George Washington has inspired artistic and cultural works for more than two hundred years. The following lists cover various media to include items of historic interest, enduring works of high art, and recent representations in popular culture. The entries represent portrayals that a reader has a reasonable chance of encountering rather than a complete catalog. Lesser known works are not included.
For purposes of classification, popular culture music is a separate section from operas and oratorios. Television covers live action series, TV movies, miniseries, and North American animation but not Japanese anime, which appears with manga and graphic novels.
Art Washington is among the historical figures depicted in Our Nation's 200th Birthday, The Telephone's 100th Birthday (1976) by Stanley Meltzoff for Bell System."Stanley Meltzoff Archives: The 1976 Bell System Telephone Book Cover" JKL Museum of Telephony (December 19, 2015); retrieved March 16, 2021
In 2004, the Metropolitan Museum of Art displayed a selection of paintings, drawings, sculpture and decorative arts of George Washington from its collection. It was shown as a complement to its exhibit Gilbert Stuart.
Gallery
Documentaries Date Title Portrayer Country Notes IMDB 1994 The American Revolution Cliff Robertson USA Voice role 2002 Founding Brothers Brian Dennehy USA Voice role 2007 Searching for George Washington Martin Sheen USA Voice role 2007 Alexander Hamilton Richard Easton USA Voice role
Films Date Title Portrayer Country Notes IMDB 1909Washington Under the American Flag Joseph Kilgour USA Directed by J. Stuart Blackton1909Washington Under the British Flag1915The Battle Cry of PeaceDirected by J. Stuart Blackton and Wilfrid North1916The Dawn of FreedomDirected by Theodore Marston and Paul Scardon1917The Spirit of '76 William BeeryDirected by Frank Montgomery1924YorktownGeorge NashBlack and white silent film directed by Webster Campbell1924America Arthur Dewey Directed by D.W. Griffith1927The Flag Francis X. BushmanDirected by Arthur Maude1931Alexander Hamilton Alan MowbrayDirected by John G. Adolfi1932The Phantom President Alan MowbrayDirected by Norman Taurog1936Give Me Liberty Robert WarwickDirected by B. Reeves Eason1939Sons of Liberty Montagu LoveDirected by Michael Curtiz1940The Howards of Virginia George HoustonDirected by Frank Lloyd1942The Remarkable Andrew Montagu LoveDirected by Stuart Heisler1945Where Do We Go from Here? Alan MowbrayDirected by Gregory Ratoff1946Monsieur Beaucaire Douglass DumbrilleDirected by George Marshall1947Unconquered Richard GainesDirected by Cecil B. DeMille1951When the Redskins Rode James SeayDirected by Lew Landers1959John Paul Jones John CrawfordUSA / SpainDirected by John Farrow1961La Fayette Howard St. JohnFrance / ItalyDirected by Jean Dréville1976Independence Patrick O'Neal USADirected by John Huston2000The Patriot Terry LaymanDirected by Roland Emmerich 2006 We Fight to Be Free Sebastian Roché USA Directed by Kees Van Oostrum 2008An American Carol Jon VoightUSADirected by David Zucker2014Mr. Peabody & ShermanJess HarnellUSADirected by Rob Minkoff2015Beyond the MaskJohn Arden McClureUSADirected by Chad Burns2021America: The Motion PictureChanning TatumUSADirected by Matt ThompsonThe GeneralUSAThe VirginianUSADirected by Jason Hall2026Young WashingtonWilliam Franklyn-MillerUSADirected by Jon Erwin
