[Jan Leighton]
"Jan, you're a national treasure" - Tom Mark, David E. Carter, Elliott Curzon, et. al.
THIS IS JAN LEIGHTON. And Jan Leighton. And so on. It's the face that has launched absolutely no ships, but a lot of great photographs, T.V. commercials and shows. If you don't like the way he looks, he'll look some other way.
By the way, Jan is in the Guiness Book of World Records having professionally performed 3372 historical notables which have garnered a modest number of awards.
What goosebumped Jan's goosebumps was filming as: George Washington opening the General's own camp chest in Mt. Vernon, VA... Abe Lincoln in Springfield, Ill... Mark Twain shooting pool at his home in Hartford... Edison sitting in his Menlo Park workshop... Andy Jackson in his Nashville Hermitage... Christopher Columbus in Puerto Rico... Kit Carson in Bents Old Fort, Colorado... both Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson inside Independence Hall, Philadelphia.

 

 

 

Benjamin Franklin Fidel Castro George S. Patton Leonardo Da Vinci Thomas Alva Edison
Benjamin Franklin Fidel Castro George S. Patton Leonardo Da Vinci Thomas Alva Edison
Abraham Lincoln George Washington Albert Einstein Pope Sigmund Freud
Abraham Lincoln George Washington Albert Einstein Pope Sigmund Freud
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Sir Issac Newton Saddam Hussein Pablo Picasso Hippocrates
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Sir Issac Newton Saddam Hussein Pablo Picasso Hippocrates
Sherlock Holmes Charles De Gaulle Larry King Christopher Columbus
Sherlock Holmes Charles De Gaulle Larry King Captain Ahab Christopher Columbus
Groucho Marx Will Rogers Ulysses S. Grant / Robert E. Lee Arab Sheik
Groucho Marx Will Rogers Ulysses S. Grant / Robert E. Lee Spencer Tracy Arab Sheik
Andrew Jackson Paul Gaughin Alan Greenspan General Douglas MacArthur
Andrew Jackson Paul Gaughin Alan Greenspan Stanley Livingston General Douglas MacArthur
James Joyce Frankenstein's Monster Woodrow Wilson Rembrandt Inspector Clousseau
James Joyce Frankenstein Woodrow Wilson Rembrandt Inspector Clousseau
Noah Webster St. Valentine Uncle Sam Jack Benny
Noah Webster Alexander Graham Bell St. Valentine Uncle Sam Jack Benny
Winston Churchill The Godfather Alexander Hamilton Captain William Kidd
Winston Churchill The Godfather Alfred E. Newman R. Murdoch & Alexander Hamilton Captain William Kidd
Maxim Gorky Stan Laurel Dr. James Watson Napoleon Bonaparte
Maxim Gorky Stan Laurel Michelangelo Buonarroti Dr. James Watson Napoleon Bonaparte
Henry Fielding Leif Eriksson Charlie Chaplin
Henry Fielding Leif Eriksson Humphrey Bogart Count Dracula Charlie Chaplin
Orville Wright Antonio Stradivari (Stradivarius) Ronald Reagan Father Time
Orville Wright Antonio Stradivari (Stradivarius) Ronald Reagan Father Time John Wayne
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart W. C. Fields William Shakespeare Thomas Jefferson Joseph Stalin
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart W. C. Fields William Shakespeare Thomas Jefferson Joseph Stalin
Santa Claus Charlie Chan Harpo Marx King Henry VIII George Armstrong Custer
Santa Claus Charlie Chan Harpo Marx King Henry VIII George Armstrong Custer
Margret Thatcher Aristotle John Alden Mahatma Gandhi Vincent Van Gogh
Margret Thatcher Aristotle John Alden Mahatma Gandhi Vincent Van Gogh
Albus Dumbledore (Wizard) Johannes Gutenberg heodore Roosevelt Ebenezer Scrooge
Albus Dumbledore Henry Kissinger (NY Magazine) Johannes Gutenberg Theodore Roosevelt Ebenezer Scrooge
Walter Cronkite Galileo Galilei George Burns Sir Walter Raleigh
Walter Cronkite Galileo Galilei George Burns Sir Walter Raleigh Moliere
Lord Alfred Tennyson Alfred Hitchcock Toulouse Lautrec Commodore Perry Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Lord Alfred Tennyson Alfred Hitchcock Toulouse Lautrec Commodore Perry Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
John Barrymore Moses F. Scott Fitzgerald Phil Donahue Charles Dickens
John Barrymore Moses F. Scott Fitzgerald Phil Donahue Charles Dickens
Ludwig van Beethoven Mark Twain Albert Einstein
Ludwig van Beethoven Giuseppe Garibaldi Geronimo Mark Twain at Hartford Albert Einstein


