Editing Impersonator

{{Short description|Art form or criminal act}}
{{About||the album|Impersonator (album)}}
{{multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=November 2016}}
{{globalize|date=August 2019}}
}}
[[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include male [[drag queens]] (previously called "[[female impersonators]]", although this terminology is now considered outdated.)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.

==Celebrity impersonators==
[[Image:Michael Jackson impersonator for Thriller 25th anniversary.jpg|thumb|A [[Michael Jackson impersonator]] for the 25th anniversary of the album ''[[Thriller (Michael Jackson album)|Thriller]]'' at the 2008 [[Tribeca Film Festival]] with performers from [[Step It Up and Dance]].]]
[[Image:1980s Madonna style.jpg|thumb|A [[Madonna wannabe]], an impersonator of [[Madonna]]'s 1980s looks and fashion style.]]

'''Celebrity impersonators''' are impostors who look similar to [[Celebrity|celebrities]] and dress in such a way as to imitate them. Impersonators are known as sound-alikes, look-alikes, impressionists, imitators, tribute artists, and wannabees. The interest may have originated with the need or desire to see a celebrity who has died.{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}} One of the most prominent examples of this phenomenon is the case of [[Elvis Presley]].
[[Edward Moss (impersonator)|Edward Moss]] has appeared in movies and sitcoms, impersonating [[Michael Jackson]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002195262_jacko03.html |work=The Seattle Times |first=Bob |last=Baker |title=King of Pop impersonator star of E! trial re-enactment |date=3 March 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709140821/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002195262_jacko03.html |archive-date=9 July 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=John |first1=Alex |title=Damn Salvatore Rule |url=https://businesstimenow.com/damn-salvatore-rule-34/ |access-date=13 August 2021}}</ref> [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] has attracted his share of [[Tom Jones impersonator|impersonators]] from different places around the world. From the United States, to South East Asia, to the UK, there are performers who either sound like him or imitate his act.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-12 |title=Column: Golden Knights give Vegas a real sense of community |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/hockey/la-sp-kings-golden-knights-elliott-20180411-story.html |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>''Billboard'', 9 May 1998 - [https://books.google.com/books?id=UQ0EAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Tom+Jones%22Steve+McCoy%22&pg=PA60 Page 60 Newsmakers, '''Now The Real Thing.''']</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=MICHAEL |first=STUART |title=Warren makes time for grandson |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2007/07/07/warren-makes-time-for-grandson |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=The Star |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-19 |title=Stars shine for Sam Sorono at hospice fundraiser - VIDEO - The Star |url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/lifestyle/features/stars-shine-for-sam-sorono-at-hospice-fundraiser-video-1-856654 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419183831/https://www.thestar.co.uk/lifestyle/features/stars-shine-for-sam-sorono-at-hospice-fundraiser-video-1-856654 |archive-date=2018-04-19 }}</ref>

==Criminal impersonation==
In England and Wales, the [[English Poor Laws|Poor Law Amendment Act 1851]], section 3, made it an offence to impersonate a "person entitled to vote" at an election. In the case of Whiteley v Chappell (1868), the [[literal rule]] of [[statutory interpretation]] was employed to find that a dead person was not a "person entitled to vote" and consequently a person accused of this offence was [[Acquittal|acquitted]].<ref>The [[Law Commission (England and Wales)|Law Commission]] and the [[Scottish Law Commission]], [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228894/0256.pdf The Interpretation of Statutes], footnote 66, page 18, published 9 June 1969, accessed 17 December 2022</ref>

Although in a [[law of Colorado|Colorado]] case, an immigrant was charged with "criminal impersonation" for using another person's [[Social Security number]] when signing up for a job,{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} some courts have ruled that supplying this wrong information may not be criminal.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 28, 2010 |url=http://www.upi.com/Using-false-SS-number-not-impersonation/80121288317800/ |title=Using false S.S. number not impersonation |publisher=UPI}}</ref> The ruling hinges on whether there was harm to the other person.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}

=== Impersonation using Deepfake===
{{main|Deepfake}}
[[Audio deepfake]]s have been used as part of [[Social engineering (security)|social engineering]] scams, fooling people into thinking they are receiving instructions from a trusted individual.<ref name="Statt-2019">{{cite news |last=Statt |first=Nick |date=5 Sep 2019 |title=Thieves are now using AI deepfakes to trick companies into sending them money |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/5/20851248/deepfakes-ai-fake-audio-phone-calls-thieves-trick-companies-stealing-money |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915151504/https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/5/20851248/deepfakes-ai-fake-audio-phone-calls-thieves-trick-companies-stealing-money |archive-date=15 September 2019 |access-date=13 Sep 2019}}</ref> In 2019, a U.K.-based energy firm's CEO was scammed over the phone when he was ordered to transfer €220,000 into a Hungarian bank account by an individual who used audio deepfake technology to impersonate the voice of the firm's parent company's chief executive.<ref name="Damiani-2019">{{Cite web |last=Damiani |first=Jesse |title=A Voice Deepfake Was Used To Scam A CEO Out Of $243,000 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessedamiani/2019/09/03/a-voice-deepfake-was-used-to-scam-a-ceo-out-of-243000/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914192455/https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessedamiani/2019/09/03/a-voice-deepfake-was-used-to-scam-a-ceo-out-of-243000/ |archive-date=14 September 2019 |access-date=2019-11-09 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

As of 2023, the combination advances in deepfake technology, which could clone an individual's voice from a recording of a few seconds to a minute, and new [[Generative artificial intelligence|text generation tools]], enabled automated impersonation scams, targeting victims using a convincing digital clone of a friend or relative.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Schwartz |first1=Christopher |last2=Wright |first2=Matthew |date=17 March 2023 |title=Voice deepfakes are calling – here's what they are and how to avoid getting scammed |url=https://theconversation.com/voice-deepfakes-are-calling-heres-what-they-are-and-how-to-avoid-getting-scammed-201449 |website=The Conversation}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Impressionist (entertainment)|Impressionist]]
* [[Look-alike]]
* [[Personation]]
* [[Police impersonation]]
* [[Shi (personator)]], in the Chinese ancestor ritual: a figure impersonating ancestors
* [[Soundboard (computer program)|Soundboard]], [[victim soundboard]]
* [[Tribute act]]
* [[Wannabe (disambiguation)|Wannabe]]
* [[Identity fraud]]
* [[Identity theft]]

==References==
{{Commons category|Impersonators}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Comedy footer|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Acting]]
[[Category:Deception]]
[[Category:Impostors| ]]
[[Category:Crimes]]
[[Category:Comedy genres]]
[[Category:Impressionists (entertainers)]]