There will be inevitable arguments that a number of these actors did manage to break away from their most famous role which may or may not have merit, but I think suggesting that Kiefer Sutherland wasn't famour until "24" might be going a bit far!
I didn't know Hamil was the voice of the Joker until I read this comment. I had actually never heard of a single othr thing h'd done besides Star Wars.
in what movie/show did Mark Hamill play Joker? i had no idea, but he is way better known for Luke Skywalker. Speaking of Joker, why not include Heath Ledger?
So I looked up Mark Hamill because I couldn't think of anything he's in besides Star Wars. Shocked to see IMDB has him listed for 246 titles as an actor (including the Nickelodeon series Avatar. Fire Lord Ozai FTW!)
Stewart and Bakula are the two who presence on the list I'm unsure about as both have two highly iconic roles: Stewart also had Professor X, as you said, and Bakula had Captain Archer in Star Trek Enterprise (That's actually how I remembered him, I went "oh, I think it was Enterprise's captain who was in that Quantum Leap series, what was his name already?"
Patrick Stewart had been hugely successful as a stage actor (and was quite well known on TV, e.g. from I, Claudius) long before he went anywhere near Star Trek. STNG obviously did take him to a different league of on-screen fame internationally, and open up X-Men etc, but I still think of him as a star of the theatre who then chose to cash in.
To contradict this quiz I also know Elijah Wood in the Sin City movie and I know Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, as well as Dolph Lundgren in the Expendables and as Russian soldier Nikolai Radchenko. I think it's fair to add Mark Hamill as he hasn't really done much in live acting other than Star Wars.
Mark Hamill was in jay and silent bob strike back as Cocknocker ... that is all i can see when i see him now ... I knew Elijah Wood as Sandy from Flipper, Kevin from Sin City, Casey from the Faculty and most recently Todd from Dirk Gently lol ... Sarah Michelle Geller yes i knew her from Scooby Doo but to me she is Buffy as she was a big part of my childhood ...
To the Elders like me (at 30 lol) He is Jean-Luc Picard - to the younger generation he is Professor X ... however he is bringing Picard back so you never know lol
I think it's kind of unfair to peg young actors to lifelong movie roles, claiming that's all they'll ever be known for, when they'd barely reached drinking age at the time, and still very active acting careers. For example, Daniel Radcliffe has had a boatload of staring roles since he wrapped up Harry Potter (at the ripe old age of 21), and shows no sign of slowing down. Elijah Wood, on the other hand, was quite a noted child actor *before* he played Frodo, which again, he finished around age 22; he's also continued to act vigorously since then. (I'd also argue that Robert Pattinson is likely to outgrow Edward, should he continue to act, which he shows all signs of doing.) || In general, I think this quiz is way too subjective. Aside from the young-actor problem noted above, many of the listed actors' role notability is quite variable depending on age, region of the world, and viewing preferences (TV vs. film vs. stage) of the audience.
Some of those I don't even know, so I can't really tell. I highly agree with LeBlanc, Nimoy, Hamill, Hogan and Scott. Some are disputable, I agree with Lundgren, since it is really his only "named" role. He is known from other movies, but more as an actor, not as a character. However, I strongly disagree with Stewart, saying he is trapped as JLP and ignoring Prof.X is like saying Harrison Ford is trapped as Han Solo and ignoring Indiana Jones. I also disagree with R.D. Anderson. MacGyver made him famous, but he is much widely known for Stargate.
I would suggest to add or replace someone with Peter Weller as Robocop, Christopher Reeve as Superman, Peter O'Toole as Lawrence of Arabia or Sam Neil as Alan Grant.
The notion that Peter O'Toole as Lawrence of Arabia belongs on this list is bizarre. While it may be his most famous role, he isn't remotely trapped into it and is certainly well known for his other work, as his EIGHT Oscar nominations should attest.
Most notable are his two completely different interpretations of King Henry II in Becket (1964) and Lion in Winter (1968).
Never watched "Sex and the City" so Samantha, in my book, will always be Gracie Law in "Big Trouble in Little China." And that "Twilight" fella may yet escape his oubliette in the Batmobile.
(and yes I am aware this comment is nearly 10 years later haha. But that is how it goes on jetpunk, comment threads span years.)
I would suggest to add or replace someone with Peter Weller as Robocop, Christopher Reeve as Superman, Peter O'Toole as Lawrence of Arabia or Sam Neil as Alan Grant.
Most notable are his two completely different interpretations of King Henry II in Becket (1964) and Lion in Winter (1968).