History Main / PlayingTheirOwnTwin

* In ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'': Creator/BarclayHope play both Clifford and Claudius Blossom.

* Used ''in-universe'' as part of the plot of the comedy ''Two Much''. Creator/AntonioBanderas plays a struggling artist who finds himself forcibly engaged to a wealthy woman (Creator/MelanieGriffith), but is way more interested in her sister Liz (Creator/DarylHannah). In order to date them both, he masquerades as his own twin brother, and even manages to perform a weird scene in which he's TalkingToHimself so that people will see both twins at the same time.[[note]]He walks in circles in a room, repeatedly passing a window, and putting on or taking off a pair of glasses and tying or untying a ponytail before he reaches the window so that the people outside will see the "twin" who is currently speaking. It works.[[/note]]

'''Note that only examples of twin/related characters should be listed: clones, doppelgängers, and other identical counterparts are more typically played by the same actor and not part of this trope. VoiceActors who voice both of a pair of twins go on TalkingToHimself.'''

* ''Series/DarkAngel'': Most or all of the X5 supersoldiers were created as pairs of identical twins, and in the two cases where we've seen both twins of a set onscreen, they were played by the same actor: Creator/JensenAckles played both Ben/X5-493 and Alec/X5-494, Creator/JessicaAlba played both Max/X5-452 and Sam/X5-453. Technically, they're [[ClonesArePeopleToo clones]], but they were created at the same time and aged normally from infancy to adulthood, so they're effectively the same as natural twins and the series refers to them as "twins" more often than "clones". Screenshots of Zack/X5-599, Tinga/X5-656, Brin/X5-734 and Krit/X5-471 are also used in the real-world book ''The Eyes Only Dossier'' for the files on their twins Lane/X5-600, Jewel X5-657, Keema/X5-735 and Devon/X5-472.

* ''Series/DarkAngel'': Most or all of the X5 supersoldiers were created as pairs of identical twins, and in the two cases where we've seen both twins of a set onscreen, they were played by the same actor: Creator/JensenAckles played both Ben/X5-493 and Alec/X5-494, Creator/JessicaAlba played both Max/X5-453 and Sam/X5-453. Technically, they're [[ClonesArePeopleToo clones]], but they were created at the same time and aged normally from infancy to adulthood, so they're effectively the same as natural twins and the series refers to them as "twins" more often than "clones". Screenshots of Zack/X5-599, Tinga/X5-656, Brin/X5-734 and Krit/X5-471 are also used in the real-world book ''The Eyes Only Dossier'' for the files on their twins Lane/X5-600, Jewel X5-657, Keema/X5-735 and Devon/X5-472.

Of course, there are more actors without twins than there are pairs of twins who are actors. Finding a pair that are identical enough and are both suitable for the part may be very hard and much more effort than just the one.

* In ''{{Film/Constantine}}'' Angela Dodgson is a twin, whose sister kills herself at the beginning of the film. Both are played by Creator/RachelWeisz.

* In ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'' (the ''Series/GameOfThrones'' prequel), Jefferson Hall plays both twin brothers Jason and Tyland Lannister.

* ''Series/DarkAngel'': Most or all of the X5 supersoldiers were created as pairs of identical twins, and in the two cases where we've seen both twins of a set onscreen, they were played by the same actor: Creator/JensenAckles played both Ben/X5-493 and Alec/X5-494, Creator/JessicaAlba played both Max/X5-453 and Sam/X5-453. Technically, they're [[ClonesArePeopleToo clones]], but they were created at the same time and aged normally from infancy to adulthood, so they're effectively the same as natural twins and the series refers to them as "twins" as or more often than "clones".

* ''Series/{{Bewitched}}''. Creator/ElizabethMontgomery played both Samantha and her mischievous twin cousin Serena; however, because the characters were so different, many fans were unaware that Elizabeth played both parts. To keep the charade going, she adopted a pseudonym when credited for Serena as Pandora Spocks.

* Done in both versions of ''The Parent Trap'' (the [[Film/TheParentTrap1961 1961 original]] starring Creator/HayleyMills and the [[Film/TheParentTrap1998 1998 remake]] starring Creator/LindsayLohan). The lead plays both separated at birth twins, as they were split as part of their parents' divorce proceedings and kept secret from each other. They swap places to get to know their other parent after meeting at camp before planning to get them back together. For the original, Walt Disney wanted to get actual twins in the role...until he saw what the DoubleVision effects looked like.
* Creator/LindsayLohan had another outing as twins separated at birth in ''Film/IKnowWhoKilledMe'', in which she played the bright-eyed and studious Aubrey, who turns up missing; meanwhile, her long-lost twin Dakota--a stripper who was abducted, tortured, and mutilated--suddenly surfaces and is mistaken for the former twin.
* ''Film/MammaMiaHereWeGoAgain'' reveals that Bill has an identical (albeit [[FatAndSkinny a bit wider]]) twin brother, also played by Creator/StellanSkarsgard. They pull a TwinSwitch at an award ceremony so that Bill can make it to the hotel’s grand opening.

