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