top 50 heroes in movies

[Thirteen]

according to the AFI

starts at #1

ATTICUS FINCH (Gregory Peck) in  TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Universal-International, 1962)

INDIANA JONES (Harrison Ford) in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (Paramount, 1981)

JAMES BOND (Sean Connery) in DR. NO (United Artists, 1962)

RICK BLAINE (Humphrey Bogart) in  CASABLANCA (Warner Bros., 1942)

WILL KANE (Gary Cooper) in  HIGH NOON (United Artists, 1952)

CLARICE STARLING (Jodie Foster) in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (Orion, 1991)

ROCKY BALBOA (Sylvester Stallone) in ROCKY (United Artists, 1976)

ELLEN RIPLEY (Sigourney Weaver) in ALIENS (20th Century Fox, 1986)

GEORGE BAILEY (James Stewart) in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (RKO, 1946)

T. E. LAWRENCE (Peter O'Toole) in  LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (Columbia, 1962)

JEFFERSON SMITH (James Stewart) in  MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (Columbia, 1939)

TOM JOAD (Henry Fonda) in  THE GRAPES OF WRATH (20th Century Fox, 1940)

OSKAR SCHINDLER (Liam Neeson) in  SCHINDLER'S LIST (Universal, 1993)

HAN SOLO (Harrison Ford) in  STAR WARS (20th Century Fox, 1977)

NORMA RAE WEBSTER (Sally Field) in NORMA RAE (20th Century Fox, 1979)

SHANE (Alan Ladd) in  SHANE (Paramount, 1953)

DETECTIVE HARRY CALLAHAN (Clint Eastwood) in DIRTY HARRY (Warner Bros., 1971)

ROBIN HOOD (Errol Flynn) in  THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (Warner Bros., 1938)

VIRGIL TIBBS (Sidney Poitier) in IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (United Artists, 1967)

BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) in BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (20th Century Fox, 1969)

MAHATMA GANDHI (Ben Kingsley) in GANDHI (Columbia, 1982)

SPARTACUS (Kirk Douglas) in SPARTACUS (Universal, 1960)

TERRY MALLOY (Marlon Brando) in  ON THE WATERFRONT (Columbia, 1954)

THELMA DICKINSON & LOUISE SAWYER (Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon) in THELMA & LOUISE (MGM, 1991)

HENRY "LOU" GEHRIG (Gary Cooper) in THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES (RKO, 1942)

SUPERMAN (CLARK KENT) (Christopher Reeve) in SUPERMAN (Warner Bros., 1978)

BOB WOODWARD & CARL BERNSTEIN (Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman) in ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (Warner Bros., 1976)

JUROR #8 (MR. DAVIS) (Henry Fonda) in 12 ANGRY MEN (United Artists, 1957)

GENERAL GEORGE PATTON (George C. Scott) in PATTON (20th Century Fox, 1970)

LUCAS "LUKE" JACKSON (Paul Newman) in COOL HAND LUKE (Warner Bros., 1967)

ERIN BROCKOVICH (Julia Roberts) in ERIN BROCKOVICH (Universal, 2000)

PHILIP MARLOWE (Humphrey Bogart) in  THE BIG SLEEP (Warner Bros., 1946)

MARGE GUNDERSON (Frances McDormand) in FARGO (Gramercy, 1996)

TARZAN (Johnny Weissmuller) in TARZAN THE APE MAN (MGM, 1932)

ALVIN C. YORK (Gary Cooper) in SERGEANT YORK (Warner Bros., 1941)

REUBEN J. "ROOSTER" COGBURN (John Wayne) in TRUE GRIT (Paramount, 1969)

BEN "OBI-WAN" KENOBI (Alec Guinness) in  STAR WARS (20th Century Fox, 1977)

THE TRAMP (Charlie Chaplin) in  CITY LIGHTS (United Artists, 1931)

LASSIE (Pal) in LASSIE COME HOME (MGM, 1943)

FRANK SERPICO (Al Pacino) in SERPICO (Paramount, 1973)

MR. CHIPS (MR. CHIPPING) (Robert Donat) in GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS (MGM, 1939)

FATHER EDWARD J. FLANAGAN (Spencer Tracy) in BOYS TOWN (MGM, 1938)

MOSES (Charlton Heston) in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (Paramount, 1956)

JIMMY "POPEYE" DOYLE (Gene Hackman) in THE FRENCH CONNECTION (20th Century Fox, 1971)

ZORRO (DON DIEGO DE VEGA) (Tyrone Power) in THE MARK OF ZORRO (20th Century Fox, 1940)

BATMAN (BRUCE WAYNE) (Michael Keaton) in BATMAN (Warner Bros., 1989)

KAREN SILKWOOD (Meryl Streep) in SILKWOOD (20th Century Fox, 1983)

T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (Tri-Star, 1991)

ANDREW BECKETT (Tom Hanks) in PHILADELPHIA (TriStar, 1993)

GENERAL MAXIMUS DECIMUS MERIDUS (Russell Crowe) in GLADIATOR (DreamWorks, 2000)

[mauzip]

where is spiderman?

