Anthony Hopkins as Doctor Hannibal Lector |
HOLLYWOOD - The American Film Institute announced the top movie heroes and villains of all time during the sixth installment of its annual 100 Years television special, AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains, on Tuesday. To Kill a Mockingbird's Atticus Finch, portrayed in the drama by Gregory Peck, was chosen as the top hero, while serial killer Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins in the thriller The Silence of the Lambs, was tagged as cinema's top villain.
Rounding out the top 5 heroes were Indiana Jones, James Bond, Rick Blaine (Casablanca), Will Kane (High Noon) and Clarice Starling (The Silence of the Lambs).
On the villain side were Norman Bates, Darth Vader, the Wicked Witch of the West, Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) and Mr. Potter (It's a Wonderful Life).
Other notable entries included heroes Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone, Rocky) and Juror #8 (Henry Fonda in 12 Angry Men), and villains Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest) and HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was honored in both the heroes and villains categories, hosted the three-hour special, which aired in a three-hour CBS special. The veteran action star's Terminator character in The Terminator ranked No. 22 on the villain's list and No. 48 in the hero's category for Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
A jury of 1,500 industry leaders, including actors, directors, cinematographers, critics and historians, selected from the AFI's list of 400 nominated characters.
All feature-length films released before Jan. 1, 2002 were considered, with the character and their legacy in film considered important criteria.
The Los Angeles-based AFI, considered one of the top U.S. educational institutions dedicated to film and television, has compiled various lists of top 100 movies, comedies, thrillers, romances and stars over the years.
Top 50 Heroes
1. Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)
2. Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
3. James Bond (Dr. No)
4. Rick Blaine (Casablanca)
5. Will Kane (High Noon)
6. Clarice Starling (The Silence of the Lambs)
7. Rocky Balboa (Rocky)
8. Ellen Ripley (Alien)
9. George Bailey (It's a Wonderful Life)
10. T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)
11. Jefferson Smith (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington)
12. Tom Joad (The Grapes of Wrath)
13. Oskar Schindler (Schindler's List)
14. Han Solo (Star Wars)
15. Norma Rae Webster (Norma Rae)
16. Shane (Shane)
17. Harry Callahan (Dirty Harry)
18. Robin Hood (Adventures of Robin Hood)
19. Virgil Tibbs (In the Heat of the Night)
20. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid)
21. Mahatma Gandhi (Gandhi)
22. Spartacus (Spartacus)
23. Terry Malloy (On the Waterfront)
24. Thelma Dickerson & Louise Sawyer (Thelma & Louise)
25. Lou Gehrig (The Pride of the Yankees)
26. Superman (Superman)
27. Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein (All the President's Men)
28. Juror #8 (12 Angry Men)
29. General George Patton (Patton)
30. Luke Jackson (Cool Hand Luke)
31. Erin Brockovich (Erin Brockovich)
32. Philip Marlowe (The Big Sleep)
33. Marge Gunderson (Fargo)
34. Tarzan (Tarzan, The Ape Man)
35. Alvin York (Sergeant York)
36. Rooster Cogburn (True Grit)
37. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars)
38. The Tramp (City Lights)
39. Lassie (Lassie)
40. Frank Serpico (Serpico)
41. Arthur Chipping (Goodbye, Mr. Chips)
42. Father Edward (Flanagan Boys Town)
43. Moses (The Ten Commandments)
44. Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (The French Connection)
45. Zorro (The Mark of Zorro)
46. Batman (Batman)
47. Karen Silkwood (Silkwood)
48. Terminator (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
49. Andrew Beckett (Philadelphia)
50. General Maximus Decimus Meridus (Gladiator)