The most memorable characters from Steven Spielberg movies

Indiana Jones is one of the iconic characters in movie history full stop, so of course he’s one of Spielberg’s indelible characters. The swashbuckling archeologist played by Harrison Ford is dashing and handy with a whip, but he’s far from a superhero. Indy is afraid of snakes, has to deal with hassles at his professorship, and isn’t above shooting a guy to avoid a sword fight. Even the fourth film in the Indiana Jones series couldn’t dampen the love for Indiana Jones.

You may remember the T. Rex of the raptors more than any of the human characters in the “Jurassic Park” series, but they aren’t really characters. Dr. Ian Malcolm definitely is, though. The chaos theory expert is brought memorably to life by Jeff Goldblum, whose tics and mannerisms may be why Dr. Malcolm is the character that stands out the most from the series.

Some aliens are scary, while some are friendly and loving. E.T. definitely falls in the latter category. Sure, he scares the kids that meet him at first, but only because it’s strange to meet an alien, even one that has good in his heart. All he really wants is to phone home, but along the way E.T. has a lot of adventures with his new human friends.

Spielberg is maybe the iconic director of his generation, and Tom Hanks may be the iconic actor. The two have worked together a few times, but people don’t exactly get hyped for, say, “The Post.” That was definitely not the case with “Saving Private Ryan,” a movie that in hindsight should have won Best Picture. Hanks’ Captain Miller is the heart of the film, and he’s even more memorable than the titular Private Ryan.

“Jaws” is about a shark wreaking havoc on a beach community, but the power of the movie is that the human characters don’t get overshadowed. There’s a lot of depth to Chief Brody. He wanted a relaxing life away from policing in a major city, even if that meant living on an island when you’re afraid of water. Then, the next thing you know you are dealing with a series of shark attacks. Brody is a human face on what is in some ways a monster movie.

If there is one image that sticks with us from “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” it’s Richard Dreyfuss’ Roy Neary sculpting Devil’s Tower out of mashed potatoes. The allure of the aliens is a big part of the appeal of the movie, a hard sci-fi film that eschews a lot of the trappings of blockbusters of the era. However, Roy and his obsessions also stick out from the film.

There are big stars in “Hook.” Robin Williams plays a grown up Peter Man. Dustin Hoffman plays Captain Hook and chews the scenery. Heck, Julia Roberts is Tinkerbell! However, what do we remember most from “Hook?” The Lost Boys chanting “Rufio! Rufio! Rufio!” For better or worse, that’s a lot of people’s takeaway from a movie that many Millennials have an inexplicable affinity for.

Yes, Frank Abagnale Jr. is a real person. In a film, though, a real person is still a character. Plus, there is definitely a lot of character to Abagnale, a conman who started his “career” as a teenager. Whether he’s pretending to be a doctor, a pilot, or what have you, he’s relying on his ability to embody his role to make his con work.

David has no last name, but that’s not unreasonable given the circumstances. He’s a robot boy, after all. David, played by Haley Joel Osment, is the main character from “A.I.: Artificial Intelligence,” a movie idea that began with Stanley Kubrick and ended with Spielberg. The movie doesn’t entire work, but we certainly remember Osment’s work at the center.

“Minority Report” was a successful movie, even if it hasn’t necessarily stood the test of time as a great sci-fi flick. Tom Cruise may be the star, but if you remember anything from the movie, it may not be him. No, it’s probably the precogs, the women in the wading pools who predict future crimes. Agatha is the primary precog in the story, so she gets the nod here.

OK yeah, maybe it’s weird to call Lincoln a “character.” He’s been portrayed in so many movies. And yet, “Lincoln” was a big success. Daniel Day-Lewis won an Oscar for playing the 16th President of the United States. Given that, we figured we should give him a shout out on this list.

Indiana Jones doesn’t do it alone. In “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” he’s joined on his journey to find the Ark of the Covenant by Marian, a former paramour with whom he has a rocky relationship. Marian is a great foil in “Raiders,” and her return in “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is one of the few positives about that film.

“Jaws” is a three-hander as a film, or three hands plus one fin. Part of that central trio is Hooper, another memorable Spielberg character played by Dreyfuss. He’s a marine biologist who arrives in Amity to help get to the bottom of the death of Chrissy Watkins, a woman who died during an evening swim. Hooper’s role in the group is to be a little smug and a little bit of a know-it-all. He’s smart and good at his job, but his persona makes sure there is some conflict along the way.

Of the many tertiary characters in the “Jurassic Park” universe, Nedry is the best of the bunch. Played with gusto by Wayne Knight, aka “Newman,” Nedry is the programmer who tries to commit corporate espionage and in the process releases chaos on the park. He ends up getting blinded (and eaten) by a dilophosaurus, but before that he makes his presence known, including getting a couple of the best laughs in the movie.

A name like Gigolo Joe is going to make you stand out, to be sure. It helps when you are a robot played by Jude Law as well, of course. Joe is another character from “A.I.,” and he’s perhaps the most interesting as a character. You may remember David better – he is the center of the film after all – but Joe draws the eye when he’s on the screen.

“1941” was a flop. Spielberg maybe isn’t the person to do an out-and-out comedy. However, there is at least one memorable character from the movie. It helps that “Wild” Bill Kelso is played by John Belushi, a massive star at the time. His character also has an indelible look that may be the only thing that really stands out from “1941.” In the movie, it’s an over-the-top, broad performance, but we can at least call Kelso memorable.

We have to include one more character from the Indiana Jones films. After the middling “Temple of Doom,” the series really kicked things up a notch with “Last Crusade.” In that film, Indiana reunites with his dad in a quest for the Holy Grail. That father? He’s played by the late Sean Connery in one of his last great performances.

Brody is a man out of place. Hooper is an intellectual with a scientific approach to the water. Then, there’s Quint. He smells like salt water, we bet. He’s a gritty, rugged seaman who wants to take on the task of trying to catch the great white shark that is terrorizing the town. Robert Shaw is fantastic as Quint, who gives a monologue that is perhaps the standout moment of the film.

We return to “Jurassic Park” to shout out Dr. Satler, plays with gusto by Laura Dern. Hey, whenever Dern is in a film, it’s likely to be memorable. Satler, along with Dr. Alan Grant, have some iconic moments together and apart in “Jurassic Park.” In particular, we remember Satler’s run to restore power in the park.

“The Color Purple” is often overlooked in Spielberg’s oeuvre, but it was a big success that earned a few Oscar nominations. One of those nominations went to the star of the film, Whoopi Goldberg. Whoopi would eventually win an Oscar for “Ghost,” but in a supporting role. As Celie, the protagonist of the film and also Alice Walker’s novel, Goldberg proved she had legitimate acting chops.