True Identity

A struggling black actor named Miles Pope is on a plane ride home from a failed acting audition. Miles meets a producer named Leland Carver who accidentally reveals his mafia ties when he believes that their plane is about to crash. However, the plane does not crash and Miles is the only man who knows Leland's past. To escape, Miles persuades his makeup artist friend Duane to transform him into a Caucasian male.

As Miles is packing his bags to get out of town, a hitman walks in and a struggle ensues. Miles kills the hitman, but through a comedy of errors he is mistaken for the hitman. Miles must assume a parade of identities to stay one step ahead of the mafia on his trail.

• Lenny Henry as Miles Pope{{cite news|title= Lenny Henry --The Man in the Irony Mask : Movies: The British comedian finds the transition from black to white for his role in 'True Identity' an illuminating experience.|work= The Los Angeles Times|date=1991-08-24|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-24-ca-903-story.html|access-date=2011-01-14}}
• Frank Langella as Leland Carver
• Anne-Marie Johnson as Kristi
• James Earl Jones as himself
• Charles Lane as Duane
• Peggy Lipton as Rita
• Melvin Van Peebles as Taxi Driver
• J. T. Walsh as Houston
• Andreas Katsulas as Anthony
• Austin Pendleton as Othello's Director
• Michael McKean as Harvey Cooper
• Bill Raymond as Grunfield
• Darnell Williams as Tyler
• Christopher Collins as Frank LaMotta
• Ruth Brown as Martha
• Fantasia Owens as Ruth

The film received mediocre reviews.{{cite news|title= True Identity|publisher= Entertainment Weekly|url= http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,315309,00.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090421185329/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,315309,00.html|url-status= dead|archive-date= April 21, 2009|accessdate=2012-06-05}}{{cite news|title= Movie Review : A Mistaken 'Identity' From Lane|work= The Los Angeles Times|date=1991-08-23|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-23-ca-803-story.html|access-date=2011-01-14|first=Kenneth|last=Turan}} Caryn James of The New York Times said that Lane's direction was "tame and conventional" and that although Henry had "obvious" talent, True Identity does not take enough advantage of it".{{cite news|title= Review/Film; A British Comedian Abroad, in 'True Identity' |work= The New York Times|date=1991-08-23|url= http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D0CE2DF1039F930A1575BC0A967958260|accessdate=2011-01-14|first=Caryn|last=James}} Lenny Henry commented on the film retrospectively in 2010: "When I went to America to do True Identity in 1991, I realised they had their own Richard Pryor, they didn’t need me pretending to be Richard Pryor, so I had a massive career rethink."{{cite news|title= Lenny Henry interview|publisher= Daily Telegraph|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/comedy/8157309/Lenny-Henry-interview.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101204054908/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/comedy/8157309/Lenny-Henry-interview.html|url-status= dead|archive-date= 2010-12-04|accessdate=2012-06-06}} The film was not a box office success.{{cite news|title= Weekend Box Office : List-Toppers Are Listless|work= Los Angeles Times|date=1991-08-27|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-27-ca-1886-story.html|access-date=2011-01-14|first=David J.|last=Fox}}

{{Reflist}}

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• {{IMDb title|id=0103128|title=True Identity}}
• {{rotten-tomatoes|true_identity|True Identity}}

Category:1991 films

Category:1991 comedy films

Category:Touchstone Pictures films

Category:Films with screenplays by Andy Breckman

Category:African-American comedy films

Category:Films directed by Charles Lane (filmmaker)

Category:1990s English-language films

Category:1990s American films

Category:Films about race and ethnicity

Category:English-language comedy films