ActorsTrivia Questions & Answers
38 actors trivia questions, each with the correct answer and a short explanation.
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Each question reveals the answer and a quick explanation below it.
1. Which actor is nicknamed 'The Rock'?
Answer: Dwayne Johnson. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson started in wrestling.
2. Who played Forrest Gump in the 1994 film?
Answer: Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks won an Oscar for playing Forrest Gump.
3. Which actress played Hermione Granger in the 'Harry Potter' films?
Answer: Emma Watson. Emma Watson portrayed Hermione Granger throughout the series.
4. Who played the title role in the 1990 film 'Edward Scissorhands'?
Answer: Johnny Depp. Johnny Depp starred as Edward in Tim Burton's 'Edward Scissorhands'.
5. Who painted himself blue as William Wallace in 'Braveheart'?
Answer: Mel Gibson. Mel Gibson starred as and directed 'Braveheart'.
6. Which actress played Clarice Starling in 'The Silence of the Lambs'?
Answer: Jodie Foster. Jodie Foster won an Oscar for playing Clarice Starling.
7. Who played the Joker in 'The Dark Knight' (2008)?
Answer: Heath Ledger. Heath Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for the role.
8. Who voiced the Genie in Disney's 1992 'Aladdin'?
Answer: Robin Williams. Robin Williams famously voiced the Genie.
9. Which actress starred as Sarah Connor in 'The Terminator' films?
Answer: Linda Hamilton. Linda Hamilton played Sarah Connor.
10. Who played Neo in 'The Matrix'?
Answer: Keanu Reeves. Keanu Reeves stars as Neo.
11. Which actress voiced Princess Fiona in 'Shrek'?
Answer: Cameron Diaz. Cameron Diaz voiced Princess Fiona.
12. Which actor played Vito Corleone in 'The Godfather'?
Answer: Marlon Brando. Marlon Brando won an Oscar for playing Vito Corleone.
13. Who voiced Buzz Lightyear in the original 'Toy Story' films?
Answer: Tim Allen. Tim Allen voices Buzz Lightyear.
14. Which actor played Andy Dufresne in 'The Shawshank Redemption'?
Answer: Tim Robbins. Tim Robbins played Andy Dufresne.
15. Which actress won her first Best Actress Oscar for 'Sophie's Choice' (1982)?
Answer: Meryl Streep. Meryl Streep won Best Actress for 'Sophie's Choice'.
16. Who played the title role in Fellini's autobiographical film '8½'?
Answer: Marcello Mastroianni. Marcello Mastroianni starred in Fellini's '8½'.
17. Who played the title character in the 'John Wick' film series?
Answer: Keanu Reeves. Keanu Reeves stars as the retired hitman John Wick throughout the action franchise.
18. In 'The Lord of the Rings', who played the wizard Gandalf?
Answer: Ian McKellen. Ian McKellen portrayed Gandalf across Peter Jackson's trilogy.
19. In 'Dr. Strangelove', how many distinct roles did Peter Sellers play?
Answer: Three. Peter Sellers played three roles in Kubrick's 1964 satire.
20. Which actor played both a U.S. president and a boxer in separate major Hollywood films?
Answer: Morgan Freeman. Morgan Freeman played President Tom Beck in Deep Impact (1998) and boxing trainer Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris in Million Dollar Baby (2004).
21. Which actress played the female lead opposite Humphrey Bogart in both 'To Have and Have Not' (1944) and 'The Big Sleep' (1946)?
Answer: Lauren Bacall. Lauren Bacall starred alongside Bogart in both films; the two met on the set of 'To Have and Have Not' and later married.
22. Marlon Brando won his second Best Actor Oscar for 'The Godfather' but famously refused it. Who accepted on his behalf?
Answer: Sacheen Littlefeather. Sacheen Littlefeather, an Apache activist, read Brando's statement declining the award to protest Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans.
23. Which film marked Cate Blanchett's Oscar-winning performance where she portrayed a real-life musician rather than an actress?
