->''"Being yourself is overrated."''
-->-- '''Sophie''', ''{{Series/Leverage}}''


The MasterOfDisguise is a character who can slip in and out of costume at the drop of a hat, who is such an accomplished actor and makeup artist that no one can identify them until they reveal themselves.

This trope is just about the "accomplished actor" part.

When they want to, they can change their mannerisms, their voice, and every other non-physical aspect to seem like a completely different person. Usually done by evil characters, in a BitchInSheepsClothing sort of way. This is the kind of character that causes fans to cry, "Wait, is that [[SplitPersonality even the same character]]?"

A RequiredSecondaryPower for most {{Shapeshifter}}s. Otherwise, how could they pass as -- for example -- the President of the United States? Of course, [[HilarityEnsues much humor can be had]] if they ''don't'' fall under this trope.

A sub-trope of MasterOfDisguise. An in-universe version of SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct. Can overlap with ThePowerOfActing. Contrast PerfectDisguiseTerribleActing, for when an impersonator ''doesn't'' get this as a secondary power.
-----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'': [[spoiler:Kaede Kayano]] is said to have incredible acting skills. When her identity is revealed, it's shown that she's a teen movie actress renowned for her ability to get into character seamlessly, such that she appears to be a completely different person on and off the set. The character the audience had seen throughout the series was a false persona she'd come up with and had been playing 24/7 for most of the year in an effort to catch Koro-sensei off-guard.
* ''Manga/BlackButler'':
** Grelle Sutcliffe is introduced as the shy, bumbling, unassuming, and thoroughly incompetent servant of Madame Red. [[spoiler:When she's caught red-handed in the middle of a murder, she [[SlasherSmile grins]], changes her entire posture, manner, and (in the anime, at least) cadence of voice, and thanks the ones who caught her for complimenting her work. "I'm an actress, after all -- and a top-rate one, at that!" And the only [[MasterOfDisguise physical things she changed]] were rinsing out the ink in her hair and putting her makeup back on.]] It's usually forgotten about because from that point on Grelle's persona stays fairly consistent, but the transformation is incredible.
** VillainProtagonist Ciel could also be considered an example, since the Circus arc, though he's a bit one-note. He's learnt to flawlessly adopt a loving, naive CheerfulChild persona when he needs to throw people off his scent, though when in private he'll immediately revert to his misanthropic, WiseBeyondHisYears, cold self. The act has already served him well in the Circus, murder mystery, and Weston Academy arcs so far.
* Captain Aizen in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' to the point it's no longer a spoiler for anyone going into the series. [[spoiler:He even fooled his subordinate Gin who spent a century plotting Aizen's death and acting as his subordinate to get close enough to him to help him find a way to kill Aizen. When Gin finally makes his move, Aizen reveals that he knew all along that Gin was plotting to betray him and, while Gin did manage to spring a couple of surprises on Aizen regarding the nature of his power, all it did was play right into Aizen's plan, which had been to use Gin's desire for vengeance as a stepping stone to even greater power. Gin had no idea until Aizen told him that Aizen had been onto him for years.]] However, Aizen being Aizen, it's possible he just made that up.
* In ''Manga/BloomIntoYou'', Touko Nanami, StudentCouncilPresident of her school, is by far the best actress when the student council puts on a play(a school tradition until seven years before the start of the story), and ends up being scouted by her faculty advisor's theatre troupe after the play ends. There's a reason for this-- Touko's honor student persona is merely a facade, and in reality, she's an emotionally vulnerable person who had to work hard to attain her current success.
* Light Yagami of ''Manga/DeathNote'' actually convinces most of the cast that he ''isn't'' Kira and is able to win people's trust with a few practiced smiles. In [[AllThereInTheManual the data book]], his acting skills are rated 10/10.
* In ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'', Envy can not only shapeshift but also change his voice. Unfortunately, he doesn't always get the mannerisms correct.
* ''Manga/{{Kakegurui}}'': The Hollywood actress Kawaru Natari is an Oscar-level actress that can utterly demolish everyone else in acting. She makes a gamble against Yumemite based on their talent in acting and can utterly demolish her with absolute control of her entire body, which includes even controlling her own reactions.
* [[spoiler:Kaede]] in ''Literature/{{Kampfer}}'' is secretly the BigBad and behind nearly everything in the series--including, quite possibly, [[ObliviousToLove the main character's stupidity]]. Very few people saw this coming, and those that did assumed it would be a case of SplitPersonality.
