The characters in TV shows like "Downton Abbey" and "The Big Bang Theory" has garnered many fans. Most of them look very plain on the screen. However, in real life, these actresses are actually mind-blowing gorgeous. Here are 22 actors and actresses who look strikingly different from their screen characters. Just don't be too surprised!
1. Amy Farrah Fowler on "The Big Band Theory"
Amy Farrah Fowler, a brainy scientist on The Big Bang Theory played by Mayim Bialik, looks plain all the way. The character wears minimal makeup and is always in "matchy-matchy" and loose clothes.
Mayim Bialik In Real Life
Off screen, however, Mayim Bialik looks classy and modest. She is also an outspoken feminist and a proud Jewish woman. Mayim can glam it up with both beauty and brains.
2. Bernadette Rostenkowski on "The Big Bang Theory"
Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz, another scientist on The Big Bang Theory played by Melissa Rauch, may look like a sweet, friendly blonde girl, but she is actually super nerdy.
Melissa Rauch in Real Life
In real life, however, Melissa Rauch errs more on the side of glam. She looks absolutely gorgeous on the cover of Maxim and is not afraid to show off a little cleavage on the red carpet.
3. Arya Stark on "Game of Thrones"
Maisie Williams' role as Arya Stark on Game of Thrones is a tomboyish young girl, who wears masculine haircut and muddy brown tunic. The character is often mistaken as a boy.
Maisie Williams in Real Life
While Arya is a total tomboy in the show, Maisie Williams, in reality, is a gorgeous 22-year-old girl. Having spent most of her early-life pursuing a dancing career, Maisie is pretty adorable and feminine. She also likes to glam it up on the red carpet.
4. Mrs. Hughes on "Downton Abbey"
"The key to Mrs. Hughes is no make-up, a rather unflattering wig and letting my eyebrows grow. Also high-definition TV is very unforgiving and hones in on every wrinkle," actress Phyllis Logan has said of her Downton Abbey character.
Phyllis Logan in Real Life
In her life off camera, Scottish actress Phyllis Logan radiates the same warmth and kindness of her TV character. She is also fashionable enough to get glammed up!
5. Daisy Robinson on "Downton Abbey"
Sophie McShera played a poor kitchen cook named Daisy Robinson on the British period drama Downton Abbey. To get into this character, McShera's face is stripped of any makeup, her air placed in a bonnet, and her petite frame hidden by a potato sack of a dress.
Sophie McShera In Real Life
But on the red carpet, with her blowout and designer duds, Sophie McShera looks more like a Crawley than a servant. As cute as a button, McShera is surprisingly gorgeous and polished.
6. Kate McKinnon On Saturday Night Live
On Saturday Night Live, Kate McKinnon plays many weird characters, and some of them have been downright ugly. She has the ability to play seemingly any character and make it look totally realistic. Just take a look at her spot-on Justin Bieber.
Kate McKinnon in Real Life
In her downtime off NFL, however, Kate McKinnon is far from ugly. On the red carpet, McKinnon usually rocks dewy makeup and loose, long blonde locks. If you saw her out on the street, you would probably stop and do a double take.
7. Frankie Heck On "The Middle"
On the TV show The Middle, Patricia Heaton plays a Midwestern mom with a sloppy appearance. The actress once admitted that she goes out of her way to make her character, Frankie, "a little bit frumpy."
Patricia Heaton in Real Life
Off screen, the 61-year-old lady scrubs up quite well. Patricia Heaton looks elegant and natural with a sweet smile and bright red hair.
8. Kimmy Schmidt on "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
On the Netflix original series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, actress Ellie Kemper plays the title character, who is often in colorful clothes such as a bright yellow sweater and hot pink pants. The costumes perfectly match the character's juvenile personality.
Ellie Kemper In Real Life
In real life, however, Ellie Kemper's style is much more glamorous and sophisticated. She can pull off almost anything!
9. Kitty Sanchez On “Arrested Development”
Kitty Sanchez was the ultimate dork in Arrested Development. She was the secretary of George Bluth and always fully devoted to the Bluth company and George himself.
Judy Greer In Real Life
In real life, Judy Greer is a stunning actress known for character roles. She has appeared in numerous films including The Descendants, Jurassic World, Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and the Planet of the Apes.
10. Steve Urkel On “Family Matters”
In many millennials’ childhood memories, Steve Urkel is known for his lovable nerdiness and a weird obsession with neighbor Laura Winslow.
Jaleel White In Real Life
Actor Jaleel White looked or acted nothing like the character in real life. After his success in Family Matters, he attended UCLA and got a degree in film and television in 2001. Over the years he has appeared in several films and TV shows. The recent news is that he will reprise his role as Urkel for the first time since 1998 in the upcoming 2019 series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?.