* In ''Film/ThereWillBeBlood'', Creator/PaulDano plays both Eli Sunday, the two-faced young preacher who squares off against Daniel Plainview, and Paul Sunday, Eli's brother who leads Plainview to the oil on his family's land in exchange for a finder's fee. Dano was originally cast in the much smaller part of Paul, but when the actor who played Eli suddenly left the production, he took the starring role of Eli on short notice. This is played for a gag when Daniel does a DoubleTake on meeting Eli for the first time after having already dealt with Paul.
* ''Film/TheManInTheIronMask'' goes with the theory that the titular man was King UsefulNotes/LouisXIV's secret twin, with both being played by Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio. This has been true of ''every'' film version of the story, including 1962's ''Film/{{The Iron Mask|1962}}'', with Jean-François Poron in both roles.
* ''Film/DoubleImpact'' and ''Film/MaximumRisk'' both feature Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme playing two twin brothers.
* ''Film/DeadRingers'': Creator/JeremyIrons plays twin brothers Elliot and Beverly Mantle, two wealthy private practice gynecologists. Their interaction was mostly achieved via split screen.
* In ''Film/TheSocialNetwork'', both Winklevoss twins were played by Creator/ArmieHammer. The production team used an innovative VFX technique in which Hammer acted alongside a body double, Josh Pence, while his scenes were filmed, and Hammer's face was later digitally grafted onto Pence's face during post-production.
* In ''Film/{{Legend}}'', Creator/TomHardy portrays both Ronald and Reginald Kray, the infamous twin {{London Gangster}}s.
* ''Film/ShockTreatment'' has Cliff de Young play Brad Majors and [[spoiler: Farley Flavors]], who are revealed to be [[SeparatedAtBirth separated by adoption]] twin brothers.
* Creator/BetteDavis in ''Film/AStolenLife'' and ''Film/DeadRinger''.
* In ''Film/{{Adaptation}}'', Creator/NicolasCage plays both Charlie Kaufman (a fictionalized version of the film's screenwriter) and Donald Kaufman, his fictional twin brother.

* Creator/ChrisRock plays two identical twins in ''Film/BadCompany2002''.
* Creator/BetteMidler and Creator/LilyTomlin each play a pair of identical twins in ''Big Business''.

* Creator/SeanYoung plays twins Ellen and Dorothy in ''Film/AKissBeforeDying''.
* In ''{{Film/Constantine}}'' Angela Dodgson is a twin, whose sister kills herself at the beginning of the film. Both are played by Creator/RachelWeisz.
* In ''Film/TheCableGuy'', [[Creator/BenStiller Ben Stiller]] plays former TV child star Sam Sweet who is on trial for the murder of his twin brother Stan Sweet, also played by Stiller. Though the trial doesn't play into the main plot at all, they tie together into a joke at the end of the film when Ernie [[spoiler: falls onto a satellite dish, disrupting the transmission all over town just as the verdict of the trial is being announced.]]
* Creator/NikolajCosterWaldau plays identical twins Lucas and Jeffrey Desange in ''Film/{{Mama}}''. In the film, the latter dies in the opening act while the former fights child custody to be the legal guardian of the latter's now orphaned daughters.
* In ''Film/{{Bowfinger}}'', Creator/EddieMurphy plays Kit Ramsay and his nerdy twin brother Jiff.
* In ''Film/JackAndJill'', Creator/AdamSandler plays both the main character and the character's [[CrossCastRole twin sister]].

* In ''Film/WhatHappenedToMonday'', Creator/NoomiRapace plays a set of identical ''septuplets'', each named after [[ThemeNaming a day of the week]].
* In ''Film/TheSnowman2017'', Creator/ChloeSevigny plays twin sisters Ane Pedersen and Sylvia Ottersen.

