It’s hard to come up with a more iconic image of Marilyn Monroe than the money shot from The Seven Year Itch. For Marilyn, it was the role that launched so many more but is fitting for this list. Because The Girl wasn’t just an idea, she was a fantasy character.
The Girl was a guilty crush for the husband, Richard Sherman, who is battling those mid-marriage blues with his wife, Helen. After a series of unfortunate events, some real and some fantasy, he leaves to seek out his wife after fearing retribution.
James Dean’s turn at Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause struck more than parents a little differently. For millions of women, Jim Stark waw the cool, confused teen who is constantly disturbed by his parents arguing. Being adept in the knife fight allowed men to agree that Jim Stark was one cool dude.
While Dean wasn’t nominated for his portrayal, the movie was second biggest at the box office that year. Dean died in a car accident prior to its release--searing Jim Stark into everyone’s consciousness and memory for all time.
In the '60s, you’d have to be living under a rock not to know who Loana was from One Million Years B.C. Raquel Welch played the iconic role that launched a million posters and became on of the most recognized pinups of the decade. Loana oozed sex appeal, regardless of the time setting. The poster is one of the most recognizable in the world.
Set in the fictional age of cavemen and dinosaurs, Loana had a limited speaking role, but that’s not what made her an icon. Featured in a fur and hide bikini, the actress loved to tell people she was wearing "mankind’s first bikini’" Due to the action scenes, Welch was flung around and managed to be funny and serious at the same time.
Sean Connery took the role of James Bond and brought Ian’s Fleming’s character to life. Starting in 1962 with Dr. No and making four more Bond films in the '60s, book fans and espionage fans rushed to the cinema to see the suave, sophisticated British spy on the big screen.
This rakish, worldly man opened up a character that spans seven decades through seven different actors. A womanizer and mastermind with a cheeky sense of humor, Bond’s sex appeal resonates throughout every single scene, making him the perfect man for the perfect time, regardless of your viewing.
The challenge with this next character is that many people didn’t know her last name. But mention Jill on Charlie’s Angels or the actor, Farrah Fawcett, and millions knew who you were talking about. Jill’s iconic hair flip and megawatt smile cemented her in the hearts and minds of millions of teenage guys for decades to come.
Jill was a founding employee of the Charles Townsend Detective Agency. However, after only one season, she left to become a champion race car driver. Sound farfetched? It’s okay--everything about the show was far-fetched.
The sarcastic, double-dealing space pirate captured every lady’s heart in 1977 and went on to become one of the most iconic roles of Harrison Ford’s life. Han wasn’t your typical heartthrob--he was a smarmy smuggler who completed the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs. He was the gritty one in the sweaty clothes.
Ladies wanted to know more instantly. Every girl wanted to be the Princess Leia to his Solo, and men wanted to be him and brandish his blaster and ship. The wisecracking lothario appealed to all audiences and fans wanted more of him. George Lucas insured that his entire story would become a prominent part of American culture.
A trio of movies by John Hughes in the '80s launched the career of his muse, Molly Ringwald, and millions responded. In each case, Molly Ringwald took a role and made it her own--paving the way for teen actors in Hollywood. Each character is wryly funny with a great sense of humor, played with honesty and sincerity, and is modeled on the lives of ordinary teenagers--both who they were and who they wanted to be.
Her iconic red hair and heady lead roles allowed men to admire smart, funny women, while girls identified with the characters--as the overlooked sister during a wedding, the popular girl stuck in detention, or the girl from the wrong side of the tracks longing to fit in for a boy. The result was a nationwide crush that follows these characters to this day.
Wowzers! What a man! He can sing, he’s got brains, he’s got brawn--but it’s the DANCING that takes Johnny to the next level. He’s radiates sex appeal in a story set in the '60s in a Jewish family resort. There seems to be nothing that Johnny can’t do, except think for himself, until the wily Baby comes along.
What audiences were left with was an indelible character who believes in himself and his talent, as well as his big heart. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Patrick Swayze was easy on the eyes and that every single girl wanted to be Baby Houseman. The character had one of the most memorable lines in cinema, which still gets used to this day. And while we don’t have Swayze any longer, we all have a piece of Johnny Castle we carry with us.
A character that launched thousands of shag haircuts and made running out on your wedding cool, Rachel Green captured the hearts of a nation in Friends--which is still enjoyed by millions today thanks to syndication and online streaming. Rachel was a rich, daddy’s girl trapped in a bubble life, which she escapes in the premiere.
Over the course of the show, Rachel evolves from a spoiled, self-centered girl to a savvy style icon and businesswoman, learning the ropes of adulthood along the way as a waitress in the Central Perk. Jennifer Aniston’s breakout role allowed the series to become a mainstream phenomenon. Even today, people still refer to themselves as a "Rachel" and others know what that means.
Bursting onto the scene in the late '80s as a rapper, he stole hearts and became a major crush beginning in 1990 as Will Smith on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In this fictional version of himself, a street-smart teen moves to Bel-Air with his aunt and uncle after trouble in Philadelphia. As a fish out of water story, Will brings soul to Beverly Hills.
Girls loved his fresh cuts and amazing style, while dudes appreciated his cool lines and savvy street skills. Hip hop had a grand introduction on primetime TV and this show, and Will’s performance, helped shape how black characters on film and screen were represented.
This smart, muggle-born witch increased her book time as a prominent character in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. While she’s always been part of the famous Hogwarts trio, it's the movie series which began in 2005 that cemented Hermione as one of the strongest teen women featured in literature/cinema at the time.
Her duckling to swan transformation for the Yule Ball along with her activism for house elves shows, the versatility of the character--she’s not just a bookworm. Hermione became a heroine of the 2000s that we all needed.
Taking a popular Disney ride and bringing it to life called for a strong pirate leader. Thank goodness Johnny Depp was there to bring Captain Jack Sparrow to life. Starring in the original trilogy of films, Sparrow is one of the nine Pirate Lords of the Seven Seas. However, his title belies his situation, as Captain Jack is mostly on the run and seeking his ship.
While executives were initially wary of Depp’s portrayal, Captain Jack succeeded into being one of the biggest crushes of the 2000s--he resonated with men, women and children alike. Kids dressed up as Captain Jack, women swooned over his swashbuckling, and men chuckled at his ne'er-do-well lifestyle.
The 2010s were a time of ensemble casts, and no women caught more crushes and love than the female characters of Game of Thrones. George R. R. Martin wrote incredibly complex and strong female characters, and they were brought to life in the HBO series. Men tuned in to see each of them in various states of undress while women fantasized about their power and skill.
Regardless of the outcome, the entire country was smitten with the Women of Westeros.
Just naming the stable of dancers for Magic Mike makes ladies sweat. In what was a surprise at the box office, the sexy men of Magic Mike, including the titular Mike himself, reinvented the term "Ladies Night". And while none were visiting actual strip clubs, the characters proved to be both endearing and unbelievably sexy.
It wasn’t just a cast of strippers, however. The music was critically acclaimed, and the film won an Independent Spirit Award. These guys came back in the sequel and set the world on fire again.
There’s one character that stands heads and shoulders (and hat and whip) above the rest, and it’s our favorite archeology professor, Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford’s continued the portrayal of the character for five decades with astounding adventure, humor, charm, and wit.
Dudes loved each movie iteration and the action-packed sequences. Ladies loved Harrison Ford. And children wanted to search for a crystal skull, the lost Ark of the Covenant, and learn how to properly crack a whip. Named one of the most enduring characters of all time, Indiana captured imaginations with his adventurous, and slightly crazy, plans.