Television Date Title Portrayer Country Notes IMDB1952Hallmark Hall of Fame The Plot to Kidnap George Washington Tod GriffinUSA1955You Are There Washington Crosses the Delaware (December 25, 1776) CBS Russ Conway USA1972Bewitched George Washington Zapped Here (Parts 1 and 2) Will GeerUSA 1975The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence Jim Henson USAFeatured a Muppet version of George Washington1989A Little Bit StrangeUSA/Canada1998–2001Histeria!USAFeatured a caricature of Washington modeled after Bob Hope as an occasional guest host.1999Celebrity DeathMatch USAFaced-off against Abraham Lincoln 2007Masters of Horror "The Washingtonians"USAWashington is portrayed as a cannibal in a fictional account of alternate history.2011Deadliest WarriorNick Schroeder (young)USAIn the third-season premiere, Washington battled Napoleon.2013–2014Sleepy HollowLouis HerthumUSA2014Epic Rap Battles of HistoryPeter ShukoffUSAYouTube web series; episode "George Washington vs. William Wallace".2014Ben 10: OmniverseDavid KayeUSAVoice role2014–2017Turn: Washington's SpiesIan KahnUSA2015Turn: Washington's SpiesBryan AdrianUSA2016TimelessDamian O'HareUSA2017Legends of TomorrowRandall BatinkoffUSATwo episodes2018OutlanderSimon HarrisonScotland/USAEpisode "Wilmington"
Television movies Date Title Portrayer Country Notes IMDB 1975Valley Forge Richard BasehartUSATV movie directed by Fielder Cook1976The Patriots Ralph ClantonUSATV movie directed by Bob Hankal and Robert Strane1979The Rebels Peter GravesUSATV movie directed by Russ Mayberry19921775 Adam WestUSATV movie directed by David Trainer2000The Crossing Jeff DanielsUSATV movie directed by Robert Harmonstarring2003Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor Kelsey GrammerUSATV movie directed by Mikael Salomon
Miniseries Date Title Portrayer Country Notes IMDB1984George Washington Barry BostwickUSATV miniseries directed by Buzz Kulik1986George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation Barry BostwickUSATV miniseries directed by William A. Graham1997LIBERTY! The American Revolution Stephen Lang (voice)USATV miniseries directed by Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer2000Founding Fathers Brian Dennehy (voice)USATV miniseries directed by Mark Hufnail and Melissa Jo Peltier2000The American President Walter Cronkite (voice)USATV miniseries directed by Philip Kunhardt III, Philip Kunhardt Jr., Peter W. Kunhardt, and James A. Edgar2002Liberty's Kids Michael Santo (voice)USATV animated series2006Washington the Warrior Jackson Bolt, Shea Patrick (young)USATV miniseries directed by Robert M. Wise2006The War That Made America Larry NehringUSATV miniseries directed by Ben Loeterman and Eric Stange2008John Adams David MorseUSATV miniseries directed by Tom Hooper starring David Morse as Washington2015Sons of Liberty Jason O'MaraUSATV miniseries 2020 Washington Nicholas Rowe USA TV miniseries
Theatre Date Title Portrayers Country Notes IMDB 1920 George Washington Walter Hampden USA Ran for 16 performances 2015 Hamilton Christopher Jackson, Nicholas Christopher, Isaiah Johnson USA Musical based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, written by Lin Manuel-Miranda. Washington features as a main character in the musical. A digital recording of the musical is available on Disney+.
Video games George Washington is featured in modern video games as a prominent fictionalized character from world history in Age of Empires III, Civilization V and Assassin's Creed III (as himself in game and a counter-history King in DLC). These games are discussed in Winnerling and Kershbaumer's Early Modernity and Video Games explaining that the player manipulating the games' semiotic system of communications thereby "gives insights in his historical consciousness."Winnerling, Tobias and Kershbaumer, Florian. Early Modernity and Video Games. , p. 70, 106, 148, 160.
