Jan Leighton

Jan Leighton

1921–2009

In 1985, the Guinness Book of World Records listed Jan Leighton as having played more roles—2,407 to be precise—than any other actor. The vast bulk of his work involved portraying historical figures in commercials, print advertisements, and personal appearances. His impersonations included George Washington, Albert Einstein, Christopher Columbus, William Shakespeare, Gandhi, Ernest Hemingway, and even Margaret Thatcher.

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Born Milton Lichtman in New York City, he served in the Air Force in World War II and sold shoes before returning to his childhood love of acting, said The New York Times. Leighton appeared on live TV and on Broadway, in the 1960 musical Wildcat. “But when the jobs became scarce, he reinvented himself, as a walking, talking hall of fame, an impersonator for hire.” As Fidel Castro he hawked Bic lighters; as Robert E. Lee he promoted an Arizona department store. “For one bank commercial he portrayed Clark Gable, Groucho Marx, Teddy Roosevelt, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, all complaining about other banks that charged for checks.” Leighton also sold Cheerios as Alexander Hamilton, cough syrup as Frankenstein’s monster, mobile phones as Dracula, and beer as Johann Sebastian Bach. “He even played Mr. Whipple’s twin in a commercial for Charmin bathroom tissue.”

Leighton appeared in print on the cover of Time as Uncle Sam, and in New York magazine as Henry Kissinger and Leonardo da Vinci. Once, when asked how he was faring, he replied, “I’m alive and well and living in someone else’s face.”