Empire Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters

[Dan's Brain]

This list was compiled from the votes of their readers, and was published in the November edition of the magazine. What do people think of it? Actor names in parentheses, and film titles and dates in italics.

100. Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) - Harry Potter Series (2001-)
99. Insp. Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) - The Original Pink Panther Series (1963-1978)
98. Gny. Sgt. Hartman (R. Lee Ermey) - Full Metal Jacket (1987)
97. Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) - Erin Brockovich (2000)
96. Captain Hilts (Steve McQueen) - The Great Escape (1963)
95. Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) - Pretty Woman (1990)
94. Neo (Keanu Reeves) - The Matrix Trilogy (1999-2003)
93. Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) - Iron Man (2008)
92. Michael Myers (Tony Moran) - Halloween Series (1978)
91. Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) - The View Askew Series (1994-)
90. Maximus (Russell Crowe) - Gladiator (2000)
89. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) - American Beauty (1999)
88. Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall) - Apocalypse Now (1979)
87. Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) - The Shining (1980)
86. Alien (Rubber, plastic, bits of goo) - Alien (1979)
85. Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) - Wall Street (1987)
84. Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp) - Edward Scissorhands (1990)
83. Beetle Juice (Michael Keaton) - Beetle Juice (1988)
82. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) - No Country for Old Men (2007)
81. Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
80. Borat (Sascha Baron Cohen) - Borat (2006)
79. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) - X-Men Series (2000-)
78. Mick Dundee (Paul Hogan) - Crocodile Dundee (1986)
77. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) - Escape From New York (1981)
76. Withnail (Richard E. Grant) - Withnail & I (1987)
75. Shrek (Mike Myers) - Shrek Series (2001-)
74. Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) - Fargo (1996)
73. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) - American Psycho (2000)
72. Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) - The Castle (1997)
71. Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) - Star Wars Episodes 3-6 (1977-2005)
70. Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) - Back to the Future Series (1985-1990)
69. Martin Blank (John Cusack) - Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
68. Maria (Julie Andrews) - The Sound of Music (1965)
67. Barry McKenzie (Barry Crocker) - Adventures of Barry McKenzie/Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1972-74)
66. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) - Star Wars Episodes 4 to 6 (1977-83)
65. Leon (Jean Reno) - The Professional (1994)
64. Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) - Titanic (1997)
63. Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) - Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
62. Gollum (Andy Serkis) - The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)
61. Gandalf (Ian McKellen) - The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)
60. Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) - Boogie Nights (1997)
59. Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) - Apocalypse Now (1979)
58. Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) - Annie Hall (1977)
57. Vincent Vega (John Travolta) - Pulp Fiction (1994)
56. Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) - Citizen Kane (1941)
55. The Man with No Name (Clint Eastwood) - Dollars Trilogy (1964-66)
54. Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) - The Godfather (1972)
53. Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) - Spider-Man Series (2002-)
52. John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) - Rambo Series (1982-2008)
51. Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) - Psycho 1-3 (1960-1986)
50. Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi (Alec Guiness/Ewan McGregor) - Star Wars (1977-2005)
49. Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) - Mad Max Series (1979-1985)
48. Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) - The Crow (1994)
47. Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) - Casablanca (1942)
46. Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) - Bridget Jones Series (2001-2004)
45. Luke (Paul Newman) - Cool Hand Luke (1967)
44. Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) - Gone With The Wind (1939)
43. Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) - Juno (2007)
42. Austin Powers (Mike Myers) - Austin Powers Series (1997-2002)
41. Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) - To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
40. Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) - Dirty Harry Series (1971-88)
39. Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) - There Will Be Blood (2007)
38. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) - The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)
37. Alex (Malcolm McDowell) - A Clockwork Orange (1971)
36. Det Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) - Beverley Hills Cop Series (1984-94)
35. Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) - On The Waterfront (1954)
34. William Wallace (Mel Gibson) - Braveheart (1995)
33. Lt. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) - Alien 1-4 (1979-97)
32. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) - Godfather Trilogy (1972-90)
31. Randle McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
30. Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) - Nightmare on Elm Street Series (1984-2003)
29. ET (Carlo Rambaldi) - E.T. (1982)
28. The Bride/Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman) - Kill Bill (2003-04)
27. Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) - Taxi Driver (1976)
26. Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) - Pulp Fiction (1994)
25. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) - The Bourne Series (2002-07)
24. Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) - Donnie Darko (2001)
23. Yoda (Frank Oz) - Star Wars Episodes 1-3, 5-6 (1980-2005)
22. Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) - The Usual Suspects (1995)
21. John McClane (Bruce Willis) - Die Hard 1-4 (1988-2007)
20. Ash (Bruce Campbell) - Evil Dead; Army of Darkness (1981-1992)
19. Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) - Zoolander (2001)
18. Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) - The Wizard of Oz (1939)
17. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) - Rocky 1-6 (1976-2007)
16. Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) - Gone With the Wind (1939)
15. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) - Harry Potter Series (2001-)
14. Batman (Michael Keaton/ Val Kilmer/ George Clooney/ Christian Bale) - Batman Series (1989-)
13. Tony Montana (Al Pacino) - Scarface (1983)
12. Superman (Christopher Reeve/ Brandon Routh) - Superman Series (1978-2006)
11. The Dude (Jeff Bridges) - The Big Lebowski (1998)
10. The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) - Terminator Series (1984-2003)
9. Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) - Forrest Gump (1994)
8. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) - Star Wars Episodes 4 to 6 (1977-83)
7. Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt/Edward Norton) - Fight Club (1999)
6. James Bond (Sean Connery/George Lazenby/Roger Moore/Timothy Dalton/Pierce Brosnan/Daniel Craig) - 007 Series (1962-)
5. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) - Lecter Trilogy (1991-2002)
4. Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) - Pirates of the Caribbean 1-3 (2003-2007)
3. Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones/Hayden Christensen) - Star Wars Episodes 3-6 (1977-2005)
2. The Joker (Jack Nicholson/Heath Ledger) - Batman, The Dark Knight (1989, 2008)
1. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) - Indiana Jones Series (1981-)

