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Zelig

Zelig

7,4 /10 (923 Votes)
1983 EN 79 min

Overview

Fictional documentary about the life of human chameleon Leonard Zelig, a man who becomes a celebrity in the 1920s due to his ability to look and act like whoever is around him. Clever editing places Zelig in real newsreel footage of Woodrow Wilson, Babe Ruth, and others.

Release date

15/07/1983

Votes

923

Popularity

2.0

You wanted more when it was all over!

Genres

Status

Released

Language

EN

Runtime

79 min

Budget

$13,500,000

Revenue

$11,798,616

Woody Allen

Woody Allen

Leonard Zelig

Mia Farrow

Mia Farrow

Dr. Eudora Nesbitt Fletcher

No photo

Patrick Horgan

The Narrator (voice)

John Buckwalter

John Buckwalter

Dr. Sindell

No photo

Marvin Chatinover

Glandular Diagnosis Doctor

No photo

Stanley Swerdlow

Mexican Food Doctor

No photo

Paul Nevens

Dr. Birsky

Howard Erskine

Howard Erskine

Hypodermic Doctor

No photo

Richard Whiting

Other Doctor

No photo

Ralph Bell

Other Doctor

No photo

Will Hussung

Other Doctor

Gale Hansen

Gale Hansen

Freshman #1

Michael Jeter

Michael Jeter

Freshman #2

Peter McRobbie

Peter McRobbie

Workers Rally Speaker

Richard Litt

Richard Litt

Charles Koslow

Mary Louise Wilson

Mary Louise Wilson

Sister Ruth

No photo

Alice Beardsley

Telephone Operator

Paula Trueman

Paula Trueman

Woman on Telephone

Garrett M. Brown

Garrett M. Brown

Actor Zelig

Marianne Tatum

Marianne Tatum

Actress Fletcher

No photo

Charles Denny

Actor Doctor

No photo

Michael Kell

Actor Koslow

John Rothman

John Rothman

Paul Deghuee

Deborah Rush

Deborah Rush

Lita Fox

No photo

Stanley Simmonds

Lita's Lawyer

No photo

Robert Berger

Zelig's Lawyer

Jeanine Jackson

Jeanine Jackson

Helen Gray

John Doumanian

John Doumanian

Greek Waiter

Willy Holt

Willy Holt

Rally Chancellor

Susan Sontag

Susan Sontag

Susan Sontag - Contemporary Interviews

Saul Bellow

Saul Bellow

Saul Bellow - Contemporary Interviews

Irving Howe

Irving Howe

Irving Howe - Contemporary Interviews

No photo

Marshall Cole Sr.

Calvin Turner - Contemporary Interviews

No photo

Ellen Garrison

Older Dr. Fletcher - Contemporary Interviews

No photo

Jack Cannon

Mike Geibell - Contemporary Interviews

No photo

Theodore R. Smits

Ted Bierbauer - Contemporary Interviews

No photo

Sherman Loud

Older Paul Deghuee - Contemporary Interviews

No photo

Elizabeth Rothschild

Older Sister Meryl Fletcher - Contemporary Interviews

No photo

Kuno Sponholz

Oswald Pohl - Contemporary Interviews

Ed Herlihy

Ed Herlihy

Pathe News Announcer (voice)

Dwight Weist

Dwight Weist

Hearst Metrotone Announcer (voice)

No photo

George Hamlin

Experimental Drugs Doctor

No photo

Robert Iglesia

Man in Barber Chair

No photo

Eli Resnick

Man in Park

No photo

Edward McPhillips

Scotsman

No photo

Sol Lomita

Martin Geist

No photo

Ed Lane

Man on Telephone

No photo

Sharon Ferrol-Young

Miss Baker

No photo

Dimitri Vassilopoulos

Martinez

No photo

Stephanie Farrow

Sister Meryl

No photo

Francis Beggins

City Hall Speaker

No photo

Jean Trowbridge

Dr. Fletcher's Mother

No photo

Ken Chapin

On-Camera Interviewer

No photo

Gerald Klein

Hearst Guest

Vincent Jerman-Jerosa

Vincent Jerman-Jerosa

Hearst Guest

No photo

Erma Campbell

Zelig's Wife

No photo

Anton Marco

Wrist Victim

No photo

Louise Deitch

House-Painting Victim

No photo

Bernice Dowis

Vilification Woman

No photo

Bernie Herold

Carter Dean

Elizabeth Kaitan

Elizabeth Kaitan

German Girl (uncredited)

Arthur Anderson

Arthur Anderson

Other Doctor (uncredited)

Bubba Dean Rambo

Bubba Dean Rambo

Charleston Dancer (uncredited)

Kim Johnston Ulrich

Kim Johnston Ulrich

Beauty Contestant (uncredited)

No photo

Michael Blevins

Lizard Dancer (uncredited)

Jon Hayden

Jon Hayden

Reporter (uncredited)

Mae Questel

Mae Questel

Helen Kane (voice) (uncredited)

No photo

Ruth Leon Weiman

Mother of a Graduate (uncredited)

No photo

Tug Wilson

Police Officer (uncredited)

Original Soundtrack

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L

ltcomdata

2014-02-26

⭐ 6

A charming mockumentary about a fictional 1920s personality filmed as if cobbled together from old black-and-white footage.

Read full review →
T

tmdb28039023

2022-09-03

⭐ 6

Leonard Zelig is a "human chameleon," but Zelig the film doesn't stop at mimicry. Indeed, this fictional documentary written, directed, and starring Woody Allen differentiates between imitation and parody the same way Hitchcock differentiated between action and suspense. For example, the protagonist's parents used to punish him by locking him in a dark closet. If that were it, the film would simply be copying an aspect of Ingmar Bergman's childhood; Allen's genius lies in adding that when Zelig's parents are really mad, they "get into the closet with him." Zelig's targets go beyond the f…

Read full review →
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

2025-06-21

⭐ 6

I suppose nowadays we would call this a “mockumentary” about a chap who can be all things to all men except, perhaps, himself. It’s told using interviews, news reports and other actuality to regale us with the life and times of this man who somehow managed to infiltrate just about every scenario, strata of society and political grouping whilst altering his appearance to attain a consistent prominence even though his reasons for being where he was/is/would be were never quite clear to observers. Finally identified, he attracts the attention of psychiatrist “Dr. Fletcher” (Mia Farrow) who attemp…

Read full review →
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

2025-06-21

⭐ 6

I suppose nowadays we would call this a “mockumentary” about a chap who can be all things to all men except, perhaps, himself. It’s told using interviews, news reports and other actuality to regale us with the life and times of this man who somehow managed to infiltrate just about every scenario, strata of society and political grouping whilst altering his appearance to attain a consistent prominence even though his reasons for being where he was/is/would be were never quite clear to observers. Finally identified, he attracts the attention of psychiatrist “Dr. Fletcher” (Mia Farrow) who attemp…

Read full review →