Editing Impersonator (section)

{{Short description|Art form or criminal act}}
{{About||the album|Impersonator (album)}}
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[[File:Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump impersonators.jpg|thumb|Impersonators of [[Kim Jong-un]] ([[Howard X]]) and [[Donald Trump]] (Dennis Alan) during the [[2018 North Korea–United States Singapore Summit]]]]
[[File:Patrick Knight as Boy George.jpg|thumb|upright|Patrick Knight as [[Boy George]]]]
[[File:George-Michael-Impersonator.jpg|thumb|An impersonator of [[George Michael]]]]
[[File:Joe Wiegand TR WhiteHouse 2008.jpg|thumb|[[Theodore Roosevelt]] impersonator [[Joe Wiegand]] performs 27 October 2008 in the [[East Room]] of the [[White House]], during a celebration of Roosevelt's 150th birthday.]]

An '''impersonator''' is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/impersonator |title=Impersonator |publisher=The Free Dictionary |access-date=2010-01-03}}</ref> There are many reasons for impersonating someone:

*[[Living history]]: After close study of some historical figure, a performer may dress and speak "as" that person for an audience. Such historical interpretation may be a scripted dramatic performance like ''[[Mark Twain Tonight!]]'' or an unscripted interaction while staying in character.<ref name="LARB">{{cite web |title=Town of the Living Dead |url=https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/town-of-the-living-dead/ |publisher=LA Review of Books |access-date=17 December 2023 |date=15 October 2013 |quote=He is a Ralph Waldo Emerson reenactor. This man gets paid to dress like, act like, and speak like Ralph Waldo Emerson. He’s 63 years old and wears a black frock coat...'I use the term ‘historic interpreter’ or ‘living historian.’ But when people say ‘impersonator,’ that doesn’t bother me.'}}</ref>

*Entertainment: An "[[Impressionist (entertainment)|impressionist]]" impersonates well-known figures in order to entertain an audience. Especially popular objects of impersonation are [[Elvis Presley]] (''see [[Elvis impersonator]]''), [[Michael Jackson]] (''see [[Michael Jackson impersonator]]'') and [[Madonna]] (see ''[[Madonna impersonator]]''). Other uses of impersonation for entertainment include male [[drag queens]] (previously called "[[female impersonators]]", although this terminology is now considered outdated.) 
*Crime: As part of a [[Crime|criminal act]] such as [[identity theft]]. This is usually where the criminal is trying to assume the identity of another, in order to commit [[fraud]], such as accessing confidential information, or to gain property not belonging to them. Also known as [[Social engineering (security)|social engineering]] and [[impostor]]s.
*[[Political decoy|Decoys]], used as a form of protection for political and military figures. This involves an impersonator who is employed (or forced) to perform during public appearances, to mislead observers.
*Sowing discord, causing people to fight, or dislike each other for social, business or political gain.