Should be noted that these are primarily Australian voters, which explains the appearance of Darryl Kerrigan and Barry McKenzie.

But what do you think? Any surprise admissions/omissions?

[BIG GREEN]

The joker is in the right spot but I don't know about fucking indiana jones at number one....don corleone or scarface should be their instead. Hell..even spider-man would be better.

[adv1s5]

I'd have to disagree with the Joker being number two, let alone in top ten. Nicholson did a pretty epic interpretation himself, and Ledger did his thing, but really? 2nd greatest movie character of all time? Maybe I just have a problem with all of these characters being listed being based off of books or comics, but I suppose it'd be difficult to compile a list of a hundred original characters.

I'd like to see the most common age group of the readers that sent in their votes. I'm sure it'd explain a lot of these choices.

[Dan's Brain]

I did actually vote in the poll, and i had Verbal Kint at numero uno, and had Tony Montana and Norman Bates also in my top 10. Another character that i voted for and i was surprised didnt make more of a splash was Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder version, obviously).

[Oznogrd]

Indiana Jones maybe belongs in top 20 but number 1? hell no. Same is true of Han Solo. Michael Corleone or Vito both could be in top 5 easily and although i didnt like scarface but tony montana deserves a higher slot. Also: Zoolander at 19? really? i dont even consider him top 100 material.

[el badman]

Not seeing either Raoul Dukes or Dr Gonzo from Fear and Loathing, so that list fails.
I agree that Indy shouldn't be #1, but he should definitely be in the top 20 or 30 indeed.
And they should obviously distinguish the Batman actors instead of shoveling them in the same spot. Bale and Keaton were brilliant but Kilmer and Clooney cannot possibly be considered on the same level, even if they were playing the same character.

[Lean]

Meh, Indiana Jones?

I'm not surprised to see Darth Vader, Yoda, and Joker on their spots, but Indiana Jones in #1?