Date Title Portrayer Country Notes IMDB 1991Bill & Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure USAOne of the historical figures that must be retrieved within the game.1993Day of the Tentacle USAA character that travels to the past meets George Washington, and among other things, "converts" a kumquat tree to a cherry tree for George to cut down1993Mario's Time Machine USA1994Liberty or Death Japan, USA2004The Political Machine USA2005Age of Empires III Daniel RiordanUSAVoice role2005Civilization IV USA 2007Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs Daniel RiordanUSAVoice role2008The Political Machine 2008 USA2008Civilization IV: Colonization USA2009Scribblenauts USAWashington also appears in a similar fashion in all of the sequels to Scribblenauts.2009Empire: Total War USAWashington is a selectable general for the United States faction2010Civilization V Marcel JeaninUSAVoice role2012The Political Machine 2012 USA2012Assassin's Creed III Robin Atkin DownesCanadaVoice role. Ratonhnhaké:ton interacts with Washington during the course of the American Revolution.2012Assassin's Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington Robin Atkin DownesCanadaVoice role. Revolves around an alternative history, wherein Washington becomes corrupted by an ancient artifact, and dubs himself King.2013 BioShock Infinite Patriot robots are modeled after George Washington.2014Team Fortress 2 USAGeorge Washington is featured in a comic called A Cold Day in Hell.2014Second Chance Heroes USA, CanadaGeorge Washington is featured in a comic book introduction to the game.2014Assassin's Creed: Rogue Tod FennellBulgariaVoice role. A young Washington briefly appears during a party for his half-brother, Lawrence.2016The Political Machine 2016 USA2018The Council Christian Erickson France Voice role 2020 The Political Machine 2020 USA 2020 Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Daniel Riordan USA Voice role 2021 Funko Pop! Blitz USA 2025 Electoral Carnage USA
Internet Date Title Portrayer Country Notes IMDB 2014Epic Rap Battles of History Peter ShukoffUSAWashington features in a rap battle against Scottish resistance leader William Wallace.
See also
George Washington George Washington on U.S. postage stamps Washington-Franklin postage stamps List of paintings of George Washington List of statues of George Washington List of memorials to George Washington Hamilton (2015 musical) Valley Forge play
References
Further reading
Bergmann, Linda S. "Epic, Parody, and National Identity: George Washington in Nineteenth-Century American Humor." Studies in American Humor 2 (1995): 1-22. online Browne, Stephen Howard. The First Inauguration: George Washington and the Invention of the Republic (Penn State Press, 2020) on the inaugural address. online Bruggeman, Seth C. Here, George Washington was born: Memory, material culture, and the public history of a national monument (U of Georgia Press, 2011). Cavitch, Max. "The man that was used up: Poetry, particularity, and the politics of remembering George Washington." American Literature 75.2 (2003): 247-274. summary Greenhalgh, Adam. " 'Not a man but a god' the apotheosis of Gilbert Stuart’s Athenaeum portrait of George Washington." Winterthur Portfolio 41.4 (2007): 269-304. online Jacobs, Phoebe Lloyd. "John James Barralet and the Apotheosis of George Washington." Winterthur Portfolio 12 (1977): 115-137. online Marks, Arthur S. "The statue of King George III in New York and the iconology of regicide." American Art Journal 13.3 (1981): 61-82. online on tearing down statues Marling, Karal Ann. George Washington Slept Here: Colonial Revivals and American Culture, 1876-1986 (Harvard University Press, 1988). Mitnick, Barbara J., et al. George Washington: American Symbol (Hudson Hills, 1999). Savage, Kirk. "The self-made monument: George Washington and the fight to erect a national memorial." Winterthur Portfolio 22.4 (1987): 225-242. online Schwartz, Barry. "Social change and collective memory: The democratization of George Washington." American Sociological Review (1991): 221-236. online Tschachler, Heinz. George Washington and Political Fatherhood: The Endurance of a National Myth (McFarland, 2020) re "Father of his country" slogan. Young, Christopher J. "Memory by Consensus: Remembering the American Revolutionary War in Chicago." Journal of American Studies 50.4 (2016): 971-997. online
External links "Memory and Myth: George Washington in American Art" from Smithsonian "George Washington in American Art" Lesson plan for secondary schools, from Bill of Rights Institute