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49 Famous Examples of “Whitewashing” in the Movies

49 Famous Examples of “Whitewashing” in the Movies

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In the film and television world, “whitewashing” has two meanings: the converting of characters who were one race in the source material (usually a novel) into those who can be played by white actors — a practice also called “racebending” — and, perhaps even more offensive, the casting of white performers as Black, Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, or other characters of color.

Examples of the first meaning of the term include “21” (2008), in which a true story about Asian-Americans who used card counting to win at Black Jack in Las Vegas casinos was recast to make the card-counters white, and “Hud” (1963), featuring Patricia Neal as a white ranch housekeeper named Alma, subbing for the Black housekeeper named Halmea in the novel on which the film was based.

There are countless examples of whitewashing in its other sense, dating back well into the silent film era, when, for example, American actor Lon Chaney, the original cinematic “Phantom of the Opera,” played a Chinese elder in 1927’s “Mr. Wu.” Around the same time, Italian-born Espera Oscar de Corti reinvented himself as a Native American named Iron Eyes Cody, launching a 60-year career playing movie and TV Indians. Yul Brynner, born Yuliy Borisovich Briner in early revolutionary Russia, embodied the King of Siam in “The King and I” in 1956.

Both kinds of whitewashing stem from the perception on the part of directors and/or studio executives that audiences wouldn’t flock to see films starring non-white people they’d never heard of. The practice which still exists, but has thankfully become the exception rather than the rule — and some recent nominations and awards going to Asian and Native American actors suggest that we won’t be seeing Johnny Depp playing a Comanche or Emma Stone playing a Hawaiian-Chinese-Swedish woman again anytime soon. (These are the character roles that have garnered the most Oscar nominations.)

To assemble a list of 50 famous examples of whitewashing in the movies, 24/7 Tempo consulted numerous articles on the subject in publications including The Huffington Post, TheWrap, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Complex, and The Guardian, and employed editorial knowledge of film casting through the years.

Click here to see 50 famous examples of whitewashing in the movies.

This list is by no means complete. There are probably hundreds and hundreds of examples of whitewashing throughout movie history. But you’ll find some of the biggest stars in cinematic history represented here — among them Rock Hudson, Laurence Olivier, Burt Lancaster, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhaal, and the aforementioned Johnny Depp and Emma Stone.

Douglas Fairbanks: “The Mark of Zorro” (1920)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: Spanish-born Californian Don Diego de la Vega (Zorro)

Lon Chaney: “Mr. Wu” (1927)

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Lon Chaney’s skill as a character actor was impressive, but Hollywood had a habit of ignoring ethnic actors.
  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: Chinese patriarch Grandfather Wu

Warner Oland: “Charlie Chan Carries On” (1931) and others

Source: Courtesy of Fox Film Corporation

  • Actor’s ethnicity: Swedish
  • Who he played: Chinese detective Charlie Chan

Nils Asther: “The Bitter Tea of General Yen” (1933)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

  • Actor’s ethnicity: Swedish
  • Who he played: Chinese warlord General Yen

Paul Muni: “The Good Earth” (1937)

Source:
Examples of whitewashing are everywhere in Hollywood — and have been for decades.
  • Actor’s ethnicity: Ukrainian
  • Who he played: Chinese farmer Wang Lung

Luise Rainer: “The Good Earth” (1937)

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer

  • Actor’s ethnicity: German
  • Who she played: Enslaved Chinese woman from the House of Hwang

Peter Lorre: “Think Fast, Mr. Moto” (1937) and others

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

  • Actor’s ethnicity: Hungarian
  • Who he played: Japanese detective Mr. Moto

Sidney Toler: “Charlie Chan in Honolulu” (1939) and others

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: Chinese detective Charlie Chan

Tyrone Power: “The Mark of Zorro” (1940)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
The Zorro character has been played by Tyrone Powers, Anthony Hopkins, and others.
  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: Spanish-born Californian Don Diego de la Vega (Zorro)

Turhan Bey: “Dragon Seed” (1944)

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer

  • Actor’s ethnicity: Turkish-Austrian
  • Who he played: Chinese villager Lao Er Tan

Katherine Hepburn: “Dragon Seed” (1944)

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who she played: Chinese villager Jade Tan

Akim Tamiroff: “Dragon Seed” (1944)

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer
Russian-born Akim Tamiroff playing Chinese villager Wu Lien.
  • Actor’s ethnicity: Russian
  • Who he played: Chinese villager Wu Lien

Iron Eyes Cody (Espera Oscar de Corti): “The Paleface” (1948) and others

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

  • Actor’s ethnicity: Italian-American
  • Who he played: Native American chief Iron Eyes

Rock Hudson: “Winchester ’73” (1950)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: Native American Young Bull

Laurence Olivier: “Othello” (1965)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Brothers
Movies have used makeup of all sorts to create the look they wanted, but some were downrght offensive.
  • Actor’s ethnicity: English
  • Who he played: Moorish commander Othello

Marlon Brando: “Viva Zapata!” (1952)

Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata

Burt Lancaster: “Apache” (1954)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: Apache warrior Massai

Yul Brynner: “The King and I” (1956)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Russian-born Yul Brynner played King Mongkut in the original Broadway play of the “King and I” as well as the movie adaptation.
  • Actor’s ethnicity: Russian
  • Who he played: King Mongkut of Siam

Marlon Brando: “The Teahouse of the August Moon” (1956)

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: Japanese interpreter Sakini

Ricardo Montalban: “Sayonara” (1957)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

