Some actors are lucky enough to secure themselves that one big role that will shape and define their career. Sure, they’ll appear in plenty of other movies, but they’ll always be known for that one iconic role. Not every actor can be this lucky, but, sometimes, lightning can actually strike twice.
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Over the years there have been a handful of actors that have appeared in several of the biggest movie franchises of their eras. There are fewer still who have had major parts to play in them. Harrison Ford is renowned for having done so, but he’s not the only one.
10Harrison Ford (Han Solo & Indiana Jones)
When Harrison Ford agreed to take on the role of Han Solo inStar Wars, he likely had no idea of the impact that it would have on his career. What many saw asa low-budget project with little chance of succeedingended up becoming one of the largest and most profitable film franchises of all time. It also helped to catapult Ford into stardom. He starred in three moreStar Warsmovies over the years and made an uncredited cameo in 2019’sThe Rise of Skywalker.
Outside of Star Wars, Ford’s had plenty of other big roles including Rick Deckard in theBlade Runnermovies and Dr. Richard Kimble inThe Fugitive. His most notable, however, is undoubtedlyIndiana Jones. Ford has played the intrepid adventurer on four occasions, with a fifth, as yet untitled, Indy movie expected to arrive in 2022. Sadly though, he has never appeared in any ofthe Indiana Jones games.
9Arnold Schwarzenegger (Conan & The Terminator T-800)
Arnold Schwarzenegger still holds the record for being the youngest winner of the Mr. Olympia competition, first doing so at the age of just 23. It was thanks to his success in the bodybuilding scene that he was able to transition into movies, with his first lead role coming in the 1970 movieHercules in New York. It would not be until 1982, however, that Schwarzenegger really made it to the big time when he landed the titular role inConan the Barbarian.
A sequel arrived two years later, but Schwarzenegger’s biggest movie from that year wasTheTerminator, where he so famously played the T-800. It’s a role that he has since reprised on four additional occasions, missing onlyTerminator Salvationdue to other commitments. Even then, his likeness was added to the movie using CGI.
8Sylvester Stallone (Rocky & Rambo)
Schwarzenegger later went on to appear inThe Expendablestrilogy, the first of which was written and directed by another of the big action stars from the ’80s. Sylvester Stallone has featured in more than 80 movies since 1970, but one of his biggest roles came in the 1976 titleRocky. Stallone played the titular character and this is a role that he reprised on six further occasions over a period of 42 years. He is set to do so again inCreed IIIat some point in the future.
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Six years after first putting on his boxing gloves, Sly appeared as John Rambo inFirst Blood. The movie was poorly received by critics but was a huge hit at the box office. This lead to four moreRambomovies, with the last being 2019’sRambo: Last Blood. There have also been seven Rambo video games and the character was recently added toMortal Kombat 11as one ofthe series' many guest characters.
7Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool & The Green Lantern)
Ryan Reynolds is one of the funniest and most likable actors in Hollywood and is perhaps best known for playingDeadpool. What many don’t realize however is that he actually made his first appearance as the merc with the mouth way back in 2009’sX-Men Origins: Wolverine. He played a fairly minor part in the movie though and it wasn’t untilDeadpoolreleased in 2016 that the character really became popular.
Of course, Reynolds is also one of a small number of actors to have played a major character in both theMarvelandDC universes. He was cast as the lead in the 2011 movieGreen Lantern, although the movie failed to have anywhere near the same impact asDeadpool. He also played the titular character inDetective Pikachuin 2019.
6Sir Ian McKellen (Magneto & Gandalf)
Sir Ian McKellen is one of the most successful stage actors of all time, having played the lead in many of Shakespeare’s biggest works. He’s no stranger to the silver screen though and, like Reynolds, also has experience in Marvel movies. McKellen played Magneto in fiveX-Menmovies, often lining up alongside his personal friend Patrick Stewart, who has also had his fair share of big roles.
McKellen’s most recognizable role however was undoubtedly Gandalf. The character appears in all three ofThe Lord of the Ringsmovies as well as every entry ofThe Hobbittrilogy. McKellen also provided the voice for the character in fourLord of the Ringsvideo games around the turn of the century.
5Orlando Bloom (Legolas & Will Turner)
When Orlando Bloom was cast as Legolas inThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy, his only previous performance of note had been as a rentboy in the 1997 movieWilde. Unlike Sir Ian McKellen, casting Bloom was therefore a huge risk on the production team’s part. Thankfully, it paid off big time. Bloom really made the role his own, becoming so popular thathe was later written intoThe Hobbittrilogy.
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Bloom rode the momentum from his appearance inThe Fellowship of the Ringto secure the role of Will Turner in the 2003 hit,Pirates of the Caribbean. He played the character in the next two movies but was absent from the third. He did however return for the 2017 titleDead Men Tell No Tales.
4Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands & Captain Jack Sparrow)
Pirates of the Caribbeanmay have been one of Orlando Bloom’s first big movies, but the movie’s lead was already an established name by that point. Johnny Depp’s experience was clear for all to see and, much like Bloom with Legolas, he really made the Captain Jack character his own. He played the role in all five of the series' currently released movies, although won’t be making an appearance in its sixth.
Captain Jack may be Depp’s most recognizable character, but he’s had plenty of other standout roles throughout his career. The first of these came in Tim Burton’s 1990 movieEdward Scissorhands. Depp’s portrayal of the titular character helped to jumpstart his career and cemented his place as one of Hollywood’s biggest names.
3Tom Cruise (Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell & Ethan Hunt)
Although Tom Cruise was able to find success in a number of smaller roles at the beginning of his career, it was not until the release of the movieTop Gunthat he became a household name. Cruise played the cocky but loveable Maverick and helped to make the movie a huge success. As a result, he began to get offered bigger and bigger roles.
Perhaps the largest of these came in the 1996 classic,Mission Impossible. Cruise played IMF agent Ethan Hunt and hasreprised the role in five subsequent moviesas well as a number of video game adaptations. He’s also done a great job playing Jack Reacher in recent years, although the series hasn’t quite made the same impression.
2Alan Rickman (Hans Gruber & Severus Snape)
Cruise may have been one of the era’s best action heroes, but, when it comes to the best villain of the late ’80s, there can be little debate. Alan Rickman’s performance as Hans Gruber inDie Hardwas as fantastic as it was memorable and his chemistry with Bruce Willis was spot on. He may have only played the character in one movie, but it was one incredible performance.
Rickman played plenty of other major roles throughout his career, but none were bigger than Severus Snape in theHarry Potterseries. The paradoxical potions professor was a firm fan favorite and one of the most complicated characters in the series. The final twist provided the character with a moment of redemption and also highlighted just how perfect Rickman’s performance had been over the course of the eight movies.
1Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory & Edward Cullen)
Snape may have bitten the bullet in the finalHarry Pottermovie, but spare a thought for poor Cedric Diggory, who was one of the very first important characters to die in the series. Cedric was Robert Pattinson’s first big role, but he didn’t make it through a single movie before Voldemort deemed him to be a spare. Thankfully though, things didn’t go too badly for Pattinson after that.
The actor was soon cast as Edward Cullen in theTwilightseries and played the brooding vampire in all five movies. Since then, Pattinson has appeared in several other big movies, although his biggest is arguably yet to come.He’s set to play the caped crusader inThe Batman, which is currently scheduled for release at some point in 2022.
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