To be an "icon of virility" a movie character must be masculine, heroic in the sense of brave to the point of death, strong and fierce and forbidable in the fight against evil, intelligent in outwitting the foe, virtuous in protecting the vulnerable and defending the good, and pure of heart especially in treatment of women and children. Here is my list:
Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday, To Kill A Mockingbird, Keys of the Kingdom,, Russel Crowe in Gladiator, Cinderella Man, Sidney Poitier and John Wayne in almost anything, Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig and in High Noon, Alan Ladd as Shane, Charlton Heston as El Cid and Ben Hur, Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, Alec Guiness as Obi Wuan Kenobi, Liam Neeson as Schindler, Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront,James Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life, Frodo and Aragon in Lord of the Rings, Peter O 'Toole as Lawrence of Arabia, Zorro and Robin Hood and Batman, Denzel Washington in Equalizer,Spencer Tracey as Father Flannagan, Henry Fonda in 12 Angry Men, Ox Bow Incident, My Darling Clementine and others, Paul Newman in The Sting Nobody's Fool and Cool Hand Luke, Montgomery Cliff in I Confess, Jeremy Irons in The Mission, Robert Deniro in Bronx Tale, Roberto Benigni in Life is Beautiful.
Who is my favorite? Tough decision! But for his unique combination of gentleness, strength, intelligence, calmness and lightheartness I have to go with Gregory Peck in Roman, Mockingbird and Keys.
Who did I miss, dear Reader? Who is your favorite?
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