Jack Crow from John Carpenter’s Vampires. That one always cracked me up.
rupert pupkin is a totally great one. i think because there’s something fundamentally pathetic and small about it, just like the character. but one of my favourites has to be the dude from the big lebowski, esp when Philip Seymour Hoffman’s buttoned up brandt has to uncomfortably call him “dude”
Rupert Pupkin
Frank Booth
No matter what the product, the second most lovable name to manufacturers & retailers is Mr. Scrooge.
Prince Humperdink.
From Airplane: Victor, Roger, and Over.
Tons of Mel Brooks: Frau Blücher, President Skroob, Comicus, and, of course, Leo Bloom and Max Bialystock
I’ve named several of my cats after the following…
Felix Unger (The Odd Couple)
Inger Kissen (Deep Throat v2)
Pinky Rose (3 Women)
Lester Carp (Shampoo)
Isn’t that adorable?
Col. Bat Guano
Buck Turgidson
Gen. Jack D. Ripper
and Dr. Strangelove, of course!
and Anton Chigurh.
McLovin
HAL 9000
Tuco – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Ratso Rizzo – Midnight Cowboy
Moses Pray – Paper Moon
Billy (Bad Ass) Buddusky – THe Last Detail
Travis Bickle – Taxi Driver
Nobody – My Name is Nobody
Margot Tenenbaum – The Royal Tenenbaums
Archer J. Maggot – the Dirty Dozen
Snake Pliskin – Escape From New York
Cherry Darling – Planet Terror
Major Major – Catch 22
Archer J. Maggot – the Dirty Dozen
Snake Pliskin – Escape From New York
Cherry Darling – Planet Terror
Major Major – Catch 22
Silence – the Great Silence
The Dude – The Big Lebowski
Lemmy Caution – Eddie Constantine in Alphaville
Varla – Tura Satana in Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill!
Sam Spade – Bogart in The Maltese Falcon
Bluto Blutarsky – John Belushi in Animal House
Aguirre – Klaus Kinski in Aguirre
Holly Golightly – Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Frank Bullitt – Steve McQueen in Bullitt
Popeye Doyle – Gene Hackman in The French Connection
Dirk Calloway – Rushmore
to add to some to the already listed ones (pretty recognizable list)..
Patrick Bateman
Dirk Diggler
Forrest Gump
Anton Chigurh
Ferris Bueller
Tyler Durden
Randall P. McMurphy
Lester Burnham
@Parky: Yes, the Mel Brooks names are priceless but we should add Mongo SantaMaria from BLAZING SADDLES.
Another thing to consider is Antonioni’s NON-use of character names. For instance, the protagonist in BLOW-UP (David Hemmings) is never named in the film, although he’s called Thomas in the screenplay. Likewise, the female lead (Vanessa Redgrave) is not given a name in the movie, but is called Jane in the script. (Incidentally, in LADY CHATTERLEY’S LOVER, the gardener refers to the male and female sex organs as John THOMAS and Lady JANE and the book’s original title was JOHN THOMAS AND LADY JANE.) In THE PASSENGER, the Maria Schneider character is just called “The Girl,” in THE MYSTERY OF OBERWALD, the main character is “The Queen,” and in L’AVVENTURA, L’ECLISSE, RED DESERT, and ZABRISKIE POINT, we never learn the characters’ last names.
THANA (ms. 45)
nomi malone (show girls)
gary glass (desperately seeking susan)
elle(her), susan (tout va bien)
nikki grace/susan blue (inland empire)
HOLLY BODY (body double)
madeleine/ judy barton (vertigo)
pixote
Francine Fishpaw
Norman Bates
Frankie Machine
Howard Beale
Victoria Vetri (that one might be circular)
Luca Brasi
Frau Blücher
Minnesota Fats
Jason Vorhees
Han Solo
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Harry Lime
Quint
Michael Corleone
Buzz Lightyear
Bob Falfa
Austin Powers
Indiana Jones
Rocky Balboa
Dr. Zaius
Birdie Wooster!
Beaumont Livingston from Jackie Brown.
Kingsley Zissou
Dr. Strangelove
Withnail
Uh … it’s BERTIE Wooster …
Lemmy Caution – alphaville
To add to the Coen canon: pretty much every character in Burn After Reading. Harry Pfarrer, Chad Feldheimer, Linda Litzke, Osbourne Cox. And the Russian guy, Krapotkin? Genius.
Harry Caul – The Conversation
Gigolo Joe
Seldom Seen
Bob
cutey-cat
Eddie Hitler, from Bottom. (Not a film. But still. In the film, I think he became Eddie Mugabe or something.)
“Any relation? (nervous chuckle)”
“Why, yes!”