Queen and king of the screen … Judi Dench as Victoria and Jim Caviezel as Jesus. Composite: Ronald Grant Archive

From Queen Victoria to Jesus Christ: the figures who most fascinate filmmakers

This article is more than 6 years old

Thanks to Judi Dench, Victoria now reigns supreme as the most popular character ever in British films. But who are the pretenders to her throne?

Queen Victoria has replaced Sherlock Homes as the most featured character on British screens. According to a study by the British Film Institute, the monarch now is jointly tied with James Bond, on 25 films – thanks to Judi Dench’s turn in Victoria and Abdul. But which other enduring characters have appeared multiple times in the movies around the world?

Inspector Clouseau

Peter Sellers played the Pink Panther detective six times, but Clouseau has also been portrayed by Alan Arkin, Roger Moore and Steve Martin (the latter being something we would probably all rather forget). Sellers’ portrayal helped make the comically chaotic Frenchman an enduring favourite, although these days his performances look a little dated. Including animated versions, Clouseau has appeared in at least 40 films.

Catwoman

Eartha Kitt purred her way into popularity in the Batman TV series, followed by Julie Newmar – but it was Michelle Pfeiffer who brought her to life on film in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns. The sexy, morally ambiguous antiheroine proved to be catnip to film-makers, although Halle Berry’s standalone film was a flop before Anne Hathaway revived her in The Dark Knight Rises.

Queen Elizabeth I

The British monarch has been appearing as a film character since 1912, appearing in a whopping total of 48 films listed on the IMDb, either taking centre stage or as part of wider historical dramas. Cate Blanchett played her beautifully in Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and she will be portrayed by Margot Robbie in Mary Queen of Scots next year.

Nick Fury

Since his debut in Marvel comics, the colonel has been astonishingly prolific, appearing in numerous series and TV movies before Samuel L Jackson was cast in the Avengers film series, giving the character a new lease of life. Definitely an improvement on the time he was played by David Hasselhoff. 2019’s Captain Marvel will be Fury’s 25th big screen outing.

Jesus Christ

The history of Jesus on film offers an interesting snapshot of cultural attitudes to religion: the 1965 movie The Greatest Story Ever Told, starring Max von Sydow, was nominated for five Oscars, while Jim Caviezel was lauded, but not garlanded with honours, for The Passion of the Christ in 2004. The anarchic 70s offered its own version in Monty Python’s Life of Brian. But then, he wasn’t the messiah: he was a very naughty boy.

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