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.
Pretty soon you might have to add Johnny Depp to this list once the newest Alice in Wonderland movie is released? As he will have been in the entire franchise of Pirates, and then the two Alice in Wonderland movies. At least I would think he would have to be? And of course this will be an ever evolving list. 🙂
By the way, Great site!
I love your comparative evaluations of different movies, directors, actors, etc.
Very neat way of rating movies based on tons of factors for a “successful” movie.
I will definitely be surfing your site for new content.
Hey BTickell…..without a doubt…Johnny Depp will make this list once Alice 2 reaches theaters…and when Pirates 5 opens…he will probably be close to The Top 5…right now his 5 Alice/Pirate movies have a domestic box office gross of $1927.36 or $1.92 billion….that would put him in 7th place right now. I have had a lot of fun with this page so far…so I think it would be fun to keep it updated….Evans and Downey have Avengers 2 next month….Harrison will add to his lead with Star Wars 7 this winter….it is indeed an ever evolving list.
Thanks for the very nice words about my website. Currently I feel it is a mess while it is under construction. I am moving my site from web.com to bluehost.com. A big part of my pages is the massive tables on each page. Web.com was making it almost impossible to use tables….Bluehost has tables that I can use more easily….they are not as pretty…but you can sort and play with the information….I think the search and sort buttons make up for the loss in appearance. Glad to know you will be surfing….we take recommendations….so if you see somebody missing….just send an e-mail. Right now the suggestion log is at 7 performers.
Ok how about Mr. Movie Franchise Dwayne Johnson. GI Joe movies, Fast and Furious, Journey to center of the Earth, Mummy movies.
Hey Vitrey….ok….so far the Rock has not appeared in two GI Joe or Journey movies….I think they are coming….but they can not be included. Let’s see 3 Furious movies…$704.70 million…that is through 2 weekends of Furious 7…..and 2 Mummy movies at $418.20 million for a grand total of $1122.90 million or $1.12 billion…..Furious 7 would have to gross another quarter of a billion to get The Rock into the picture…..Furious 7 is huge but I do not think it is going to reach $500 million in domestic gross. Thanks for the suggestion.
Hi Cogerson
Sean Connery – James Bond / Highlander (maybe a long shot?)
Hey Soren…..Not thinking Connery qualifies….his Bond movies would bring almost #2 billion to the party….but Highlander is too weak to get him in….I liked the first one…..it only grossed $13 million….and the second did twice as much business ($28 million) but is considered one of the worst movies of Connery’s career and of the entire year of 1991. Plus Connery is barely in the movie. Thanks for another suggestion.
I like that you included some oldies here. But it seems you are forgetting many of classic movie series. Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto, The Thin Man are just a few examples. It would interesting to see how those movies did.
Hey Classic Fan….let’s see true there were many Charlie Chan movies….he was played by Warner Olad and Sidney Toler I do not think either had another franchise besides their many Chan roles. Peter Lorre was Mr. Moto in all of the Moto movies….but once again Lorre was not in another franchise….or if he was….it was not one I have heard of….and certainly not iconic. That lives The Thin Man movies…I would love to have them in here…..because (a) have stats on all of the movies and (b) I think William Powell is underrated….sadly Powell did not have another dual iconic role….he came close playing Ziegfeld…..but he only did cameos in his other appearances..besides….The Great Ziegfeld. I did not check Myrna Loy’s career for another franchise…maybe she would get the Thin Man movies on this page…thanks for the comment.
Where is Liam Neeson? Taken, Narnia and Clash of the Titans. Certainly in the Top 15!
Hey Bryan Mills…..sorry to have to tell you this….but even if I add up all THREE franchises….Mr. Neeson does not make the list. Taken seats at $400.87 million….Narnia (though Neeson only provides a voice) is at $646.83…while the Titan movies have earned $255.92 million….that is a combined total of $1303.62 million or $1.30 billion….so even giving him credit for Narnia…Neeson can not crack the Top 15. I do appreciate the suggestion.