of All Time  by Premiere Magazine (reverse ranking) Part 1 Introduction | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 |
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Character Name | Played By | Film Title | Defining Moment |
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Roger "Verbal" Kint | Kevin Spacey | The Usual Suspects (1995) | Verbal's informed scanning of a bulletin board while awaiting interrogation. |
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Kevin McCallister | Macauley Culkin | Home Alone (1990) and one later film | Kevin's slapping of aftershave on his cheeks, and his "Aaaahhh!" reaction. |
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Antoine Doinel | Jean Pierre Leaud | The 400 Blows (1959) and four later films | Antoine's reaction when asked by a reform school psychiatrist if he's ever slept with a girl. |
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Ace Ventura | Jim Carrey | Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) and later films | Ace's calling of his pets in his apartment after lying to his landlord about not having animals in his place. |
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Tommy DeVito | Joe Pesci | GoodFellas (1990) | Tommy's 'How Am I Funny' routine, and his deadly showdown with Spider (Michael Imperioli) during a card game. |
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Oda Mae Brown | Whoopi Goldberg | Ghost (1990) | Oda's reluctant donation of a $4 million check to charity, after being prompted by Sam. |
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Rose Sayer | Katharine Hepburn | The African Queen (1951) | Heroine Rose's moment of emotional liberation after 'going over the falls'. |
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Harry Lime | Orson Welles | The Third Man (1949) | Harry's "cuckoo clock" speech. |
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Dil | Jaye Davidson | The Crying Game (1992) | Dil's startling revelation of his gender. |
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Mrs. Iselin | Angela Lansbury | The Manchurian Candidate (1962) | Mrs. Iselin's incestuous kiss on the lips of her robotic, programmed, killing-machine son Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey). |
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John Malkovich | John Malkovich | Being John Malkovich (1999) | John's yelling of "It's my heeeead!" while on the shoulder of the NJ Turnpike, after which a taunting trucker hurls a can at him. |
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Sandy Olsson | Olivia Newton-John | Grease (1978) | Wearing black pants, red heels, and a leather jacket, Bad Sandy's bringing of Danny Zuko (John Travolta) to his knees. |
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Raymond Babbitt | Dustin Hoffman | Rain Man (1988) | Raymond's panic-fit when brother Charlie (Tom Cruise) runs a hot bath for him. |
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Captain Jack Sparrow | Johnny Depp | Pirates of the Caribbean films | Capt. Jack's triumphant arrival at Port Royal in a decrepit vessel. |
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Melanie Daniels | Tippi Hedren | The Birds (1963) | Melanie's venture into an upstairs bedroom, where she is viciously attacked by birds. |
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Stanley Kowalski | Marlon Brando | A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) | Stanley's anguished, animalistic cry-yell at the bottom of the stairs for his wife Stella (Kim Hunter). |
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Darth Vader | David Prowse/James Earl Jones (voice) | Star Wars (1977) and two later films | In The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Vader's revelation that he is Luke's (Mark Hamill) father. |
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William 'Bill the Butcher' Cutting | Daniel Day-Lewis | Gangs of New York (2002) | Bill's flag-draped soliloquy, and his stabbing of the hand of fellow card player. |
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Jack Torrance | Jack Nicholson | The Shining (1980) | Jack's hallucinatory drink order to a non-existent bartender in the Gold Room of the Overlook Hotel. |
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Aurora Greenway | Shirley MacLaine | Terms of Endearment (1983) and one later film | Aurora's prophetic warning to her daughter Emma (Debra Winger) on the eve of her wedding. |
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Sam Spade | Humphrey Bogart | The Maltese Falcon (1941) | Sam's act of turning over femme fatale love Brigid O'Shaughnessy (Mary Astor) to the cops. |
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Hans Beckert | Peter Lorre | M (1931) | Hans' shriek to his tormentors that they don't know what it's like to be him. |
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"Mad" Max Rockatansky | Mel Gibson | Mad Max (1979) and two later films | Max's witnessing of the slaughter of his family by hoodlums. |
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Annie Wilkes | Kathy Bates | Misery (1990) | Annie's smashing the legs of her favorite writer Paul Sheldon (James Caan) so he won't leave her. |
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Tony Manero | John Travolta | Saturday Night Fever (1977) and one later film | Tony's reveling in his power alone on the dance floor. |
