- Alvy Singer: Woody Allen in Annie Hall (1977)
- Antoine Doinel: Jean Pierre Leaud in The 400 Blows (1959) and sequels
- Axel Foley: Eddie Murphy in the Beverley Hills Cop (1984) and sequels
- Benjamin Braddock, Mrs Robinson: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft in The Graduate (1967)
- Bill The Butcher: Daniel Day-Lewis Gangs Of New York (2002)
- Bree Daniels: Jane Fonda in Klute (1971)
- Brigid O’Shaughnessy: Mary Astor in The Maltese Falcon (1941)
- C. K. Dexter Haven Tracy Lord: Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story (1940)
- Captain Willard, Kurtz: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now (1979)
- Castor Troy, Sean Archer: Nicholas Cage, John Travolta in Face/Off (1997)
- Catherine Trammell: Sharon Stone in Basic instinct (1992)
- Cody Jarrett: James Cagney in White Heat (1949)
- Daphne, Josephine, Sugar Cane, Osgood E Fielding: Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe, Joe E.Brown in Some Like It Hot (1959)
- Dirk Diggler, Amber Waves, Rollergirl: Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham in Boogie Nights (1997)
- Dorothy, Toto: Judy Garland in The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
- Dr Richard Kimble: Harrison Ford in The Fugitive (1993 )
- Dumbledore, Snape, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Hagrid: Richard Harris/Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Robbie Coltrane in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and sequels
- Elliott Ness: Kevin Costner in The Untouchables (1987)
- Ethan Edwards: John Wayne in The Searchers (1956)
- Ethan Hunt: Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible (1996), and sequels
- FBI Special Agent Johnny Utah: Keanu Reeves in Point Break (1991)
- Frank Abagnale Jr. : Leonardo Dicaprio in Catch Me If You Can (2002)
- Frank Drebin: Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun (1988) and sequels
- Frank T.J. Mackey, Quiz Kid Donnie Smith, Earl Partridge, Jimmy Gator: Tom Cruise, William H Macy, Jason Robards, Philip Baker Hall in Magnolia (1999)
- Fred C Dobbs: Humphrey Bogart in The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (1948)
- Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee , Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Saruman, Gollum: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian Holm, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis in The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) and sequels
- George And Martha: Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor in Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (1966)
- Gordon Gecko: Michael Douglas in Wall Street (1987)
- Group Captain Colonel Mandrake: Peter Sellars in Dr Strangelove (1964)
- H.A.L: The Robot (Voiced By Douglas Rain ) in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C 3PO, R2D2, Obi Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Alec Guinness, Dave Prowse(Voiced By James Earl Jones) in Star Wars (1977) and sequels
- Hannibal Lector, Clarice Starling: Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster in The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
- Harry Callahan: Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry (1971) and sequels
- Harry Lime, Holly Martins: Orson Welles, Jospeh Cotten in The Third Man (1949)
- Harry Palmer: Michael Caine in The Ipcress File (1965) and sequels
- Hawkeye Pierce: Donald Sutherland in M*A*S*H (1970)
- Henry Hill, Jimmy Conway: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro in Goodfellas (1990)
- Holly Golightly: Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961)
- J.J. Hunsecker, Sidney Falco: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis in The Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)
- Jade Fox: Pei-Pei Cheng in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
- Jake Gittes, Noah Cross: Jack Nicholson, John Huston in Chinatown (1974)
- Jaws: Richard Kiel in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) And Moonraker (1979)
- Jedediah Leland, Mr Bernstein, Susan Alexander, Thatcher: Joseph Cotton, Everett Sloane, Dorothy Comingmore, George Coukouris in Citizen Kane (1941) (and of course Orson Welles played Charles Foster Kane)
- Jimmy Porter: Richard Burton in Look Back in Anger (1959)
- Joe Lampton: Laurence Harvey in Room At The Top (1959)
- Joel Barish, Clementine Kruczynski: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
