It's one thing to make someone laugh, it's something else altogether to make someone laugh—and then laugh and laugh—for years. With a surefire combination of sharp writing and stellar acting, a few funny movie characters have secured spots in that vaunted pantheon. You know: The fictional folks you quote time and time again, no matter the circumstance. ("This building has to be at least.... three times bigger than this!") What follows is a rogues gallery of the funniest movie characters, from mercenaries and models to nannies and newscasters, who have tickled our funny bones the most over the years. And for more on the echelons of Hollywood characters, don't miss the 30 Funniest Sitcom Characters of All Time.
1 | Derek Zoolander, Zoolander series (Ben Stiller)
He may not know left from right, but Derek Zoolander is more than just really, really, ridiculously good looking: He's really, really, ridiculously funny, too—even though he surely isn't aware of it. Between gasoline fights and "eugoogalies," he manages to bungle basic multiplication, fall in love with a (much smarter) journalist, and take down an insidious fashion maven. And he does it all while showing off an impressive portfolio of signature modeling poses. One look? We don't think so. And if you're looking for some jokes to tell yourself, here are the 75 Jokes That Are So Bad They're Actually Funny.
2 | Elle Woods, Legally Blonde series (Resse Witherspoon)
In the early aughts, a wealthy, chipper, blonde 20-something with a purse-confined chihuahua took the world by storm. No, we're not talking about Paris Hilton; we're talking about Elle Woods, the Hollywood-based fashionista who got into Harvard Law with history's least lawyerly video essay of all time. And if she's inspired you to pursue your own studies, you're probably ready for the 40 Facts You Learned in the 20th Century That Are Totally Bogus Today.
3 | Dr. Rumack, Airplane (Leslie Nielsen)
Indeed, Leslie Nielsen made a name for himself in the 1960s and '70s as a dramatic actor. But once Airplane hit the silver screen, in 1980, Nielsen's stock changed overnight. Thanks to a career-defining role as Rumack, a straight-laced doctor who unwittingly misinterprets every line spoken to him ("Surely you can't be serious." Rumack: "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley."), Hollywood bigwigs wizened up to the man's innate comedic talent. All told, over the course of his career, Nielsen picked up nearly 250 acting credits. And for more hilarity, don't miss the 30 Funniest Sitcom Jokes of All Time.
4 | Sheriff Bart, Blazing Saddles (Cleavon Little)
Mel Brooks' western spoof Blazing Saddles was such a smash success—three Academy Awards nominations, number 6 on AFI's "100 Years of Laughs," and a box office return of nearly 50 times the budget—thanks to one man: Cleavon Little, who brought an irrepressible, irresistible charisma to his performance as Sheriff Bart. And for more hilarity, don't miss the 40 Facts So Funny They're Hard to Believe.
5 | Dr. Evil, Austin Powers series (Mike Myers)
The Austin Powers series is loaded with magical Mike Myers roles—including, of course, a turn as the titular character—but none compare to megalomaniacal dimwit Dr. Evil, who didn't spend six years in Evil Medical School just to be called "mister." So, pumped for the doctor's fourth outing? That'll be one million dollars. And for more small-scale funnies, try watching any of the 30 Funniest Sitcoms of All Time.
6 | Oda Mae Brown, Ghost (Whoopi Goldberg)
Ghost is, by many measures, a strange film. (Recall the pottery scene?) But the shining star is Oda Mae Brown, who injects essential levity into a film that seriously needs it. In fact, Whoopi Goldberg's performance in the role was so great that she picked up a best supporting actress Oscar for it. And for more seriously weird cinema, try watching any of the 30 Worst Movie Endings of All Time.
7 | Deadpool/Wade Wilson, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds)
20th Century FoxNear the start of the very R-rated Deadpool, Wade Wilson is incinerated to the point of permanent disfigurement, impaled, and left for dead. Still, throughout the rest of the film, whether he's turning a bad guy into a kebab or kicking back with his blind, geriatric roommate, practically every line out of Wilson's mouth is a quip or a one-liner. For more out of the Merc with a Mouth, watch any of the (far tamer) Most Underrated Ryan Reynolds Movies.
