Movies: Each Actor's Most Iconic Role

[Suxnet]

Tom Hanks = Woody? I mean I hate Forrest Gump so I suppose I'm a bit biased.

 

[Neutrinos]

Keanu’s done Bill and Ted, Point Break, Speed, and now the John Wick series. Any of those could qualify IMO.

And maybe it’s because I’m a Snipes fan, but there’s a slew of movies I think of when I think of him.

I'm aware of Keanu's filmography, but his role as Neo is so clearly ahead of those you listed, I'm really surprised we're even having this debate

As for Snipes, the answer isn't based on your own personal opinion. If I said Snipes' most iconic role was Passenger 57, would that make it so?

 

[Neutrinos]

Tom Hanks = Woody? I mean I hate Forrest Gump so I suppose I'm a bit biased.

Admittedly, I hadn't considered that, but I'd say a large number of Toy Story fans (children) have no idea who Tom Hanks is, or at least don't associate him with the movie

Like it or not, Forrest Gump won Best Picture, and Hanks won Best Actor for that role

 

[Neutrinos]

I don't think Brockovich has stood the test of time, it's not a movie commonly brought up in my experience. It's Pretty Woman. One of the most iconic films in a cornerstone genre.

I tend to agree, but she did win an Oscar for Erin Brockovich

With that said, what crowd do you hang with that Pretty Woman is commonly brought up?

 

[discostu]

I don't think he has one. I'm sure I could pick one if I had to but he's mostly notable for being Brad Pitt more so than any particular role.

Will Smith and the Rock both fall into that category as well in my view. Will Smith is probably still the Fresh Prince of Bel Air to most people.

The Rock plays himself in every film (to great success). Despite being the biggest box office draw of his generation, I struggle to name any of his characters. The only one that comes to mind is Maui from Moana, mainly because my kids were obsessed with it for the longest time.

 

[Voight]

While others are much tougher to narrow down

Denzel Washington
Malcom X or Training Day

Tom Cruise
Top Gun, Mission Impossible, or Jerry McGuire

Harrison Ford
Han Solo or Indiana Jones

Ian McKellen
Lord Of The Rings or X-Men

Julia Roberts
Erin Brockovich or Pretty Woman

Samuel Jackson
Pulp Fiction or the Marvel films

Mel Gibson
Braveheart, Lethal Weapon or Mad Max

Al Pacino
The Godfather or Scarface

Kevin Spacey
Seven, American Beauty or The Usual Suspects

Clint Eastwood
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly or Dirty Harry

Paul Newman
The Sting, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid or Cool Hand Luke

Robert Redford
The Sting or Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid

Robert DeNiro
The Godfather II, Taxi Driver or Raging Bull

Jim Carrey
Ace Ventura, The Mask or Dumb & Dumber

Brad Pitt
Too many to list

Bolded are my picks.

I think Gran Torino should be in contention for Eastwood, easily his most iconic role of the last 30 or so years. Plus he obviously great in it.

Jim Carrey - I'd go with Truman Show TBH.

 

[SniperHF]

With that said, what crowd do you hang with that Pretty Woman is commonly brought up?

It used to be something of an event when these came out with the women in my extended family when the rom com genre was hopping. Their favorite generally was My Best Friend's Wedding for some reason, but that's a smaller time movie in comparison. Not really iconic.

 

[Voight]

Tom Hanks = Woody? I mean I hate Forrest Gump so I suppose I'm a bit biased.

Theres also Cast Away, Saving Private Ryan, Charlie Wilsons War and Philadelphia as options.

Heres a couple more

Matt Damon - Good Will Hunting (but theres also the Bourne series and others)

Robin Williams - this is a really hard one.

Ben Affleck - A lot of choices but I think I'd go with one of The Town, Argo or Gone Girl.

Johnny Depp - where do you even start?

Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club

George Clooney - Oceans 11

 

[HoseEmDown]

Matthew Broderick = Ferris Bueller's day off

 

[frisco]

Martin Sheen = Apocalypse Now

Charlton Heston = Ben-Hur/Ten Commandments/Planet Of The Apes ?

Steve McQueen = Bullitt/Magnificient Seven/The Great Escape ?

