“We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elects a fictitious president.” - Michael Moore
The weird unexpected brief cameo of Billy Bob Thorton playing the President of the United States in Richard Curtis’ ensemble rom com LOVE ACTUALLY (now out on DVD) inspired me to make a list of my favorite fictitious film presidents.
Fictitious presidents often exist in a parallel movie universe where the year is never specified and many times their political party is implied, but not stated out loud. They are also by design a comment on the current President at the time of said movie. The Clinton era seemed to inspire the most mock Presidential performances - DAVE, THE CONTENDER, and The West Wing TV series being the most notable examples.
The least unimaginative entries here aren't even named - they're simply just The President. This is something that annoys me greatly because ff you’re going to have the leader of the free world as a character in your movie, dammit, GIVE HIM A NAME!!!!
ACTORS THAT’VE PLAYED FICTITIOUS PRESIDENTS A-Z (well, W actually)
AKYROYD, DAN: President William Haney in Peter Segel's MY FELLOW AMERICANS (1996)
ALDA, ALAN: U.S. President in Michael Moore's CANADIAN BACON (1995)
ANDREWS, TOD: President Jeremy Haines in THE PRESIDENT’S PLANE IS MISSING (1973, TV movie) I haven’t seen this one but love the title, and that they named him.
ATHERTON, WILLIAM: President John Fields in David L. Corley's EXECUTIVE POWER (1997) 1997 was a banner year for movie Presidents. This one is unimaginative as the title.
BERGEN, POLLY: President Leslie McCloud in Curtis Bernhardt's KISSES FOR MY PRESIDENT (1964)
BRIDGES, JEFF: President Jackson Evans in Rod Lurie's THE CONTENDER (2000)
BRIDGES, LLOYD: President Thomas 'Tug' Benson in Jim Abraham's HOT SHOTS PART DEUX (1993)
CROMWELL, JAMES: President Robert Fowler in Phil Alden Robinson's THE SUM OF ALL FEARS (2002)
DOUGLAS, MICHAEL: President Andrew Shepherd in Rob Reiner's THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT (1995)
DREYFUSS, RICHARD: The President in Stephen Frears' 2000 TV movie remake FAIL SAFE HONORABLE MENTION: Presidential candidate Senator Bob Rumson in THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT (1995)
FONDA, HENRY: The President in Sydney Lumet's 1964 original FAIL SAFE
FORD, HARRISON: President James Marshall in Wolfgang Peterson's AIR FORCE ONE (1997)
GARNER, JAMES: President Matt Douglas in Peter Segel's MY FELLOW AMERICANS (1996)
HACKMAN, GENE: President Allen Richmond in Clint Eastwood's ABSOLUTE POWER (1997) HONORABLE MENTION: Ex-President Monroe Cole in Donald Petrie's WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT (2004)
HOLBROOK, HAL: President Adam Scott in George Mendeluk's THE KIDNAPPING OF THE PRESIDENT (1980)
KLINE, KEVIN: President William Harrison 'Bill' Mitchell in Ivan Reitman's DAVE (1993)
LEMMON, JACK: President Russell O. Kramer in MY FELLOW AMERICANS (1996)
MARCH, FREDERIC: President Jordan Lyman in John Frankenheimer's SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (1964)
MARSHALL, E.G.: The President in Richard Lester's SUPERMAN II (1981)
NEWHART, BOB: President Manfred Link in Buck Henry's FIRST FAMILY (1980)
NICHOLSON, JACK: President James Dale in Tim Burton's MARS ATTACKS! (1996)
NIELSON, LESLIE: President Harris in David Zucker's SCARY MOVIE 3 (2003) PLEASENCE, DONALD: President of the United States in John Carpenter's ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981)
PULLMAN, BILL: President Thomas J. Whitmore in Roland Emmerich's INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996)
ROBBINS, TIM: The President in Jay Roach's AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME (1999)
SELLERS, PETER: President Merkin Muffley in Stanley Kubrick's DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
SHEEN, MARTIN: President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet on The West Wing (NBC TV SERIES, 1999-present) HONORABLE MENTION: Presidential Candidate Greg Stillson in THE DEAD ZONE (1983)
THORTON, BILLY BOB: US President in LOVE ACTUALLY (2003)
WARDEN, JACK: President Benjamin Turnball Rand in Hal Ashby's BEING THERE (1979)
WATERSON, SAM: The President in George P. Cosmatos' SHADOW CONSPIRACY (1997)
More later...