[7even]

Well.. it lacks some of my favorites. Seriously, where's Jack Nicholson? Not even one character of his.. poor. Also, where are the newer movie heros like Neo from Matrix? And Where's Michael Corleone from Godfather? Patrick Bateman? Tyler Durden? Who the hell made this list? lol. This is mainly some nostalgic shit.

[Thirteen]

i also didn't see luke skywalker, which surprised me

[Thirteen]

here's how they decided

Hero - Sometimes mythic figures, sometimes ordinary people who prevail in extreme circumstances, heroes dramatize a sense of morality, courage and purpose often lacking in our everyday world. Heroes do what is good, just and right; and even though they may be ambiguous or flawed characters, they often sacrifice themselves to show humanity at its best and most humane. For voting purposes, AFI defined a "hero" as a single character, a duo or a team of characters.


Villain - Characters that movie goers love to hate - and hate to love. Villains are characters whose wickedness of mind, selfishness of character and will to power are sometimes masked by beauty and nobility. Others rage unmasked. Daring the worst to gain the most, the movie villains we remember best can be horrifically evil, merely sleazy or grandiosely funny, but are usually complex, moving and tragic. For voting purposes, AFI defined a "villain" as a single character, a duo or a team of characters.


Cultural Impact - Characters that have made a mark on American society in matters of style and substance.


Legacy - Characters that elicit strong reactions across time, enriching America's film heritage and inspiring artists and audiences today.


Feature Length Feature Films - Only feature-length American films released before January 1, 2002 were considered. AFI defined a feature-length film as a motion picture of narrative format that is typically over 60 minutes in length. AFI defined an American film as an English language film with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States.

[eS El Duque]

Where's Michael Corleone from Godfather?

I dunno...he's not really a hero or a villian

[Rampant]

Where's Michael Corleone from Godfather?

I dunno...he's not really a hero or a villian

why in Gods name would he be a hero?

[7even]

Where's Michael Corleone from Godfather?

I dunno...he's not really a hero or a villian

why in Gods name would he be a hero?

The most important character in a work, the character whom the story or play seems to follow, is called the hero or the protagonist (this character can also be called the title character if his/her name is used as the title of the story or play). The terms hero and protagonist are often used interchangeably, but in certain contexts, they are different. The word hero, derived from a Greek word meaning "protector," originally referred to a man born of one mortal and one immortal parent and known for courageous and noble exploits. We still look up to heroes as people with higher moral and physical standards than ourselves. However, some "heroes" engage in questionable or repulsive behavior; for example, the narrator in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," who kills his benefactor and buries him under the floorboards, can hardly be considered noble, so the term hero does not seem to fit him. The term protagonist is derived from Greek words meaning "chief actor" or "one who struggles first." However, though the protagonist is a leader, much like a hero, the term does not carry the connotations of moral worth as does the word hero. Thus the narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart," who is the chief actor of the story, can rightfully be called a protagonist. In general, the term protagonist can be applied more universally than the term hero.

The hero/protagonist can also be defined as the character who drives the action of the plot forward; he or she acts, and the other characters react. Again, the protagonist of "The Tell-Tale Heart" provides us with an example. His growing madness and his scheme to kill his benefactor are the actions that give the story its meaning; without his distaste for his benefactor's "Evil Eye," we essentially have no reason for the story to be told.

He's definitely not a villian in my book, because a villian is more or less just the counterpart of the protagonist or the hero in a story, like Darth Vader is to the Jedi. But whatever, I didnt see that they put him up as a top 50 villian when I posted this. It's alright, he just has to be mentioned, and I was suprised when I thought that he wasnt.

[[sepehr]]

What about luke skywalker?

[We Fly High]

i was looking for John McClaine. hahahha. bruce willis in die hard, for some reason that was the first hero that came to my mind. hahaha

[J Bananas]

Why the fuck is Atticus Finch at number 1? Oh yeah I forgot, liberal whites still think maybe black people will forgive them if they "act down" with civil rights. HA!

[Sikotic™]

I was surprised Serpico made the list considering Al Pacino played the guy really wel, but the movie was...ehhh.

[white Boy]

luke deffinately

[Shallow]

Why the fuck is Atticus Finch at number 1? Oh yeah I forgot, liberal whites still think maybe black people will forgive them if they "act down" with civil rights. HA!

Watch yourself. Politics aside. Atticus Finch was a hero's hero, and Greg Peck brought him to life perfectly. That character is the ultimate role model for human beings everywhere.

I could hive a shit what he was fighting for. He had morality, integrity, intelligence, and perseverance. A true hero no matter how you slice it.

[J Bananas]

^^^^^
True, true... but John Mclane was able to tape a gun to the small of his back in that area where its hard to touch, wheres his props?