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.
You can’t compare the “buying power” of today’s dollar with the power it had years or decades ago.
Hey MaskMarvl……first all….it looks like I need to update this page. As Downey and Evans can add another 450 million to their totals. As for the “buying power”….this is based on tickets sold….versus inflation. Which makes it easy to compare old classics to new classics.
Jim Carrey
Hey Bryan….let’s see….I guess you are thinking two Dumb and Dumber movies and two Ace Ventura movies. Dumb and Dumber 1 & too grossed…$325 million…..Ace Ventura 1 & 2 earned $342.50 for a grand total of $667.50…..which is not enough to crack this list….I will probably update this page next week as Chris Evans and Robert Downey, Jr will both move up when I include Age of Ultron in their totals….thanks for the suggestion.
I see you are still at it. I was thinking John Travolta might be possible. He as appeared in a few movie sequels. 3 Look Who’s Talking, 2 Chilli Palmer, and 2 Saturday Night Fever movies. Maybe one of those combos can crack the list.
Hey AnitaC….let’s see did you hit the trifecta? Look Who’s Talking 3 movies $430.95 Saturday Night Fever 2 movies $507.99 million and Get Shorty 2 movies $210.14 million…..all three get to $1149.08 billion….which is pretty far away….plus it is 3 franchises versus the 2 used in this page. Appreciate you returning with another suggesting.
Michael Douglas for Wall Street and Romancing the Stone movies?
Hey “How about”….Mr. Douglas picked up $361.09 million for his two Romancing the Stone movies and $145.19 million for his two Wall Street movies…..that gives him over half a billion at $506.25….which is a nice total…..but about a billion short of making this list….thanks for playing….lol.