* In ''Manga/OnePiece'' [[spoiler:"Evening Shower" Kanjuro one of the Akazaya Nine]] spent ''years'' pretending to be a loyal comrade to the others and even risked genuine mortal danger many times just to maintain the act. He even admits that he'd have gladly died fighting alongside them for the sake of his role. [[spoiler:This is because he's actually Kanjuro Kurozumi, a relative of Orochi's whose parents were killed during the purge of the Kurozumis. Having grown up in a kabuki theater, Kanjuro found meaning in his life by taking on role after role, honing his craft. When Orochi recruited him and ordered him to play the role of a Kozuki retainer, Kanjuro gladly accepted.]]
* Airi Komiyama in the anime ''Manga/ThoseWhoHuntElves'' is a supreme actress; in addition to being a master of disguise, she can manipulate just about anyone with the right act.
* ''Literature/{{Toradora}}'' has Ami, the BitchInSheepsClothing, who acts nice and innocent, but eventually reveals [[JerkAss her true nature]].
* Keima in ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'' is very good at putting on an act to get girls to fall for him provided they fit certain archetypes seen in dating sims. Even if the girls ''don't'' fit those types, he's still able to improvise very quickly. Haqua is briefly disturbed when she sees him immediately shrug off one such persona as easily as most people take off masks.
* In ''Manga/YuriIsMyJob'', the main characters are servers in a salon in which they roleplay as students of a fancy prep school. Mitsuki Yano is the best at her job despite being rather blunt and socially awkward outside of the role, and it later turns out that her character, a kind and graceful OneeSama, is [[BecomingTheMask the type of person she wants to be]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** The titular character, to a ridiculous degree. He can switch between the roles of billionaire playboy, brilliant businessman, badass loner vigilante crimefighter and Gotham gangster in the blink of an eye. His real personality, which his extended surrogate family of sidekicks and his butler have to occasionally remind him still exists, is simply a good and generous man who is driven to help others. He even mentions he took acting lessons from Alfred, a stage actor in another life, when he reveals to a villainess who tried to manipulate him romantically that he hadn't fallen for her act and he was just playing along.
** Similarly, [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] also mentions being trained by Alfred. His actual personality is that of a good, passionate guy who happens to be incredibly personable. He's slipped into ditz, bad boy, racist tourist bro, gay French gym instructor, Irish gangster and pick-up artist before. The last four were all ''[[ComicBook/{{Grayson}} within one series]]'', no less, when he was a spy and needed these skills.
* ''ComicBook/BlackWidow'': Natasha Romanova is one, thanks to her nature as ''the'' master spy in the Marvel Universe, being able to pass unnoticed in almost any crowd without any serious effort, despite her stunning good looks and global fame as an Avenger.
* After many a HandWave in the Silver Age said otherwise, Franchise/{{Superman}}'s modern interpretation presents this to be the real reason he can manage ClarkKenting. He meticulously maintains his image of a mild-mannered reporter not just by wearing glasses and oversized clothes, but by physically slouching and speaking in a higher-pitched tone than normal.
[[/folder]]

%%[[folder:Fan Works]]
%%ZCE %%* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'':
%%** There are the canonical examples of Loki and Natasha, as well as Albus Dumbledore, who though benevolent, is nowhere near as harmlessly kooky as he pretends to be. Or rather, he ''is'', but that's far from all he is, as he occasionally chooses to demonstrate.
%%** Harry starts becoming this in the sequel, which makes it very hard even for people who know him well to know for sure what he's thinking. This is what makes Carol so important to figuring out his emotional state, as thanks to a PsychicLink created by some well-intentioned consensual but clumsy psychic surgery on Harry's part, the two of them have a connection, and she has a backdoor into his brain. This means that she knows what he's ''really'' thinking/feeling... usually. As she admits, sometimes even she finds him hard to read.
