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

...Harrison Ford with Han Solo and Indiana Jones?

My wife came up with Rocky / Rambo, but I don't think that quite tops it.

Robert Deniro: Vito Corleone, Jake LaMotta, Travis Bickle.

i think the thing that sets Ford apart is that he played those characters multiple times....Jake Lamotta was one movie, which for me, doesnt necesaritly create the "icon" status.

In DeNiro's case, I'd probably argue that the average person doesn't know who Travis Bickle is and might not even get Jake LaMotta immediately, whereas Indiana Jones/Han Solo/Rocky Balboa/Rambo are going to be extremely identifiable.

The closest I've come up with so far would be Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry and The Stranger. For actresses, maybe Vivian Leigh for Blanche DuBois & Scarlett O'Hara?

I can't think of anyone better than Ford unless I go way back to like Humphrey Bogart or something.

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

Gibson as Riggs/Wallace is not there, but not super far off.

Did Connery have another major role I can't think of off the top of my head (guess that says enough).

Just saw an IGN list that ranked Star Wars and Indy as the #1 and #4 movie franchises of all time (Bond, LOTR). Gonna be tough to argue (edit: against) Ford.

Actually I'll try to make the argument anyway. As someone who isn't a Star Wars fan, Harrison Ford is probably not even in the top 10 things that pop into my mind when I think about the movie, whereas with Indy, The Terminator, Bond, etc...the actors are the first thing I see, hence the iconic image.

How about Mike Myers as Shrek and Austin Powers?

Arnie has Terminator which is HUGE, but nothing else quite good enough.

Or Arnold as Conan and The Terminator?

I think you'd go further with Gibson using Riggs/Max than with Riggs/Wallace. It still doesn't get to Ford but I believe it's closer.

You've got the wrong Vito. Marlon Brando is the icon in that role. And he is also iconic as Stanley Kowalski or as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront.

*edit -- it looks like JiMGA beat me to this one*

A couple of people that I was kind of surprised not to be able to at least come up with a credible pairing for were Charlton Heston (Moses & ???) and John Wayne (Rooster Cogburn & ???).

Sigourney Weaver as Ripley/Dana Barrett? :)

??? = Taylor. You damn, dirty ape.

Crowe as Maximus/Hood? ;)

Robin Williams: Mork and Seymour Parrish

John Travolta: Vinnie Barbarino and Vincent Vega

Keanu Reeves: Ted and Neo

Marlon Brando would be the only other one to come to mind.

Actually, Travolta is good one...he had several iconic roles.

Al Pacino
Michael Corleone and Tony Montana

/thread :)

Hahaha - my thoughts exactly!

or Judah Ben-Hur

Nicholson: Shining, Cuckoo's Nest, Chinatown.

Heath Ledger: Joker, Gay Cowboy

(Of course I don't know any of the names but I definitely know the characters)

Mark Hamil - Luke Skywalker and The Joker

I'm sick with a several head thing, so I misread and thought "ironic". I stand by my statement, however.

OK, so reading over the proposals so far, the answer is definitely no.

I am confused that Jimmy Stewart didn't make this. Or Jack Nicholson.

One thing that somewhat "helps" Ford is that he really didn´t have all that many other great roles.

Tom Hanks ?

Forrest Gump and anyone of HIV guy/sleepless guy/prison warden guy/Art professor guy

Will Smith ? Saves Planet from Aliens guy/catches bad Aliens on earth guy ?


I kind of disagree that any of the characters from Star Wars are iconic beyond real Fans, all the roles weren´t that "key" to the films success ...

John Holmes/Johnny Wadd

If you're looking at a niche crowd, I'd argue that Burgess Meredith has more iconic roles than Sly Stallone when comparing Rocky actors. He had Mickey, of course, was the Penguin with the Adam West Batman. ; )

Reading this thread, it's clearly Harrison Ford on top.
.

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 ?????

I agree which is why even though the movies aren't as strong as some others, I'd put Stalone second for Rocky/Rambo

also, what about Tom Cruise.....

Maverick/Cole Trickle

I think you said what I was thinking very well. That is why I have a problem thinking of anyone that would rival Ford any time recently.

I said above that I had to go all the way back to Bogart to find anyone I would think compared. His roles Rick Blaine and Fred Dobbs are the only ones I can think of that I would say tops Harrison Ford as "iconic" roles.

Ironically enough, I think it was halfway a joke answer up above, but whomever said Keanu Reeves probably is the closest in recent time to Harrison Ford.