  • Actor’s ethnicity: Mexican-American
  • Who he played: Japanese Kabuki performer Nakamura

Curd Jürgens (Curt Jurgens): “The Inn of the Sixth Happiness” (1958)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

  • Actor’s ethnicity: German
  • Who he played: Chinese-Dutch army officer Lin Nan

Charlton Heston: “Touch of Evil” (1958)

Source: Courtesy of Unversal Pictures
Known for dozens of roles, Heston plays Mexican detective Miguel Vargas.
  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: Mexican special prosecutor Miguel Vargas

Mickey Rooney: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Mickey Rooney’s career spanned decades and was among the most consistently working actors.
  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: Japanese photographer I.Y Yunioshi

Natalie Wood: “West Side Story” (1961)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

  • Actor’s ethnicity: Russian-American
  • Who she played: Puerto Rican teenager María Vasquez

Joseph Wiseman: “Dr. No” (1962)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists
Wiseman‘s Dr. No was a villainous character in the James Bond movie of the same name.
  • Actor’s ethnicity: Canadian-American
  • Who he played: Half-Chinese villain Dr. Julius No

Anthony Quinn: “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

  • Actor’s ethnicity: Mexican-Irish
  • Who he played: Bedouin sheik Auda Abu Tayeh

Alec Guinness: “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

  • Actor’s ethnicity: English
  • Who he played: King Faisal I of Iraq

José Ferrer: “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

  • Actor’s ethnicity: Puerto Rican
  • Who he played: Turkish general Hajim Bey

Elizabeth Taylor: “Cleopatra” (1963)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Although it was her iconic role, Taylor wasn’t Greek.
  • Actor’s ethnicity: English-American
  • Who she played: Cleopatra VII, Queen of Egypt

Peter Sellers: “The Party” (1968)
Source: Courtesy of United Artsts

  • Actor’s ethnicity: English
  • Who he played: Indian actor Hrundi V. Bakshi

Elvis Presley: “Stay Away, Joe” (1968)

Source: Archive Photos / Getty Images
After returning from military service, Presley continued his musical career and starred in many movies.
  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: Navajo rodeo rider Joe Lightcloud

Jack Palance: “Che” (1969)

Source: John T. Barr / Hulton Archive via Getty Images

  • Actor’s ethnicity: Ukrainian-American
  • Who he played: Argentinian revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara

John Gielgud: “Lost Horizon” (1973)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

  • Actor’s ethnicity: English
  • Who he played: Tibetan lama Chang

Max von Sydow: “Flash Gordon” (1980)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Max von Sydow’s characters varied from the evil Ming the Merciless in “Flash Gordon” to Lamar Burgess, Director of Precrime in “Minority Report.”
  • Actor’s ethnicity: Swedish
  • Who he played: Emperor Ming the Merciless

Joel Grey: “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins” (1985)

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: Chiun, master of the fictitious Korean martial art Sinanju

Alfred Molina: “Not Without My Daughter” (1991)

Source: Michael Kovac / Getty Images

  • Actor’s ethnicity: English
  • Who he played: Iranian doctor Sayyed Bozorg “Moody” Mahmoody

Al Pacino: “Carlito’s Way” (1993)

Carlito | Al Pacino in “Carlito's Way” (1993)
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

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Al Pacino, playing Carlito in “Carlito’s Way.”
  • Actor’s ethnicity: Italian-American
  • Who he played: Puerto Rican criminal Carlito Brigante

Meryl Streep: “The House of the Spirits” (1993)

Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who she played: Chilean psychic matriarch Clara del Valle Trueba

Glenn Close: “The House of the Spirits” (1993)

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who she played: Chilean patriarch Esteban Trueba’s sister Férula Trueba

Jeremy Irons: “The House of the Spirits” (1993)

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

  • Actor’s ethnicity: English
  • Who he played: Chilean right-wing family patriarch Esteban Trueba

Winona Ryder: “The House of the Spirits” (1993)

Source: Courtesy of Miramax
Winona Ryder as Blanca Trueba, a Chilean woman.
  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who she played: Clara del Valle’s Chilean daughter Blanca Trueba

Madonna: “Evita” (1996)

Source: Vinnie Zuffante / Archive Photos via Getty Images

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who she played: Argentinian first lady Eva Perón

Anthony Hopkins: “The Mask of Zorro” (1998)

Source: Courtesy of Tristar Pictures

  • Actor’s ethnicity: Welsh
  • Who he played: Spanish-born Californian Don Diego de la Vega (Zorro)

Jake Gyllenhaal: “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” (2010)

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: Prince Dastan of Persia

Antonio Banderas: “Black Gold” (2011)

Source: Carlos Alvarez / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
Spanish actor Antonion Banderas has played spies and more, including the Arabian emir Nesib in “Black Gold.”
  • Actor’s ethnicity: Spanish
  • Who he played: Arabian emir Nesib

Mark Strong: “Black Gold” (2011)

Source: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America / via Wikimedia Commons

  • Actor’s ethnicity: English
  • Who he played: Arabian sultan Amar

Johnny Depp: “The Lone Ranger” (2013)

Source: Atsushi Tomura / Getty Images

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who he played: The Lone Ranger’s Comanche companion, Tonto

Emma Stone: “Aloha” (2015)

Source: Ben A. Pruchnie / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who she played: Hawaiian-Chinese-Swedish U.S. Air Force officer Allison Ng

Rooney Mara: “Pan” (2015)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

  • Actor’s ethnicity: American
  • Who she played: Native American princess Tiger Lily
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