This page is going to look at the Top 15 Actors in Dual Iconic Roles…..using domestic adjusted box office grosses for their rankings in the Top 15. Like all things in life…I had to set up some rules for an actor or actress to be eligible to make the list.
Rule 1: Actor/Actress had to play the role a minimum of 2 movies each….sorry Hugh Jackman, the Wolverine movies are popular….but you can’t join the list until you find another iconic movie franchise.
Rule 2: Voice roles in computer animated were excluded from the list….sorry Mike Myers…yes you have the Austin Powers movies but Shrek does not get you in.
Rule 3: Role must be iconic. The definition of iconic is “Of, relating to, or having the character of an icon”…..sorry Morgan Freeman we will give you credit for playing Lucius Fox in the Dark Knight trilogy….but your Dr. Cameron McCarthy role in the Dolphin Tale movies falls a little short of iconic.
Rule 4: Cameos do not help an actor/actress fulfill Rule 1…..sorry Gary Oldman…..yes you have big parts in the Dark Knight trilogy…but most of your Harry Potter movies fall into the cameo category. Same thought process kept Samuel L. Jackson out as well…with regards to his Marvel movies and Star Wars movies.
So now that the rules are out of the way…lets look at the Top 15 Dual Iconic Role Actors.
15th Place – Eddie Murphy- Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.46 Billion From 5 Movies
- Beverly Hills Cop (1984) $557.34 million
- Beverly Hills Cop 2 (1987) $389.32 million
- Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) $84.61 million
Beverly Hills Cop Movies Domestic Adjusted Box Office $1031.27 million or $1.03 billion
- The Nutty Professor (1996) $241.89 million
- The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000) $189.88 million
Nutty Professor Movies Domestic Adjusted Box Office $431.77million
Total of 5 movies $1,463,040,000 billion.
14th Place – Clint Eastwood- Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.467 Billion From 7 Movies
- Dirty Harry (1971) $214.90 million
- Magnum Force (1973) $205.00 million
- The Enforcer (1976) $204.40 million
- Sudden Impact (1983) $184.60 million
- The Dead Pool (1988) $74.70 million
Dirty Harry Movies Adjusted Box Office $883.60 million
- Every Which Way But Loose (1978) $295.60 million
- Any Which Way You Can (1980) $288.50 million
Philo Beddoe Movies Adjusted Box Office $584.10 million
Total of 7 movies $1,467,700,000 billion.
13th Place – Sigourney Weaver – Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.47 Billion From 6 Movies
- Alien (1979) $261.05 million
- Aliens (1986) $190.52 million
- Alien 3 (1992) $110.94 million
- Alien Resurrection (1997) $86.42 million
Alien Movies Adjusted Box Office $648.93 million
- Ghostbusters (1984) $590.63 million
- Ghostbusters 2 (1989) $235.19 million
Ghostbusters Movies Adjusted Box Office $825.82 million
Total of 6 movies $1,474,750,000 billion
12th Place – Jennifer Lawrence – Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.56 Billion From 5 Movies
- The Hunger Games (2012) $421.95 million
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) $424.25 million
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014) $337.13 million
Hunger Game Movies Adjusted Box Office $1183.33 million
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (2013) $233.07 million
- X-Men: First Class (2011) $150.93 million
X-Men Movies Adjusted Box Office $384.00 million
Total of 5 movies $1,567,733,000 billion.
