Well that’s just like, ya know, your opinion man.
Gale Snoats. “We released ourselves on our own personal recognizance.”
Sorry for the nitpick but that was Evelle’s line. Magnificent acting by two of my all-time faves.
Coen Brothers movies usually have at least one standout minor character, and I thought that was what this thread was referring to. I would have voted for the resurrectionist in True Grit if that were the case.
It was a tossup between The Dude and Walter Sobchak, but I went with Walter, because I did an animation exercise with his “You want a toe?” line.
ETA: Yes, I know I got the last name wrong in the closing credits.
My vote would be M. Emmet Walsh’s character from “Blood Simple” (listed as Private Detective Visser, on IMDB):
Private Detective Visser: [narrating] "The world is full o’ complainers. An’ the fact is, nothin’ comes with a guarantee. Now I don’t care if you’re the pope of Rome, President of the United States or Man of the Year; somethin’ can all go wrong. Now go on ahead, y’know, complain, tell your problems to your neighbor, ask for help, ‘n watch him fly. Now, in Russia, they got it mapped out so that everyone pulls for everyone else… that’s the theory, anyway. But what I know about is Texas, an’ down here… you’re on your own. "
Abby: [after shooting Visser] “I’m not afraid o’ you, Marty.”
Private Detective Visser: “Well, ma’am, if I see him, I’ll sure give him the message.”
Sidney J. Mussburger was unavailable as a choice, so I voted for Charlie Meadows.
Odds are that only a few of these newer votes came from SDMB voters, but here’s an update anyway:
Results of 2,257 votes:
-
The Dude 719
The Big Lebowski (1998), Jeff Bridges -
Anton Chigurh 412
No Country for Old Men (2007), Javier Bardem -
Marge Gunderson 203
Fargo (1996), Frances McDormand -
Walter Sobchak 194
The Big Lebowski (1998), John Goodman -
Chad Feldheimer 89
Burn After Reading (2008), Brad Pitt -
Everett 58
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), George Clooney -
H.I. McDunnough (as played by Nicolas Cage) 52
as played by Nicolas Cage in Raising Arizona (1987) -
Carl Showalter 49
Fargo (1996), Steve Buscemi -
Llewyn Davis 49
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), Oscar Isaac -
Rooster Cogburn 49
True Grit (1969), John Wayne
====================================
After the 50th post here I will try to assemble our votes (not IMDb’s)
John Wayne is doing pretty well, for having never been in a Coen Bros. movie.
Ain’t it a trip? 
Okay. No point in any further delay. I’ve stripped off all but First Choices and haven’t bothered with any totals by character. You can count them for yourself if you like:
============================================
I voted for Anton Chigurh
Pete Hogwallop. “Do not seek the treasure!”
Everett McGill, 'cause he’s a Dapper Dan man.
Jeff Bridges, in their remake. (True Grit)
My vote was for the guy at #20 – “I’ll show you the life of the mind!”
Possibly Tom Reagan in Miller’s Crossing.
Larry Sellers
The Dude
Mike Yanagita!
Norville Barnes from The Hudsucker Proxy
Johnny Caspar from Miller’s Crossing:
The Dude,
I voted for Carl Showalter (“Fargo”)
Tossup between Carl Showalter and Ed Crane. I’m a huge fan of Billy Bob.
My favorite wasn’t on the list - Leonard Smalls.
Tom Reagan, although I see my choice is not shared by many.
(John Wayne???) I voted for him - because that’s the only one of those movies I’ve ever seen.
Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character in Hudsucker).
Theodore Donald ‘Donny’ Kerabatsos.
The Dude
I also went for Tom Reagan,
Marge Gunderson, just a quiet voice of strength and sanity and appreciation for two cent stamps.
I voted for Jerry Lundegaard from Fargo because he’s a different type of bad guy.
Marge Gunderson - on behalf of all the indomitable, unflappable, dogged, undeterred, and rock solid Minnesota Norwegians I knew growing up.
I really liked the head CIA guy in Burn After Reading…so uncaring.
Mattie Ross (both versions) is very possibly my favorite character of all time,
I have to go with El Duderino,
Marge Gunderson, now and forever.
I’m disappointed there’s not more love for Ed Tom Bell, the sheriff in No Country for Old Men.
Gale Snoats. “We released ourselves on our own personal recognizance.” .
It was a tossup between The Dude and Walter Sobchak, but I went with Walter, because I did an animation exercise with his “You want a toe?” line.
My vote would be M. Emmet Walsh’s character from “Blood Simple” (listed as Private Detective Visser, on IMDB):
Sidney J. Mussburger was unavailable as a choice, so I voted for Charlie Meadows.
============================================
I eyeball that The Dude and Marge Gunderson are at the top of the list.
Hell of a list.
I don’t know how you compare, say, The Dude to Mattie in “True Grit.” Or Marge Gunderson to Barton Fink, or Everett to Anton Chigurh.
I will say this though; I think the most underrated character and performance in a Coen Brothers movie, by far, is Jerry Lundegaard as played by William H. Macy. Macy, not Frances McDormand, should have won the Oscar. He was sublime playing a character who was so contempible and awful and yet so incredibly, frighteningly REAL. Anton Chigurh was awesome but I really don’t believe Anton Chigurh exists. There are Jerry Lundegaards everywhere and I could totally believe one accidentally launching the bloodbath that is “Fargo.”
“Smalls. Leonard Smalls. I’m a tracker.” 
Jeff Bridges said in an interview at the time True Grit came out that he liked to imagine that the Dude was Rooster Cogburn’s great-grandson. Me too!
Just too many to choose, but the first one to pop into my mind was Edwinna.
On top of that, Macy was nominated as Best Supporting Actor, while McDormand won for Best Actress, no “supporting” about it. This despite Macy having much more screen time than McDormand and appearing something like a full 30 minutes before she did. IIRC, there was some stiff competition for Best Actor that year, and the studio thought his chances were better in the Supporting category. I think McDormand did deserve her Oscar though.
The decision about who gets nominated for “leading” versus “supporting” roles is based not necessarily on logic, but on how the producers of the movie present the nominees. To use another very, very obvious example from a Coen Bros. movie, Hailee Steinfeld was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for True Grit despite the fact that she is quite obviously the film’s lead. I would presume that decision was based on the fact that as a child actress she just had a better shot at getting the nomination than if she was put up for Best Actress.
The year he was up for both Actor and Supporting Actor, Jamie Foxx was quite obviously the lead actor in both films (“Ray” and “Collateral”) but the same artist can’t be nominated twice in the same category, so they put him up for Supporting for “Collateral” because while it makes no sense, really, it would have made even less sense in the case of “Ray.” Far more confusingly, at least to me, two actresses were nominated for “The Hours” - Nicole Kidman for Actress, Julianne Moore for Supporting. But Moore is on screen far more. And sometimes studios push for an actor to be in one category and the voters put them in the other. It’s bizarre, really.
Why Macy was put up for Supporting I don’t really get, but, again, I’d assume it just seemed likelier he’d get the nomination or an award they way.
Never mind - dumb post.
Walter Sobchak
Knox Harrington, the video artist.
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!
Obviously not a main character, but I thought Delmar (O Brother Where Art Thou) was the most entertainingly stupid.