White Actors Who Played People Of Color in Movies

Casting in Hollywood has often placed white actors in roles that depict people from nonwhite communities. The examples below span studio classics and modern releases and include characters who are Native American, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latino. Each entry notes the role, production context, and other concrete details to give a clear picture of how the casting appeared on screen.

This list focuses on feature films and singles out one prominent title per performer. Dates refer to the specific production listed in each heading. Details about character names, settings, and production backgrounds are included to help readers understand what was shown and how the role was constructed for the film.

Laurence Olivier in ‘Othello’ (1965)

Olivier played the Moorish general Othello in a filmed version of the National Theatre production directed by Stuart Burge. The performance used dark makeup, a curled wig, and altered voice and gesture to present the character as written in Shakespeare’s play.

The film was shot in color and released to cinemas with Olivier acting opposite Maggie Smith as Desdemona and Frank Finlay as Iago. It received multiple Academy Award nominations with Olivier nominated for best actor.

John Wayne in ‘The Conqueror’ (1956)

Wayne portrayed Temujin, who becomes Genghis Khan, in a large scale production filmed in Utah and produced by Howard Hughes for RKO. The character costuming included period armor, facial hair styling, and accent choices designed to signal a Mongol warlord setting.

Directed by Dick Powell, the film featured Susan Hayward and Pedro Armendáriz and used widescreen photography and desert locations to depict Central Asian battle scenes. Studio publicity materials emphasized spectacle and romance alongside historical names and places.

Mickey Rooney in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ (1961)

Rooney appeared as I Y Yunioshi, the upstairs neighbor of Holly Golightly, in Blake Edwards’s adaptation of Truman Capote’s novella. The role relied on prosthetic dental work, makeup around the eyes, and a costuming approach that marked the character as a Japanese photographer.

The film was produced by Paramount and set in Manhattan apartments and city streets with Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard leading the cast. Rooney’s scenes involved building access gags, camera equipment, and complaints about noise in the hallway.

Peter Sellers in ‘The Party’ (1968)

Sellers starred as Hrundi V Bakshi, an Indian actor accidentally invited to a Hollywood mansion gathering. The role used brown makeup, a mustache, and a stylized accent while placing the character in a fish out of water comedy built around a single location.

Directed by Blake Edwards, the film was shot largely on a detailed house set with long takes and physical comedy sequences involving a broken intercom, a malfunctioning fountain, and an expanding guest list. The soundtrack featured Henry Mancini’s score.

Charlton Heston in ‘Touch of Evil’ (1958)

Heston played Miguel Vargas, a Mexican narcotics official working along a border town after a car bombing. Makeup darkened his complexion and hair styling and wardrobe placed the character within the local police and courthouse environments depicted in the story.

The film was produced by Universal and directed by Orson Welles with location photography in California towns that doubled for the border setting. Multiple edits exist, including a later reconstruction that arranged scenes according to a director memo.

Fisher Stevens in ‘Short Circuit’ (1986)

Stevens portrayed Ben Jabituya, later known as Ben Jahrvi, an Indian engineer who helps build and repair the Number Five robot. The production used dark makeup, a wig, and a pronounced accent while placing the character in lab and workshop scenes.

The film was set around a defense contractor facility and a small American town where the runaway robot hides with a local resident. A sequel titled ‘Short Circuit 2’ continued the character’s story with the same actor returning.

Emma Stone in ‘Aloha’ (2015)

Stone played Allison Ng, an Air Force consultant written as having Chinese and Native Hawaiian ancestry. The character background included Hawaiian cultural connections and military project work on Oahu within a story about satellite contracts and base access.

Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, the film was shot in Hawaii with scenes on Hickam Field and around Honolulu. The production featured a supporting cast of officers, contractors, and local community members tied to island traditions and aerospace plans.

Scarlett Johansson in ‘Ghost in the Shell’ (2017)

Johansson starred as Major, referred to as Mira Killian, in a live action adaptation of a Japanese manga and anime property that centers on a cybernetic police operative. The character design incorporated a synthetic body, tactical suits, and urban surveillance tech.

Directed by Rupert Sanders and produced by Paramount and DreamWorks, the film used Hong Kong and Wellington locations along with extensive visual effects. Story elements referenced the original character name Motoko Kusanagi and explored identity transfer and memory implants.

Rooney Mara in ‘Pan’ (2015)

Mara appeared as Tiger Lily, a key figure among the Neverland tribes in this origin story that reimagines characters from J M Barrie. The role placed her in leadership scenes with ceremonial costumes, face paint, and combat training sequences.

The film was directed by Joe Wright for Warner Bros and filmed at Leavesden Studios with large practical sets for pirate ships and jungle villages. Plot points linked Tiger Lily to a prophecy about Peter and included rescue missions against Blackbeard.

Luise Rainer in ‘The Good Earth’ (1937)

Rainer played O Lan, a Chinese farmer’s wife, in an adaptation of Pearl S Buck’s novel about rural life and famine. Makeup and hairstyling reshaped her appearance to fit the story’s northern China villages and agricultural labor scenes.

Produced by MGM with Paul Muni as Wang Lung, the film used California locations and large soundstage sets to simulate fields, markets, and dust storms. Rainer received the Academy Award for best actress for this performance.

Katharine Hepburn in ‘Dragon Seed’ (1944)

Hepburn portrayed Jade, a Chinese villager who joins resistance efforts after the Japanese invasion. The production used period clothing, hairpieces, and makeup to place the character within a family caught between occupation authorities and local fighters.