Verbatim
 
"Your Einstein, Rod Serling, Ben Franklin for ADVO was the first time we ever saw a film receive a standing ovation!"
O'Neil & Prelle Adv.
 
"Our TV pitch to United Telephone with your Ben Franklin won us the account!"
Fry, Hammond, Barr Adv.
 
"In Hartford the Buick dealers loved your 'General Patton Live!' We brought it into NY, you murdered 'em. Bravo!"
Shiffman-Ferguson Adv.
 
"Johnson Corporation's convention booth with Einstein, Clousseau & Teddy Roosevelt 'in person' attracted record numbers of prospects!"
Tom Wiersma, Jaqua Adv., Bruce & Dick Maurer
"Sherlock Holmes Leighton, do you realize the game's been afoot with us for five fun years?
Don London, MLMW Adv., Joe Krawczyck PSE&G, NJ
 
"When Nabisco wanted 65 of your characters you said, 'Doing 6 a day comes out to 11 days.' You did it! with no overtime!!"
David Wohlstadter, West End Product'n.
 
"One 7AM in NY, carrying his costumes & makeup, Jan boarded a plane for Kentucky. There he filmed as FDR, Einstein, Washington, Lincoln, Holmes, Columbus & Uncle Sam. Later he did the straight VO tags, radio & print, then flew back to NY the same night. That successful campaign also won 2 gold medals."
David E. Carter Adv.
 

 

Jan is now an author! Read his new book RARE WORDS published by Levenger Press!

To order the book by phone call 1-800-544-0880

 

All the faces in every photograph on this page belong to one man--Jan Leighton (except for the young woman in the Time Digital photo below). Jan holds the Guinness Book of World Records title for portraying the most historical roles, and you can see him in the Guiness Book of World Records Exhibit at the Guiness Book of World Records Museum in Windsor, Canada. He plays figures both historical and current. The only actor in town to own all his own costumes and hairpieces, he can do almost any character on a day's notice: if you call Jan Leighton at 10 in the morning from New York City, he can show up and play the person before lunch--in full costume! No costume, hairpiece, wig or makeup is needed by you. He has played as many as six characters in a day.

Pictured above: Mr. Leighton on the cover of Time Digital (Nov/Dec. 2000) as William Shakespeare for their cover story on e-books.

Jan Leighton has appeared on commercials, print, and webzines (The Discovery Channel's "Mr. Curious," live motivational industrials and appearences, talk shows (including David Letterman, David Frost, Tom Snyder, and Good Morning America)). He is George Washington on David Wolper's Special which runs on PBS and the History Channel. He also has won many awards for his voiceovers. He has been profiled in New York Magazine (click here to read the article), and the American Airlines in-flight magazine, American Way.  He played Scrooge in the recent national PhoneMiser TV ad campaign.

Jan Leighton was also featured as FDR in the Tony Kushner's New York Times article. Check out Jan Leighton's diary!


Contact for a job:
(212) 757-5242
205 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019

There are many other characters Jan has played.  Have someone in mind?  He's probably played him.
Who is your favorite of Jan's characters?  Do tell, we'd love to hear from you..

View Jan's Guestbook       Sign Jan's Guestbook

Or email janleighton@janleighton.com
with questions or comments.

 

Site designer:  Jeffrey Frankel © Jan Leighton 2003

Site administrator:  Hallie Leighton

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