Mark Wahlberg = Boogie Nights

John Travolta = Grease/Pulp Fiction/Saturday Night Fever ?

My Best-Carey

 

[alko]

Sylvester Stallone
Rocky

Rambo : Rocky = 50 : 50 for me.

 

[Neutrinos]

Martin Sheen = Apocalypse Now

Charlton Heston = Ben-Hur/Ten Commandments/Planet Of The Apes ?

Steve McQueen = Bullitt/Magnificient Seven/The Great Escape ?

Mark Wahlberg = Boogie Nights

John Travolta = Grease/Pulp Fiction/Saturday Night Fever ?

My Best-Carey

I'd think The Ten Commandments, but, yeah, that's a tough one

I'd definitely go with Grease for Travolta though

 

[Neutrinos]

Mike Myers
Wayne's World or Austin Powers?

 

[I am not exposed]

I don't think Brockovich has stood the test of time, it's not a movie commonly brought up in my experience. It's Pretty Woman. One of the most iconic films in a cornerstone genre.



I don't think he has one. I'm sure I could pick one if I had to but he's mostly notable for being Brad Pitt more so than any particular role.

Probably Fight Club.

 

[I am not exposed]

It used to be something of an event when these came out with the women in my extended family when the rom com genre was hopping. Their favorite generally was My Best Friend's Wedding for some reason, but that's a smaller time movie in comparison. Not really iconic.

Awful movie.

 

[I am not exposed]

Mike Myers
Wayne's World or Austin Powers?

Pretty much a coin flip.

 

[I am not exposed]

Martin Sheen = Apocalypse Now

Charlton Heston = Ben-Hur/Ten Commandments/Planet Of The Apes ?

Steve McQueen = Bullitt/Magnificient Seven/The Great Escape ?

Mark Wahlberg = Boogie Nights

John Travolta = Grease/Pulp Fiction/Saturday Night Fever ?

My Best-Carey

Papillon!

 

[I am not exposed]

Theres also Cast Away, Saving Private Ryan, Charlie Wilsons War and Philadelphia as options.

Heres a couple more

Matt Damon - Good Will Hunting (but theres also the Bourne series and others)

Robin Williams - this is a really hard one.

Ben Affleck - A lot of choices but I think I'd go with one of The Town, Argo or Gone Girl.

Johnny Depp - where do you even start?

Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club

George Clooney - Oceans 11

Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

[I am not exposed]

I'm aware of Keanu's filmography, but his role as Neo is so clearly ahead of those you listed, I'm really surprised we're even having this debate

As for Snipes, the answer isn't based on your own personal opinion. If I said Snipes' most iconic role was Passenger 57, would that make it so?

John Wick is probably not far behind at this point. A 4th one will be made as well.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Jim Carrey - I'd go with Truman Show TBH.

Jim Carrey is a weird one because his big comedic roles (The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Pet Detective, etc.) are all so similar in how he plays his characters that it's almost impossible to pick one out from the pack. But then when he does do something more serious like The Truman Show or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, it feels so at odds with what the majority of his roles are that it doesn't feel "right" to pick one of those as his most iconic role.

 

[Habsfunk]

Samuel L Jackson has to be Pulp Fiction. When you think of Jackson as an actor, everything he's known for comes from playing Jules Winnfield.

For Keanu Reeves, I agree with The Matrix, mainly because the first one was such a phenomenon at the time, but Bill & Ted and John Wick are a close second.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

the real debate.....Adam Sandler

is he Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore

 

[Neutrinos]

John Wick is probably not far behind at this point. A 4th one will be made as well.

I disagree

John Wick made less than 90 million at the box office. John Wick 2 made 171.5 million at the box office

The Matrix franchise made over 1.6 billion at the box office

Obviously box office numbers aren't entirely relevant, but as someone said, The Matrix was a phenomenon, whereas John Wick is more of a successful cult film

To me, it would be like saying Jack Reacher is a close 2nd to Mission Impossible for Tom Cruise. You can say it, but it doesn't make it true

 

[I am not exposed]

the real debate.....Adam Sandler

is he Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore!

 

[Neutrinos]

Probably Fight Club.

There's Seven, Troy, Snatch, and Legends Of The Fall as well, plus the Ocean's 11 films

Just so many ones to choose from