Many actors dream of portraying a character who becomes memorable and beloved by audiences. However, while this can be an exciting achievement, many actors who take on iconic roles find themselves stuck. Audiences may struggle to see actors like Daniel Radcliffe and Robert Downey Jr. as anyone but their famous role, constantly comparing the actors to popular characters.
Therefore, it's incredibly impressive when actors move away from one iconic role and fall straight into another. Whether it be through popular franchises, fandoms, or just brilliant performances, some actors help construct multiple iconic characters and deliver legendary performances.
Updated on February 21st, 2023 by Tom Steel: The most iconic characters in TV and film are immortalized depending on how they are portrayed on the big screen, and some actors are fortunate to be tied to multiple of these roles. This list has been updated to recognize even more actors who are remembered for more than one huge role, with character names and personalities that are remembered beyond just being a part of a popular movie.
15 Keanu Reeves (John Wick & Neo)
Keanu Reeves has always been one of the most popular actors out there, and a master of the action genre. Movies like Point Break and Speed will always be noted at the top of his resume, alongside the likes of Bill & Ted, but not quite in the same category as his two best-known roles in The Matrix and John Wick.
Reeves' role as Neo in The Matrix (1999) was iconic and his standout character until he became the titular character of John Wick in 2014. With its fourth and fifth installments coming up, John Wick has become a standard-bearer for the all-out one-man-army action movies. Keanu Reeves is also now synonymous with the video game Cyberpunk 2077, where he played Johnny Silverhand.
14 Sylvester Stallone (Rambo, Rocky)
Before the turn of the millennium, action movies from the 1970s onwards were dominated by iconic actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Stallone started the Rocky franchise in 1976 as the titular Rocky Balboa and then debuted Rambo in the 1982 movie First Blood.
First Blood and Rambo's popularity saw Stallone reprise the role, effectively launching a longstanding franchise. The Rambo movies aren't for everybody, but they are still quintessential action movies at their chaotic best. Rambo is considered one of Stallone's most iconic roles, second only to Rocky.
13 Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones, Han Solo)
Having spent almost sixty years in the business, actor Harrison Ford is a huge name for generations of film lovers. While his extensive filmography includes the likes of Blade Runner, Ender's Game, and Working Girl, he's most widely recognized for portraying the titular character in the Indiana Jones franchise and the beloved Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Both franchises remain beloved to this day and have huge, passionate fanbases. Despite being over forty years older than when he first played the role, fans can't wait to see Ford reprise the role of Indiana Jones in an upcoming fifth installment. On the other hand, his role in the Star Wars universe ended when Han Solo was killed in The Force Awakens, leaving many to mourn the iconic character.
12 Emma Watson (Hermione Granger, Belle)
Entering the film industry at just 10 years old, Emma Watson starred as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, one of the most popular film franchises of all time. This first professional acting role propelled her to stardom. The following decade saw Watson, and audiences, grow up with the character.
While some will always see Watson as Hermione, she has crafted an impressive career since the Harry Potter franchise ended in 2011. Branching out into different roles, she made a name for herself as an activist. In 2017, Watson took on the iconic role of Belle in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast and made the role her own.
11 Patrick Stewart (Picard, Charles Xavier)
Sir Patrick Stewart became an icon of the stage and screen. With an incredible career spanning seven decades, Stewart brought performances to audiences that earned him nominations for Tony Awards, Academy Awards, Emmys, Golden Globes, and many other accolades. However, his roles as Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Professor Charles Xavier remained his most iconic.
Stewart has played Captain Picard in the Star Trek universe since the late 1980s, reprising his role in projects such as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Picard. Stewart first portrayed Professor X in the 2000s X-Men trilogy, returning to the role in Days of Future Past and making a cameo during 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
10 Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins & The Sound Of Music)
British actor Dame Julie Andrews' contribution to musical theater and film is undeniable. Throughout her seventy-year career, Andrews has played many iconic roles, earning herself incredible accolades, including an Academy Award and being made a Disney Legend.
Andrews became widely recognized for her feature film debut as Mary Poppins, the title character in the iconic 1964 Disney musical, a role which earned her the Oscar. She famously portrayed Maria von Trapp the following year in the beloved movie musical The Sound of Music.
9 Zoe Saldana (Gamora, Neytiri, Uhura)
Judging by her filmography, the key to making a successful, highly grossing movie is to cast Zoe Saldana in a prominent role. Saldana has an impressive track record, taking on the role of Uhura in 2009's Star Trek and starring in the Pirates of the Caribbean.
Saldana's most recognizable roles are arguably Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Neytiri in Avatar, the highest-grossing movie of all time. With the Avatar franchise rapidly growing from the end of 2022, Saldana's characters, which have become incredibly beloved with audiences, will become players in two of the most iconic movie series of all time.
