# What iconic characters are linked to a specific portrayal by a specific actor in your mind? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 21, 2020, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530 "2020-10-21T19:41:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/1 "2020-10-21T19:41:17Z")
Batman, Spiderman, James Bond - some stories have been told and retold so many times that the character could be played by anyone\*. But sometimes there is a character who is created for the screen or portrayed by an actor so specifically that nobody else seems to fit. That actor’s portrayal _is_ that character. I realize in this world of ever growing remakes and re-envisionings that all it takes is a skilled remake to make a new version iconic for a new generation. But are there any that seem to stand the test of time? For me, Herman Munster _is_ Fred Gwynn. So much so that when I went to Universal Studios in LA (30 years ago), I did not recognize the character that greeted us at the entrance. It just seemed like some Frankenstein dude. Even after I was told, and could see the sloppy grin, it wasn’t Herman Munster to me. Another may be Adrian Monk - Tony Shaloub created a particular combination of mannerisms and expressions to couple with the visual feel of the character, would anyone else be Monk? What about Dirty Harry? Sometimes the remake highlights why the original is right and the copy not. I’m thinking of the Brady Bunch movie, but that could be due to the nature as more parody than reboot. Or am I wrong, and all it takes is a talented reimagination, a new interpretation of the character, to make a new acceptable version as good as the original? Thoughts? * * * - By “anyone”, I don’t mean literally. It would be weird to see Peter Dinklage or Emma Watson as James Bond. Or as Batman, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/2 "2020-10-21T19:58:54Z")
I’m honestly not sure what you’re looking for, or what criteria you’re trying to use. For “iconic characters who could be played by anyone”, you list characters that originated in print media, and have been portrayed by a half-dozen or more different actors. For “iconic characters linked to a specific portrayal by a specific actor”, you list characters that were created for TV/movies and have only been portrayed by one actor. I mean, yeah, no one other than Tony Shalhoub would have Tony Shalhoub’s particular combination of mannerisms and expressions, and, yeah, that’s the definitive Adrian Monk, but that’s because Tony Shalhoub created the role. By definition, he’s the definitive (and literally only) Adrian Monk. So…I dunno. Do you have examples of an iconic character that _has_ been played by numerous actors, but which you think is definitively linked to only one specific actor? And/or examples of an iconic character that, so far, has only been portrayed by one actor, but which you think could be equally well portrayed but any number of actors? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/3 "2020-10-21T20:12:08Z")
Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Hannibal Lechter is very iconic. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/4 "2020-10-21T20:28:03Z")
Christopher Reeve’s portrayal of Superman is the one against which all others are measured. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/5 "2020-10-21T20:33:42Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Hannibal Lechter is very iconic. But Brian Cox did it better. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/6 "2020-10-21T22:10:40Z")
voice of James Earl Jones as Darth Vader ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/7 "2020-10-21T22:35:01Z")
Captain Kirk. Maybe Captain Picard as well. ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/8 "2020-10-21T22:42:13Z")
Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/9 "2020-10-21T22:52:46Z")
Robert Downey Jr. as Ironman? Or Chris Hemsworth as Thor? Tom Hiddleston as Loki? In fact, I think it would be extremely difficult (if not impossible) for other actors to play many roles of the Avengers. I mean the current actors are those characters in a way. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/10 "2020-10-21T22:56:37Z")
No, George Reeves’ is! ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/11 "2020-10-21T22:59:48Z")
Leonard Nimoy as Spock. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/12 "2020-10-21T23:04:00Z")
Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, Ingrid Bergman as Elsa Lund, Claude Rains as Louis Renault, Paul Henreid as Victor Laszlo, Peter Lorre as Ugarte, and Leonid Kinskey as Sasha. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/13 "2020-10-21T23:36:38Z")
I agree that I find it hard to think of Iron Man as being anyone other than Robert Downey, Jr. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/14 "2020-10-21T23:39:47Z")
I think Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill have defined, respectively, Batman and Joker far more definitively than any live action actors. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/15 "2020-10-22T00:03:05Z")
This may seem like an odd choice for discussion but as a wrestling fan since the early 80s I would hard pressed to think of another wrestler that could have “played” The Undertaker as long and as effectively as Mark Calaway has. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/16 "2020-10-22T00:07:16Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > No, George Reeves’ is! Seeing the thread title, this is who I immediately thought of. When I saw him in _Gone With The Wind,_ I thought “Hey, there’s Superman!” Which is an interesting side note here: when you see the actor in another role, would you say “Oh, no, he’s not \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ , he’s \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ !” ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/17 "2020-10-22T00:08:21Z")
Sometimes an actor defines a role simply by getting there first. It’s well-known that Tom Selleck almost played Indiana Jones. Of course Harrison Ford made the role so iconic that it’s tough to picture anybody else in it. But I maintain that Selleck would have been terrific, and perhaps just as iconic… just different. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/18 "2020-10-22T00:11:12Z")
If it weren’t for the mustache, I might have thought John Robinson was really Zorro. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/19 "2020-10-22T00:13:26Z")
I can’t picture any of the movie Batmans from the last 30 years as iconic. That means that the iconic Batman in my book is Adam West. For the Joker, however, I’ll go with Jack Nicholson over Cesar Romero as well as the more recent versions. I haven’t heard Mark Hamill’s version. Maybe he could change my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530/20 "2020-10-22T00:14:53Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > I’m honestly not sure what you’re looking for, A discussion. > [@gdave](#): > > or what criteria you’re trying to use. Whatever fits in _your_ mind. > [@gdave](#): > > For “iconic characters who could be played by anyone”, you list characters that originated in print media, and have been portrayed by a half-dozen or more different actors. For “iconic characters linked to a specific portrayal by a specific actor”, you list characters that were created for TV/movies and have only been portrayed by one actor. Yes, and then I asked if that is the singular distinction, the cause of the effect that I feel. It’s a fair answer to say you think so. > [@gdave](#): > > Do you have examples of an iconic character that _has_ been played by numerous actors, but which you think is definitively linked to only one specific actor? And/or examples of an iconic character that, so far, has only been portrayed by one actor, but which you think could be equally well portrayed but any number of actors? I’ve been trying to. Maybe the cast of Star Trek comes to mind - Kirk and Spock in particular. Sure, Chris Pine resembles a young Shatner and Zachary Quinto is no slouch, but their portrayals are different enough to not feel right. Is that simply because they came second? Is it because the director went a different direction with the characters, focusing on some elements of their personalities and ignoring others? In my mind, Superman is iconically Christopher Reeve. One of Brandon Routh’s selling points was how much he resembled Reeve. And Henry Cavill is great, but he’s not who comes to my mind. And I see others have hit my examples. > [@TheCuse](#): > > Robert Downey Jr. as Ironman? Or Chris Hemsworth as Thor? Tom Hiddleston as Loki? > > In fact, I think it would be extremely difficult (if not impossible) for other actors to play many roles of the Avengers. I mean the current actors are those characters in a way. I don’t know, I can see how Downey does such a good Tony Stark, it’s hard to imagine someone else. But while the current incarnations of the Avengers are strongly identified with the actors portraying them, I think that’s largely more due to current expectations that within one incarnation of a franchise we should see the same actor in the role. I mean, see how Hulk is appreciated (or not) for Eric Bana, Edward Norton, and Mark Ruffalo. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-iconic-characters-are-linked-to-a-specific-portrayal-by-a-specific-actor-in-your-mind/923530.md?page=2)