%%[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
* ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'': Prince Hans. When he first meets Anna, he is polite and awkward, and they even sing a duet together. Even when she is no longer around, he is polite and princely. [[spoiler:It's not until he finds out Anna is dying that he drops this act, shocking everyone. In fact, the creators even compared him to a [[AnimalMotifs chameleon]], and he's partially based on the Mirror in the [[Literature/TheSnowQueen original tale]]. [[RewatchBonus If one rewatches the film]], they should note that his eyebrows don't budge an inch when he smiles, which hints that he's faking it. There are only a few times where his expressions are real, like when he's dangling from the stairway after Marshmallow the snow monster [[TakingYouWithMe tries taking him into an abyss]]. As with real-life sociopaths, his personality is inconsistent with whomever he's interacting.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/Nimona2023'': The titular character has moments of this, which makes sense due to the fact that she is a shapeshifter. Part of this is shown when she imitates Ballister in the subway to cause a distraction, playing him off as a cartoony villain (as this is how the entire kingdom sees him at the moment). She imitates him so well that the only way Ambrosius figures out it's not him is the fact that he started playing the saxophone, which is a type of music he apparently hates. [[spoiler:Later, she impersonates Ambrosius so the Director will kill him and confess to being the one to frame Ballister and murder the queen. She was so convincing that the Director didn't realize it wasn't Ambrosius until Nimona pulled the sword out of her gut and walked away like it was nothing.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
* Played straight in ''Film/HarryPotter'' with [[spoiler:Barty Crouch Jr.]] whose only flaw in impersonating [[spoiler:Mad-Eye Moody]] in Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire was a {{Character Tic|s}} of licking his lips. Deliberately averted in most other in-universe examples through the efforts of the cast and crew. Which means, for instance, that in order to portray [[spoiler:Hermione Granger]] impersonating [[spoiler:Beatrix Lestrange]] in ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'' [[spoiler:Creator/HelenaBonhamCarter]] watched [[spoiler:Creator/EmmaWatson]] perform the scene and then copied her mannerisms for the recording.
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:''
** [[spoiler:Trevor Slattery, aka]] The Mandarin in ''Film/IronMan3''. [[spoiler:He may be a washed-up junkie and a DirtyOldMan, but by ''god'' he had everyone fooled when he played the role of the world's most terrifying terrorist!]]
** Loki in various movies, as would be expected of the God of Lies:
*** ''Film/{{Thor}}'': He uses his acting talents to play Thor like a fiddle. Thus, when he visits Thor on Earth, Loki pretends to be sympathetic and sorry to say goodbye to his brother. Thor buys it.
*** ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'': Even when he is pretending to betray Thor in front of the Dark Elves and denounces his own mother to the person responsible for her death, he sounds completely sincere.
---->'''Loki:''' [[DidYouActuallyBelieve Did you really think]] I cared about Frigga? About any of you? All I've ever wanted was you and Odin dead at my feet!
*** ''Film/ThorRagnarok'': He manages to successfully impersonate Odin for ''four years'' with no-one the wiser. His love for theatrics is stressed by the fact that during his reign, he wrote (as [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/thor-ragnarok-matt-damon-cameo-was-guarded-secret-1054858 confirmed]] by[[invoked]] WordOfGod) a play in his own honor.
** Talos from ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}'' is very skilled at impersonating others, the trait not every member of his shapeshifting species possesses equally.
** Mysterio from ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome:'' While he may not be a professional actor like his comics counterpart, he still manages to flawlessly fool [[spoiler:Peter and Nick Fury]]. The latter is notable because [[spoiler:Fury]] was really [[spoiler:Talos]], a Skrull whose race's signature trait is deception through shapeshifting. In one scene, [[spoiler:his henchman]] is secretly advising him on how to reply [[spoiler:to the heroes]] and Mysterio declaims the scripted lines he's just been fed as if he is an actor on a stage.
%%* [[spoiler:Aaron]] from ''Film/PrimalFear''. %%ZCE
* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' uses this to explain how the Man of Steel can pass for an ordinary human. It helps that Creator/ChristopherReeve himself was such an accomplished actor that he could make it plausible that people who knew both Superman and Clark Kent wouldn't realize they were the same person.
* Gary Johnston is recruited for ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice'' specifically because the team needs a brilliant actor. When he leaves the team, they're destroyed in their next fight: "Without an actor, they were like pigs to the slaughter." In the end, he saves the day with his acting.
-->"He'll have to act fast!"
* Kirk Lazarus in ''Film/TropicThunder'' is famed in-universe for his ability to become other characters. Kirk Lazarus as Lincoln Osiris as a lead-farming Indochinese infiltrator (and Creator/RobertDowneyJr underneath it all).
