The Top 100 Movie Characters - Results (Results are in)

[chasmmi]

44: Superman – Christopher Reeves, Superman 1-4

(38pts and 5 votes)

 

The original and best Superman. The man who made you believe a person could fly and the films that taught you that reversing the rotation of the Earth can cause time travel. Superman is an icon and Christopher Reeves brought him to life (It only takes a look at some of the superhero failures of the past two decades to know that the hero enough is not a guarantee for the success. Reeve was some great casting and some may feel that 44^th is a little bit low.

 

 

 

43: Buzz Lightyear – Tim Allen, Toy Story 1-3

(38pts and 5 votes)

 

To 43^rd place and no further beyond!!! The dawn of the Pixar era brought us two immortal characters: Buzz and Woody. Buzz Lightyear was an animated character in the mold of classic characters past. The toy story trilogy was bursting with comedy (I still feel that Toy Story 2 is the most I have laughed during any animated film ever), drama (Toy Story 3 can legitimately make you cry) and pure action. There’s a reason why for two years straight Buzz Lightyear dolls were impossible to buy,

 

[rukaio101]

Hell yes. Screw MoS, this is a real Superman.

[chasmmi]

 

Also, did I miss the third 1-vote character? Who was it?

 

The little Tramp - Charlie Chaplin 69th

[chasmmi]

42: Steve Rogers – Chris Evans, Captain America, The Avengers

(38pts and 6 votes)

 

Maybe a slight surprise to beat off Hulk and the Asgardians, but Captain America finds himself in the top half of our list. The first Avenger may not have got off to the most stellar start box office-wise with one of the least warmly received Phase one films, but ol’ Cap’in Amur’ca really came into his own in The Avengers with some great one liners and a few pretty good action scenes. Something also tells me that the Winter Soldier could potentially be a real step up from what we’ve seen before.

 

 

 

41: Juror 8 – Henry Fonda, 12 Angry Men

(39pts and 3 votes)

 

Another hark back to the cinema of yesteryear sees us with a character whose name would suggest to the uninitiated that they were nothing more than an extra. A bit like cheerleader number 6 and store customer 9. I sadly haven’t seen the film so I cannot really expand any further.

 

[rukaio101]

The little Tramp - Charlie Chaplin 69th

Daaaah.... I probably should've voted for him.

[chasmmi]

ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID…

 

An actors career can go in many directions. Some will shine bring for a few years before disappearing into obscurity, some will hit that big franchise that will pay the rent checks till their dying days, others will become icons; cinema greats with a character filmography that makes your index finger ache trying to scroll through them all.

 

We have already seen more than a couple of actors receive multiple nominations on this list. However a few great actors also missed the list entirely despite being cinema gods in their own lifetime. In fact there were six actors in total who receive votes for 4 roles or more without any making the list. Let’s see who they were.

 

4 votes:

 

Ben Stiller: Derek Zoolander 120^th, Alex (Madagascar) 231^st, Gaylord Focker 233^rd, Mr. Furious 466^th

 

Denzel Washington: Alonso Harris 198^th, Keith Frazier 227^th, Anthony Hubbard 453^rd, John Casey 457^th

 

Kevin Costner: Roy McAvoy 147^th, Billy Chapel 215^th. Robin Hood 422^nd, Crash Davis 441^st

 

5 votes:

 

Robert Deniro: Travis Bickle 111^th, Vito Corleone 122^nd, Louis Cypher 205^th, Jake Lamotta 384^th, Jack Byrnes 391^st

 

Tom Cruise: Maverick 302^nd, Lestat 383^rd, Jerry Maguire 388^th, Ethan Hunt 395^th, Daniel Kaffee 400^th

 

6 votes:

 

Gene Hackman: Lex Luthor 149^th, Captain Frank Ramsey 221^st, John Herod 354^th, Mr. Anderson 355^th, Coach Normal Dale 445^th, Bill Daggett 524^th  

[chasmmi]

40: E.T – Pat Welsh, E.T

(42pts and 5 votes)

 

I stupidly wandered whether this was the first Alien on the list to date before I remember that there’s actually already been about 5: Loki, Thor, Superman, Leia, Palpatine. This is the first non-humanoid alien for sure though right? E.T spawned a deluge of Alien friend movies and TV shows through the years from the awesomely awesome ALF, to the less than awesome Mac and Me. However, E.T will always be the one that anybody who has been a child since 1982 will love. You couldn’t make a movie like this today (well with smartphone technology and the right app, he’d have been able to phone phone with 4 minutes of getting stranded wouldn’t he.

