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Actors who have played God

Actors who have played God

From George Burns in Oh, God! to Steve Buscemi in Miracle Workers on TBS, and Whoopi Goldberg (twice!), here are all the actors who have portrayed the almighty on the silver screen.

By Marcus Jones

January 27, 2020 at 07:52 PM EST

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Rex Ingram in The Green Pastures (1936)

In one of the most successful classic films with an all-black cast, Ingram plays God, Adam, and more in a set of stories that combine the Bible and black folklore.

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Groucho Marx in Skidoo (1968)

Everett Collection

Groucho Marx called his final silver screen performance, in which he plays God in the heavily LSD-influenced experimental film, "God-awful," in his 1976 book The Groucho Phile.

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George Burns in Oh, God! (1977), Oh, God! Book II (1980), Oh, God! You Devil (1984)

Everett Collection

Through the Oh, God! film franchise, veteran entertainer George Burns found new wind in his career playing lord and savior to a different character each movie.

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Ralph Richardson in Time Bandits (1981)

Everett Collection

In director Terry Gilliam's first film in his Trilogy of Imagination, Richardson plays a Supreme Being that employs dwarves to fix holes in the space-time continuum.

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Robert Morley in Second Time Lucky (1984)

Broadbank Investments

British actor Robert Morley plays God making a wager with Satan on whether or not Adam and Eve can stay moral through a series of different time periods, and save humanity from eternal damnation.

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Ferdy Mayne in Night Train to Terror (1985)

Everett Collection

European actor Ferdy Mayne plays another version of God making a wager with Satan on whether a sample size of humans deserve heaven or hell.

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George Plimpton in A Fool and His Money (1989)

Blossom Pictures

Writer and media personality George Plimpton makes a quick appearance as God in this religious satire starring a young Sandra Bullock.

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Charlton Heston in Almost An Angel (1990)

Paramount Pictures

While we actually see Charlton Heston play God in this box office bomb starring Paul Hogan, the established actor is much more known for voicing the deity in another film, The Ten Commandments.

Related: Hollywood finds God (again)

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Robert Mitchum in Les Sept Péchés Capitaux (1992)

Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images

Classic film actor Robert Mitchum somehow found his way into playing Dieu in an obscure Belgian comedy.

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Scott Bairstow on Touched By An Angel (1994)

CBS

Long-running CBS drama Touched By An Angel came to a conclusion with Monica (Roma Downey) finally meeting God in the body of a young man played by Scott Bairstow.

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Emily Watson in Breaking The Waves (1996)

Provocative filmmaker Lars Von Trier made God a woman in the form of Emily Watson. The role earned her a Best Actress nomination at the 1997 Oscars.

Related: Legacy of an indie film legend

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Bob Odenkirk on Mr. Show (1998)

HBO

In a popular sketch from Bob Odenkirk and David Cross's cult classic sketch show Mr. Show, the future Better Call Saul star plays a God that emulates late Hollywood producer Robert Evans.

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Maurice Roëves in The Acid House (1998)

Everett Collection

As is common with many of these projects, actor Maurice Roëves is another person woven into several interconnecting stories that turns out to be God himself.

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Alanis Morisette in Dogma (1999)

Everett Collection

Alanis Morisette appeared as God in this cult classic Kevin Smith film that came out around five years after the release of the Canadian "You Oughta Know" singer's groundbreaking Jagged Little Pill album.

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Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf in Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV (2000)

Henry Nasiff Jr., also known as Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf from radio personality Howard Stern's Wack Pack, has a cameo as God in this B-movie sequel that came out in New York shortly after his death.

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Whoopi Goldberg in It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)

Everett Collection

Yes, there's a muppet movie where God is a character, and of course they are played by Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg.

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Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty (2003), Evan Almighty (2007)

Everett Collection

Morgan Freeman put his velvety voice to good use as the entity reigning over heaven in the Jim Carrey-lead comedy Bruce Almighty. He even returned in the lesser sequel Evan Almighty, where Steve Carell plays a modern Noah.