%%* [[spoiler:Christine]] from ''Film/WitnessForTheProsecution''. [[spoiler:Leonard]] as well. %%ZCE
* ''Film/WonderWoman2017'': Sameer's primary role is to fool people using his acting abilities. He would have been a career actor, [[DeliberateValuesDissonance but the racism of the era barred him from it]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In the ''Literature/DotHackAIBuster'' novels, [[spoiler:Hokuto's been giving off the idea of being a teenager, when, in actuality, she's a professional translator who's slightly older than the protagonist, Albireo. Heck, she's even referred to in a supplementary description as a skilled actor]].
* Silk of ''Literature/TheBelgariad'' is shown to do this multiple times in the series through a combination of acting talent and contorting his face to change its apparent shape.
* [[spoiler:Megan Drake]] in ''Dark Jenny''. Up until the climax she's mentioned but apparently never seen, until it's revealed that she's a master of disguise who's shown up as at least ''four'' different characters. With no makeup or other external aids, [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane though it's unclear whether magic is involved]].
* In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/DoubleStar'', Lorenzo Smythe is shown to have this ability, to the point that someone who actually knows him doesn't recognize him because of his acting ability.
* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', the protagonist, Ward, can imitate anything and everyone. This saves his life, as his ObfuscatingStupidity is very convincing. He plays the role of the stupid GentleGiant with such perfection that he later has difficulties to convince people he is, in fact, not as stupid as he seems. He is also worried that, due to all the acting, he doesn't know who he really ''is''.
* Jack from the ''Literature/{{Dragonback}}'' books. When he does a radio response pretending to be a nasty mercenary called Chiggers, his method acting was so perfect that to [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Draycos]], he looked like he had flipped a switch and somehow ''become'' the guy.
* ''Literature/TheGhostInTheTokaidoInn'': One of Thomas and Dorothy Hoobler's Judge Ooka mysteries, has Tominio, a Kabuki actor whose ability to impersonate women is ''eerie'', and also a ChekhovsGun.
* ''Players of Literature/{{Gor}}''. Tarl falls in with a CommediaDellArte troupe, one of which is a classicly trained actor who never appears on stage. Then in the book's climax, he saves Tarl's life by acting the part of an Imperious General, much to Tarl's surprise, who says "[[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct You can act!]]."
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** [[spoiler:Professor Quirrell]] spent years acting like a cowardly, stammering NervousWreck to ensure people underestimated him [[spoiler:and didn't suspect him of being Voldemort's host body]].
** [[spoiler:Barty Crouch Jr.]] He may have [[spoiler:used Polyjuice potion]] but keeping the act up for most of ''a year'' would require considerable skill and focus
** [[BigBad Voldemort/Tom Riddle]]. When he was in school, he convinced everyone except [[GoodIsNotDumb Dumbledore]] that he was just a normal, if [[TeenGenius precocious child]] for ''seven years'', even though he was a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] even [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior then]]. He was such a good actor and a liar that he [[spoiler:got away with committing murder]] while he was in school, and later, managed to [[spoiler:[[FalseFriend pretend to be friends]] with [[WouldHurtAChild an eleven-year-old girl]] for an entire year]], even though he had nothing but disgust for her.
* The title character of ''Literature/HoratioHornblower'', although he uses it for everyday situations rather than spying or infiltration. He sees himself as constantly playacting the role of the imperturbable captain. He can put on the appearance of a bloodthirsty tyrant as easily as putting on a hat. Moreover, he perfectly convinces his wife Maria that he loves her when he only proposed out of pity and grew totally indifferent -- for twenty years she never suspects.
* Fisk, from the ''Literature/KnightAndRogueSeries''. This is a result of much practice since he's a professional con man.
* ''Richard Hannay'' novels (''Literature/TheThirtyNineSteps'' and sequels) by John Buchan: While the main character disguises himself frequently and successfully, it is more through acting than characterization. Buchan's thesis appears to have been that if you're a good enough actor you can disguise yourself from even people who know you well. "A fool tries to look different: a clever man looks the same and ''is'' different." Hannay's best friend Sandy is a particularly good actor and is always unexpectedly appearing in books, sometimes from behind the face of a villain. The actual villains of ''The Thirty-Nine Steps'' and ''Literature/MrStandfast'' are similarly capable.