* In ''Film/TheGreenButchers'', Nikolaj Lie Kaas plays both the cynical [[TheStoner stoner]] Bjarne and his mentally-challenged brother Egil.
* Creator/FrankieHowerd plays both UsefulNotes/RichardTheLionheart and his separated-at-birth twin brother Lurkalot in ''Film/UpTheChastityBelt''.
* In the 1988 Creator/RichardPryor comedy ''Film/{{Moving}}'', Creator/RandyQuaid plays Frank Crawford, a crazy, Vietnam veteran neighbor and his twin brother Cornell, who's the same way.
* ''Film/TheLovedOne'' has Creator/JonathanWinters as the Reverend Wilbur Glenworthy, owner of Whispering Glades cemetery and mortuary, and his brother Henry Glenworthy, owner of Happier Hunting Grounds pet cemetery.
* In ''{{Film/Avatar}}'', there's a plot point of a scientist dying before his expedition to Pandora and his twin brother being chosen to go in his place (as the titular avatar's configuration is a good enough match for a twin brother). Both are played by Creator/SamWorthington.
* Used ''in-universe'' as part of the plot of the comedy ''Two Much''. Creator/AntonioBanderas plays a struggling artist who finds himself forcibly engaged to a wealthy woman (Creator/MelanieGriffith), but is way more interested in her sister Liz (Creator/DarylHannah). In order to date them both, he masquerades as his own twin brother, and even manages to perform a weird scene in which he's TalkingToHimself so that people will see both twins at the same time.[[note]]He walks in circles in a room, repeatedly passing a window, and putting on or taking off a pair of glasses and tying or untying a ponytail before he reaches the window so that the people outside will see the "twin" who is currently speaking. It works.[[/note]]
* ''Film/JackAndDiane'': Creator/JunoTemple played both Diane and Karen, her twin.

* ''Series/StrangersFromHell'': Park Jong-hwan plays both Byeon Deuk-jong and Byeon Deuk-soo.

* ''Series/MyThreeSons'': A four-episode arc to open the series' final season, in the fall of 1971, saw patriarch Steven Douglas' cousin from Scotland, Fergus McBain Douglas, arrive in Los Angeles in search of a wife. Although Fred [=MacMurray=] plays both his signature role and that of Fergus, it is voice actor Alan Caillou who dubs in Fergus' Scottish voice.
* ''Series/{{Ringer}}'': Creator/SarahMichelleGellar plays a pair of twins, one of which dies in the first episode (except she doesn't) and the other pretends to be her.
* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment''
** George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth are both played by Creator/JeffreyTambor.
** It also has an exaggerated and quite literal example with the Richter quintuplets (all Creator/AndyRichter): Andy, the showoff; Chareth, the flirt; Donny, the sensitive one; Rocky, Andy's stunt double; and Emmett, who asked that his face not be shown on camera (even though it looks like his brothers'). This is also an ActorAllusion to Richter's role as the father on the short-lived ''Series/{{Quintuplets}}''.

* ''Series/{{Bewitched}}''. Creator/ElizabethMontgomery played both Samantha and her mischievous twin cousin Serena; however, because the characters were so different, many fans were unaware that Elizabeth played both parts. To keep the charade going, she adopted a pseudonym when credited for Serena as Pandora Spocks.
* ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie''. Creator/BarbaraEden plays not only Jeannie, but Jeannie's evil twin sister (whose name is also Jeannie), ''and'' their mother (whose name is ''also'' Jeannie as well).
* In ''{{Series/Popular}}'' a number of twins show up, and many are played by the same person, such as Emory Dick's younger sisters (who are the {{Alpha Bitch}}es at their school) played by Creator/AlessandraTorresani.
* In one episode of the Israeli sitcom ''[=Shemesh=]'', the eponymous main character dates a woman, played by singer and actress Michal Tzafir (who has three siblings but no twin sister), who claims her identical twin sister is a [[StickyFingers kleptomaniac]] to explain why some shop owners angrily kick her out of their shops. At first he's delighted at the prospect of a TwinThreesomeFantasy coming true, but later she invites her sister to meet him at the restaurant he owns, and when she does they keep stepping out to call the other and just barely missing each other repeatedly (both are wearing the same outfit, except one of them has a scarf). He thinks it's a ConvenientlyUnverifiableCoverStory meant to cover for her kleptomania and breaks it off, citing trust issues. The next day, both twins come to his restaurant, and when he tries to go back on his decision, his ex refuses, [[IronicEcho citing trust issues]].
* The ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' episode "[[Recap/ColumboS02E08 Double Shock]]" featured Creator/MartinLandau portraying identical twins who use their looks to murder their rich uncle and cover their tracks.
* Phoebe on ''{{Series/Friends}}'' and her twin sister Ursula are both played by Creator/LisaKudrow. It should be noted that Ursula was originally the ditzy waitress from ''Series/MadAboutYou''. In order to 'explain' why Lisa Kudrow was on two shows, they had a two-part crossover revealing that Ursula was Phoebe's sister.
* On ''Series/OrphanBlack'', two of the numerous clones played by Creator/TatianaMaslany turn out to be SeparatedAtBirth twins: [[spoiler:Sarah and Helena]].

