Cuba Gooding Jr., Johnny Depp, more actors who play the famous, infamous

It’s no more Mr. Nice Guy for Cuba Gooding Jr. The actor has earned raves as football hero turned accused murderer O.J. Simpson in the FX miniseries “The People vs. O.J. Simpson.” It’s a far cry from a previous turn as a real person in TNT’s 2009 drama “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story” about the famed neurosurgeon turned presidential hopeful.

Gooding’s not the first actor to play the famous and the infamous so well. Here are some others.

PAUL MUNI Though best known for historical roles, including his Oscar-winning turn in “The Story of Louis Pasteur” (1936), Muni was even better playing a thinly disguised portrait of Al Capone in “Scarface” (1932).

TONY CURTIS Heroic was the word for Curtis in “The Outsider” (1961) as Ira Hayes, an American Indian soldier who helped raise the flag at Iwo Jima. Psychotic was the word for Curtis as “The Boston Strangler” (1968).

JOHNNY DEPP The versatile star was kindly as “Peter Pan” creator James M. Barrie in “Finding Neverland” (2004), and deadly as gangster John Dillinger in “Public Enemies” (2009).

FOREST WHITAKER As coldblooded Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland” (2006), Whitaker won an Oscar. For his next screen role, he’ll play anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu.