Who do you think is the most memorable movie character ever and why?

Yup. I've read that.

In my opinion...best actor living would be between Oldman and Anthony Hopkins.

I understand they are good friends.

For me the most memorable character on a film was that pf Raisouli, played by Sean Connery in "The Wind and the Lion" The film wasa basaed on a factual event in the early 20th century when an American Man named Pedercaris was captured and held for ransom by a dissident Moroccan chieftan named Raisiouli, any our then President, Teddy Roosevelt (played in the film by actor Brian Keith) famously declared "American wants Pederkaris alive or Raisouli dead. The film portrayed Pedercaris as a woman (Candice Bergin) which added some interesting sexual tension to the story. Connery did a great job playing a Moroccan with a brogue and the (much underrated) film presented the story with appropriate irony and humor.

That's it !! Connery had some great throwaway lines in the film, like

After an ally rode up hastily to Raisouli's camp to give an intelligence report to him and threw something in the sand;

Pedercaris "What is that?)
Raisouli "a tongue"
Pedercaris " My god how could you !"
Raisouli "Perhaps its former owner had nothing good to say with it"
Pedercarus "That's barbarous !"
Raisouli "How can you talk to me like that? You're not even one of my wives"

And the last lines in the film (approximately)

"Ah Raisouli, we've lost everything, all we had is floating on the wind"

"Yes sheikh but isn't there anything in your life that you would risk everything for?"

The film was made in the mid 1970s and in many ways it was quite prescient.

I liked Morgan Freeman in the Shawshank Redemption. There was a quiet steadiness to him, which spoke volumes.

I don't think the ladies have been adequately represented here.

I was going to name Scarlet.
And Tuco, in the Good the Bad and the Ugly.
The kids in Lord of the Flies.
And the big guy in The Green Mile.

Here's looking at you kid, Casablanca.

Definitely a memorable character...


Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

Its impossible to pick just one. I loved Kathryn Hepburn in 'Lion in Winter'. Andy Griffin was chilling as Dusty Rhoads in 'Face in the Croud'. Every character in 'Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World', it was chock full of great actors and entertainers, I laugh every time I see it. Another old movie that is even funnier today than when it was made in the 60's, 'Dr. Strangelove: or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb'.

There have been so many good movies and excellent actors, its impossible for me to even pick the best actor or movie in the last three years.

Then there's Norman Bates.

There are several great characters in Dr Strangelove.

Rocky Balboa in the original Rocky.

This thread is like an applied Meyers Briggs test looking for a CEO or a general . So far weve got Georgeob, who actually made a decision . Everyone else is kind a lost in wanting more and more external input before making a decision. Fascinating.

I used to use MB dynamics to assess technical teams and see whether they could eventually get anywhere or would they become a committee good for assessing options without ever getting anywhere.
I used to kid these groups that, "decision making is a very particular skill> Its not the result of being the best and brightest necessarily . It is the tool of the risk taker and leader who is accountable.
Many groupd gropes like this thread are like a burning building where someone has to lead the others out.
Sorry, but I find these group dynamics very telling and entertaining.
BTW, Im right there with you, I picked two "MOST " memorable characters. Remember, in MB dynamics, there "is no right answer" its all just a tool that enables us to evaluate how the group works and how individuals operate within the group.

Course, MB could be all wet too. Hows that for my inability to decide?

Fact is, there is no best. Too many are great in their own right.

Im going to argue with you a little on Meyers Briggs. It does identify how people arrive at decisions, but shouldn't be used as a disqualifier. My husband took the test first and came home very excited because after getting his 4 letters, he found me on the spread sheet (well my 4 letters) and it explained a lot when it came to our outlooks and preferences. Although I split between E and I, the others were strong NTP. Introvert and extrovert aren't used the same way on a MB scale as they are socially. For instance, a strong T doesn't indicate a person without feelings. I found MB a useful tool, but I would never use it to construct a workforce or working group. I just view it as another tool in the toolbox.

When it comes to picking the most memorable movie character ever, that seems like trying to pick the best wine ever. Too many to choose from, and entirely dependent on your age and number of movies you have seen. When I was 18, I thought Easy Rider was the epitome of film making. I no longer think thats true.

Yes, Meyers-Briggs is more about helping to identify working styles and comfort zones of individuals than it is a tool to be rigidly interpreted or restrict staffs or selection of members for working groups or committees.

Especially find that true when considering the trends of movie making and directors where the movie styles change so often. This same stylistic dynamic and changes can be said about the successful movies like Midnight Cowboy, Rosemary's Baby and Bonnie and Clyde.

I watched Midnight Cowboy again recently, and for me it still holds up, has the same impact.

Yes, interestingly the movie still has impact. But the style of movie-making has changed...hardly for the better, I might add.