* ''Literature/TheSaint'' -- Simon Templar's favorite role is the UpperClassTwit, but over the course of the books, he plays lawyers, truck drivers, unemployed layabouts, [[{{fauxreigner}} American gangsters and Australian businessmen]] (just to name a few) with equal skill.
* Sir Percy Blakeney, of ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel''. It comes in handy during his daring rescues, and even more the rest of the time in preventing anyone from thinking of him as the kind of person who might be responsible for the daring rescues.
* Kellhus in ''The Literature/SecondApocalypse'' is an ImpossibleGenius with virtually zero emotion. He has complete control over his entire body, including facial features and voice, so he can easily ''fake'' whatever emotion people need to see to [[ManipulativeBastard get them to do what he wants]]. When someone figures it out and privately confronts him, every muscle in his face briefly goes dead, revealing that ''all'' of his facial expressions are an act.
* In ''The Shakespeare Stealer'', it is revealed that Simon Bass, the BigBad, is a former member of Shakespeare's troupe, and a gifted actor, leading to the revelation that [[spoiler: [[TheDragon Falconer]] is Simon Bass in disguise]].
* ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'': In one story, Watson notes that Holmes's interest in crime solving robbed the stage of a fine actor.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** Varys is a former mummer and current [[TheSpymaster master of spies]]. His skill in disguise and acting allow him to play several different parts in the pursuit of his duties.
** Arya learns that acting is very important to the Faceless Men, who teach her how to create a character and play a role.
* Tomjon from the ''Discworld'' book ''Literature/WyrdSisters'', as the somewhat accidental result of the gifts given to him by the Witches. (To make friends easily, always remember the words, and be whoever he thinks he is.)
* ''Literature/XWingSeries'':
** ''Wraith Squadron'': Garik "[[TheFace Face]]" Loran [[IncomingHam styles himself]] as a "master actor". He actually ''was'' a child actor of considerable talent, and his skill has not diminished since those days. In the course of three novels, he plays no fewer than five major roles, generally as part of TheInfiltration, coaches his squadmates in the same, and employs his knowledge of makeup and disguise to similar ends.
** In ''Mercy Kill'', Loran is the team's BigGood and semi-retired, so he recruits another actor -- in this case, a noted stage actor named Turman Durra, who is actually a minor shapeshifter (his species can rearrange its facial structure and has chameleon-like skin). True to form, Durra winds up performing everything from Imperial officers to their own quarry to the specter of a long-dead Wraith, and even ''a completely fabricated alien species'' thanks to some handy biotechnological prosthetics.
* In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' book ''Veil of Shadows'', Bristlefrost is impressed multiple times at Tigerstar's acting abilities, as he hides his knowledge of the secret rebellion and pretends to act shocked at things he already knows.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/BurnNotice'': Michael Westen, Fiona, and a few other characters. In the middle of season four, Michael was caught in the house of a MadBomber with a hatred against homeless, criminals, etc. Michael went into the role of a soft-spoken fanboy who admires the bomber's work. It got him out of there. After speaking with Michael on the phone when he used his deeper voice, the bomber didn't realize the fanboy and man trying to stop him were one and the same.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** This is the Second Doctor's main [[SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat skill gimmick]] (due to Creator/PatrickTroughton's absolutely incredible range). He does the WigDressAccent routine whenever he gets the opportunity to, but costumes are strictly a bonus to his gift for different voices and mannerisms. He fairly frequently convincingly imitates officials and orders people about despite being dressed in a scruffy tuxedo.
** The Master is usually too vain to do more than WigDressAccent, but in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E5TheTimeMonster The Time Monster]]" he lures Benton into a trap by speaking to him over the phone in a perfectly convincing impression of the Brigadier's voice.
** The Fourth Doctor had his moments, though his knack for acting was strictly limited to convincingly faking evil (anything else he was usually awful at). He [[EvilIsHammy hams it up ridiculously]] when pretending to be a moody, power-mad, [[TheQuisling treacherous]] PresidentEvil in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E6TheInvasionOfTime The Invasion of Time]]" (obviously having a great deal of fun doing so), and when he's stuck ImpersonatingTheEvilTwin in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E2Meglos Meglos]]" he suddenly becomes heartless and psychotic and everyone else is taken in by it. He's also able to turn off his [[LargeHam overpowering]] [[TheCharmer charisma]] when [[JanitorImpersonationInfiltration acting like a servant]] in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin The Deadly Assassin]]", speaking in a higher-pitched and more neutral voice and using invisible body language to a degree so extreme that the other Time Lords don't even seem quite sure he was there at all, even though he'd been talking to them.