* In ''Series/TheFollowing'', Creator/SamUnderwood plays both Mark and Luke Gray, a pair of SerialKiller twins.
* In ''{{Series/Quantico}}'', Nimah and Raina Amin are both played by Yasmine Al Massri.
* In the ''{{Series/Supergirl| 2015}}'' series, Alura Zor-El and her EvilTwin Astra are played by Creator/LauraBenanti.

* In-universe in ''{{Series/Scrubs}}'' where the Janitor pretends to have a twin brother. He fools no one.
* SoapOpera ''Series/AllMyChildren'':
** David Canary played both Adam and Stuart Chandler.
** During Creator/JulianneMoore's run as Frannie Hughes, she discovers a twin sister[[spoiler:/cousin]] (Sabrina, also played by Moore) while attending Oxford.
* In ''Series/TheLyingGame'', Creator/AlexandraChando plays SeparatedAtBirth twins [[TheHero Emma Becker]] and [[TheDragon Sutton Mercer]].
* ''Series/NorthernExposure'': In "Jules et Joel", Creator/RobMorrow plays both Joel and Joel's twin brother, Jules, though [[spoiler:it was all a dream]].
* Creator/CelinaJade plays Shado and her CanonForeigner BackupTwin Mei in ''Series/{{Arrow}}''.
* On ''Series/{{iCarly}}'', Creator/JennetteMcCurdy plays both Sam and Melanie Puckett, identical twins [[PolarOppositeTwins who are polar opposites]], in the episode "[=iTwins=]". She reprises both roles in the ''Series/SamAndCat'' episode "[=#Twinfection=]."
** Subverted InUniverse for the former, as Freddie believes Melanie is Sam in disguise.
* ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'':
** The season six finale reveals that [[spoiler: Alison's mother Jessica (murdered several episodes back) has a twin sister in [=CeCe=]'s mother Mary. Andrea Parker plays both roles]].
** The series finale reveals that [[spoiler:A.D. is Spencer's twin sister Alex Drake, also played by Creator/TroianBellisario]].

* Parodied InUniverse in a "behind the scenes" episode of ''Series/ChildrensHospital'', where it's shown that one actor once played the part of a a character and his identical twin brother. The joke is that the actor already ''had'' an identical twin brother, and the producers had decided that using then-state-of-the-art CGI technology would be cheaper than hiring another actor.
* Happened a couple of times on ''Series/HomeAndAway''. In the early days, Sharyn Hodgson had to double up as Carly Morris' twin sister Samantha whenever she appeared. Several years later, it turned out Kirsty Sutherland had an IdenticalTwin, Laura Degroot, who had been swapped at birth with another girl who was brought up as Kirsty's twin sister Jade; Christie Hayes played both Kirsty and Laura.
* On both ''Series/LesRevenants'' and its American remake ''Series/TheReturned'', the actress who plays Camille (Yara Pilartz and India Ennenga, respectively) also plays her twin Lena in scenes set before Camille's death.
* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'': Identical characters pop up all the time here.
** Joxer is one of a set of identical triplets, all played by Creator/TedRaimi. Each of the other two (Jett and Jace) appears separately in a different episode.
** Gabrielle's daughter Hope, when she grows up (unusually fast, but {{Justified}} because the father is an evil god), is identical to her mother, and is also played by Reneé O'Connor. Hope impersonates Gabrielle on a number of occasions, and Gabrielle returns the "favor" at least once. The "three naked Gabrielles" of the episode "The Quill Is Mightier..." do not fit this trope, as they were played by body doubles, and O'Connor's face appears only in a couple of close-ups.
** Lawless, O'Connor and Raimi also play descendants of their characters in the ClipShow episode "The Xena Scrolls".
* In ''{{Series/Baskets}}'', Creator/ZachGalifianakis plays twins Chip and Dale Baskets. In contrast, their twin brothers by adoption Cody and Logan are played by actual twins Garry and Jason Clemmons respectively.
* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' reveals in Season 3 that all the Spellmans have an EvilTwin. Naturally, when Sabrina and Zelda's twins appear, Creator/MelissaJoanHart and Creator/BethBroderick double up to play them (named Katrina and Jessebelta respectively).
* A running gag in ''Series/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver'' is John's conspiracy theory that there is only one Olsen "twin".