11. Brienne of Tarth On Game of Thrones
In the show and the books, Brienne of Tarth is a force to be reckoned with but certainly not an attractive woman.
Gwendoline Christie In Real Life
Gwendoline Christie is no doubt a gorgeous woman in real life. Besides GOT, she has also portrayed First Order stormtrooper Captain Phasma in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
12. Gregor Clegane On Game Of Thrones
Nicknamed “The Mountain”, Gregor Clegane is a ruthless warrior. After his battle with Oberyn Martell, Qyburn turned him into the ultimate zombie.
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson In Real Life
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is a rather good looking man in real life. As a professional strongman, he is the first person to have won the Arnold Strongman Classic, Europe's Strongest Man and World's Strongest Man in the same calendar year. 
13. Margaret McPoyle On t’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Margaret McPoyle is the uni-browed member of the McPoyle family who is a deaf-mute and in n an incestuous relationship with her two brothers.
Thesy Surface In Real Life
The difference between the character and the actress is like night and sky. Besides acting, Thesy Surface also used to burlesque dance at different venues around LA.
14. Emily Malek In The Handmaid’s Tale
Dr. Emily Malek was a Handmaid assigned to Commander Deeds as Ofglen #1, Commander Scott as Ofsteven, Commander Roy as Ofroy, and Commander Lawrence as Ofjoseph #3, and joined an underground resistance named Mayday.
Alexis Bledel in real life
Alexis Bledel is an actress and model. Before The Handmaid’s Tale, she was most famous for her role as Rory Gilmore on the television series Gilmore Girls.
15. Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren On Orange Is the New Black
Suzanne Warren, also known as “Crazy Eyes”, is an inmate at Litchfield Penitentiary. She is very emotional and often hits herself on the head when feeling upset or frustrated.
Uzo Aduba In Real Life
Uzo Aduba is a stunning actress in real life. For her performances in Orange Is the New Black, she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014 and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
16. Count Olaf In A Series of Unfortunate Events
Marked by a unibrow and his tattoo of the V.F.D. eye on his left ankle, the evil Count Olaf is always plotting to get the Baudelaire Fortune.
Neil Patrick Harris In Real Life
Can you believe Count Olaf is played by the same actor who portrays Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother? Neil Patrick Harris is an actor known for his comedy roles. Besides the two shows mentioned, his performance in Doogie Howser, M.D. is also well received.
17. Betty Suarez On Ugly Betty
Although Betty Suarez is not exactly good-looking in the show and many people mock her for that, she does have a kind heart.
America Ferrera In Real Life
America Ferrera is a gorgeous actress in real life. For her portrait of Betty Suarez, she received a Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and the Primetime Emmy Award. Her other notable works include Real Women Have Curves, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, End of Watch, etc..
18. Laura Moon On American Gods
Laura Moon is the deceased wife of the main character. She died in a car accident while hooking up with his husband’s best friend Robbie.
Emily Browning In Real Life
Emily Browning is a gorgeous actress with hazel eyes. She made a breakthrough in the 2002 horror film Ghost Ship. Her other representative works include The Uninvited, Sucker Punch, and Sleeping Beauty.
19. Tiffany Doggett In Orange is the New Black
At the beginning of the show, Tiffany Doggett is extremely judgmental, bossy, and overall ignorant, but as the show progresses, her attitude has changed gradually and she is more sensible and rational.
Taryn Manning In Real Life
Taryn Manning is a gorgeous actress with a charismatic personality.
20. Sandor Clegane On The Game Of Thrones
Nicknamed “The Hound”, Sandor Clegane the younger brother of Gregor Clegane. He is a skilled soldier and is in lifelong rivalry with his brother.
Rory McCann In Real Life
Unlike “the hound”, Scottish actor Rory McCann is pretty easy on the eyes. Besides Sandor Clegane, he is also famous for portraying Michael "Lurch" Armstrong in Edgar Wright's crime-comedy Hot Fuzz.
21. Rustin Cohle On True Detective
Rustin Cohle is a skilled but troubled detective. He is known for getting confessions from criminals.
Matthew McConaughey In Real Life
Real-life Matthew McConaughey has aged gracefully. His fame and achievements in the film industry need no introduction.
22. Eugene Porter In The Walking Dead
When introduced into the show, Eugene Porter was not appreciated and deemed useless by the members of Alexandria. But later his talents earned him forgiveness and acceptance.
Josh McDermitt In Real Life
In real life, actor Josh McDermitt is far from goofy looking. Just take a look at his red carpet pictures.
