So what if you weren't born with Brad Pitt's strong jaw, Elvis Presley's dimpled chin, or Pamela Anderson's super-sized chest? With a few slices of the scalpel anyone can look like their favorite celebrity's long-lost twin. And if you're angling for a new career as a convincing celebrity impersonator, cosmetic surgery is the perfect way to stay ahead of the game (but is it a tax write-off?). Proving that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the following people went under the knife with the ultimate goal of looking like their movie and music idols.
Navi Why anyone would want to look like Michael Jackson is not for us to answer, but celebrity impersonator Navi-a native of Trinidad and Tobago-has gained relative stardom thanks to his uncanny resemblance to the King of Pop. And if there's one celebrity who knows how to keep an impersonator on his toes, it's Wacko Jacko. Navi has undergone multiple surgeries during the nearly 20 years that he's been imitating Michael.
In an interview with the BBC, Navi-who says he performs in over 125-150 shows each year-said that his surgeries "have taken my work and my strength as an impersonator to different levels." But he's not a strict facsimile of his alter ego-rather than butchering his face, Navi smartly sticks with a less severe Michael Jackson circa mid-'90s look. Still, Navi admitted that he has to be flexible with his looks. "I don't want to change but if he changes very radically I might have to in order to get the work."
Frank Marino
It's pretty much a given that female impersonators like Frank Marino have had some form of, ahem, major surgery. And if you're going to pay homage to the legendary Joan Rivers, there had better be a scalpel in your sights. According to Marino's website, the "La Cage" female impersonator has undergone 10 surgeries to get Joan's surgery-enhanced look, including chin and cheek implants and multiple nose jobs. Grand total? More than $100,000.
"Frank Marino usually keeps his audiences in stitches but on his off time the doctors keep him in stitches," his site reads. "His personal motto has always been 'No pain, no gain.'"
Mike and Matt Schlepp
Like most twins, Mike and Matt Schlepp didn't want to look like each other. They wanted to look like Brad Pitt. Enter MTV's "I Want a Famous Face," which filmed the twins as they each received rhinoplasty, chin implants, and porcelain veneers in their bid to resemble Brad. Some zit cream, blonde highlights, and a flat iron later, the dynamic duo may not be dead ringers for Brad, but they look considerably better.
In an interview with MTV, Matt said, "I haven't been mistaken for Brad Pitt, but it wasn't his face I wanted, it was his strong bone structure. But, I have had friends joke about how that, before surgery, I was Brad Pitt from Fight Club, as you'll see why! And after surgery, I'm Brad Pitt in Ocean's Eleven!"
John Kerr
George Michael impersonator John Kerr says he's had plastic surgery in order to be the spitting image of everyone's favorite bathroom lothario. Unfortunately for him, some clients weren't convinced. "If he looks like George Michael then I'm Donald Duck," London club owner Dave West told The Daily Mail. Kerr is now suing West for kicking him out of a party for which he had been hired to serve as the entertainment, and not paying his fee. Maybe the club was expecting a floppy-haired, Day-Glo-wearing Wham!-era George?
Sha Ross
Sha Ross was also featured on MTV's "I Want a Famous Face" as she got breast implants to look like "Baywatch" bombshell Pamela Anderson. Ross, who also received lip implants and liposuction underneath the chin, was discouraged from the operation by Playboy execs but that didn't deter her-and she even wound up appearing in a Playboy special, "Voluptuous Vixens." According to The Sun, role model Pamela Anderson finds Ross's fascination "creepy."
Rick Lenzi He's got the jumpsuits, he's got the pompadour, and he's got the moves. And thanks to plastic surgery, Elvis impersonator Rick Lenzi has got the looks too. According to The Press Democrat, in Santa Rosa, CA, three female fans paid for Lenzi to have surgery on his nose and eyelids to achieve a more Elvis appearance; the performer also received porcelain veneers. Says Lenzi, "No one was blessed with what they call the Greek god-like look that Elvis had. If you look at the statue of David you can tell that the face of David and the face of Elvis Presley can actually intertwine with each other."
Rachelle Stan It's no secret that Demi Moore has had plastic surgery, so it seemed only, ahem, natural that Rachelle Stan would go under the knife herself to copy the Indecent Proposal star's look. Dr. Robert Ersek of Austin, TX gave Stan breast implants and rhinoplasty to help her look more like Ashton's wife. According to ContactMusic.com, Stan told "Access Hollywood" that "I would like to resemble Demi Moore because I think she is a very classy woman. I really like the new Demi Moore, the Ashton Kutcher Demi Moore - not the Striptease. I just think she's absolutely gorgeous. She just has a very straight, beautiful nose." Dr. Ersek is the surgeon who also transformed Kelly Chandler into Jennifer Aniston.
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