8 Ian McKellen (Gandalf, Magneto)
Sir Ian McKellen is one of the most respected actors in theater and film today, with a career that's spanned 70 years and brought many memorable performances. McKellen has shone on stage for many years, but wider audiences may recognize and appreciate him for his roles in the science-fiction/fantasy genre.
In the early 2000s, McKellen became a part of two huge franchises, starring as the divisive Magneto in Bryan Singer's X-Men, a role which he returned to in two sequels and a prequel movie. In 2001, McKellen began portraying Gandalf the Grey in The Lord of the Rings franchise, based on J. R. R. Tolkien's iconic novels.
7 Orlando Bloom (Will Turner, Legolas)
Orlando Bloom's name completely blew up when he began starring as the beloved elf Legolas in The Lord of the Rings film series. His role continued into The Hobbit, appearing in a total of 5 Middle-earth movies.
Bloom went on to play Will Turner, a blacksmith's apprentice and the love interest of Elizabeth Swan in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series. Turner appeared in the first three movies and made a cameo in the fifth, and many fans agree the films just weren't the same without Elizabeth and Will as the main characters.
6 Tom Cruise (Pete Mitchell, Ethan Hunt)
Tom Cruise is undeniably one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood today. With a career already spanning multiple decades, predominantly in the action movie genre, Cruise shows no sign of slowing down.
The 1986 movie Top Gun was already iconic, but the popular 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick, only furthered the reach of Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, becoming one of the top 5 highest-grossing movies of all time. Since 1996, Cruise portrayed the lead character, Ethan Hunt, in the Mission Impossible series, an incredibly beloved action franchise with two more installments to come in the future.
5 Robert Pattinson (Batman, Edward Cullen, Cedric Diggory)
Robert Pattinson may only be in his 30s, but he's already curated an incredibly impressive career and a lot of respect as an actor. Since the early 2000s, Pattinson has portrayed beloved roles in three of the biggest movie franchises of all time.
Joining the Harry Potter movies in The Goblet of Fire, Pattinson stole the show as Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff who competes in the Triwizard Tournament. Following that, he took on the leading role of Edward Cullen, a young vampire, in the Twilight saga. Most recently, Pattinson led Matt Reeves' The Batman and brought a new take to the role of Bruce Wayne, wowing audiences and critics alike.
4 Al Pacino (Michael Corleone, Tony Montana)
Al Pacino is one of the most decorated and influential actors for his work in the 20th century, where he thrived in various action roles. One of his two most famous roles as Michael Corleone in The Godfather actually happened to be one of his first, as it catapulted him to superstardom.
Pacino rose alongside Michael, as he had to step up and follow on from Marlon Brando's Don Vito Corleone. In 1983, Pacino shone in another huge role as Tony Montana in Scarface. Both crime dramas have been the highlights and pillars of Al Pacino's successful career, but are by no means the only bright sparks to come from it.
3 Alan Rickman (Hans Gruber, Severus Snape)
Alan Rickman was a popular and widely beloved actor even before his unfortunate death in 2016 drew people to reflect on his storied career. Rickman is arguably best remembered for his recurring appearances in the Harry Potter movies as Severus Snape, with his expressive range being showcased throughout the eight movies. Snape was gradually given more layers beyond just being a strict and mean professor, and Rickman really helped to bring the character to life.
By the time Rickman came to play Snape in the first Harry Potter movie in 2001, he had already showcased what he had to offer, firstly as the charismatic villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988) and later as the terrifying Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991 movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Roles in Sweeney Todd, Love Actually, and Alice in Wonderland also helped to make up an exceptional acting career, but Snape and Hans Gruber remain Alan Rickman's most iconic roles.
2 Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Dr. Strange)
British actor Benedict Cumberbatch has found himself a prominent face in two incredibly huge, but also very different fandoms during his career. From 2010 to 2017, Cumberbatch played famous detective Sherlock Holmes in BBC's Sherlock, a role which garnered him a huge fanbase of die-hard viewers.
Currently, Cumberbatch is one of the leading faces in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing as Doctor Strange in the character's origin movie, Avengers, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and most recently Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Cumberbatch is confirmed to return to the role, leading the character to become even more recognizable.
1 Samuel L. Jackson (Mace Windu, Nick Fury, Jules Winnfield)
Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most iconic actors of all time, and has had so many starring roles that have cemented a legacy that he still isn't quite finished with. Jackson has excelled in standalone movies like Pulp Fiction as Jules Winnfield, but has cemented other iconic characters through persistent appearances across multiple movies.
Mace Windu and his purple lightsaber stood out in Star Wars, as did the hilarious Frozone in The Incredibles movies. However, Samuel L. Jackson has appeared as Nick Fury in over ten movies within the MCU, with even more appearances to come with Secret Invasion and The Marvels. Fury continues to be mysterious with his short appearances, but has always been a powerful figure as the founder of the Avengers. Similarly, Jackson always delivers when called upon.