other singers on this list, Christina Aguilera's incredible vocal control means that she's secretly very good at impersonating other singers. Most notably, she can do an incredible Cher, Britney Spears, and Shakira, but she can also do Sex and the City's Samantha.

Tom Hiddleston

Tom Hiddleston doing Robert De Niro in front of Robert De Niro is the most meta thing you'll ever watch, but Hiddleston is actually a wide-ranging impressionist. The list could go on, but includes Christopher Walken, Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Jack Nicholson, and (delightfully) Cookie Monster.

Jay Pharoah

Jay Pharoah doing Shaquille O'Neal (occasionally in front of the man himself) is probably his best impression of many great impressions, including Chris Rock, President Barack Obama, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Denzel Washington, Kevin Hart, and Gilbert Gottfried.

Tina Fey

The Saturday Night Live alum will probably go down in history for her most recognizable (and memorable) impression: Sarah Palin. But she can also do Amy Poehler and Jack Nicholson. She also does some terrible impressions (including Robert De Niro!) that crack up Jimmy Fallon.

Dana Carvey

Dana Carvey does impressions as an important part of his acting persona, so it's hard to pick which ones are the best. George W. Bush, Bernie Sanders (on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride!), Michael Caine as a toddler, Paul McCartney, and Keith Richards are just a smattering of his best work.

Kate McKinnon

If I had to pick a favorite Kate McKinnon impression (either on Saturday Night Live or off it), it would probably be Justin Bieber doing a Calvin Klein commercial. But the list goes on and on, including Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton, RBG, and Ellen Degeneres.

Bill Hader

Fun fact: Bill Hader used to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger as a PA, so his impression of the actor is scarily good. But he can also do John Malkovich, former coworkers Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig, old boss Lorne Michaels, and Alan Alda.

Robin Williams

The late Robin Williams could do a ton of impressions, including John Nicholson, Elmer Fudd (as Bruce Springsteen!), Christopher Walken, and Popeye. In one incredible The Birdcage scene, he also proved he could do dance impressions including Bob Fosse, Martha Graham, Twyla Tharp, Michael Kidd, and Madonna.

Eddie Murphy

It's no surprise considering his comic sensibilities (and his tenure on Saturday Night Live), but he's also great at impersonating other actors, personalities, and comedians. Think: Tracy Morgan, Mr. T, Mike Tyson, President Obama, and Richard Pryor—among others.

Ariana Grande

Of Ariana Grande's many, many gifts, impression work is probably the most underrated one. She can do Jennifer Coolidge, Christina Aguilera, Elizabeth Gillies, Céline Dion (singing and speaking!), Jennifer Lawrence, Eugene Levy, and Britney Spears, among others.

Hank Azaria

It's probably unfair to put Hank Azaria on this list, since he's gifted as both a live-action and voice actor (including myriad characters on The Simpsons), but it's truly impressive how he can do celebs like Jack Nicholson, Woody Allen, Sean Connery, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Al Pacino, among others.

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.