Zelig Photos

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Cast

Woody Allen
as Leonard Zelig

Saul Bellow

Mia Farrow
as Dr. Eudora Fletcher

Susan Sontag

Garrett M. Brown
as Actor Zelig

Stephanie Farrow
as Sister Meryl

John Buckwalter
as Dr. Sindell

Marvin Chatinover
as Glandular Diagnosis Doctor

Stanley Swerdlow
as Mexican Food Doctor

Paul Nevens
as Dr. Birsky

Howard Erskine
as Hypodermic Doctor

George Hamlin
as Experimental Drugs Doctor

Ralph Bell
as Other Doctor

Richard Whiting
as Other Doctor

Will Hussung
as Other Doctor

Robert Iglesia
as Man in Barber Chair

Eli Resnick
as Man in Park

Edward McPhillips
as Scotsman

Prof. John Morion Blum
as Himself

Gale Hansen
as Freshman No. 1

Wendy Craig
as Herself

Michael Jeter
as Freshman No. 2

Peter McRobbie
as Workers Rally Speaker

Sol Lomita
as Martin Geist

Mary Louise Wilson
as Sister Ruth

Alice Beardsley
as Telephone Operator

Paula Trueman
as Woman at Telephone

Charles Denney
as Actor Doctor

Michael Kell
as Actor Koslow

Sharon Ferrol
as Miss Baker

Richard Litt
as Charles Koslow

Dimitri Vassilopoulos
as Martinez

John Rothman
as Paul Deghuee

Francis Beggins
as City Hall Speaker

Jean Trowbridge
as Dr. Fletcher's Mother

Ken Chapin
as On-Camera Interviewer

Gerald Klein
as Hearst Guest

Vincent Jerosa
as Hearst Guest

Deborah Rush
as Lita Fox

Stanley Simmonds
as Lita's Lawyer

Robert Berger
as Zelig's Lawyer

Jeanine Jackson
as Helen Gray

Erma Campbell
as Zelig's Wife

Anton Marco
as Wrist Victim

Louise Deitch
as House Painting Victim

Bernice Dowis
as Vilification Woman

John Doumanian
as Greek Waiter

Ed Lane
as Man on Telephone

Marianne Tatum
as Actress Fletcher

Will Holt
as Rally Chancellor

Cole Palen
as Zelig's Stunt Double

Kim Johnston Ulrich

Pam Barber
as Fletcher's Stunt Double

Bernie Herold
as Carter Dean

Derwin Jordan

Marshall Coles Sr.
as Calvin Turner

Patrick Horgan
as Narrator

Ellen Garrison
as Older Doctor Fletcher

Jack Cannon
as Mike Geibell

Theodore R. Smits
as Ted Bierbauer

Sherman Loud
as Older Paul

Elizabeth Rothschild
as Older Sister Meryl

Kuno Spunholz
as Oswald

Susan Sontag
as Herself

Irving Howe
as Himself

Saul Bellow
as Himself

Bricktop
as Herself

Dr. Bruno Bettelheim
as Himself

John Morton Blum
as Himself

Ed Herlihy
as Himself

Dwight Weist
as Himself

Gordon Gould
as Himself

Windy Craig
as Himself

Jurgen Kuehn
as Himself

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Critic Reviews for Zelig

Audience Reviews for Zelig

• Jun 01, 2014

  This mockumentary about a human chameleon who is able to change race, appearance, and professional demeanor at will is rather clever with the "archive footage," the smoooth 'n smarmy radio-voiced "narrator," and the "cameo interviews" with actual famous literati, but the movie tips on the tightrope of Woody Allen's slapstick inanity and Woody Allen's in-depth human analysis without ever transcending to the latter. I'm not one for blanket political correctness, but if you're gonna use blackface and slant-eyed make-up, you've gotta say something narratively relevant and not just treat it as a gag. There's so much social and cultural critique to be mined for both smart comedy and introspective pathos: people's prejudices toward different races, the knowledge of one's own race as the Other, the oftentimes unquestioned authority of those in respected professions, et cetera. The fictional Dr. Eudora Fletcher states that to the untrained observer, Zelig's faux-psychiatrist sounds realistic, but he's really just deploying cliched lingo. It would follow that Zelig adopts different stereotypical speech patterns for different races or classes, but all of this "research" is presented in silent "archive footage," not some tour de force bit of spoof acting like Robert Downey Jr.'s in "Tropic Thunder." Nothing changes within Woody or Zelig to actually BECOME or even inhabit another personality, which is sadly unsurprising since Woody Allen seems incapable of playing anyone other than Woody Allen. (And anyway, mimicking Dr. Fletcher is technically a plothole because Zelig's chameleonic power doesn't work with or on women.) Without grounding in what it actually means to "pass" as a different race, class, or other distinction, this lightweight premise and execution is almost as insulting as Woody's blind man bit in "Hollywood Ending."
  Alice S Super Reviewer
• Oct 11, 2012

  One of the best films Woody Allen has ever made! I loved it
  Serge E Super Reviewer
• Apr 15, 2012

  This is Woody Allen's funny, offbeat, and really cleverly hilarious mockumentary about Leonard Zelig, the "human chameleon"- a man with a multiple personality disorder so bad, he compulsively transforms into anyone that he is near. The bulk of the film is shot in the style of 1920s/30s newsreels, and follows Leonard through history as he does everything from show up to batting practive with Babe Ruth, appear at the Vatican with Pope Pius and stand behind Hitler at the Nuremberg Rally. Basically, this film pioneered the same concept and special effects later used to great effect and acclaim by Robert Zemeckis with Forrest Gump. This film is a lot funnier, more clever, and more zany, though. Besides his antics with mimicking people and showing up at various historical events, Zelig becomes a celebrity in his own right, and, while being treated and cured by Dr. Eudora Fletcher, he falls in love. This is a brisk, funny, very sweet, and terrific film. I loved the ideas and the execution. At a running time of 80 somehting minutes though, this feels really slight and the style seems to overrun the substance. The film does get slightly beneath the surface though, so it's not all fluff. It's not one of Woody's best, but I'd put it near the top of his B-Sides.
  Chris W Super Reviewer
• Nov 15, 2011

  My mind has now been blown by Woody Allen. I mean, I have always liked him. Yet, this film makes me feel as though I am only beginning to scratch the surface of Allen's creativity. The fact that this was made in the 80's only serves to impressive me even more. The special effects are incredibly well done and this film succeeded in looking like a collage of film stock from the 20's. The film may lose steam in the middle, but the impression is likely to stay with you forever. A wholly unique and mesmerizing experience.
  Reid V Super Reviewer

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