AFI's 100 YEARS...100 HEROES & VILLAINS


"You never know someone, until you step inside their skin and walk around a little." -- Atticus Finch

GOOD AND EVIL RIVAL FOR TOP SPOTS IN AFI’s 100 YEARS…100 HEROES & VILLAINS

ATTICUS FINCH OF "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" PROCLAIMED #1 HERO AND DR. HANNIBAL LECTER OF "THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS" DECLARED #1 VILLAIN

Indiana Jones, Norman Bates, James Bond, Darth Vader, Rick Blaine, The Wicked Witch of the West, Will Kane and Nurse Ratched Top the Much-Anticipated List Revealed by AFI

The American Film Institute (AFI) revealed the top 50 heroes and top 50 villains of all time in AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Heroes & Villains three-hour television event hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who earned both a hero and villain honor for his portrayal of the "Terminator." Deeply principled and idealistic attorney Atticus Finch (portrayed by Gregory Peck), from TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, was chosen as the greatest hero in 100 years of film history, while the greatest villain was revealed as the brilliant, cunning and psychotic Dr. Hannibal Lecter (portrayed by Anthony Hopkins) from THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and HANNIBAL.

Rounding out the top 10 heroes in ranking order were Indiana Jones, James Bond, Rick Blaine, Will Kane, Clarice Starling, Rocky Balboa, Ellen Ripley and T.E. Lawrence. Joining Dr. Lecter’s circle of top 10 villains, also in ranking order, were Norman Bates, Darth Vader, The Wicked Witch of the West, Nurse Ratched, Mr. Potter, Alex Forrest, Phyllis Dietrichson, Regan MacNeil and The Queen (in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS). [Full list with characters and film details are below.]

"This year, the 100 Heroes & Villains list may be one of the most thought provoking to date," stated AFI Director and CEO Jean Picker Firstenberg. "We hope these top 50 heroes and 50 villains lists will inspire movie lovers to acquaint and reacquaint themselves with these amazing and often complex characters in American film."

The Honorees Are…

RANK

HEROES

VILLAINS

1. Atticus Finch

(in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD)
Dr. Hannibal Lecter

(in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS)
2. Indiana Jones

(in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK)
Norman Bates

(in PSYCHO)
3. James Bond

(in DR. NO)
Darth Vader

(in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK)
4. Rick Blaine

(in CASABLANCA)
The Wicked Witch of the West

(in THE WIZARD OF OZ)
5. Will Kane

(in HIGH NOON)
Nurse Ratched

(in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST)
6. Clarice Starling

(in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS)
Mr. Potter

(in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE)
7. Rocky Balboa

(in ROCKY)
Alex Forrest

(in FATAL ATTRACTION)
8. Ellen Ripley

(in ALIENS)
Phyllis Dietrichson

(in DOUBLE INDEMNITY)
9. George Bailey

(in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE)
Regan MacNeil

(in THE EXORCIST)
10. T. E. Lawrence

(in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA)
The Queen

(in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS)
11. Jefferson Smith

(in MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON)
Michael Corleone

(in THE GODFATHER: PART II)
12. Tom Joad

(in THE GRAPES OF WRATH)
Alex De Large

(in CLOCKWORK ORANGE)
13. Oskar Schindler

(in SCHINDLER’S LIST)
HAL 9000

(in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY)
14. Han Solo

(in STAR WARS)
The Alien

(in ALIEN)
15. Norma Rae Webster

(in NORMA RAE)
Amon Goeth

(in SCHINDLER’S LIST)
16. Shane

(in SHANE)
Noah Cross

(in CHINATOWN)
17. Harry Callahan

(in DIRTY HARRY)
Annie Wilkes

(in MISERY)
18. Robin Hood

(in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD)
The Shark

(in JAWS)
19. Virgil Tibbs

(in IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT)
Captain Bligh

(in MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY)
20. Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid

(in BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID)
Man

(in BAMBI)
21. Mahatma Gandhi

(in GANDHI)
Mrs. John Iselin

(in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE)
22. Spartacus

(in SPARTACUS)
Terminator

(in THE TERMINATOR)
23. Terry Malloy

(in ON THE WATERFRONT)
Eve Harrington

(in ALL ABOUT EVE)
24. Thelma Dickerson & Louise Sawyer

(in THELMA & LOUISE)
Gordon Gekko

(in WALL STREET)
25. Lou Gehrig

(in THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES)
Jack Torrance

(in THE SHINING)
26. Superman

(in SUPERMAN)
Cody Jarrett

(in WHITE HEAT)
27. Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein

(in ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN)
Martians

(in THE WAR OF THE WORLDS)
28. Juror #8

(in 12 ANGRY MEN)
Max Cady

(in CAPE FEAR)
29. General George Patton

(in PATTON)
Reverend Harry Powell

(in THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER)
30. Luke Jackson

(in COOL HAND LUKE)
Travis Bickle

(in TAXI DRIVER)
31. Erin Brockovich

(in ERIN BROCKOVICH)
Mrs. Danvers

(in REBECCA)
32. Philip Marlowe

(in THE BIG SLEEP)
Clyde Barrow & Bonnie Parker

(in BONNIE AND CLYDE)
33. Marge Gunderson

(in FARGO)
Count Dracula

(in DRACULA)
34. Tarzan

(in TARZAN THE APE MAN)
Dr. Szell

(in MARATHON MAN)
35. Alvin York

(in SERGEANT YORK)
J.J. Hunsecker

(in SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS)
36. Rooster Cogburn

(in TRUE GRIT)
Frank Booth

(in BLUE VELVET)
37. Obi-Wan Kenobi

(in STAR WARS)
Harry Lime

(in THE THIRD MAN)
38. The Tramp

(in CITY LIGHTS)
Caesar Enrico Bandello

(in LITTLE CAESAR)
39. Lassie

(in LASSIE COME HOME)
Cruella De Vil

(in ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIONS)
40. Frank Serpico

(in SERPICO)
Freddy Krueger

(in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET)
41. Arthur Chipping

(in GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS)
Joan Crawford

(in MOMMIE DEAREST)
42.

Father Edward

(in BOYS TOWN)
Tom Powers

(in THE PUBLIC ENEMY)
43. Moses

(in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS)
Regina Giddens

(in THE LITTLE FOXES)
44. Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle

(in THE FRENCH CONNECTION)
Baby Jane Hudson

(in WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE)
45. Zorro

(in THE MARK OF ZORRO)
The Joker

(in BATMAN)
46. Batman

(in BATMAN)
Hans Gruber

(in DIE HARD)
47. Karen Silkwood

(in SILKWOOD)
Tony Camonte

(in SCARFACE)
48. Terminator

(in TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY)
Verbal Kint

(in THE USUAL SUSPECTS)
49. Andrew Beckett

(in PHILADELPHIA)
Auric Goldfinger

(in GOLDFINGER)
50. General Maximus Decimus Meridus (in GLADIATOR) Alonzo Harris

(in TRAINING DAY)

The Criteria

The jurors were asked to consider the following criteria while making their selections:

*Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format, typically more than 60 minutes in length.

*American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States.

*Hero: For voting purposes, a "hero" was defined as a character(s) who prevails in extreme circumstances and dramatizes a sense of morality, courage and purpose. Though they may be ambiguous or flawed, they often sacrifice themselves to show humanity at its best.

*Villain: For voting purposes, a "villain" was defined as a character(s) whose wickedness of mind, selfishness of character and will to power are sometimes masked by beauty and nobility, while others may rage unmasked. They can be horribly evil or grandiosely funny, but are ultimately tragic.

*Cultural Impact: Characters who have a made a mark on American society in matters of style and substance.

*Legacy: Characters who elicit strong reactions across time, enriching America’s film heritage while continuing to inspire contemporary artists and audiences.

The special is the sixth installment in AFI's centennial celebration of American cinema, following the five critically-acclaimed network specials–AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies, AFI's 100 Years…100 Stars, AFI's 100 Years…100 Laughs, AFI's 100 Years…100 Thrills and AFI’S 100 YEARS…100 Passions, –which, each year, spark a national discussion of America's film history among movie lovers across the nation. Each year the AFI program has garnered the highest rating for its time slot.


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