* In ''Series/{{Gotham}}'', both of the Batman prequel show's [[DecompositeCharacter two main]] [[CaptainErsatz takes]] on [[Comicbook/TheJoker the Joker]] are this. In the first season, Jerome, who is just a teenager at the time, [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon convinces everyone he's an innocent victim and not the murderer]], until Jim Gordon finds evidence otherwise, and confronts him about it. He promptly [[MaskOfSanity drops the innocent act]], bluntly tells Gordon why he killed the victim, and [[LaughingMad starts laughing.]] In the fourth season, when the audience learns that Jerome has an estranged identical twin brother who appears to be his good counterpart, [[HarsherInHindsight it becomes apparent that he was most likely so good at acting innocent because he was imitating his brother Jeremiah's mannerisms.]] Jeremiah is just as good an actor as Jerome, though, and [[spoiler: after Jerome dies and drives his brother insane with his insanity gas, Jeremiah is able to imitate his brother perfectly in the supposed "post-humous" messages he sends to Jerome's former followers and enemies in order to manipulate them. He is also able to keep up a {{mask of sanity}} that is convincing enough to fool [[Characters/BatmanTheCharacter Bruce]] for weeks, to the point that Bruce trusts him enough to fund his clean energy project, even though Bruce has had multiple bad experiences with Jerome's terrorist activities, and Jeremiah's clean energy generators can be turned into bombs. Keep in mind that, despite the fact that this is a prequel show, and Bruce has a long way to go until he becomes Batman, he is not particularly naïve by this point, and shows signs of developing the intelligence and observational skills that will one day make him the World's Greatest Detective. Jeremiah is just that good at convincing people that he's harmless.]]
* [[TheOlderImmortal Methos]] from ''Series/{{Highlander}}'' is so good at convincing people he's harmless that he is able to keep up the pretense of being mortal for years while infiltrating an organization dedicated to watching immortals. [[ManipulativeBastard He's so good]] that he actually [[RefugeInAudacity gets himself assigned to tracking himself down]].
* ''Series/HoratioHornblower'': Kitty Cobham is an actress who was impersonating The Duchess of Wharfedale, and for a long time nobody had the slightest suspicion. She does such a good job acting her part that if Archie Kennedy and later de Vergesse hadn't recognised her as a Drury Lane actress, she would have been escorted home with absolutely no one suspecting she wasn't who she seemed. When Horatio wonders who the real Duchess is, Kitty says that she exists, and exactly as she played her.
* Every member of Series/{{Leverage}} is a good grifter, but Sophie's acting takes the cake. Played with in that, though she thinks she's also this when not running a con, she's actually GiftedlyBad.
* Several characters in ''Series/MissionImpossible'', particularly Rollin (Martin Landau), Cinnamon (Barbara Bain), and Paris (Leonard Nimoy).
* Sarah, Helena, and Rachel from ''Series/OrphanBlack'' are all surprisingly good actors, in sharp contrast to Alison i.e. the one who actually does acting as a hobby. Sarah especially seems to have a talent for mimicking tones and accents. In addition, the clones frequently have to imitate each other for plot reasons... or to get Alison out of trouble.
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'': Root, a major antagonist is extremely fond of this trope, using it to get the better of the protagonists several times over the course of the show. She carries on with it after her HeelFaceTurn.
* ''Series/ThePretender'' was based on this. Jarod was taken from his family at an early age because he showed potential for being able to slip into the identities of others unnoticed. After escaping from ''The Centre'', he used his talents to help people in need.
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'': Creator/JonLovitz's "Master Thespian," if only in his own mind.
* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': Due to the creators finding the idea of the Consulting Detective pulling off wacky disguises in modern-day London to be too corny, Sherlock Holmes ended up with this trope. Sherlock is able to change his physical mannerisms, accent, and his vocal pitch when necessary to get information. His whole demeanor changes entirely and he is able to slip into and out of character at the drop of a hat. He even cries on cue no less than twice.
* ''Series/TheUntamed'': Jin Guangyao and [[spoiler:Nie Huaisang]] have both spent ''years'' concealing their true natures from the entire world and the people closest to them. [[spoiler:Nie Huaisang]] takes it a step further and manages to fool even Jin Guangyao.