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Antônio Fagundes in God Is Brazilian (2003)

Everett Collection

Brazilian dramedy God Is Brazilian lives up to its name by casting Brazilian actor Antônio Fagundes as the all seeing and all knowing God.

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Will.I.Am, Zachary Quinto, and more on Joan of Arcadia (2003)

Gale M. Adler/CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Short-lived network dramedy Joan of Arcadia had multiple actors play God throughout its two seasons, including Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas and Zachary Quinto.

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Rodney Dangerfield in Angels With Angles (2005)

Sierra Mar Pictures

Like comedy legend Groucho Marx before him, stand-up icon Rodney Dangerfield's last film role was that of God. Weirdly, the film also has an actor playing fellow former onscreen God George Burns.

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Rob Benedict on Supernatural (2005)

Katie Yu/The CW

Seven seasons after the character Chuck Shurley (Rob Benedict) is introduced, and in the eleventh season of the long-running show Supernatural, he is revealed to actually be God.

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Whoopi Goldberg in A Little Bit of Heaven (2011)

Everett Collection

Goldberg falls back into the role of God, trading muppets for Kate Hudson in this forgotten romcom.

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Paul Sorvino in The Devil’s Carnival (2012)

Goodfellas actor Paul Sorvino plays God among sinners in a twisted musical horror film.

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Isaac Andrews in Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

20th Century Fox

In Ridley Scott's controversial adaptation of the story of Moses, young British actor Isaac Andrews play Malak, the boy God possesses to get a message across to the prophet.

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Mark Harelik on Preacher (2016)

Everett Collection

Veteran TV actor Mark Harelik dazed and confused the cast of the edgy AMC series Preacher through four seasons as the elusive God.

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Octavia Spencer in The Shack (2017)

Jake Giles Netter/Lionsgate

In an adaptation of the popular 2007 Christian novel, Oscar winner Octavia Spencer plays God, who's living in a mystical shack with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

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Steve Buscemi on Miracle Workers (2019)

Curtis Baker/TBS

Steve Buscemi offers another oddball take on God, bored and ready to end humanity on this TBS show. The second season premiering in early 2020 sees him return, with the setting now in the Dark Ages.

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By Marcus Jones @marcus_jones

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Actors who have played God

1 of 27

Rex Ingram in The Green Pastures (1936)

1 of 27

2 of 27

Groucho Marx in Skidoo (1968)

2 of 27

3 of 27

George Burns in Oh, God! (1977), Oh, God! Book II (1980), Oh, God! You Devil (1984)

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4 of 27

Ralph Richardson in Time Bandits (1981)

4 of 27

5 of 27

Robert Morley in Second Time Lucky (1984)

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Ferdy Mayne in Night Train to Terror (1985)

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George Plimpton in A Fool and His Money (1989)

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Charlton Heston in Almost An Angel (1990)

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Robert Mitchum in Les Sept Péchés Capitaux (1992)

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Scott Bairstow on Touched By An Angel (1994)

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Emily Watson in Breaking The Waves (1996)

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Bob Odenkirk on Mr. Show (1998)

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Maurice Roëves in The Acid House (1998)

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Alanis Morisette in Dogma (1999)

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Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf in Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV (2000)

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Whoopi Goldberg in It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)

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Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty (2003), Evan Almighty (2007)

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Antônio Fagundes in God Is Brazilian (2003)

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Will.I.Am, Zachary Quinto, and more on Joan of Arcadia (2003)

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Rodney Dangerfield in Angels With Angles (2005)

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Rob Benedict on Supernatural (2005)

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Whoopi Goldberg in A Little Bit of Heaven (2011)

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Paul Sorvino in The Devil’s Carnival (2012)

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Isaac Andrews in Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

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Mark Harelik on Preacher (2016)

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Octavia Spencer in The Shack (2017)

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