Oh and not at the top, but a sleeper would be Ian Mckellan as Gandalf and Magneto.

Also Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow and Sweeney Todd / Edward Scissorhands / Gilbert Grape

AlanT, after thinking about it I actually Depp is a good one to rival Ford out of recent actors. Sparrow is very iconic and even the other three I listed came to mind immediately.

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lector and ???

Depp has the same problem plenty of other actors do (including Anthony Hopkins listed after him). His role in Pirates was iconic... the others not as much. Plenty of actors had one iconic roles, but not two to that level.

I wouldn't consider Cole Trickle to be very iconic. Better picks would be Lestat or Jerry Maguire.

since i got no love for tom cruise...


will ferrall as ron burgundy and frank the tank?

This is true although I don't view Keanu as Ted as being anymore iconic than a Sweeney Todd.

I think Popeye Doyle is the best fit.

I think I smell a movie character draft

Yeah although days of thunder was always one of my favorite movies as a kid.

Maybe it is my perspective is off, but I don't really see many people commonly refer to Sweeny Todd in any form of pop-culture discussions.

Ted on the other hand still to this day nearly 25 years later is commonly referred to and people identify Reeves with. Perhaps part of it is because Keanu's Reeves' entire acting career has felt like a parody of Ted though, I don't know! :)

I think Tom Cruise's problem is he has had too many roles that feel fairly identical that it is hard to identify him as any of them. I loved Days of Thunder but don't really think of Cole Trickle when I think of Tom Cruise.

In fact, the role I most think of when I think Tom Cruise is actually that bartending movie (whatever the name of it was) for some stupid reason :)

DO NOT BESMIRCH SPECIAL AGENT JOHNNY UTAH!!!!!!!!!!!:D

dola, this thread has completely destroyed the chances of me getting any work done this afternoon.

To me, Tom Cruise is Maverick and Jerry Maguire.

I think the Pacino one is pretty good call, especially once you consider the Scarface effect on a completely separate generation years later.

bobby bouchet, and happy gilmour

adam sandler

Jim Carey as Ace Ventura, Edward Nigma/The Riddler, Fire Marshall Bill, and Truman

Stallone for Rambo + Rocky
Schwarzenegger for Conan + Terminator

These are the only ones I've seen remotely close to Ford.

I think Stallone and Heston are the only two you could argue, but unsuccessfully.

How about Redford?

EDIT: Roy Hobbs and The Sundance Kid.

Brad Pitt as Jennifer's Husband and Angelina's Husband.

Dan Aykroyd for Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters.

John Belushi for Animal House and Blues Brothers.

Bill Murray for Caddyshack and Ghostbusters.

Considering you couldn't think (or just didn't mention) of the character names, I don't think these are very good choices.

Ron Howard: Opie and Richie Cunningham

I too am having a hard time coming up with a single actor who portrays two different characters that I would consider "iconic." There are a number of actors with one iconic character (Mel Gibson as Riggs, Al Pacino as Michael Corleone), but two have two separate ones does appear to be a bit of a rarity. Then there are those actors who I don't feel have individual iconic roles, because they actually overpower the characters that they portray (Nicholson comes to mind).

The closest I can come up with (and props to whoever mentioned it first) is Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry and The Man With No Name. Dirty Harry is definitely an iconic character, and I think the second qualifies as well, though perhaps only tenuously (since no concerted effort was ever made by Leone to show that it was indeed the same character from one movie to the next).

That's my take, anyway.

Edit: Actually I'd have to agree with Stallone as well. Rambo and Rocky are definitely both iconic characters (even if some of the movies they were portrayed in sucked).

I think Stallone is certainly the closest, but Indy + Han Solo > Rocky + Rambo

We're all coming up with good secondary choices, but none of them really compare to Indiana Jones and Han Solo.

JaMarcus Russell: Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man and ex-Raiders QB

I've got one:

Kurt Russell: Snake Pliskin and Jack Burton.

Acutally, Dustin Hoffman really belongs here...The Graduate, Tootsie, Rainman, and even Hook were all iconic performances as characters most everybody knows and easily identify him with those great movies. I'd even throw Papillon in there but he was more of a supporting actor in that one.

None of those approach Han Solo/Indiana Jones.

And if we're gonna start throwing in more than two, then we can add Jack Ryan for Ford.

