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Caspar Phillipson
Caspar Phillipson performs in Frederikshavn in 2009
Born	(1971-01-13) 13 January 1971 (age 53)
Nationality	Danish
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1995–present
Spouse	Marianne Phillipson
Children	3
Website	www.casparphillipson.com

Caspar Phillipson (born 13 January 1971) is a Danish actor and singer who has performed onscreen, onstage, and as a voice actor, predominantly in Scandinavian productions. Phillipson is best known in the English-speaking world for his portrayal of John F. Kennedy in the 2016 film Jackie. Although Phillipson appears in Jackie for only ten minutes, his resemblance to Kennedy has been considered unusually striking. Phillipson has subsequently portrayed Kennedy in other projects, including the TV series Project Blue Book and the films Blonde (2022), Hammarskjöld (2023), and Maria (2024).

Biography

Phillipson has worked as a stage actor, screen actor, and voice actor. As a voice actor, Phillipson has dubbed roles from English-language films into Danish, including revoicing Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Phillipson has appeared in Scandinavian productions for the screen, including the television series The Bridge and Borgen.

Phillipson portrayed John F. Kennedy in Jackie (2016), his first role in an English-language film. He first auditioned for the part by video from Istanbul while appearing in a stage production of Hamlet. To audition in person for Jackie in Paris, Phillipson claimed sick leave from a Danish stage production called Don't Touch Nefertiti, missing five sold-out performances in a role that had been specially written for him. The Danish theater company took Phillipson to court and, in January 2017, the company was awarded kr. 116,000 for the inconvenience he had caused the theater.

Although Phillipson appeared for less than ten minutes in Jackie, the press noted his close resemblance to Kennedy. The Washington Post commented on the resemblance after photos from the film's set were released: "That thatch of hair, those white teeth, the smile lines around the eyes — all very Kennedyesque. He might not be familiar to U.S. audiences, but he's far more visually similar to the former prez than other actors who’ve played JFK in recent memory, including James Marsden in The Butler (2013), Greg Kinnear in the 2011 TV miniseries The Kennedys and Rob Lowe in 2013's Killing Kennedy." Prior to auditioning for the part, Phillipson said his resemblance to Kennedy had only been noticed when he spent time in the United States: "I did a workshop years ago with Frank Corsaro, this iconic American teacher — he was the leader of Actors Studio — and suddenly, in the middle of a different scene, he said in this gruff voice, 'You have to do Kennedy one day. You just have to.'" Following Corsaro's advice, Phillipson practiced speeches by Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy, who he believed he more closely resembled.

Jackie casting director Mathilde Snodgrass said, "There had been an actor in Los Angeles who had done JFK for 10 or 15 years. He was in everything. But he was getting too old now. I thought, if Caspar could come with us, then he could be the next one. He could be the guy". After the film's release, Phillipson appeared in live performances as Kennedy alongside Anders Agner Pedersen, a Danish biographer of Kennedy; Pedersen provided historical context for a Kennedy speech before Phillipson delivered it. The actor delivered notable speeches by Kennedy such as his inaugural address, his 1963 American University speech, and his 1963 West Berlin speech. Phillipson reprised the role of Kennedy again in a short film, performing a "lost" speech written for the president to deliver on 22 November 1963, the date of his assassination. Phillipson's delivery of the speech was filmed at the 2017 COLCOA Film Festival and released as The Speech JFK Never Gave. He also played Kennedy in films Blonde (2022), Hammarskjöld (2023), and Maria (2024).

Filmography

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Film

Television

References

1. ^ Hesse, Monica (8 March 2017). "The actor who played JFK in 'Jackie' looks so much like JFK that now he can't stop". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
2. Ritman, Alex (15 March 2017). "Natalie Portman's 'Jackie' Biopic Finds Its JFK". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
3. Hamilton, Ben (14 January 2017). "'Jackie' star ordered to pay damages after auditioning for JFK role while on sick leave". The Copenhagen Post. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
4. Almbjerg, Sarah-Iben (11 January 2017). "Dansk skuespiller sygemeldte sig fra teater og tog til Hollywood: Nu skal han betale kæmpe erstatning" [Danish actor got sick from theater and went to Hollywood: Now he has to pay huge compensation]. BT (in Danish). Retrieved 27 November 2017.
5. Blumenfeld, Zach (15 March 2016). "Danish Actor Caspar Phillipson Cast As JFK In Natalie Portman's Jackie Biopic". Paste. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
6. Truffaut-Wong, Olivia (5 December 2016). "The Actor Who Plays JFK In 'Jackie' Is Not Related To The Kennedys, Despite His Uncanny Looks". Bustle. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
7. Heil, Emily (8 March 2016). "The Danish actor playing JFK to Natalie Portman's 'Jackie' looks like a Kennedy". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
8. Bergman, Jonathan (3 April 2017). "JFK actor speaks at American University". The Eagle. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
9. Molloy, Tim (29 May 2017). "Watch This 'Jackie' Actor Deliver JFK's Lost, Never-Delivered Speech (Video)". TheWrap. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
10. Stolworthy, Jacob (2022-09-29). "Blonde: Netflix users call 'horrifying' JFK scene 'disgusting exploitation'". The Independent. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
11. "Orkestret". Imdb. Retrieved 3 April 2024.

External links

• Official website
• Caspar Phillipson at IMDb
• Caspar Phillipson's channel on YouTube

• 1977 births
• Living people
• 20th-century Danish male actors
• 21st-century Danish male actors
• Danish male film actors
• Danish male stage actors