Other Fictional movie (or TV) characters who have had the greatest real world influence?

[Fortitude]

Question comes in two parts really: the general, broad answer, and the personal one(s) who inspired you.

A few characters that immediately come to mind for me are:

- Lee. Enter The Dragon. Bruce Lee’s character basically began a martial arts revolution and exposed the general public of the west to kung-fu and an offshoot being karate also got a massive boost. Without this character/film, it’s questionable on when, or if, there would have been a huge movement that encompassed so much. I’m wondering if anyone can come up with a single character who carried more influence than this one.

- Tony Montana. Scarface. Not a good real world influence, but a strong one.

- Jim Stark. Rebel Without A Cause. Culturally massive: easier to post a link: https://discover.hubpages.com/enter...a-Cause-and-its-Influence-on-American-Culture

- Virgil Tibbs. In The Heat Of The Night. Another character of huge influence, almost certainly the most positive influence listed.

I’m leaning toward film, but would be interested to hear opinions on any fictional character really.

 

[adexkola]

Jack Bauer: 21.

War on Terrr... Referenced by idiots like Scalia and Rumsfield

 

[hungrywing]

El?

 

[oneniltothearsenal]

Rocky Balboa for sure. He even has a statue in Philadelphia.

Scout and Atticus Finch.

Captain Ahab.

Not seeing how Virgil Tibbs makes the list, unless that's just your personal one. I doubt more than 1% of the population know that character.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Wesley Snipes in Blade made it cool to be a black superhero in Hollywood

Keanu Reeves as Neo in The Matrix made it cool to be a nerd

Cloud Strife in FFVII unfortunately made it cool to be emo

 

[Brocky]

Came to post Bruce Lee.

I suppose CJ Parker influenced a great many young lads back in the day...

 

[Wibble]

Book rather than TV or film.

Arthur Dent.

 

[Bertie Wooster]

I'm pretty old fashioned with mainstream tastes so don't really watch / read / listen to the type of stuff that has 'world influence' - and, if anything, try to escape from all that as much as possible and just live in my own little bubble.

I don't really watch many movies, but, as for TV characters that personally inspired me then I'd probably say Frasier Crane. I was in my late teens when I first saw the show and his wonderful vocabulary played a big part in my growing love of discovering new words and quotes - and, from those quotes, learning of authors who I've enjoyed reading ever since. In particular, PG Wodehouse, whose gentle world I love more than any other.

Not the type that others are picking, I know.

 

[esmufc07]

Jack Bauer: 21.

War on Terrr... Referenced by idiots like Scalia and Rumsfield

21?!?!

 

[Twins]

Probably Jesus, I hear people talking about him all over.

 

[AgentSmith]

On a smaller and much more concentrated scale but I think Thomas Shelby (and the Peaky Blinders in general) has had a significant impact on young men’s hair in Britain over the last decade.

Not quite Bruce Lee though.

 

[Deery]

Rocky Balboa: Already said but helped millions (I assume) into training and getting fit with the training montages.


James Bond 007: Taught me to shag super models, drink, gamble and kick ass.

 

[Fortitude]

Rocky Balboa for sure. He even has a statue in Philadelphia.

Scout and Atticus Finch.

Captain Ahab.

Not seeing how Virgil Tibbs makes the list, unless that's just your personal one. I doubt more than 1% of the population know that character.

Good shouts.

1% of the population may not know the character now, but the influence in the time and empowerment he gave was absolutely huge; you could say the same thing in terms of Jim Stark, who so many, to this day, mimic after copying copies of the source material without a clue in the world. By the same extension, the name Sidney Poitier will barely resonate with folk in this day and age despite him very probably being the most influential black actor of all-time.

Given the era and the seriousness of the Civil Rights movement, the character was a beacon for a race, effectively and Poitier a pioneer for daring to take the role. The slapping exchange being groundbreaking on many levels.

 

[Vidyoyo]

Nobody would know pineapples existed if it weren't for The Man from Del Monte

 

[OleBoiii]

Stifler's Mom.

/thread

 

[AllGoodNamesRGone]

The Simpson’s

 

[Oldyella]

21?!?!

Even the war on terror stops for ad breaks.

 

[Paxi]

Walter White.

Uncle Junior. When I get old, I want to be exactly like him. Minus dementia.

 

[Welsh Wonder]

Lorraine Kelly

 

[Sky1981]

Rambo off course.

Everyone knows rambo

 

[Sky1981]

Walter White.

Uncle Junior. When I get old, I want to be exactly like him. Minus dementia.

Not many people knew ww though.. matter of fact BB only popular in the west.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Daniel LaRusso.

More kids got kicked in the head in 1984-85 than before or since.

 

[LoneStar]

Can't believe no has mentioned The Dude yet! The character and the film (the Big Lebowski) have had a massive influence.

 

[harms]

Snow White — first (not technically, but) to start the Disney princess obsession. Considering how crucial it has been in shaping young girls identities for almost a century…

James Bond. Bart & Homer. Batman.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Walter White.

We were starting up amateur meth labs out in the boonies way before Breaking Bad.

 

[R.N7]

Alf the alien

 

[SirAF]

Snow White — first (not technically, but) to start the Disney princess obsession. Considering how crucial it has been in shaping young girls identities for almost a century…

James Bond. Bart & Homer. Batman.

Definitely!

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

Can't believe no has mentioned The Dude yet! The character and the film (the Big Lebowski) have had a massive influence.

Has it? He's funny, but people seem more on edge than ever before. Can we really say that his perpetual non-chalence caught on?

 

[LoneStar]

Has it? He's funny, but people seem more on edge than ever before. Can we really say that his perpetual non-chalence caught on?

It was culturally massive at the time (I've heard), and there's a religion dedicated to the movie's philosophy. So I would say it has had an impact on the real world.

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

It was culturally massive at the time (I've heard), and there's a religion dedicated to the movie's philosophy. So I would say it has had an impact on the real world.

Could you elaborate?
It was extremely popular, to be fair.

 

[LoneStar]

Could you elaborate?
It was extremely popular, to be fair.

Referring to this

I mean, it's meant as a joke against organised religion, but it has like half a million "ordained" into it.

 

[Ladron de redcafe]

Referring to this

I mean, it's meant as a joke against organised religion, but it has like half a million "ordained" into it.

Thanks. Had no idea this existed but the fact that 500K individuals signed up to this means it's had an impact.

 

[Fortitude]

Jaws!

- Jaws. Jaws. Jaws terrified generations and made sharks world renowned demons who were guaranteed to eat you if you were in the sea.

 

[Sir Matt]

Can't believe no has mentioned The Dude yet! The character and the film (the Big Lebowski) have had a massive influence.

Yeah, well, y'know, that's just like your opinion, man.

 

[Gehrman]

Jaime lannister. Really improved my relations with my sister.

 

[Moby]

Can't believe no has mentioned The Dude yet! The character and the film (the Big Lebowski) have had a massive influence.

If anything people who behave like him are the most cringeworthy.

 

[Moby]

Yeah, well, y'know, that's just like your opinion, man.

See this

 

[Gehrman]

If anything people who behave like him are the most cringeworthy.

Not surprising considering you hate the homeless

 

[Moby]

Not surprising considering you hate the homeless

Don't believe everything the internet tells you kid.

 

[Sir Matt]

See this