 

 

 

39: Katniss Everdeen - Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games

(42pts and 5 votes)

 

When the Hunger Games first came out, I avoided it like the plague as it was advertised as being the new Twilight for young teens and as such I had no intention of subjecting myself to it. However as time went by I heard more and more non-Twilighty souls praise the films and so succumbed to watching it and… it was great, I thought it was really really great and the girl in the lead role really stole the film. That girl was Jennifer Lawrence and as this forum seems to already accept, she may well be the next queen of the Box Office over the next decade or more. Watching her in Hunger Games turned me from having no interest in this franchise to playing to be there front row centre, opening weekend for Catching Fire. Great Role.

 

[rukaio101]

Huh. DiNiro, Hackman and Cruise don't have any characters on the list? That's a shame. 

 

Also, my No. 1 is No. 41 here. I shall have very high standards for the next 40 entries.

[chasmmi]

38: James Bond – Daniel Craig, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall

(42pts and 5 votes)

 

James Bond is truly the cat of cinema, 6^th life in and still going strong. Daniel Craig took over the mantle from Pierce Brosnan to angry cries about the abomination of a blond Bond. Stupid pissy complaints such as that were quickly dispelled though when Casino Royale turned out to be the best Bond since Goldeneye and possibly before. Quantum of Solace may have been a slight blip, but Skyfall was a bounce back of the highest order. A real more vulnerable Bond, Craig has the potential to go on to be the best Bond of them all.

 

 

 

37: Wolverine – Hugh Jackman, X-Men 1-3, First Class, Origins, The Wolverine

(42pts and 7 votes)

 

The first 7 vote character, Wolverine continues to be popular with audiences when most portrayals would have seriously overstayed their welcome (see Jack Sparrow for reference). Jackman is a man that’s impossible to begrudge his success; he seems like a genuinely nice guy and forever grateful for what he has. It may have been weird at first that there would be a Wolverine without yellow Spandex but Jackman owned the role and even managed to steal the show with just one line in First Class.

 

[chasmmi]

Huh. DiNiro, Hackman and Cruise don't have any characters on the list? That's a shame. 

 

 

 

Yes I know. I was extremely shocked about Deniro

[chasmmi]

36: Gollum – Andy Serkis, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit

(43pts and 5 votes)

 

Andy Serkis, doing what only Andy Serkis can. Gollum is not just a voice over, but a fully realized character, the expressions, the movement everything is brought to life by the actor playing him. Gollum was possibly the biggest event in Voice Acting since Robin Williams played Genie and not only that it was a split duel character as well. Just how many people would be able to pull off Multiple Personality Disorder animated little troll like creature? I’d say just 1.

 

 

 

35: Shrek – Mike Myers, Shrek 1-4

(46pts and 5 votes)

 

Wow, that’s a high position for Shrek, but then again he is potentially the best non-Disney/Pixar American Animated character ever (I know that’s a contentious personal opinion but…). Mike Myers really hit a home run when he created his cantankerous yet lovable Shrek persona. Always in a bad mood yet ready to save the day at any time, this franchise and character has survived peaks and troughs in quality to remain a consistent family animated favourite.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAY-GOIc1Io

[chasmmi]

34: Freddy Krueger – Robert Englund, Nightmare on Elm Street 1-7, Freddy vs Jason

(47pts and 4 votes)

 

Horror has had many iconic and cult figures in the past (there is a reason why a horror franchise can carry on for decades with new actors taking up the title monster as needed. One horror figure though rises above all the others when it comes to the personality they bring to the screen as opposed to just a pure visceral aura. That person was Freddy Krueger. One of the few horror icons to have a voice, Freddy was loved just as much for his one-liners as for his kills. Other polls going on right now will decide whether Elm Street beats out Halloween, Friday and co for top horror film, but Robert Englund has got to be undeniably the best horror persona out there. His performance of 35^th opposed to those of Jason Voorhees (201^st) and Michael Myers (0 points) must be proof of this, especially when my sad suspicions are that Elm Street will at best finish a distant third to the other two in the best film stakes.

