Kerry Copycat
Illustrator turns impersonator
By Laura Levis

He might not have the gray mane, but when it comes to the monotone voice and signature hand gestures, Tom DiCesare plays John Kerry so perfectly it’s almost scary.

“My entire life, people were always telling me I looked exactly like John Kerry,” DiCesare says, leaning back in his chair in MIT’s Whitehead Institute. “I don’t have the gray hair yet, but I dye it for most appearances.”

A scientific illustrator and animator, DiCesare began impersonating Kerry in March, after meeting a George W. Bush look-alike who recommended DiCesare to play Kerry for a commercial he was shooting in Los Angeles.

“I just took the plunge and went out there,” DiCesare says. “They paid for my entire trip, and all of a sudden I just thought, ‘Hey, I can make money doing this!’”

Whether he’s promoting Clif Bars in the middle of Harvard Square or sitting next to Regis Philbin, the Wayland, MA, resident says he’s loved every minute of it. Even though Kerry won’t be settling into the White House anytime soon, DiCesare says he doesn’t plan to fade into the background.

“I’m going to stick with this as long as I can,” he says. “In a few years, I won’t even have to dye my hair anymore.”