- Jules, Vincent Vega, Marsellus Wallace: Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Ving Rhames in Pulp Fiction (1994)
- Laura Palmer: Sheryl Lee in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
- Lester Burnham: Kevin Spacey in American Beauty (1999)
- Lex Luthor, Clark Kent, Lois Lane: Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder in Superman (1978) and sequels
- Lieutenant Ripley: Sigourney Weaver in Alien (1979) and sequels
- Lt. Aldo Raine, Col. Hans Landa : Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (2009)
- Luca Brazza, Clemenza : Lenny Montana, Richard S. Castellano in The Godfather (1972) (of course there’s also Michael, Sonny, and Fredo Corleone, plus the Don himself)
- Marge Gunderson: Frances Mcdormand in Fargo (1996)
- Margo Channing: Bette Davis in All About Eve (1950)
- Maria Von Trapp: Julie Andrews in The Sound Of Music (1965)
- Martin Riggs: Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon (1987) and sequels
- Maverick, Ice Man: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer in Top Gun (1986)
- Mini-Me: Verne Troyer in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and sequel
- Minnesota Fats: Jackie Gleason in The Hustler (1961)
- Mr. White, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde, Mr. Pink, Mr. Brown: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Quentin Tarantino in Reservoir Dogs (1992)
- Neo, Morpheus, Trinity, Agent Smith, Oracle: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster in The Matrix (1999) and sequels
- Nick And Nora Charles: William Powell and Myrna Loy in The Thin Man (1934) and sequels
- Norma Desmond: Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950)
- Norman Bates: Anthony Hopkins in Pyscho (1960) and sequels.
- Norman Maine: James Mason in A Star Is Born (1954)
- Nurse Ratched, Randall T McMurphy: Louise Fletcher, Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
- O-Ren Ishii: Lucy Liu in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
- Philip Marlowe: (most famously) Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
- Professor Higgins, Eliza Doolittle: Leslie Howard, Wendy Hiller in Pygmalion (1938) or Rex Harrison, Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (1964)
- Pussy Galore: Honor Blackman in Goldfinger (1964)
- Q/M/Miss Moneypenny: Various Actors in Various James Bond Films
- Ratso, Joe Buck: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight in Midnight Cowboy (1969)
- Rhett Butler, Scarlett O’Hara: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh in Gone With The Wind (1939)
- Rick (Blaine): Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
- Rico: Edward G Robinson in Little Caesar (1931)
- Roger O. Thornhill: Cary Grant in North By Northwest (1959)
- Roger 'Verbal' Kint: Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects (1995)
- Rufus T Firefly: Groucho Marx in Duck Soup (1933)
- Rupert Pupkin: Robert De Niro in The King Of Comedy (1983)
- Sam Spade: (most famously) Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon (1941)
- Sarah Connor, John Connor: Linda Hamilton, various actors in The Terminator (1984) and sequels
- Stanley Kowalski, Blanche Dubois: Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
- Terry Malloy: Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront (1954)
- The Cooler King: Steve McQueen in The Great Esacpe (1963)
- The Dude: Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski (1998)
- The Man With No Name: Clint Eastwood in A Fistful Of Dollars (1964) and sequels
- The Ringo Kid: John Wayne in Stagecoach (1939)
- The Swede: Burt Lancaster in The Killers (1946)
- The Tramp: Charlie Chaplin in Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914) and many other films after that
- Tom Joad: Henry Fonda in The Grapes Of Wrath (1940)
- Tony Montana: Al Pacino in Scarface (1983)
- Travis Bickle: Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver (1976)
- Tyler Durden: Brad Pitt in Fight Club (1999)
- Vincent Hanna, Neil McCauley: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro in Heat (1995)
- Virgil Tibbs: Sidney Poitier in in The Heat Of The Night (1967) and sequels
- Walter Burns, Hildy : Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)
- Walter Neff, Phyllis Dietrichson: Fred McMurray, Barbra Stanwyck in Double indemnity (1944)
- William Mundy: Clint Eastwood in The Unforgiven (1992)
- Woody, Buzz Lightyear: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen in Toy Story (1995) and sequels.