* The ''Series/ElChapulinColorado'' episode "Cuando los gemelos no son buenos cuates" features two twin dancers, both played by Carlos Villagrán. HilarityEnsues due to their opposite personalities and the fact neither El Chapulín or a theatre assistant (Ramón Valdez) knew there were two of them, getting increasingly confused in the process. And it turns out the girlfriend of one of the dancers ''also'' has a twin sister that is also played by the same person (Florinda Meza).
* ''Series/{{Fargo}} [[Series/FargoSeasonThree Season 3]]'': Played with for the Stussy brothers. Both are played by Creator/EwanMcGregor, but Emmitt is two years older than Ray. Ray is a balding, shifty, and bitter parole officer barely making ends meet. Emmitt is a handsome, enormously successful, "parking lot king of Minnesota". The resemblance the brothers have to one another becomes a plot point in episodes 4 and 5, Ray is able to impersonate Emmitt by shaving his mustache and donning a convincing wig in order to get into Emmitt's safety deposit box. Then one episode later, he and Nikki ruin Emmitt's marriage by sending Emmitt a sextape of themselves that's meant to be blackmail, but inadvertently is first discovered by Emmitt's wife.
* ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark'': Creator/TatyanaAli of ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' plays a girl whose twin sister (also played by Ali) died trying to get rid of a demon spirit known as the eponymous Quicksilver in the episode "The Tale of the Quicksilver".

* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' features Creator/PattonOswalt in the recurring roles of the identical Koenig quadruplets: Eric, Billy, Sam, & Thurston. [[spoiler:In the final season of the show, Oswalt plays their IdenticalGrandfather Ernest.]]
* ''Series/TheBarrier'': In the story's present day, Julia is the only survivor of a pair of identical twins. Her sister Sara is shown as an adult in several flashbacks, in which she's played by Julia's actress. The more common version of the trope is used in a photo depicting both sisters.
* ''Series/{{Chucky}}'': Creator/DevonSawa plays both Jake's abusive father, Luke, and Luke's twin brother and Jake's uncle, Logan.
* In ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'' (the ''Series/GameOfThrones'' prequel), Jefferson Hall plays both twin brothers Jason and Tyland Lannister.

* In the ''VideoGame/DetectivesUnited'' series, both Agent Brown and his EvilTwin Mortimer are voiced by Chris [=McCann=].
* In the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series, the titular twin brothers, Mario and Luigi, are played by Creator/CharlesMartinet.

* Creator/BetteDavis in ''A Stolen Life'' and ''Dead Ringer''.

* ''Film/TheManInTheIronMask'' goes with the theory that the titular man was Louis XIV's secret twin, with both being played by Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio. This has been true of ''every'' film version of the story, including 1962's ''Film/{{The Iron Mask|1962}}'', with Jean-François Poron in both roles.

* ''Film/TheManInTheIronMask'' goes with the theory that the titular man was Louis XIV's secret twin, with both being played by Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio. (This has been true of ''every'' film version of the story.)

* in ''[[Film/TheCableGuy The Cable Guy]]'', [[Creator/BenStiller Ben Stiller]] plays former TV child star Sam Sweet who is on trial for the murder of his twin brother Stan Sweet, also played by Stiller. Though the trial doesn't play into the main plot at all, they tie together into a joke at the end of the film when Ernie [[spoiler: falls onto a satellite dish, disrupting the transmission all over town just as the verdict of the trial is being announced.]]

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' uses this with TheReveal early in the series that Charming (real name David) was actually a twin separated at birth - with David being raised by their shepherd parents while the other brother was adopted and raised as a prince by the evil king. After the prince's death, the twin is used to impersonate him. Creator/JoshDallas plays both brothers, though they're never onscreen together and James (the deceased one) only appears in a couple of flashbacks. They finally share the screen in Season 5, as the cast goes to the Underworld for the second half of the season.

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' uses this with TheReveal early in the series that Charming (real name David) was actually a twin separated at birth - with David being raised by their farmer parents while the other brother was adopted and raised as a prince by the evil king. After the prince's death, the twin is used to impersonate him. Creator/JoshDallas plays both brothers, though they're never onscreen together and James (the deceased one) only appears in a couple of flashbacks. They finally share the screen in Season 5, as the cast goes to the Underworld for the second half of the season.

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' uses this with TheReveal early in the series that Charming (real name David) was actually a twin separated at birth - with David being raised by his farmer parents while the other brother was adopted and raised as a prince by the evil king. After the prince's death, the twin is used to impersonate him. Creator/JoshDallas plays both brothers, though they're never onscreen together and James (the deceased one) only appears in a couple of flashbacks. They finally share the screen in Season 5, as the cast goes to the Underworld for the second half of the season.