Based on Pearl S Buck’s novel and produced by MGM, the film staged village meetings, supply raids, and countryside skirmishes on constructed sets. The ensemble included Walter Huston and Aline MacMahon as members of an extended household.

Marlon Brando in ‘The Teahouse of the August Moon’ (1956)

Brando played Sakini, an Okinawan interpreter who guides United States soldiers through postwar administration on the island. The role used makeup around the eyes, altered hairline, and an accent while narrating village customs and interactions with visiting officers.

The film, adapted from a Pulitzer Prize winning play by John Patrick, was directed by Daniel Mann and photographed in black and white. It featured Glenn Ford and Machiko Kyō and included scenes of school building, geisha performances, and civic projects.

Burt Lancaster in ‘Apache’ (1954)

Lancaster portrayed Massai, a Chiricahua Apache warrior who resists removal to Florida after the surrender of Geronimo. The production used bronzing makeup, long hair styling, and costuming that matched frontier settings in the American Southwest.

Directed by Robert Aldrich and released by United Artists, the film included horseback chases, railroad transport sequences, and desert hideouts. The screenplay was adapted from the novel ‘Bronco Apache’ by Paul Wellman.

Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Tropic Thunder’ (2008)

Downey Jr. portrayed Kirk Lazarus, an Australian method actor hired to play Staff Sergeant Lincoln Osiris in a Vietnam War film within the film. The production used dark makeup, hair styling, and prosthetics to alter his appearance, and the character is shown staying in role away from the camera while the cast is dropped into a jungle setting that turns into a real conflict.

The movie was directed by Ben Stiller and filmed largely on Kauai with Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Jay Baruchel, Brandon T. Jackson, and Nick Nolte in the ensemble, along with appearances by Tom Cruise and Matthew McConaughey. His performance received major awards recognition including an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor, and the story tracks his character through on set negotiations, survival attempts in the jungle, and final scenes that reveal his off camera identity during the rescue.

Johnny Depp in ‘The Lone Ranger’ (2013)

Depp played Tonto, a Comanche character who partners with John Reid in a Western adventure produced by Disney. The costuming included face paint and a crow headdress, with the look inspired by a modern painting that influenced the makeup design.

Directed by Gore Verbinski, the film combined location shoots in New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and California with large train sequences. Action set pieces involved trestle bridges, canyon pursuits, and a climactic duel on parallel locomotives.

Ben Affleck in ‘Argo’ (2012)

Affleck portrayed Tony Mendez, a Cuban American CIA officer who organized the extraction of six United States diplomats from Tehran during the hostage crisis. The film presented tradecraft details such as cover stories, location scouting, and passport preparations.

Produced by Warner Bros, the production recreated late 1970s and early 1980s settings in Washington, Hollywood, and Middle East stand in locations. The film won the Academy Award for best picture with additional recognition for editing and screenplay.

Al Pacino in ‘Scarface’ (1983)

Pacino starred as Tony Montana, a Cuban immigrant who arrives in Miami during the Mariel boatlift and enters the drug trade. The performance incorporated a Cuban accent, scar makeup, and costumes that tracked the character’s rise through nightclub and distribution scenes.

The film was directed by Brian De Palma from a screenplay by Oliver Stone and released by Universal. Production used Miami and Los Angeles locations, staging nightclub interiors, seaside mansions, and street confrontations.

Linda Hunt in ‘The Year of Living Dangerously’ (1982)

Hunt played Billy Kwan, a Chinese Australian photojournalist who mentors a foreign correspondent in Jakarta during political unrest. The role used short hair, tailored suits, and voice work to present a male character who moves among diplomats and activists.

Directed by Peter Weir, the film depicted the lead up to an attempted coup with scenes in newsrooms, embassies, and city streets. Hunt won the Academy Award for best supporting actress for the performance.

Christopher Lee in ‘The Face of Fu Manchu’ (1965)

Lee appeared as Dr Fu Manchu, a fictional Chinese mastermind created by Sax Rohmer, in a British made thriller that launched a series. The role used mustache styling, long robes, and makeup to present a scientist antagonist based in hidden laboratories.

Produced by Harry Alan Towers, the film shot in Dublin and Munich and featured Nigel Green as Nayland Smith. Sequels followed with elaborate sets for tombs, riverfront hideouts, and chemical plants.

Boris Karloff in ‘The Mask of Fu Manchu’ (1932)

Karloff portrayed Fu Manchu in an MGM adventure in which archaeologists search for relics associated with Genghis Khan. The character design included thin mustache, pointed beard, and satin robes with laboratory instruments and ceremonial artifacts.

The film co starred Myrna Loy as Fah Lo See and Lewis Stone as a museum director. Sets featured cavernous halls, dungeon cells, and a central operating chamber with electrical devices.

Warner Oland in ‘Charlie Chan in Shanghai’ (1935)

Oland starred as Charlie Chan, a Chinese detective from Honolulu who assists local authorities while traveling abroad. The production used makeup, mustache styling, and a formal wardrobe to present the character as an observant guest inspector.

Released by Twentieth Century Fox, the film was one entry in a long running series based on Earl Derr Biggers novels. The Shanghai story included nightclub performances, coded messages, and customs house investigations.

Share the examples you would add in the comments so we can build a complete record together.