11th Place – Patrick Stewart – Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.57 Billion From 8 Movies
- Star Trek: Generations (1994) $149.77 million
- Star Trek: First Contact (1996) $172.15 million
- Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) $121.99 million
- Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) $61.09 million
Star Trek: Next Generation Movies Adjusted Box Office $505.00 million
- X-Men (2000) 242.22 million
- X2: X-Men United (2002) $295.86 million
- X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) $296.97 million
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (2013) $233.07 million
X-Men Movies Adjusted Box Office $1068.12 million or 1.06 billion
Total of 8 movies $1,573,120,000 billion
10th Place – Mickey Rooney – Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.64 Billion From 18 Movies
- A Family Affair (1937) $26.0 million
- Your Only Young Once (1937) $25.2 million
- Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938) $108.00 million
- Judge Hardy’s Children (1938) $38.20 million
- Out West With The Hardys (1938) $103.90 million
- Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever (1939) $99.90 million
- The Hardys Ride High (1939) $95.80 million
- Judge Hardy and Son (1939) $91.80 million
- Andy Hardy Meets The Debutante (1940) $124.20 million
- Life Begins For Andy Hardy (1941) $107.20 million
- Andy Hardy’s Private Secretary (1941) $97.40 million
- Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942) $95.80 million
- Andy Hardy’s Double Life (1942) $109.60 million
- Andy Hardy’s Blonde Trouble (1944) $95.00 million
- Love Laughs At Andy Hardy (1946) $84.40 million
- Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958) $12.20 million
Andy Hardy Movies Adjusted Box Office $1314.60 million or $1.31 billion
- Boy’s Town (1938) $198.10 million
- Men of Boy’s Town (1941) $137.20 million
Boys Town Movies Adjusted Box Office $335.30 million
Total of 18 movies $1,649,900,000 billion.
9th Place – Joe Pesci – Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.73 Billion From 5 Movies
- Home Alone (1990) $562.19 million
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) $347.35 million
Home Alone Movies Adjusted Box Office $909.54 million
- Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) $307.86 million
- Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) $289.46 million
- Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) $230.85 million
Lethal Weapon Movies Adjusted Box Office $828.17 million
Total of 5 movies $1,737,710,000 billion.
8th Place – Bing Crosby – Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.87 Billion From 9 Movies
- Road to Singapore (1940) $105.60 million
- Road to Zanzibar (1941) $123.40 million
- Road to Morocco (1942) $246.00 million
- Road to Utopia (1945) $236.30 million
- Road to Rio (1947) $217.60 million
- Road to Bali (1952) $97.40 million
- Road to Hong Kong (1962) $61.70 million
“Road to” Movies Adjusted Box Office $1088.00 million or $1.08 billion
- Going My Way (1944) $363.00 million
- The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945) $420.60 million
Father Chuck O’Malley Movies Adjusted Box Office $783.60 million
Total of 9 movies $1,871,600,000 billion.
7th Place – Chris Evans- Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.89 Billion From 6 Movies
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) $184.68 million
- Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) $637.17 million
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) $258.83 million
- Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) $454.19 million
Captain America Movies Domestic Adjusted Box Office $1534.87 million or $1.53 billion
- Fantastic Four (2005) $200.30 million
- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) $159.14 million
Fantastic Four Movies Domestic Adjusted Box Office $359.44 million
Total of 6 movies $1,894,310,000 billion.
6th Place – Natalie Portman – Adjusted Box Office Gross $2.07 Billion From 5 Movies
- Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) $749.59 million
- Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) $443.78 million
- Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) $492.34 million
Star Wars Movies Adjusted Box Office $1685.71 million or $1.68 billion
- Thor (2011) 186.47 million
- Thor: A Dark World (2013) $205.34 million
Thor Movies Adjusted Box Office $391.81 million
Total of 5 movies $2,077,520,000 billion.
5th Place – Sylvester Stallone. – Adjusted Box Office Gross $2.19 Billion From 10 Movies
- Rocky (1976) $456.83 million
- Rocky II (1979) $281.67 million
- Rocky III (1982) $352.86 million
- Rocky IV (1985) $293.71 million
- Rocky V (1990) $80.34 million
- Rocky Balboa (2006) $87.04 million
Rocky Movies Adjusted Box Office $1552.42 million or $1.55 billion
- First Blood (1982) 133.28 million
- Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) $351.67 million
- Rambo III (1988) $108.47 million
- Rambo (2008) $49.42 million
Rambo Movies Adjusted Box Office $642.84 million
Total of 10 movies $2,195,260,000 billion
4th Place – Robert Downey, Jr. – Adjusted Box Office Gross $2.15 Billion From 7 Movies
- Iron Man (2008) $368.06 million
- Iron Man 2 (2010) $326.18 million
- Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) $637.17million
- Iron Man 3 (2013) $405.10 million
- Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) $454.19 million
Iron Man Movies Adjusted Box Office $2190.70 million or $2.19 billion
- Sherlock Holmes (2009) 222.99 million
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) $197.13 million
Sherlock Holmes Movies Adjusted Box Office $420.12 million
Total of 7 movies $2,610,820,000 billion.
