Is there an actor out there with two more iconic roles than...

[Karlifornia]

I agree that Ford wins easily when it comes to mass appeal.

How about Johnny Depp: Captain Jack Sparrow/Edward Scissorhands? I know Scissorhands is cult, but I'm tryin' ovah heah!

[Surtt]

Clint Eastwood - the Man with No Name & Dirty Harry?

[Easy Mac]

At least in terms of Box Office as a measure of iconography, Orlando Bloom has to be up there, right, for Legolas (Lord of the Rings) and Will Turner (Pirates of the Caribbean).

[Greyroofoo]

I'm just glad that Indiana Jones 5 is in the works!

[Logan]

When we start repeating shit, I think the answer definitively becomes: No.

[Johnny93g]

Alot of the suggestions are for good actors, playing a great part, or a great movie.

Orlando Bloom's Will Turner, or Tom Cruises Cole Trickle are no where near iconic in any way possible. Good parts, good performances, good movies, but be realistic.

Ford, Stallone, Pacino, Brando, DeNiro all belong in the conversation.

Depp, Hackman, blah blah don't, despite being great great actors.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Brando might be in the conversation between Don Corleone & Stanley Kowalski.

I don't see why this doesn't get more love.

[Bad-example]

Clint Eastwood:

The Man With No Name
Dirty Harry

[Vince, Pt. II]

Did anyone mention Clint Eastwood yet? /ducks

I actually really like the Bruce Willis pick in a "top ten" sort of way for John McClane and David Attison.

[larrymcg421]

Well yeah, if we're including TV then I think the Marty McFly/Alex Keaton mention earlier has to get some love.

I still think the top 3 are clearly Ford/Stallone/Eastwood

[JPhillips]

I can't believe the discussion continued after Charlton Heston.

And, people, to not even include him in the top three?

[cartman]

From more recent times:

Kevin Spacey:
Keyser Soze/Verbal Kint (The Usual Suspects)
Lester Burnham (American Beauty)
John Doe (Se7en)
John Williamson (Glengarry Glen Ross)
Rufus Buckley (A Time To Kill)

Maybe not the stratospheric levels of icon-ess of Ford/Stallone/et. al., but an impressive breadth of iconic roles nonetheless. All of them very memorable and very different.

[Subby]

Stroker Ace and The Bandit.

/thread

[thesloppy]

Bill Paxton - Chet (Weird Science) & Pvt. Hudson (Aliens)
Jeff Brdiges - The Dude & TRON
Orson Wells - Harry Lime (Third Man) & Charles Kane
Malcolm McDowell - Alex (Clockwork Orange) & Caligula
Peter O'Toole - T.E. Lawrence & Henry II
Steve McQueen - Bullitt & Capt. Hilts (Great Escape) & Doc McCoy & Thomas Crown
Paul Newman - (Cool Hand) Luke & Butch Cassidy & Reggie Dunlop (SlapShot) & Hud & Eddie Felser (the Hustler) & Henry Gondorff (the Sting)
James Dean - Cal Trask (East of Eden) & Jim Stark (Rebel Without a Cause) & Jett Rink (Giant)

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Subby

Stroker Ace and The Bandit.

/thread

And that's IGNORING his Cannonball Run magnificence.

[Sun Tzu]

Since we're now to the point of just throwing names out there, how about this one.

Matt Damon ~ Will Hunting & Jason Bourne

[larrymcg421]

Yeah, we're really reaching at this point. And I fail to see how Heston approaches Ford or Stallone.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Subby

Stroker Ace and The Bandit.

/thread

Make a switch for Stroker Ace and I'd think you'd actually have an argument. Maybe Lewis from Deliverance, or Paul Crewe from the Longest Yard....or JJ from Canonball Run.

[Greyroofoo]

Is there really a character called "Stroker Ace"?

[Sun Tzu]

What about Rodney Dangerfield in that one movie...you know...where he's really sarcastic?

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Greyroofoo

Is there really a character called "Stroker Ace"?

There's an entire MOVIE called Stroker Ace!

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by saldana

ok, so 30 posts in and we still havent declared what an Iconic role is....there are great performances, but can we say that Bogart in Casablanca created an icon?

to me, an iconic role is one that will forever associate that actor/actress to the role....no matter what Harrison Ford does, he will always be Solo/Indy (and Jack Ryan, for that matter, which opens up a whole new category)

Nicholson had great roles and great performances, but everytime I see him, I dont automatically go to Chinatown or One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (i actually think of the Joker from Batman)

Connery had Bond, Brando had Corleone, but I couldnt even remember the names of any of their characters from other movies I saw them in.

I wanted to go Gene Hackman as Norman Dale & ?????? but couldnt fill in the ?????

