What The Actor Who Played The Twins Looks Like In Real Life

Lewis Carroll’s notorious twins have appeared in multiple cinematic adaptations of “Alice in Wonderland” over the decades, of course. Indeed, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is one of the more cinematically adapted British children’s stories, so many actors have taken on the roles. 

The Tweedles had a short scene in a 1915 silent adaptation of “Alice,” although that footage has sadly been lost forever. In 1933, they first appeared in live-action and were played by Roscoe Karns and Jack Oakie in Norman Z. McLeod’s adaptation. A mass audience might know the characters best from the 1951 animated rendition from Disney wherein they were played by J. Pat O’Malley. 

John Bailey and Ray Trickett played Dee and Dum in a 1962 Australian musical TV special, although that production is wholly obscure. In 1976, Bree Anthony and Tony Richards played the twins in a delightful, musical XXX version of “Alice in Wonderland,” and that film, directed by Bud Townsend and starring Kristine De Bell, is lighter and more fun than even the Disney animated version. 

In 1985, Irwin Allen produced a TV movie version of “Alice” featuring Eydie Gormé and Steve Lawrence in the roles. That special, like many Allen projects, was chock-full of celebrities, including Red Buttons as the White Rabbit, Sammy Davis, Jr. as the Caterpillar, Telly Savalas as the Cheshire Cat, Anthony Newly as the Mad Hatter, Ringo Starr as the Mock Turtle. And that’s not even all the recognizable names from that version.

In the celebrated 1999 miniseries, the Tweedles were played by Robbie Coltrane and George Wendt, and that, too, was an all-star affair, featuring Martin Short, Whoopi Goldberg, Gene Wilder, Christopher Lloyd, Ben Kingsley, and many, many others. 

“Alice” adaptations will remain plentiful, so keep your eyes peeled for each generation’s Tweedledee and Tweedledum.