3rd Place – Orlando Bloom – Adjusted Box Office Gross $3.29 Billion From 8 Movies
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $454.83 million
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) $479.11 million
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $511.60 million
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) $261.57 million
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) $255.11 million
Legolas Movies Adjusted Box Office $1962.22 million or $1.96 billion
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) 420.38 million
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) $536.41 million
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) $373.28 million
Pirates of the Caribbean Movies Adjusted Box Office $1330.00 million or $1.33 billion
Total of 8 movies $3,292,290,000 billion
2nd Place – Ian McKellan – Adjusted Box Office Gross $3.34 Billion From 10 Movies
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $454.83 million
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) $479.11 million
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $511.60 million
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) $314.03 million
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) $261.57 million
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) $255.11 million
Gandolf Movies Adjusted Box Office $2276.25 million or $2.27 billion
- X-Men (2000) 242.22 million
- X2: X-Men United (2002) $295.86 million
- X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) $296.97 million
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (2013) $233.07 million
X-Men Movies Adjusted Box Office $1068.12 million or 1.06 billion
Total of 10 movies $3,344,370,000 billion
1st Place – Harrison Ford – Adjusted Box Office Gross $5.03 Billion From 7 Movies
- Star Wars (1977) $1,478.39 million or $1.47 billion
- The Empire Strikes Back (1980) $814.89 million
- Return of the Jedi (1983) $780.69 million
Star Wars Movies Adjusted Box Office $3073.97 million or $3.07 billion
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) $734.77 million
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) $444.32 million
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) $410.15 million
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) $366.56 million
Indiana Jones Movies Adjusted Box Office $1958.80 million or 1.95 billion
Total of 7 movies $5,032,770,000 billion
Those that almost made the cut for the Top 15 Actors in Dual Iconic Roles…many came from the comment section – Anita, Soren and Timlin suggested people that made the Top 15
- Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson – Night at the Museum & Meet the Parents movies – $1.39 billion in adjusted box office
- Bruce Willis – Die Hard and Look Who’s Talking movies – $1.18 billion in adjusted box office
- Mel Gibson – Lethal Weapon and Mad Max movies – $1.15 billion in adjusted box office
- Keanu Reeves – Matrix and Bill & Ted movies – $1.01 billion in adjusted box office
- Arnold – Terminator and Conan movies – $0.90 billion in adjusted box office
- Sandra Bullock – Speed and Miss Congeniality movies – $0.54 billion in adjusted box office
- Anthony Hopkins – Hannibal and Thor movies – $1.02 billion in adjusted box office
- Vin Diesel – Fast & Furious and Pitch Black movies – $1.20 billion but moving up fast with Furious 7 success
- Steve Guttenberg – Police Academy and Three Men and a Baby movies – $970.96 million
- Burt Reynolds – Cannonball Run and Smokey and the Bandit movies – $970.02 million
- Barbra Streisand – Funny Girl and Focker movies – $1.04 billion
- Matt Damon – Ocean’s Eleven and Bourne movies – $1257.95 million or $1.25 billion
- Diane Keaton – Godfather and Father of the Bride movies – $1320.62 million or $1.32 billion
- Michael Caine – Dark Knight and Harry Palmer movies – $1321.20 million or $1.32 billion
- Emilio Estevez – Mighty Ducks and Young Gun movies – $406.72 million
- Jackie Chan – Rush Hour and Shanghai movies – $919.66 million
- Jason Statham – Expendables, Transporter and Crank movies – $418.37 million
- Sean Connery – James Bond Movies and Highlander Movies – has the box office $2.03 billion but Bond does all the heavy lifting in box office and iconic value….Highlander sinks the boat
- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – Furious and Mummy movies – $1122.90 million
Final thought: I am sure that I missed somebody that would knock Chris Evans out of the Top 15. If you have a possible Top 15 contender please leave a comment…and I will see if they crack the Top 15.