This deserves to be reposted as I thinkt he thread has gotten out of control with some really random choices.

[Sun Tzu]

What about the black guy from Ghostbusters? I thought he was pretty good.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

This deserves to be reposted as I thinkt he thread has gotten out of control with some really random choices.

Yeah, this has almost become a thread for people to post movie characters that they like. Half of which I've either not heard of or had to struggle to remember who they were.

I think an iconic character has to be one that is pretty much easily recognizable by both fans and non-fans of the movie or movie series.

Without a doubt I would imagine my wife would know who both Han Solo and Indiana Jones is. Likewise I am 99.9% sure she knows who Rambo or Rocky are, despite probably never seeing a single Rambo or Rocky movie ever.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Alan T

I think an iconic character has to be one that is pretty much easily recognizable by both fans and non-fans of the movie or movie series.

Without a doubt I would imagine my wife would know who both Han Solo and Indiana Jones is. Likewise I am 99.9% sure she knows who Rambo or Rocky are, despite probably never seeing a single Rambo or Rocky movie ever.

I think that's partially true, but if non-fans are the determining factor you kinda get stuck with movies 10-30 years old, simply because some movies aren't old enough to have saturated the public consciousness, and many have faded away. In another 20-30 years, will the names 'Han Solo' and 'Indiana Jones' mean something to the wives of the day, whom have never seen either movie, and perhaps haven't spent a generation listening to husbands, boyfriends, brothers, and friends repeating those names every ten minutes?

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I think that's partially true, but if non-fans are the determining factor you kinda get stuck with movies 10-30 years old, simply because some movies aren't old enough to have saturated the public consciousness, and many have faded away. In another 20-30 years, will the names 'Han Solo' and 'Indiana Jones' mean something to the wives of the day, whom have never seen either movie, and perhaps haven't spent a generation listening to husbands, boyfriends, brothers, and friends repeating those names every ten minutes?

Well, I think you have to apply that to the time. Possibly the same thing I just said about Rocky/Rambo or Han Solo/Indy could be said to be true for Clint Eastwood's characters 20 years ago as well. Likewise I still think my initial comment that Humphrey Bogart would be the #1 on my list is true as well even though he was from many years ago.

My comment was more in regards to the various current names being tossed up that clearly don't feel iconic to me.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Ron Howard: Opie and Richie Cunningham

I was going to go the TV route for MTM and Laura Petrie/Mary Richards, but Howard probably has that beat.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

I was going to go the TV route for MTM and Laura Petrie/Mary Richards, but Howard probably has that beat.

Ron is a good one, but he's only one degree removed from the powerful Andy Griffith / Matlock combo.

[Sun Tzu]

If we're going with TV, I'll go out on a limb and say that there's one character who, even though he was only in one series, trumps them all.

Homer Simpson.

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by Alan T

I think an iconic character has to be one that is pretty much easily recognizable by both fans and non-fans of the movie or movie series.

Without a doubt I would imagine my wife would know who both Han Solo and Indiana Jones is. Likewise I am 99.9% sure she knows who Rambo or Rocky are, despite probably never seeing a single Rambo or Rocky movie ever.

Anybody out there not think of Mike Myers when somebody says "behave" or "donkey"?

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Ron is a good one, but he's only one degree removed from the powerful Andy Griffith / Matlock combo.

/facepalm

You know, I was thinking about that the other night when I was loading the dishwasher and totally forgot I had. Oddly it came to mind after thinking of Dick Van Dyke in Diagnosis Murder.

[Scarecrow]

3 pages and no MORGAN FREEMAN

1. Hoke Colburn (Driving Miss Daisy)
2. Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding (Shawshank Redemption)


Although I think the Chevy Chase one is the closest.

[larrymcg421]

Does anyone ever look at Morgan Freeman and think "Hoke Coburn"?

[rowech]

Jimmy Stewart -- George Bailey and Jefferson Smith

[thesloppy]

In my crapass opinion, these are the arguable ones:

Indy/Han Solo
Conan/Terminator
Rambo/Rocky
Man With No Name/Dirty Harry

All of those characters were featured in multiple roles, and are recognizable by just anybody with a passing knowledge of movies. I'd probably put Heston, Bogart and Julie Andrews right on the edge.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

In my crapass opinion, these are the arguable ones:

Indy/Han Solo
Conan/Terminator
Rambo/Rocky
Man With No Name/Dirty Harry

All of those characters were featured in multiple roles, and are recognizable by just anybody with a passing knowledge of movies. I'd probably put Heston, Bogart and Julie Andrews right on the edge.

I agree with this list. All of the others mentioned are too obscure or marginal iconic. Even with the big names, a movie fan would be hard pressed to know the names of some of the characters mentioned (but perhaps more recognized visually). Brando certainly for Vito but who the hell was Kowalski? DeNiro and Bickle??? Just like with the drafts, if you have to look up the character's name in imdb, then perhaps it's not as iconic as you think?

