Arts & Entertainment
Hollywood's Jeff Daniels Finally Meets His Pittsburgh Lookalike
Months after the actor's resemblance to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald drew international attention, the pair finally connect.

PITTSBURGH, PA — Seven months after their uncanny resemblance drew media attention as far away as England, Emmy-award winning actor Jeff Daniels finally has met Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.
The county's highest-ranking elected official posted photos of himself and Daniels on Twitter Monday . The actor is in town shooting a new TV drama, "American Rust," scheduled to premier on Showtime Sept. 12. "Great to meet the person so many people tell me I look like," Fitzgerald tweeted.
In January, a video surfaced of Fitzgerald criticizing Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for lambasting President Joe Biden took the nation back into the Paris climate accord shortly after taking office. Fitzgerald didn't take kindly to Cruz saying the new president was "more interested in the views of the citizens of Paris than in the jobs of the citizens of Pittsburgh”.
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The Guardian, an English newspaper, subsequently wrote an article about how the video went viral after people mistook Fitzgerald for Daniels and thought the actor was taking Cruz to task.
Fitzgerald, The Guardian noted,"has achieved Internet fame - for rebuking (Cruz) but also for looking remarkable like (Daniels)."
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Great to finally meet the person that so many people tell me I look like. It’s great that a big Michigan booster like @Jeff_Daniels would come to our neck of the woods for this production. We look forward to the success of the series & hope your stay in Pgh has been fruitful. pic.twitter.com/bGApVvmGAg
— Allegheny Co. Exec. (@ACE_Fitzgerald) August 2, 2021
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