Some actors just can’t stick to one iconic role, they keep popping up in movies or shows we can’t forget. From playing heroes to villains, kids to adults, they’ve nailed multiple characters that stick with us for years. These actors shine in more than one iconic role, showing off their range and talent. From blockbusters to classics, these are 30 actors who have had more than one iconic role!
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves stayed everyone’s favorite action guy, from Point Break to Speed, but Neo and John Wick really defined him. Now he’s also Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077.
Sylvester Stallone
Before the 2000s, action movies were ruled by legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Stallone hit big with Rocky, then Rambo took off with First Blood and became another huge, chaotic classic in his career.
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford’s been a legend for decades, with tons of films, but he’ll always be Indy and Han Solo. Fans still love both, even though Han’s gone and Indy’s getting one last ride.
Emma Watson
Emma Watson jumped into acting at 10 as Hermione in Harry Potter and instantly blew up. Even after the series ended, she built her own path, from activism to playing Belle in Beauty and the Beast.
Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart’s had a massive career on stage and screen, but he’s forever Picard and Professor X. He’s played Picard since the ’80s and kept returning as Professor X in multiple X-Men films.
Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews has been a legend for decades, winning major awards and starring in classics. She blew up with Mary Poppins, then became even more loved as Maria in The Sound of Music.
Zoe Saldana
Zoe Saldana’s been in a ridiculous number of hits, from Star Trek to Pirates. Most people know her as Gamora and Neytiri, making her a major face of two huge franchises.
Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen’s had a long, respected career, but most people know him as Magneto and Gandalf. He owned both roles in the X-Men films and the Lord of the Rings series.
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom really took off as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings, later popping up again in The Hobbit. Then he became Will Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean, a role fans still miss today.
Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise has been an action legend for decades and still isn’t slowing down. Top Gun made him huge, Maverick took it even further, and he’s been Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible since 1996.
Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson’s still in his 30s but already stacked huge roles. He was Cedric in Harry Potter, Edward in Twilight, and now a darker, praised Bruce Wayne in The Batman.
Al Pacino
Al Pacino became a legend fast, breaking out as Michael Corleone in The Godfather and later blowing up again as Tony Montana in Scarface. Both roles basically defined his iconic career.
Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman was loved for decades, best known as Snape in Harry Potter and Hans Gruber in Die Hard. He also shined in Robin Hood, Sweeney Todd, and Love Actually, cementing his legendary career.
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch became a huge star as Sherlock on BBC, then leveled up in the Marvel Universe as Doctor Strange, starring in multiple films and set to return for even more adventures.
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson’s legendary, from Pulp Fiction to Star Wars’ Mace Windu. He’s Frozone, and Nick Fury in over ten MCU films, always delivering iconic, unforgettable performances.
William Shatner
William Shatner became iconic as Captain Kirk in Star Trek, then starred in T.J. Hooker and later as Denny Crane in Boston Legal, proving his TV legacy spans decades.
Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood’s a Hollywood legend with an eight-decade career, best known as the iconic antiheroes The Man With No Name and Harry Callaghan, proving his roles still resonate today.
Uma Thurman
Quentin Tarantino created some of cinema’s most iconic characters, with Uma Thurman standing out as Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction and the unstoppable Bride in Kill Bill, cementing her legendary status.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger is an action legend, famous as the villain-turned-hero T-800 in The Terminator series and as Conan the Barbarian, cementing his place in cinematic history.
Pam Ferris
Pam Ferris, born in 1948, played the terrifying Miss Trunchbull in Matilda and also Marge Dursley in Harry Potter, both wicked characters ultimately outsmarted by magic.
James McAvoy
In 2005’s Narnia, James McAvoy played Mr. Tumnus, barely recognizable in costume. Later, as Professor X in X-Men, he shaved his head, making the role look far simpler but equally iconic.
Freddie Highmore
That golden ticket kid in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a young Freddie Highmore, spotted by Johnny Depp. In Bates Motel, he’s grown-up but still with those unblemished, classic features.
Logan Lerman
In The Butterfly Effect, Ashton Kutcher plays adult Evan, while Logan Lerman plays 7-year-old Evan. Nine years separate the characters, showing the shift from child to adult.
Christopher Lloyd
It’s crazy, but Uncle Lucas from The Addams Family and Dr. Emmett Brown from Back to the Future are both Christopher Lloyd. Movie magic makes the transformation believable!
Henry Thomas
Henry Thomas played 9-year-old Elliott in E.T., then, 36 years later, starred as Hugh Crain in Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, still facing extraordinary events, this time, paranormal ones.
Joseph Mazzello
Joseph Mazzello, born in 1983, played Tim Murphy in Jurassic Park and John Deacon in Bohemian Rhapsody, showing off his range from dinosaur chases to rocking out with Queen.
Elle Fanning
In Daddy Day Care, young Elle Fanning played the quirky blonde who calls her mom during nursery chaos, years later, she starred in Super 8 and Maleficent.
Sarah Jessica Parker
In Hocus Pocus, the youngest Sanderson sister was played by Sarah Jessica Parker, hard to believe she starred in this Disney classic given her later fame.
Max Thieriot
Max Thieriot, 15 in The Pacifier, played the theater-loving rebellious teen, and later starred as Dylan Massett, Norman’s half-brother, in Bates Motel.
Andrew Lincoln
In Love Actually, a young Andrew Lincoln played one of the intertwined love stories, years later, he became Sheriff Rick Grimes, surviving the zombie apocalypse in The Walking Dead.