 

 

 

33: Neo – Keanu Reeves, Matrix 1-3

(49pts and 5 votes)

 

If ever there was a role an actor was born to play, it was Keanu Reeves and Neo. The two personalities combined so perfectly to create one of the most integral cogs of the Matrix phenomenon. Like a number of other characters on this list, one has to wonder whether the sequels hurt Neo’s finishing position, but hell that first film is still one of the coolest things ever right?

 

[rukaio101]

Whoa, that is a high position for Shrek. Beating Gollum, Bond and Wolverine by 3/4 points? Wasn't expecting that.

[rukaio101]

Okay, what's Neo doing here? Seriously guys?

[chasmmi]

32: Gandalf – Ian McKellen, Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit

(49pts and 5 votes)

 

Though shalt not pass 33^rd place in the list!!! The Lord of the Rings brought the impossible to life as one of the greatest monstrosities in literary history was somehow turned into a fantastic 2 and a half films of epic proportions. One thing is for sure though; the casting of Gandalf was pretty spot on. McKellen’s Blockbuster career began later than most at the age of 61 with X-Men, yet now he is one of the few actors to have not just one iconic role to their name, but two. With Gandalf and Magneto, Ian was pretty much guaranteed two places on this list, the big question I suppose is whether you agree the order they came in.

 

 

 

31: Rick Blaine – Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca

(49pts and 5 votes)

 

The performance that made me believe a black and white film could be good (and I believe the only film to get 100% of the vote in Walt Disney’s best films per year poll, Bogart puts in one of the performances of the century as Rick Blaine in this classic to end all classics. In a forum full of teenagers and fans of things like the Alvin movies and Steven Segal Straight to video films, there must be something special about Rick Blaine and the performance within that a 70 year old character can place so high. Yes of course it should be higher in all reality but let’s be fair, 31^st is nothing to sneer at.

 

[chasmmi]

30: Michael Corleone – Al Pacino, The Godfather Trilogy

(49pts and 5 votes)

 

So many Corleones, oh so many Corleones. I was inundated with the fuckers. There were Fredos, Vitos, Doms and Michaels to name but a few. It was hard to keep up. Michael Corleone is Pacino’s second spell in the top 100 and one of the highest fliers in the Corleone Family (There may be another still to come).

 

 

 

29: Hans Gruber – Alan Rickman, Die Hard

(49pts and 6 votes)

 

We’re now at that point in these lists where observers switch their attentions from hoping to see their outside hopes of inclusions make it on the list, to hoping their main idols finish as high as possible. I’m pretty sure that nobody left on the list will come as a surprise to anybody, the exact positions may be surprising, but being in the top 100 full stop will be expected.

 

So… Hans Gruber at 29, too low, too high or just right? One of the great Action film villains and 50% of the reason why Die Hard is potentially the best Christmas film ever. When you watch the comedic self-caricature style roles that Rickman has played over the past 15 years (Galaxy Quest and Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy for example), you can sometime forget what a menacing bastard he is capable of being. Hans Gruber was as ruthless as they came, but also calculating with it and Die Hard as a franchise certainly never came close again to recreating Rickman’s villainous brilliance. Comfortably makes the top ten for best bad guy on our list.

 

[chasmmi]

28: Batman – Christian Bale, Batman Begins, Dark Knight, Dark Knight Rises

(52pts and 6 votes)

 

Considering the high regard some people hold Nolan in round these parts I was a little shocked to see Batman come in at 28, I was expecting a push for the top 10. People can say what they like about the batman films but it cannot be denied that Bale took the character in a new and refreshing direction. This was the first time for one of the big superhero franchises to go down the darker, more realistic pathway and it opened up an attitude to Comic book movies that is already on the verge of becoming cliché.