[rowech]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

In my crapass opinion, these are the arguable ones:

Indy/Han Solo
Conan/Terminator
Rambo/Rocky
Man With No Name/Dirty Harry

All of those characters were featured in multiple roles, and are recognizable by just anybody with a passing knowledge of movies. I'd probably put Heston, Bogart and Julie Andrews right on the edge.

Julie Andrews is hardly on the edge if we're opening this to both genders. Maria and Mary Poppins are clearly iconic.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Scarecrow

3 pages and no MORGAN FREEMAN

1. Hoke Colburn (Driving Miss Daisy)
2. Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding (Shawshank Redemption)


Although I think the Chevy Chase one is the closest.

I think of Glory as well

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by rowech

Julie Andrews is hardly on the edge if we're opening this to both genders. Maria and Mary Poppins are clearly iconic.

I certainly think that's arguable. I had her in the top originally, but put her on the edge simply because she only played the roles once.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I certainly think that's arguable. I had her in the top originally, but put her on the edge simply because she only played the roles once.

Quantity doesn't equal quality...especially in this kind of discussion. I'd argue Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind is 10 times more iconic on it's own than a combo of Conan/Terminator or Rambo/Rocky.

This question appears to be being looked at with way too much of a modern male slant.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by rowech

Quantity doesn't equal quality...especially in this kind of discussion. I'd argue Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind is 10 times more iconic on it's own than a combo of Conan/Terminator or Rambo/Rocky.

Reading the thread title might help understand why it doesn't matter how iconic one single performance is.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Reading the thread title might help understand why it doesn't matter how iconic one single performance is.

You missed my point or I didn't explain it well. My point was in reference to the comment that Julie Andrews performances don't count as much because she was only in those roles once. My point is that just because someone played the role three, four, or five times that doesn't outweigh someone playing a role once.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Reading the thread title might help understand why it doesn't matter how iconic one single performance is.

On Leigh...throw in Blanche from Streetcar and you have her two iconic performances.

[larrymcg421]

Well sure, but I think Rocky/Rambo/Indiana Jones/Han Solo are certainly more instantly identifiable than Maria. Mary Poppins is up there with those, but Maria not so much.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by rowech

Quantity doesn't equal quality...especially in this kind of discussion. I'd argue Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind is 10 times more iconic on it's own than a combo of Conan/Terminator or Rambo/Rocky.

This question appears to be being looked at with way too much of a modern male slant.

I think that all depends on how you define "iconic"...in a purely filmic sense I might agree with you (and earlier examples of Bogart, Brando, Nicholson, and my own examples Newman, Wells, and James Dean), but my interpretation of 'iconic' in this case is much more along the lines of a pop culture icon, which is a different creature altogether.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by rowech

On Leigh...throw in Blanche from Streetcar and you have her two iconic performances.

Maybe, but I don't think that's quite as iconic as the others we're talking about.

[dwardzala]

If we're throwing TV out there, Peter Graves as Jim Phelps (Mission Impossible) and Capt Oveur (Airplane movies).

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I think that all depends on how you define "iconic"...in a purely filmic sense I might agree with you (and earlier examples of Bogart, Brando, Nicholson, and my own examples Newman, Wells, and James Dean), but my interpretation of 'iconic' in this case is much more along the lines of a pop culture icon, which is a different creature altogether.

Agreed. We're not talking about quality of performance.

When you think of Harrison Ford, you think Han Solo/Indiana Jones. Those are instantly definable.

Stallone is Rocky/Rambo.

Vivien Leigh is Scarlett, but Blance? That's not quite as automatic. Same with Julie Andrews. People immediately think Mary Poppins. Now they might think "The Sound of Music", but the actual character isn't quite as iconic.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Agreed. We're not talking about quality of performance.

When you think of Harrison Ford, you think Han Solo/Indiana Jones. Those are instantly definable.

Stallone is Rocky/Rambo.

Vivien Leigh is Scarlett, but Blance? That's not quite as automatic. Same with Julie Andrews. People immediately think Mary Poppins. Now they might think "The Sound of Music", but the actual character isn't quite as iconic.

From that aspect, then I agree with Leigh...STRONGLY disagree with Julie Andrews. The older generation would easily recognize her more for being Maria than Mary Poppins.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by rowech

From that aspect, then I agree with Leigh...STRONGLY disagree with Julie Andrews. The older generation would easily recognize her more for being Maria than Mary Poppins.

I think Julie Andrews, and the Maria role in particular, is probably the best example of a character currently teetering on the edge of pop culture icon, and I'd agree with you that 10-20 years ago it isn't even a question.