# True Identity > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/True_Identity > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/True_Identity.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Identity > Source revision: 1353134210 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1991 film by Charles Lane True Identity Theatrical release poster Directed by Charles Lane Written by Andy Breckman Produced by Carol Baum Teri Schwartz Starring Lenny Henry Frank Langella Cinematography Thomas E. Ackerman Edited by Kent Beyda Music by Marc Marder Production company Touchstone Pictures Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution Release date August 23, 1991 (1991-08-23) Running time 93 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $15 million Box office $4,693,236 (US)[1] ***True Identity*** is a 1991 American [comedy film](/source/Comedy_film) directed by [Charles Lane](/source/Charles_Lane_(filmmaker)) and starring [Lenny Henry](/source/Lenny_Henry), [Frank Langella](/source/Frank_Langella) and [Anne-Marie Johnson](/source/Anne-Marie_Johnson).[2] The plot revolves around a [black](/source/Black_people) man (Henry), who [disguises himself as a white man](/source/Whiteface_(performance)) to escape the mob. ## Plot 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. ## Cast - [Lenny Henry](/source/Lenny_Henry) as Miles Pope[3] - [Frank Langella](/source/Frank_Langella) as Leland Carver - [Anne-Marie Johnson](/source/Anne-Marie_Johnson) as Kristi - [James Earl Jones](/source/James_Earl_Jones) as himself - [Charles Lane](/source/Charles_Lane_(filmmaker)) as Duane - [Peggy Lipton](/source/Peggy_Lipton) as Rita - [Melvin Van Peebles](/source/Melvin_Van_Peebles) as Taxi Driver - [J. T. Walsh](/source/J._T._Walsh) as Houston - [Andreas Katsulas](/source/Andreas_Katsulas) as Anthony - [Austin Pendleton](/source/Austin_Pendleton) as Othello's Director - [Michael McKean](/source/Michael_McKean) as Harvey Cooper - [Bill Raymond](/source/Bill_Raymond) as Grunfield - [Darnell Williams](/source/Darnell_Williams) as Tyler - [Christopher Collins](/source/Christopher_Collins) as Frank LaMotta - [Ruth Brown](/source/Ruth_Brown) as Martha - Fantasia Owens as Ruth ## Reception The film received mediocre reviews.[4][5] Caryn James of *[The New York Times](/source/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".[6] [Lenny Henry](/source/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](/source/Richard_Pryor), they didn’t need me pretending to be Richard Pryor, so I had a massive career rethink."[7] Audiences polled by [CinemaScore](/source/CinemaScore) gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.[8] The film was not a box office success.[9] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [*True Identity*](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=trueidentity.htm) at [Box Office Mojo](/source/Box_Office_Mojo) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Making a Serious Comedy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20081011201436/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,315349,00.html). [Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly). Archived from [the original](http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,315349,00.html) on October 11, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["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"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-24-ca-903-story.html). *[The Los Angeles Times](/source/The_Los_Angeles_Times)*. August 24, 1991. Retrieved January 14, 2011. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["True Identity"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090421185329/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,315309,00.html). [Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly). Archived from [the original](http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,315309,00.html) on April 21, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Turan, Kenneth (August 23, 1991). ["Movie Review : A Mistaken 'Identity' From Lane"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-23-ca-803-story.html). *[The Los Angeles Times](/source/The_Los_Angeles_Times)*. Retrieved January 14, 2011. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** James, Caryn (August 23, 1991). ["Review/Film; A British Comedian Abroad, in 'True Identity'"](https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D0CE2DF1039F930A1575BC0A967958260). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved January 14, 2011. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Lenny Henry interview"](https://web.archive.org/web/20101204054908/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/comedy/8157309/Lenny-Henry-interview.html). [Daily Telegraph](/source/Daily_Telegraph). Archived from [the original](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/comedy/8157309/Lenny-Henry-interview.html) on December 4, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Cinemascore"](https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/). Archived from [the original](https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/) on December 20, 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Fox, David J. (August 27, 1991). ["Weekend Box Office : List-Toppers Are Listless"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-27-ca-1886-story.html). *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)*. Retrieved January 14, 2011. ## External links Wikiquote has quotations related to ***[True Identity](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Special:Search/True_Identity)***. - [*True Identity*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103128/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) - [*True Identity*](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/true_identity) at [Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [True Identity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Identity) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Identity?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.