8 | Chon Wang, Shanghai Noon series (Jackie Chan)
Generally, comedy is a verbal art, more about wordplay and tonal delivery than anything else. But in some instances, good comedy is purely a physical act. Jackie Chan's turn as Chon Wang, in Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights, is full of such physical comedy—an almost minute-by-minute sidesplitting display of martial arts, wherein Wong utilizes his environment to beat the pulp out of adversaries in increasingly hilarious ways. And for more pure silliness, don't miss the 50 Puns So Bad They're Actually Funny.
9 | Regina George, Mean Girls (Rachel McAdams)
Even when Regina George gets hit by a bus (hey, Mean Girls has been out for 14 years, which means the shelf-life for spoiler complaints has since expired), it's funny. On one part, it's because she only ends up with seriously minor injuries. But it's also thanks to Rachel McAdams' masterful turn as a vicious, pampered, cliquey jerk of a high schooler. And for more fun facts, here are the 20 Celebrities Who Look Like Their Pets.
10 | Donkey, Shrek series (Eddie Murphy)
Throughout his illustrious career, Eddie Murphy has left viewers double over time and again. (Trading Places, anyone?) But one of the man's more enduring rib-tickling roles is as the family-friendly Donkey, who consistently—and hilariously—aggravates his pal Shrek in movie after movie.
11 | Emily Charlton, The Devil Wears Prada (Emily Blunt)
Meryl Streep may have stolen the screen with her fierce portrayal of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, but the film's innate humor is best found in Emily Charlton, Priestly's senior assistant. As anyone who's worked in fashion or luxury publishing can attest, lines like "I'm one stomach flu away from my goal weight" and a dead-serious "I can't get sick, I'm wearing Valentino, for crying out loud" effortlessly toe the line between too-real and too-funny. And if you're dying for a laugh right now, Here's the Hilarious Video of David Harbour Dancing with Penguins in Antarctica.
12 | Smokey, Friday (Chris Tucker)
Back in the '90s, Chris Tucker, with his zany antics and one-of-a-kind voice (no man on the planet has a comparable tonal range), cemented his status as a national treasure. And while he burned up screens in The Fifth Element and Rush Hour, his best character to date is Smokey, which allowed Tucker to show off a laid-back yet totally high-strung humor unseen by audiences at that point.
13 | Walter Sobchak, The Big Lebowski (John Goodman)
The extremely vulgar Walter at one point forces a duplicitous millionaire out of a wheelchair. Normally, this would be an unconscionable act. But John Goodman portrays the character with aplomb, and the result is a darkly comedic character for the ages.
14 | Shannon Mullins, The Heat (Melissa McCarthy)
Fact: Melissa McCarthy is a national treasure. And though she's had many memorable roles over the past decade (Bridesmaids, Identity Thief, Spy), her turn as liquor-swilling, insult-spewing, rule-breaking Boston detective Shannon Mullins takes the cake.
15 | Ron Burgundy, Anchorman (Will Ferrell)
He can drink bottomless amount of Scotch. He can shower, shave, and suit up at the drop of a hat. And he can read a teleprompter like nobody else. Yes, Ron Burgundy may be a bitingly satirical iteration of the '70s-era manly man newscaster, but he's also a multidimensional character (who loves his dog, Baxter, to death) with a suite of talents.
16 | Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Doubtfire, Mrs. Doubtfire (Robin Williams)
Of all Robin Williams' unforgettable characters, Mrs. Doubtfire may be the most celebrated; after his death, in 2014, the San Francisco house that served for exterior shots in Mrs. Doubtfire became a de facto memorial for the dearly departed actor.
17 | Adenoid Hynkel/unnamed barber, The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin)
Roughly a year after World War II kicked off, Charlie Chaplin unleashed his magnum opus: A scathing satire about a power-hungry dictator hellbent on exterminating the Jews via concentration camps. Chaplin plays the dictator—and a Jewish barber who impersonates said dictator and, through a passionately delivered speech about freedom, saves the day.