 

It’s true that Bale’s batman voice is easy to mock (not as much as Bane’s Bane voice but then what is?) but it doesn’t detract from the fact that Batman and Robin had less than a decade before brutally raped and murdered Batman as a character and left his bloodied corpse on the fire to burn. Bale and Nolan were able to not only resurrect the caped crusader, but enabled his star to burn brighter than it ever had before. I kind of feel that half of the hate Ben Affleck is getting right now is not purely because people think he will do a bad job, but just from the fact that Bale did such a damn fine job that nobody established was ever going a suitable replacement.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpEV-2ShLUQ

 

 

27: Woody – Tom Hanks, Toy Story 1-3

(53pts and 5 votes)

 

So, Buzz’s partner in crime clocks in a full 17 places higher than his best pal. Lightyear may have been the cool half of the duo, but Woody was the heart. The good guy, the glue that held the whole Toy Story gang together; and when you want a character to show heart and warmth to his fellow man…err toy, there can’t be a better voice for the job than Tom Hanks’. Toy Story is one of those rare breeds of a cartoon that even though it should be for kids, cinemas would be packed with teens, young adults and older entranced by every frame of every scene. Yes, the animation was ground breaking at the time, but so was the animation in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and well…

 

When one thinks of the Animation Franchises with at least 3 films to their name, there is almost always a weak link, be that a poor second or third installment, an annoying new character introductions that screws the dynamics of the cast or whatever. Toy Story never suffered from this. Every film was a masterpiece, every new character a perfect addition to the family. A lot of this is thanks to the perfect building blocks provided by the film’s two strongest foundations: Buzz and (more importantly according to y’all) Woody.

 

[chasmmi]

26: James Bond – Sean Connery, Dr No, Goldfinger, etc, etc, etc

(55pts and 6 votes)

 

The original and still (but only by a small margin) the best James Bond according to you fine folks. Up until about 5 days before deadline, Connery and Craig were absolutely neck and next (to the point where at one instance they were separated only by a 1 position difference in their highest received votes. But be it class, respect, natural tendency to prefer the original incarnation, Connery pulled away in the end to win the battle of the Bonds by a comfortable margin. With Roger Moore placing a distant third (263^rd) in the Bond stakes, it goes to show that from the classic Bond era, only Connery still holds up to legendary status in the face of the reimagining of the character throughout the 21^st century.

 

The one liners, the accent, the good looks, Connery was the Definitive Bond; everything a chauvinistic, lady-killing, suave British secret agent should be. Even when considering how good Skyfall was last year, I do need to ask if I was the only one who thought that the old guy in the house in Scotland was written with the hope that Connery would accept the role? If it wasn’t they should have bloody well tried to get him anyway.

 

 

 

25: The Man with No Name – Clint Eastwood, Spaghetti Western Trilogy

(56pts and 4 votes)

 

One of the highest points per votes ratio on the list, Clint Eastwood’s second foray onto this list is The Japanese inspired, Italian style traditional American Western character who shall not be named. If you like your guns toted and your cigars smoked, all while never getting round to introducing oneself then this is the hero for you!

 

Clint Eastwood was able to make the most uncool genre in Hollywood and turn it into the coolest thing ever. Kudos lad, kudos.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s7vmJm05_E

[rukaio101]

I'm happy with Gruber's placing. Pleasantly surprised he got this high actually.

 

Also, while I only have a few mild objections to Baleman being on this list, he really shouldn't be this high...

[chasmmi]

I'm happy with Gruber's placing. Pleasantly surprised he got this high actually.

 

Also, while I only have a few mild objections to Baleman being on this list, he really shouldn't be this high...

 

Agree about Gruber even though I personally place him higher.

 

With Batman, I would consider around 50th-70th about right maybe but was seriously worried pre-vote he would be a contender to win the whole thing.