Actors and Actresses from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, set to be released March 5, 2010, is gaining a number of fans eager to watch the movie the moment it is released, myself included. With decades of imaginative, unique films under his belt, Tim Burton has become a director/ producer/ writer that we expect much of. And no doubt we will not be disappointed in his latest creation, Alice in Wonderland. The movie cast is set with many popular, talented, and creative actors and actresses. You might be surprised at all the faces you will recognize beneath bunny whiskers and cat’s claws.

Following is a guide to many of the celebrities acting in Alice in Wonderland. This is by no means a complete list, but it does cover the main actors. Please enjoy learning more about the professional careers of these celebrities. They are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Born: May 26, 1966 in London, England

Helena Bonham Carter plays the Red Queen. Helena’s first major production was A Room with a View in 1985, in which she played a young and beautiful Lucy Honeychurch (with absolute mountains of hair, I might add). The next year she starred as the nine days’ queen Jane Grey in Lady Jane. Since then, Helena Bonham Carter has played a number of roles, many of which are literary, from Queen Ophelia to Morgan le Fey to Helen Schlegel of Howards End to Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter. Since 2001, Helena has been in a relationship with director Tim Burton, and they have worked together in a number of movies. Helena has acted in Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd, and more of Tim Burton’s movies.

Born: June 30, 1966 in Invercargill, New Zealand

Marton Csokas plays Charles Kingsley. Marton, a dual-citizen of Hungary and New Zealand, is an actor of the stage as well as film and television. In the late nineties, he played Borias in the cult television show “Xena: Warrior Princess” (who doesn’t remember Xena?). Marton Csokas (pronounced CHO-kash) played Celeborn husband of Galadriel in Lord of the Rings, Guy de Lusignan in Kingdom of Heaven, and Hora in Romulus, My Father.

Born: June 9, 1963 in Kentucky, USA

Johnny Depp plays the Mad Hatter. Johnny Depp. Do I really need to say more than those two words? We know that Johnny Depp can act (watch any of his movies); we know that Johnny Depp can play guitar (Chocolat); we know that Johnny Depp can sing (Sweeney Todd); we know that Johnny Depp has been to Davy Jones’ locker and back again (Pirates of the Caribbean); we know that Johnny Depp can snip shrubbery into sculptures of dinosaurs (Edward Scissorhands). I think it is safe to say that Johnny Depp can pull off an interesting, stunning, amusing Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. He and friend Tim Burton have worked together on a number of movies, including Sleepy Hollow and Corpse Bride.

Born: August 24, 1957 in London, England

Stephen Fry plays the Cheshire Cat. Stephen is a veteran of British comedy. Together with fellow comedian Hugh Laurie (did you realize he was British?), Stephen Fry was hilarious in the television shows “A Bit of Fry and Laurie” and “Jeeves and Wooster.” Too bad Hugh Laurie didn’t make the cast as well. Stephen Fry has made appearances on the TV show “Bones”, the hard-to-forget (and believe me, I’ve tried) children’s movie Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and Gosford Park.

Born: April 20, 1964 in New York, USA

Crispin Glover plays the Knave of Hearts. Crispin began his acting career with appearances in television show such as “Happy Days” and “Family Ties.” Remember the undertaker in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? What about the Thin Man in Charlie’s Angels? If you don’t quite recall those, I’m almost positive you will remember George McFly from Back to the Future. “Anybody home? McFly?” Crispin Glover also provided the voice for number 6 in Tim Burton’s 9.

Born: November 23, 1917 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya (which was British at the time)

Michael Gough plays the Dodo. Michael Gough, like Christopher Lee, has been in the business for quite some time, and is even older than Lee. He has played many roles in television and film. He is no stranger to the work of Tim Burton, as he has acted in the Batman movies, Sleepy Hollow, and Corpse Bride.

Born: November 12, 1982 in New York, USA

Anne Hathaway plays the White Queen. Anne’s first film role was Princess Mia in The Princess Diaries, and for me, I will always picture her as the clumsy teenager turned elegant royalty. Nevertheless, Anne Hathaway continues to show wonderful acting talent true to her literary name. She makes us laugh in Get Smart and The Devil Wears Prada. She pleases children (and adults too) in Hoodwinked and Ella Enchanted. Anne Hathaway also boasts a slightly convincing English accent in Nicholas Nickleby and Becoming Jane in which she played the intimidating role of Jane Austen.

Born: May 27, 1922 in Westminster, England

Christopher Lee plays the Jabberwock. Sir Christopher Lee is perhaps the most experienced and most distinguished actor of the cast for Alice in Wonderland. He has acted in over 200 movies and TV shows since the 1940s. He is probably best known for his villain roles: Count Dracula, Grigori Rasputin, Count de Rochefort, Count Dooku, and Saruman. He is not new to the Tim Burton film, having played roles in Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Born: March 5, 1974 in LondonEngland

Matt Lucas plays both Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Matt has mostly acted on radio and television shows, although he did make an appearance in Shaun of the Dead. Matt Lucas is mostly known for Little Britain which was a comedy sketch show and is very popular (so I hear) in the UK. Alice in Wonderland will be Matt’s first major film role.

Born: February 21, 1946 in London, England

Alan Rickman plays the Caterpillar. Alan Rickman started out as a Shakespearean actor, both on stage and television. He is best known for his roles as terrorist Hans Gruber in Die Hard (even though Rickman played a good bad guy, that is one movie I regret seeing), as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,  and as a somewhat nasally Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility. He has also acted in the Tim Burton film Sweeney Todd.

Born: February 5, 1969 in Newport, Wales (ah, another famous person from Wales! )

Michael Sheen plays the White Rabbit. Michael Sheen began his career in theater and then in television. Michael Sheen played a very convincing Tony Blair in The Queen, and he played David Frost in Frost/Nixon. He also had the starring role in the lesser-known film Heartlands (which I like because Kate Rusby sings a song in it). Twilight fans will happy to know that he played Aro in New Moon.

Born: February 27, 1957 in London, England

Timothy Spall plays the Bloodhound. Timothy is a movie and television actor who is easily recognizable once you’ve seen him. Timothy Spall played the robust Charles Cheeryble in Nicholas Nickleby, the coughing Mr. Poe in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, the evil henchman Nathaniel in Enchanted, and Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter movies. He also acted in Sweeney Todd.

Born: October 14, 1989 in Canberra, Australia

Mia Wasikowska plays Alice Kingsley. Mia is fairly new to the silver screen. She played Sophie on the HBO series “In Treatment”. Mia Wasikowska played small roles in Defiance and Amelia. Alice in Wonderland will no doubt bring Mia a spark to her career. She is also set to star as Jane Eyre in an upcoming movie.

Born: May 17, 1958 in Glamorgan, Wales

Paul Whitehouse plays the March Hare. Paul is a punk rocker turned comedian writer/actor. He was inspired to write comedy by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. He has worked with Harry Enfield and Charlie Higson. As to film, Paul Whitehouse has been in Corpse Bride, Finding Neverland, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Born: August 6, 1937 in London, England

Barbara Windsor plays the Dormouse. Barbara Windsor may not be a name you will recognize, but maybe that’s because the biggest movie she acted in was made in 1968. Ever hear of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? Well, Barbara Windsor was that blonde lady at the fair. You probably still won’t remember her. She is more widely known in England, where she played in quite a few of the Carry On comedy films.