Answer: I'm Not There. Blanchett played one of six incarnations of Bob Dylan in Todd Haynes's 'I'm Not There' (2007), earning an Oscar nomination; she won for 'Blue Jasmine' and 'The Aviator.'
24. In which film does Anthony Hopkins play a character who delivers the famous line about eating liver with 'fava beans and a nice Chianti'?
Answer: The Silence of the Lambs. Hopkins delivers this chilling line as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991), for which he won the Best Actor Oscar.
25. Peter Sellers plays THREE roles in 'Dr. Strangelove.' Which of these characters is NOT one of them?
Answer: General Buck Turgidson. General Buck Turgidson was played by George C. Scott; Sellers played Muffley, Mandrake, and Dr. Strangelove.
26. What film earned Marlon Brando his first Academy Award for Best Actor?
Answer: On the Waterfront. Brando won his first Oscar for Best Actor for 'On the Waterfront' (1954); his role in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' earned him a nomination but not the win.
27. Which actress turned down the role of Mrs. Robinson in 'The Graduate' before Anne Bancroft accepted it?
Answer: Doris Day. Doris Day was originally offered the role of Mrs. Robinson but declined it, finding the material too scandalous.
28. Which actor played both 'The Elephant Man' John Merrick on Broadway and starred in 'The Hit' (1984) before being cast as a Hobbit?
Answer: Ian Holm. Ian Holm played John Merrick on stage and starred in 'The Hit' before famously playing Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's Hobbit films.
29. Which actor portrayed both a U.S. President and a pirate captain in major Hollywood franchises?
Answer: Harrison Ford. Harrison Ford played President James Marshall in 'Air Force One' (1997) and Han Solo/Indiana Jones, but also notably — actually Ford never played a pirate; Geoffrey Rush played Captain Barbossa and never a president. Harrison Ford played the president in Air Force One. This is best answered as Harrison Ford who played a president.
30. Which film marked Cate Blanchett's feature film debut in 1997, before she became internationally known?
Answer: Thank God He Met Lizzie. Blanchett made her feature debut in Thank God He Met Lizzie (1997), an Australian romantic comedy, before her breakthrough roles later that year.
31. Which actor played the lead role in both 'The Mosquito Coast' (1986) and 'Witness' (1985), earning an Oscar nomination for only one?
Answer: Harrison Ford. Harrison Ford starred in both films and received his only Oscar nomination for Witness (1985), while The Mosquito Coast went largely unrecognized by the Academy.
32. Which actor played the villain Hans Gruber in the original 'Die Hard' (1988)?
Answer: Alan Rickman. Alan Rickman made his Hollywood film debut as Hans Gruber, a role that cemented him as a definitive screen villain.
33. Before becoming famous as an actor, which Oscar-winning star worked as a janitor at the Brill Building and was rejected by the Juilliard School?
Answer: Dustin Hoffman. Dustin Hoffman worked as a janitor, coat-checker, and waiter while struggling to break into acting before his breakthrough in 'The Graduate.'
34. Which actor was originally cast as Forrest Gump but dropped out, ultimately leading to Tom Hanks taking the role?
Answer: John Travolta. John Travolta turned down the role of Forrest Gump, a decision he later publicly called one of his biggest career regrets.
35. Cate Blanchett won her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for which film?
Answer: The Aviator. Blanchett won Best Supporting Actress for playing Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's 'The Aviator' (2004), her first Oscar win.
36. Which actor played the villain Hans Landa in 'Inglourious Basterds', winning an Academy Award for the role?
Answer: Christoph Waltz. Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of SS Colonel Hans Landa, a performance Tarantino called the best he'd ever seen.
37. Meryl Streep holds the record for most Academy Award nominations of any actor. How many nominations has she received?
Answer: 17. Meryl Streep has received 21 Academy Award nominations — more than any other actor — though her nomination count reached 21 by 2017.
38. Which actor portrayed Hannibal Lecter in 'Manhunter' (1986), the first film adaptation of Thomas Harris's character?
Answer: Brian Cox. Brian Cox played Hannibal Lecktor (alternate spelling) in Michael Mann's 'Manhunter' years before Anthony Hopkins made the role iconic.
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