History Main / TextualCelebrityResemblance

* Parodied in ''[[TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy So Long And Thanks For All The Fish]]'':

* In ''XMen'' novels, {{Storm}} is now [[CelebrityParadox described as resembling]] HalleBerry.

* Major Major Major Major in ''{{Catch-22}}'' is described as looking so much like HenryFonda that some of the other characters even start to suspect that he ''is'' Henry Fonda. In an interview, Joseph Heller said that, in a movie version, he would want Major to be played by either "Henry Fonda or by somebody who looks nothing like Henry Fonda." (In the 1970 film adaptation, he was played by Bob Newhart).

* Parodied by a DaveBarry column in which he writes a fake suspense novel, clearly hoping for a film adaptation. "Carter Crater strode into the office. He looked like TomCruise, or, if he's available, AlPacino."
* In ''Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace'', Jonathan Brewster's uncanny resemblance to BorisKarloff is frequently commented on by the other characters, as well as being mentioned in the script when he first enters. It's Jonathan's BerserkButton, and in the original production was also an ActorAllusion.

* ''JohnDiesAtTheEnd'' has a lot of fun with this. For example, there's a cop the narrator describes as looking like Samuel L Jackson, so that's what he's referred to as for the rest of the novel. It then subverts this by having a character named Jennifer Lopez who looks nothing like the singer.

* EccentricMillionaire Hubertus Bigend, the titular character of {{William Gibson}}'s BigendBooks, is described as looking "like TomCruise on a diet of virgins' blood and truffled chocolates".

Note: This is a narration in literature trope. '''Please don't add any examples that exclusively involve dialog or internal monologue.''' This refers only to when the narration of the story itself describes characters' appearance by making a celebrity comparison, not when characters do.

* ''LeftBehind'' describes its villain, Nicolae Carpathia, as looking like a young Robert Redford. This is meant to give an idea of the charm he evokes. In one book, the female lead was established as having a crush on Robert Redford, and the male lead was described as looking a bit like him "if he was a rummy and a drunk." This is clarified within the same paragraph as like "two people had constructed a model human from identical parts, but one had followed the instructions and the other had just bashed it together."

Common in {{fanfiction}} by less ambitious authors. Why bother wasting words on descriptions when you can just say your heroine looks just like CameronDiaz or AudreyHepburn?

* In ''Theatre/ArsenicAndOldLace'', Jonathan Brewster's uncanny resemblance to BorisKarloff is frequently commented on by the other characters. It's Jonathan's BerserkButton, and in the original production was also an ActorAllusion.

* In ''ArsenicAndOldLace'', the serial killer villain (played in the original theater run by BorisKarloff) is very sensitive about his scarred appearance, which is the result of [[BackAlleyDoctor botched plastic surgery]]. He flies into a [[BerserkButton murderous rage]] when anyone claims that he [[CastingGag looks like Boris Karloff]]. This was retained for the film version, in which Jonathan was played by Raymond Massey but is still scarred like a movie monster.

* Major Major Major Major in ''{{Catch-22}}'' is described as looking so much like Henry Fonda that some of the other characters even start to suspect that he ''is'' Henry Fonda. In an interview, Joseph Heller said that, in a movie version, he would want Major to be played by either "Henry Fonda or by somebody who looks nothing like Henry Fonda." (In the 1970 film adaptation, he was played by Bob Newhart).

* Mark Renton of ''Trainspotting'' (the book, not the film) is said to resemble Alex Mcleish.

* In ''XMen'' novels, Storm is now [[CelebrityParadox described as resembling]] HalleBerry.

* In ''ArsenicAndOldLace'', the serial killer villain (played in the original theater run by BorisKarloff) is very sensitive about his scarred appearance, which is the result of [[BackAlleyDoctor botched plastic surgery]]. He flies into a murderous rage when anyone claims that he [[CastingGag looks like Boris Karloff]]. This was retained for the film version, in which Jonathan was played by Raymond Massey.

* ''HowNotToWriteANovel'' marks this as a lazy and ineffective storytelling device.

* Parodied by a DaveBarry column in which he writes a fake suspense novel, clearly hoping for a film adaptation. "Carter Crater strode into the office. He looked like Tom Cruise, or, if he's available, Al Pacino."

* Ebony opens the notoriously bad Harry Potter fanfiction ''MyImmortal'' by describing herself as looking like [[{{Evanescence}} Amy Lee]], and states that anyone who doesn't know who she is should GTFO. Vampire Potter also gets a celebrity that resembles himself, [[GoodCharlotte Joel Madden]], despite DanielRadcliffe being a celebrity of his own. And Draco Malfoy apparently resembles [[MyChemicalRomance Gerard Way]].

* In IanFleming's first JamesBond novel (''Casino Royale''), 007 is described as looking like Hoagy Carmichael.

* In his first JamesBond novel (''Casino Royale''), IanFleming describes 007 as looking like Hoagy Carmichael.

* ''LeftBehind'' describes its villain, Nicolae Carpathia, as looking like a young Robert Redford. This is meant to give an idea of the charm he evokes.
** In one book, the female lead was established as having a crush on Robert Redford, and the male lead was described as looking a bit like him "if he was a rummy and a drunk." This is clarified within the same paragraph as like "two people had constructed a model human from identical parts, but one had followed the instructions and the other had just bashed it together."

* In one book, the female lead was established as having a crush on Robert Redford, and the male lead was described as looking a bit like him "if he was a rummy and a drunk." This is clarified within the same paragraph as like "two people had constructed a model human from identical parts, but one had followed the instructions and the other had just bashed it together."