I'd put them in this order:

#4 - Charlton Heston - Moses + Ben-Hur
#3 - Stallone for Rambo + Rocky
#2 - Harrison Ford for Han Solo + Indiana Jones

But at the top of the list, I think we ought to dig a little deeper in the history books, for an actor whose biggest two roles got him ranked as portraying film history's No. 1 worst bad guy AND film history's No. 1 best good guy. THAT'S an accomplishment that deserves some props (even if it is a stretch to place him higher than #3 or #2 on the list above):

#1 Gregory Peck - Captain Ahab and Atticus Finch

Ian McKellen

Gandalf (Lord of the Rings) and Magneto (The X-Men)

What the hell list ranked Ahab as the #1 worst bad guy in film history? And what were they smoking at the time?

Possible revision to my first statement:

Mel Gibson: Riggs and Mad Max

While I can easily identify with the Harrison Ford pick, Alan Rickman has been in a number of memorable roles in good movies:

Severus Snape (Harry Potter Series)
Sheriff of Nottingham (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves)
Hans Gruber (Die Hard)
Dr. Lazerus (Galaxy Quest)

I think Ford & Stallone, for iconic status in a mainstream audience, are a solid 1/2.

I'll just throw out Mel Gibson as Mad Max and Riggs -- both pretty iconic, on a smaller scale, in their own right.

Oops, DataKing beat me to the draw.

How about Michael J Fox -- Alex P Keaton / Marty McFly

I don't know how high he gets on the list but Denzel Washington probably belongs in the discussion. The biggest role is Alonzo in Training Day and then Creasy in Man on Fire, Joe Miller in Philadelpiha, or Malcolm X in Malcolm X is a fairly iconic collection I would think. Maybe even the coach from Remember the Titans but I can't recall the character's name.

Al Pacino has to be to be up there for #1 guy in iconic movies.

Michael Corleone (Godfather)
Frank Serpico (Serpico)
Tony Montana (Scarface)

Other notable films
Glengarry Glen Ross, Carlito's Way, Heat

Not everyone defines iconic the same way I do.

Oh and let's not forget Glory.

Not sure I can lobby this to pass Ford or Stallone, but what about Swayze for Roadhouse, Ghost and Dirty Dancing? I'm awful with names so penalize him there if you want, and while he's probably bigger overall for the latter two movies, probably worth consideration.

What about Bruce Willis for Die Hard and Moonlighting?

And I guess Ruben Carter from Hurricane as well. Like I said, I'm not sure he cracks the top 3 or maybe even top 5 but he's got some pretty big roles up there that I would consider iconic.

Cocktail!

Actually, after reading this whole thing over, I'm going to go with Stallone in a tie, with Travolta pulling in a distance second. Everyone knows Rambo, and everyone knows Rocky. Combine the two and you've got 10 movies...ten movies. Regardless of what you thought of the Rambo series, the original film "First Blood" was actually quite good, with relatively little action and solid character development. Rocky won best picture, and despite the immense commercialization of the series, every one of the movies still holds up to this day.

I thought Ford was great in both series, and I'm a big Star Wars fan, but sitting on my shelf right next to Star Wars Ep IV - VI is the Rocky Anthology.

Julie Andrews for The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins?

Chevy Chase - Clark Griswold and Fletch

Ford wins hands down, but here are a couple that I haven't seen mentioned

Shatner for Kirk and TJ Hooker
Michael Keaton for Batman and Beetlejuice
Bob Newhart for his 2 TV characters

I generally have a hard time considering comic characters to be iconic, but I like this one. But if you're going to consider this, then you probably have to include Bill Murray as was mentioned earlier in the thread (for Carl Spackler and Peter Venkman).

Julie Andrews is an excellent answer.

Best one to rival Stallone and Ford!

Yeah, actually this one completely slipped my mind, but has to be a top 5 easily.

Patrick Stewart for Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Professor Charles Xavier. Not quite Indy/Han but still..

With Ford you also get Jack Ryan. He's not super iconic, but he's on par with many of the people's 2nd character.

I think Picard has reached Kirk/Spock status in the ST Icon world. Still I don't think the X-men series is nearly popular (or quality) enough to warrant discussion in this thread.

I love Picard though.

Could Shatner work for Denny Crane, as well?

Of course, and also the iconic Priceline Negotiator.

Seems like most actors really are iconic for a single role, and it's the rare one who gets Two Major Defining Roles.

Harrison Ford wins.

He's the only person to have 2 of his characters featured in LEGO video games.

Game. Set. Match.

Christian Bale might belong on the list in a few years if they continue on with the Terminators.

How about Paul Newman with Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy?

Travis Bickle and Jake LaMotta are pretty strong entries for Bobby D.

Nah...The Terminator will always be AHNULD