Also, wouldn’t you use Die Hard/Red for Mr. Bruce, not look who’s talking?
Hey Bryan…..Bruce’s Look Who’s Talking movies grossed $383.22 million…..his RED movies grossed $150.00 million…..his Whole Nine/Ten Yards movies grossed $109.99 million….while his Sin City movies grossed $109.76…..so if Look Who’s Talking did not get him into the Top Ten no way the other movies would do that.
Vin Diesel has to make this list, no way the Fast series did not make enough to cover the lack in box office the Pitch Black series made….more research!
Hey Bryan….you might have a point with Vin Diesel….I will go and check his stats….Eddie Murphy is getting nervous. Thanks for the suggestion.
Hey Bryan…I thought you had me with Vin Diesel…..but he is not there yet…..his totals for Pitch Black and the Fast & Furious is $1.20 billion that is through yesterday’s box office totals….for Vin Diesel to bump Eddie Murphy…Furious 7 will still have to gross another $250 million….I see Furious 7 hitting $300 million…..but not $400 million…it would actually have to get to $424 to bump Murphy….not thinking that is happening….but Furious 8 will be out before Murphy has another box office hit….thanks for the suggestions.
What about Anthony Hopkins or Hugo Weaving? Hopkins has the Hannibal movies while Weaving has the Matrix and Hobbit movies?
Hey Hopkins?….Hopkins would crack the 1 billion mark with his Thor and his Hannibal movies…but it would only be 1.02 billion….not enough to knock Eddie Murphy from the top spot. As for Hugo….I agree his role as Agent Smith in the Matrix movies is very iconic…but not thinking his role in the Tolkien movies meets the criteria….granted I am not a huge Tolkien fan….but I do not even know his character’s name in the Hobbit movies….that being said…I think if I did give him full credit for the Hobbit movies…he would crack the Top 10. I read somewhere that he filmed his entire role in a short amount of days….I have to admit…I hold that against him. Thanks for the suggestions.
I liked your twitter feed. I knew it was going to be Harrison. No way it could be anybody else.
Hey WT Simmons….yep Harrison is number one by a wide margin….the difference between 2nd and 1st is almost 2 billion….and Star Wars 7 is going to widen that gap even more. Glad you liked my countdown.
Fascinating Bruce, but I had a feeling Harrison Ford would be numero uno. Hey wait how did Orlando Bloom sneak in there, damn that Peter Jackson and those Hobbit films! 🙂 But the biggest shocker has to be Hope and Crosby, were those old comedies really that popular? Wow! Rocky beats Rambo and Professor X more popular than Captain Picard, Star Trek fans won’t agree [wink]. I see Arnie missed out on the fun. But would Bruce Willis voice-over in the Look Who’s Talking films count as an iconic role? More than Mike Myers voice-over for Shrek? Hmmm
Hey Steve….yep Harrison being number one was pretty much a far gone conclusion. I imagine somebody might eventually top his box office number but it is going to take probably close to 20 movies to do it. Orlando seems to only have monster hits or straight to DVD movies…there is no middle ground for him.
The Hope/Crosby were very popular….the top hits of the year…and this is when almost half of America went to the movies every week. As for Bruce…yeah his Look Who’s Talking role was a stretch….but I since he is one of my favorites I was trying to get him in the Top Ten. Heck it turned out to not even be close. His RED movies and Whole Nine Yards movies did not help either….but I tried…lol. As for Arnold he did not even come close. Maybe Terminator 5 will jump start him….as always thanks for the visit and the comment.