* In ''Series/WandaVision'', [[spoiler:Agatha]]'s performance as the [[spoiler:"real" Agnes]], complete with BrokenTears, helpless terror, and clear evidence of psychological trauma, is so indistinguishable from the real breakdowns that Westview residents have been going through that it's able to completely fool Vision (albeit a Vision who's shown to be much weaker than normal). Lampshaded in the "______ All Along" montage, which features [[spoiler:her]] checking out [[spoiler:her]] hair and makeup while Vision's distracted, before resuming [[spoiler:her]] pained expression and turning back in time to face him.
* This talent is part of what makes [[GentlemanThief Neal Caffrey]] from ''Series/WhiteCollar'' such an effective [[ConMan confidence man]], and later, CI. During the course of the show, [[ConsummateLiar he successfully convinces various marks/suspects]] that he is [[RefugeInAudacity a doctor, a stockbroker, various other shades of corporate slimeball, a political fixer]], [[ShoutOut a pilot]], a forger of fine whisky (not untrue), an agent for a professional figure skater, an agent for a classic jazz singer, a famous, eccentric artist, a butler, a fencer, the heir to several different fortunes, and an assassin. It also comes out in a conversation with [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist his handler]], [[OddCouple Peter Burke]] that pre-series, he spent time on college campuses, though not as a student, and that, even though he never even graduated high school, [[RenaissanceMan he was able to convince others that he had several different advanced degrees]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology & Religion]]
* ''Literature/TheBible'': Supposedly, this is one of the Devil's best abilities: he never appears to people as himself; he always appears as a friendly and non-threatening individual. It would be pretty hard to convince people to sin if he appeared as a horned monster.
* Myth/ClassicalMythology: Odysseus gets to show off his acting chops several times, making this OlderThanFeudalism.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'':
** Finn is a [[TheChessmaster manipulative]] boy and previous member of the Acting Club, which gives him great skill in putting on a false face.
** Sarah Travers, the agent that's hounding the main characters, is shown to be an excellent actor when she takes on the role of a substitute teacher. Everything from her walk to the expression in her eyes changes to seem friendly and innocuous.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Arknights}}'':
** First there's [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Deathless Black Snake]], one of the Old Gods and self-described "will of Ursus", otherwise known as [[spoiler:Duke Kashchey,]] whose millennia-long lifespan, extensive understanding of human nature and the fact that their moniker comes from regularly [[GrandTheftMe possessing others]] via their Arts to cheat death have given them an incredible skill at assuming the identities of and manipulating others. By the time the plot starts, [[spoiler:Kashchey's current host is his adoptive daughter Talulah, leader of the [[LaResistance Reunion]] movement, and he's using her to subvert her once-honest organisation for his own ends. Reunion's other leaders note the change in behaviour but don't manage to figure out what's [[DemonicPossession really happening]], with W noting that the 'new' Talulah is capable of taking on a whole new personality at a whim depending of who she's addressing.]]
** Second, there's the [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Damazti]] [[MindHive Cluster]], leader of the Damazti tribe of Sarkaz and serving the Kazdel Military Commission as a spy and intelligence gatherer. One of the oldest lifeforms on Terra, their ability to impersonate others is perfected to the point they assimilate the thoughts and memories of the individual they become, becoming indistinguishable from the real thing, helped along even further by their ability to create semi-autonomous clones of themselves via Arts that can impersonate even more people.
* Wesker of ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' was a talented enough actor to fool of group of elite cops for two years into believing he was a good guy, which is very much ''not'' his true personality -- a {{narcissist}}ic [[TheSociopath sociopath]]. He even appeared to be putting on an American accent.
* ''Videogame/MassEffect2'': Morinth, [[spoiler:if chosen over Samara during the latter's loyalty mission, will perfectly assume her mother's identity down to her voice and mannerisms, with very few slip-ups. Morinth herself stated that acting and posing as her mother is a skill she perfected over the years; indicating that her acting talent helped her orchestrate her escape from Thessia.]]
* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'': Joshua is a supreme example, considering [[spoiler:he was acting like a normal human during his week with Neku, when he was actually a [[GodWasMyCopilot God]]]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/HalloweenOtome'': [[spoiler:The Count, due to his quick costume changes and ability to fool everyone (well, except Mr. Bandages) to not knowing that he's Erik.]]
* Going on WMG, [[spoiler:Battler Ushiromiya]] of ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' might be this. Throughout the sixth arc, he acts like an incompetent mess, [[spoiler:getting himself trapped in a [[AFateWorseThanDeath Logic Error]] for years until Kanon saves him]]. But a WMG theorizes that he planned the whole thing [[spoiler:in order to revive Beatrice]], which if true means that he managed to not only fool [[spoiler:Erika and Bernkastel]], he managed to fool ''the readers'', most of whom thought he was just being an idiot.
%%** Yasu is definitely one. %%ZCE
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* [[spoiler:Zola "Heterodyne"]] of ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' takes this to truly impressive levels, along with ObfuscatingStupidity, fooling everyone (''especially'' the audience) into severely underestimating her. Repeatedly. Even after being warned not to. Even after warning ''each other'' not to. Even against the BigBad.
** This is also an InformedAbility of Lucrezia Mongfish, though the acting we see her do is rather unimpressive (granted, she knew nothing about the person she had to imitate). [[spoiler:The version of Lucrezia using Anevka's clank body is a much better actress.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Helen, from ''Literature/{{Twig}}'', is an exceptional actor out of necessity, as in her base form she's an EmotionlessGirl due to her emotional responses being disconnected from her physical ones. This has the side effect that her friends consider her ''not'' showing emotion to be an indication of genuine affection, and they're confused and disturbed when she displays emotion when it's just them in the room.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'':
** [[Characters/DCAUBatman Batman]] is shown to be this on several occasions. It's both necessary to maintain his double identity (Batman and Bruce Wayne) and helps him with cases now and then.
** Before he mutated, Matt Hagan was a famous movie actor who was considered this trope. He continues it even after becoming Clayface, as his shapeshifting ability allows him to look like whoever he wants (which was essential in his debut episode). He even fooled Gotham into thinking [[spoiler: that he died, even telling Batman that "he'd never had a death scene like this"]].
* ''Franchise/GIJoe'': Zartan is such a master of disguise and language that he is able to perfectly copy someone's voice after hearing them speak ''once''. %%Context for Zarana?
* ''WesternAnimation/TheMask'': The Mask disguises himself as someone else so that he can trick his enemies or troll his friends as he disguises himself as Dr Neuman which he copies his voice, his mannerisms, his height and his personality and in another episode he does the same thing with Peggy again after being restored from the anti ageing cream by disguising himself as Stanley which he copies his voice, his mannerisms and his personality again showing he can be a brilliant actor along with he controlled himself entirely while he was with his enemies disguised as Dr Neuman which shows just how much control he really has along with being smart as well. Justified as he has Stanley's memories to help him copy someone perfectly without fail along with revealing himself to be less wild and more sane than he appears to be.
* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': Lila Rossi is an incredibly charismatic, intelligent, adaptive, and convincing actress who manages to win over almost everybody and keep up her lies over a very long time. [[spoiler:She also acts under false aliases.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': [[Characters/SamuraiJackAku Aku]], being a [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifter]], is good at this as a {{Required Secondary Power|s}}. He once traveled with Jack for a good period of time without getting found out, while in the form of a humanoid woman.
* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': [[Characters/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPowerDoubleTrouble Double Trouble]] is a shapeshifting spy who prides themselves on not just looking like the people they imitate, but ''becoming'' them. They study their mannerisms and personalities ''very'' closely to get it exactly right, and are always looking for constructive criticism. This is part of what makes them so dangerous; they can imitate almost anyone with no apparent "tell," with most characters being unaware that shapeshifters even ''[[OutsideContextProblem exist]]''. As such, they manage to fly under the radar for quite a while before anyone catches on. They can even create new characters that no one knows [[spoiler:like Flutterina]], allowing them creative freedom and an even smaller chance of being caught.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' had Troy [=McClure=]. Until he was retired with the death of his voice actor, Troy was portrayed as a [[WhiteDwarfStarlet washed up has-been-in-denial]] whose GloryDays consisted of a lot of forgettable roles in {{B Movie}}s and failed commercials, and became radioactive in Hollywood when word got out about his [[YouDoNotWantToKnow fondness for fish]]. However, when he gets the lead role in a genuinely ''good'' production, Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes TheMusical, Troy's excellent performance gives him a brief CareerResurrection.
[[/folder]]
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