The likes of Tony Montana should be there.

[Dramacydal]

Not seeing either Raoul Dukes or Dr Gonzo from Fear and Loathing, so that list fails.

Word.


John Coffey (The Green Mile), John Nash (A Beautiful Mind), Captain John H. Miller (Saving Private Ryan), Paul Rusesabagina (Hotel Rwanda), Elmo McElroy (The 51st State) and Detective Alonzo Harris (Training Day) are some of my personal favorites off the top of my head that didn't make the list. And yes, I know that number 2 and 4 are based on true stories but still.

[Joe']

The Dude should be #1, Walter should be #2. Andy Dufresne and Patrick Bateman should be in the Top 10. Jack Sparrow, Darth Vader and the Joker should be waaaaaaay lower on the list.

They got it completely wrong, they didn't even include Leonard from Memento or Tommy DeVito from Goodfellas just to name a few. John Doe (Se7en,) John Nash (A Beautiful Mind,) Derek Vinyard (American History X,) Jack Crabb (Little Big Man,) James Cole (Twelve Monkeys, )I could go on for hours...

I mean who the fuck gives a shit about Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter? The ones I listed above are real characters not wizards or jedis or hobbits or whatever...

[el badman]

The Dude should be #1

Leonard from Memento

Derek Vinyard (American History X,)

James Cole (Twelve Monkeys, )

Good calls

[Andrew]

I mean who the fuck gives a shit about Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter? The ones I listed above are real characters not wizards or jedis or hobbits or whatever...

Well, obviously not you but plenty of other people do. Specifics like that don't make characters any less "real" in the world of fiction. If reality is the deciding factor then it rules out a lot of people on that list, even if their characteristics don't have their basis in science fiction or fantasy. James Bond is certainly an unrealistic character and pretty shallow when you think about it, but there's no way he could be left off the list.

I'm saddened by Borat's inclusion on that list. I know he's popular and to that end he pretty much seals his place somewhere on such a list but I still don't buy the whole schtick as "comic genius". He's pretty much the same (cliched) joke over and over again, Sascha Baron Cohen simply has the guts to go out in public and live the character. If you're going to give him credit for that, then you can't turn your nose up at Tom Green doing the same thing back in the day in his own disturbingly unique way. Still, it was successful so it's difficult to strike him off the list.

I'm tempted to vote James Bond as #1 being such a memorable character who has drawn audiences to more than 20 theatrical releases and survived the test of time despite changes in the film industry, audience attitudes and several different actors. At the same time, he is a fairly shallow character beyond the witticisms, catchphrases and gadgets so I can understand not putting him at #1 as well.

The order is always going to be debatable but I think they've covered a good amount of memorable and significant characters in that list. I do think they've given a bit too much credit to characters like Austin Powers and Derek Zoolander though, though not being a huge fan of those movies my view of the characters is probably a little tainted.

[Drex]

Zoolander at 19? Over Vito, Micheal, The Bad Mother Fucker...well, I disagree with some of the picks (too high, too low) and I feel there are some missing, but I guess it's kinda OK.

[benji]

Bale and Keaton were brilliant but Kilmer and Clooney cannot possibly be considered on the same level, even if they were playing the same character.

Yeah, especially since Kilmer was the best.

[Oznogrd]

As to Andrew's comment about Borat: while i do not find Borat to be his best character (ali g wins that by far): it was interesting to see people reacting to borat and how they handle his completely made up "customs". For me the humor was not in borat, what he said or the scenes in "kazakstahn" but the people he talked too and how incredibly stupid they were to say the shit they did with cameras on. I know its edited and all to make the people look bad: but the comedy in that movie has NOTHING to do with Sacha Baron Cohen...it has to do with the insanity we call the human race.

[benji]

I thought the movie was actually a wonderful look at how tolerant Americans are. (And really most series like Borat/Jackass/Tom Green/Trigger Happy/ etc. are really a good show of how tolerant people are in general. Think about some of the things these guys do sometimes. It's actually comforting that more people don't run like the guy early in Borat or freak out like the guy responding to the Satan stuff in Jackass.) That dinner party scene is just an endless display of tolerance in the face of cultural absurdity, which is why he had to escalate it like he did.

