Top 10 Memorable Movie Characters of the 1970s

We open with an embodiment of pure evil! A standout character of cinematic history in general, Michael Myers slashed onto our screens in ‘78 - credited in the first “Halloween” film simply as ‘The Shape’. An ultra-crazed killer fresh out of the asylum, he has his deadly sights set on a teenage babysitter, and most of her friends! The masked madman is horrifically human, with just enough supernaturality about him to scare us even more! He’s one of the most celebrated psychopaths in all of film!

From the super-villainous to the super-heroic, and to one of the most instantly recognizable characters ever conceived! Blue tights, red cape, iconic logo and a torso toned to perfection... It’s not a bird, it’s not a plane, it is Superman! Christopher Reeve first stepped into the famous suit in ‘78, as DC Comics cinematized its figurehead, and prompted us all to ‘believe a man can fly’! Straight outta Krypton, Clark Kent was just about the coolest thing that planet Earth had ever seen!

It’s a movie that thrust the horror genre into mainstream consciousness; she’s a character as memorable as she is mentally unstable... And she is very unstable! Regan MacNeil’s far from the ordinary twelve-year-old girl, after she played around with a Ouija board and became possessed by a demon! A devil known in the film as Pazuzu, it has Regan develop super strength, emit some seriously strange noises, and canter through almost every cussword known to man! And that thing with the neck... Gets us every time!

#7: Insp. Harry Callahan
“Dirty Harry” (1971)
Our next character is less bad cop, and more brutal cop! Clint Eastwood’s Harry Callahan is one part law enforcer and one part ‘law unto himself’, as he tracks down crazed serial killer ‘Scorpio’ in “Dirty Harry”, a movie that redefined the police action thrillers forever more! Callahan’s unorthodox methods often get him into trouble, but they always get the job done... And, this guy really knows his way around a rhetorical question! He’s as badass as they come!

#6: Alex DeLarge
“A Clockwork Orange” (1971)
The anti-heroic theme continues with our next character, as Malcolm McDowell delivers a performance of a lifetime for Stanley Kubrick’s celebrated dystopian crime drama, “A Clockwork Orange”. As Alex DeLarge, McDowell brings to life one of the most unabashedly unstable characters ever seen on screen! A robber, a rapist and a torturous murderer, DeLarge is clearly demonic, but also alarmingly endearing... An iconic character in terms of his image, he chills and charms in almost equal measure!

#5: Travis Bickle
“Taxi Driver” (1976)
The rise and rise of Robert De Niro first sparked at the start of the ‘70s, and especially peaked in ‘76 when he played Travis Bickle, the eponymous character in “Taxi Driver”! A U.S. Marine veteran turned all-consumed vigilante, Bickle works the graveyard shift as a cab driver and sees more than his fair share of crime and injustice... As he decides to take matters into his own hands, he embarks on a weapon-heavy rampage that’s impossible to take your eyes away from! Cinematic killing rarely gets cooler!

#4: Ellen Ripley
“Alien” (1979)
The main protagonist in one of the most significant films of the decade, Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley shook up the sci-fi status quo, big style! Warrant Officer turned sole survivor aboard the Nostromo spaceship, Ripley’s aim is to make it back to Earth in one piece, without the murderous onboard ‘Alien’ tagging along! A woman in an until then male-dominated action movie world, Ripley is seen as one of the strongest female characters ever created for film!

#3: Rocky Balboa
“Rocky” (1976)
It’s seconds out for third place, as Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa steps into our ring in style! An everyday man boxing his way through the roughest parts of Philadelphia, Rocky’s story is the stuff of dreams! By incredible chance, he’s scheduled to fight the World Heavyweight Champion, and by incredible determination, he very nearly wins! The first fighter to ever ‘go the distance’ with Apollo Creed, he’s the ultimate underdog, the working class hero, the wearer of our bronze medal!

#2: Vito Corleone
“The Godfather” (1972)
An iconic character played by an iconic actor, what’s not to remember about Marlon Brando’s Don Corleone?! The head of New York City’s most powerful Mafia clan, he wields unprecedented power in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather”. At once reasonable and ruthless, Corleone is arguably one of the cleverest characters on today’s countdown... We might’ve selected his son, Al Pacino’s Michael, as our memorable runner-up... But the Don’s placing on the podium is something we simply ‘cannot refuse’!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Randle McMurphy

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975)

- Annie Hall

“Annie Hall” (1977)

- Carrie White

“Carrie” (1976)

- Willy Wonka

“Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971)

- Danny Zuko & Sandy Olsen

“Grease” (1978)

- Max Rockatansky

“Mad Max” (1979)


#1: Darth Vader
“Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” (1977)
Is there anyone on the planet who doesn’t know who this guy is?? Easily the most memorable character of his time, Darth Vader still reigns super-villainous supreme, decades after his debut! Ruthless servant of the Galactic Empire, Vader is Emperor Palpatine’s prize fighter! From his all-black cyborg suit to his outstandingly ominous breathing apparatus, this villain’s a class act! Han Solo might’ve won if we were siding with the Rebels, but even WatchMojo goes over to the ‘Dark Side’ sometimes!

Do you agree with our list? Which ‘70s character do you remember most of all? For more nostalgic top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.