Actors in Dual Iconic Roles

This was a tough Top Ten to crack...Mel Gibson's Mad Max and Martin Riggs for the Lethal Weapon movies did NOT make the Top 10.
This was a tough Top 15 to crack…Mel Gibson’s Mad Max and Martin Riggs for the Lethal Weapon movies did NOT make the Top 15….even with $1.15 BILLION in adjusted box office.

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

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Eddie Murphy in Iconic Role #1 Axel Foley in the Beverly Hill Cops 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.

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Eddie Murphy in Iconic Role #2 Sherman Klump in the Nutty Professor movies

14th Place – Clint Eastwood- Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.467 Billion From 7 Movies

Iconic Role#1 Detective Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry movies
Iconic Role#1 Detective Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry 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.

Iconic Role #2: Philo Beddoe in the Any Which Way You Can movies
Iconic Role #2: Philo Beddoe in the Any Which Way You Can movies

13th Place – Sigourney Weaver – Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.47 Billion From 6 Movies

Sigourney Weaver has played Ripley in 4 Alien movies
Sigourney Weaver has played Ripley in 4 Alien 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

Sigourney Weaver brought the sexy to the Ghostbusters party
Sigourney Weaver brought the sexy to the Ghostbusters party

12th Place – Jennifer Lawrence – Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.56 Billion From 5 Movies

Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique from X-Men and Katniss from The Hunger Games
Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique from X-Men and Katniss from The Hunger Games
  • 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

Patrick Stewart as Iconic Role #1: Captain Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Patrick Stewart as Iconic Role #1: Captain Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation
  • 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

Patrick Stewart in Iconic Role #2: Professor X of the X-Men movies
Patrick Stewart in Iconic Role #2: Professor X of the X-Men movies

10th Place – Mickey Rooney – Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.64 Billion From 18 Movies

It took Mickey Rooney 18 movies to do it....but he makes the list with his 16 Andy Hardy movies and his 2 Boy's Town movies
It took Mickey Rooney 18 movies to do it….but he makes the list with his 16 Andy Hardy movies and his 2 Boys Town 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.

Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney starred in the Boys Town movies...Rooney played Whitey Marsh
Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney starred in the Boys Town movies…Rooney played Whitey Marsh

9th Place – Joe Pesci – Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.73 Billion From 5 Movies

Joe Pesci was the bad guy in the first two Home Alone movies
Joe Pesci was the bad guy in the first two Home Alone 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.

Joe Pesci as Leo Getz in the Lethal Weapon movies
Joe Pesci as Leo Getz in the Lethal Weapon movies

8th Place – Bing Crosby – Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.87 Billion From 9 Movies

One of the greatest screen combos ever...Bob Hope and Bing Crosby
Bob Hope and Bing Crosby made 7 “Road to” movies from 1940 to 1963
  • 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.

Bing Crosby in Iconic Role #2. Father Chuck O'Malley picked up Oscar wins and major box office dollars in the 1940s.
Bing Crosby in Iconic Role #2. Father Chuck O’Malley picked up Oscar wins and major box office dollars in the 1940s.

7th Place – Chris Evans- Adjusted Box Office Gross $1.89 Billion From 6 Movies

Chris Evans as Captain America and The Human Torch
Chris Evans as Captain America and The Human Torch
  • 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

Natalie Portman as Padme in the second Star Wars trilogy
Natalie Portman as Padme in the second Star Wars trilogy
  • 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.

Natalie Portman as Jane Foster in the Thor movies
Natalie Portman as Jane Foster in the Thor movies

5th Place – Sylvester Stallone. – Adjusted Box Office Gross $2.19 Billion From 10 Movies

Sylvester Stallone has spent a lifetime playing Rocky and Rambo.
Sylvester Stallone has spent a lifetime playing Rocky and Rambo.
  • 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

Robert Downey, Jr. has turned into a superstar playing Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes
Robert Downey, Jr. has turned into a superstar playing Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes
    • 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

Orlando Bloom has played Legolas in the Lord of the Rings movies and Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies
Orlando Bloom has played Legolas in the Lord of the Rings movies and Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean 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

Ian McKellen has been Gandolf from the Lord of the Rings movies and Magneto from the X-Men movies
Ian McKellen has been Gandolf from the Lord of the Rings movies and Magneto from the X-Men 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

Harrison Ford has been Han Solo for 38 years and Indiana Jones for 34 years
Harrison Ford has been Han Solo for 38 years and Indiana Jones for 34 years
  • 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 WilsonNight at the Museum & Meet the Parents movies – $1.39 billion in adjusted box office
  • Bruce WillisDie Hard and Look Who’s Talking movies – $1.18 billion  in adjusted box office
  • Mel GibsonLethal 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.

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65 thoughts on “Actors in Dual Iconic Roles

    1. 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.

  1. 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!

    1. 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.

      1. 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.

  2. What about Anthony Hopkins or Hugo Weaving? Hopkins has the Hannibal movies while Weaving has the Matrix and Hobbit movies?

    1. 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.

  3. I liked your twitter feed. I knew it was going to be Harrison. No way it could be anybody else.

    1. 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.

  4. 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

    1. 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.

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