And think of all the good stories people got from the various antics, like the ones at the Pam Anderson appearance, etc.

But I don't think I'd consider him a great movie character.

99. Insp. Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) - The Original Pink Panther Series (1963-1978)

Is the real scandal. And where the hell is Frank Drebin?

[Andrew]

As to Andrew's comment about Borat: while i do not find Borat to be his best character (ali g wins that by far): it was interesting to see people reacting to borat and how they handle his completely made up "customs". For me the humor was not in borat, what he said or the scenes in "kazakstahn" but the people he talked too and how incredibly stupid they were to say the shit they did with cameras on. I know its edited and all to make the people look bad: but the comedy in that movie has NOTHING to do with Sacha Baron Cohen...it has to do with the insanity we call the human race.

I see your point and it's difficult to argue with the success of the movie but I hate it when it's lauded as being "comic genius", at least in terms of the character himself. I have to give credit where credit is due in regards to the concept though even if I don't find it entertaining myself.

[Fresh8]

For Heath Ledger Joker fans, it was revealed that many people surveyed prefered the Ledger Joker over the Nicholson one. I thought that was an interesting fact. I think it was 70% or something of tyhose surveyed had that opinion.

[Jackal]

Yeah, especially since Kilmer was the best.

No.

[Andrew]

For Heath Ledger Joker fans, it was revealed that many people surveyed prefered the Ledger Joker over the Nicholson one. I thought that was an interesting fact. I think it was 70% or something of tyhose surveyed had that opinion.

I haven't seen "The Dark Knight" but everything I've heard about his performance has been flattering so it's not surprising. I do wonder if Nicholson's performance is becoming a little underrated though, in light of the difference in tone and movies that are "dark" and "gritty" being held in high very high esteem right now.

[Fresh8]

[quote=''Andrew'']I haven't seen "The Dark Knight" but everything I've heard about his performance has been flattering so it's not surprising. I do wonder if Nicholson's performance is becoming a little underrated though, in light of the difference in tone and movies that are "dark" and "gritty" being held in high very high esteem right now.[/quote]

Perhaps it's a time thing? Since Nicholson's performance was so long ago? (I can't remember Nicholson's performance so can't comment on who I think was better. I just think that Ledger was pretty brilliant in Dark Knight)

However Andrew, just note that people liked the Ledger version because of his 'twistedness' and 'darkness'...

[Andrew]

Indeed, I'm not suggesting Ledger's performance is unworthy of the praise it's received (having not seen the movie I certainly couldn't suggest such a thing with any kind of authority) but I think a lot of people are too dismissive of movies that aren't "dark".

[Jackal]

Based on what?

[Andrew]

Based on the people who criticise the old Batman movies and the characterisations therein simply because they're not dark like the recent ones.

[Joe']

I actually found the first Batman (as well as anything directed by Tim Burton) to be an overall darker movie than Begins and The Dark Knight. The Joker character, that's another story, but yeah, as a whole, the 89 version was darker, imo.

[Jackal]

Based on the people who criticise the old Batman movies and the characterisations therein simply because they're not dark like the recent ones.

Ah, like so. No doubt the Batman movies of yesteryear did suck huge nuts (although I was still a fan ), but as Joe said, Burton's versions weren't all that bad. Schumaker screwed them up after that.

But yeah, you have to give it to Batman, he was written in a dark style, so I guess people aren't too off when they criticise the old ones.

But I hope we're only talking about the Batman movies, I don't think the general consensus of people of now is that every movie should be "dark" and "gritty". I can't imagine a movie like Transformers to be "dark" and "gritty".

I won't lie, I'm a big fan of the "dark" and "gritty" theme, Fight Club is one of my favorite movies of all time, but I don't want every movie to follow the trend.