18 | Lloyd Christmas, Dumb and Dumber series (Jim Carrey)
It's a question as old as time (or, um, 1994): Who's Dumb and who's Dumber? We posit that Lloyd Christmas, Jim Carrey's character, the guy who willingly trades a perfectly functional van for a moped, is Dumber. And also, obviously, one of the funniest movie characters of all time.
19 | Cher Horowitz, Clueless (Alicia Silverstone)
There's a sweeter, chicer, hipper, funnier wealthy blonde high school senior in Beverly Hills than Cher Horowitz? As if!
20 | Lord Dark Helmet, Spaceballs (Rick Moranis)
"I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate." Rick Moranis' Lord Dark Helmet is simultaneously a mockery and celebration of another powerful, dark helmet–clad man: Darth Vader. Just look at where Dark Helmet chokes people. (It's not the throat.)
21 | Gracie Hart, Miss Congeniality series (Sandra Bullock)
Synopsis: An FBI agent has to go undercover as a Miss America contestant to thwart a terrorist plot against the pageant. Even with a merely competent actress in the lead role, a plot like that was sure to be a smash. With Sandra Bullock, however, Gracie Hart became a household name, even nabbing a Golden Globe nomination for Bullock.
22 | Eli Cash, The Royal Tenenbaums (Owen Wilson)
Owen Wilson inarguably has some comic chops. (Indeed, he costars alongside many of the hilarious actors we've mentioned.) But his turn as Eli Cash, with all the zippy one-liners and fringe-tinged getups, takes the cake for sheer winking subtlety.
23 | John Blutarsky, Animal House (John Belushi)
We all cheered when Blutarsky smashed the guitar.
24 | Annie Walker, Bridesmaids (Kristen Wiig)
Here's one for your next round of trivia: In addition to blowing it out of the water with an equal parts sidesplitting and heart-wrenching performance, Kristen Wiig also cowrote the screenplay for Bridesmaids.
25 | Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein (Gene Wilder)
We all know Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. But what would it be like to be that guy's grandson? And what would happen if he inherited everything—the spooky mansion, the otherworldly experiments—overnight? If you're Gene Wilder, you'd shun the pedigree and insist that the surname is, actually, "Fronkensteen."
26 | Gloria Cleary, Wedding Crashers (Isla Fisher)
Yes, on its face, Wedding Crashers is nothing more than a comedy vehicle for Wilson and Vince Vaughan. But the true screen-stealer is Isla Fisher, who portrays a seemingly innocent, naive "stage five clinger" (Vaughan's words), before pulling off a slow reveal that she's no demure after all.
27 | Judge Elihu Smails, Caddyshack (Ted Knight)
As the snobby villain in this golf comedy, Ted Knight had the best lines and the most memorable performance in this timeless classic. Yes, that's in a movie that also stars Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Rodney Dangerfield.
28 | Kirk Lazarus, Tropic Thunder (Robert Downey Jr.)
"I know who I am. I'm the dude playing the dude disguised as another dude." Robert Downey Jr.'s makeup, while inflammatory and controversial at first glance, served as a biting commentary on the Hollywood machine, and the degree to which actors will go to win golden trophies. In the film, Kirk Lazarus isn't done up in makeup; it's a "pigmentation alteration" procedure. Method actors of the world, you've been one-upped.
29 | Ricky Baker, Hunt for the Wilderpeople (Julian Dennison)
Hilarious haikus, inventing the so-called "Skux life," unwittingly mispronouncing certain syllables in "caucasian," a fervent devotion to both the Terminator and Tupac—Ricky Baker is just funny enough to charmingly counteract the weirdness in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. There's a good chance you may not have yet seen this film. Remedy that—immediately.
30 | Bill Murray, Zombieland (Bill Murray)
When it comes to Bill Murray's best and funniest movie characters, you may think of roles in Caddyshack, Groundhog Day, or any Wes Anderson film. But we posit that his Zombieland cameo, in all its brevity, is his strongest, if only for how convincible it is: Bill Murray dressing up like a zombie to stay hidden from zombies is astonishingly in character with a bunch of his other hilarious, IRL hijinks.
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