The President of the United States on Screen

What single figure has been represented most frequently in Western film history? The answer: By far, the President of the United States.

This unique compendium of POTUSs on screen reveals both the ubiquity and remarkable range of presidential portrayals, from the earliest appearances to the present. Featuring 164 fictitious screen presidents—including the first female president, seen in the 1964 comedy Kisses for My President—the book shows film presidents making speeches, in the Oval office, riding around in limos, addressing the press, and in more private moments. Graphic designer Lea N. Michel has sorted these presidents into six key types—Father and Husband, Villain, Alien, Clown, Hero, Lover—which she has further sorted into a dizzying 240 subcategories, such as Shaking Hands, Looking Shocked at a Screen, or In in a Video Conference with a Terrorist.

Drawn from both films and TV, familiar works and lesser-known productions, the images highlight the intense relationship between fiction and reality in a time when the sitting president exploits all media to an unprecedented extent to market himself and to increase his popularity. You won’t find a more surprising or striking book this election.