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.
