Movie Heroes

12 Inspirational Movie Heroes

By Nell Minow

Humanity's earliest stories were about heroes. I'm sure that the same people who created those breathtaking cave paintings up to 25,000 years ago sat around campfires telling stories of people who triumphed over charging sabertooth tigers or assaults from other tribes. The great myths and legends of ancient Greece first used the word that became "hero." Those literally larger-than-life figures were demi-gods like Hercules who exemplified courage and protecting others without regard to risk.

In 1903, one of the very first films to tell a story, "The Great Train Robbery," featured a heroic posse who captured the title thieves. And since then movies have given us unforgettable heroes and heroines who continue to enthrall and inspire us. Here is my 12 favorite– first six fictional characters and then six inspired by real-life heroes.

Nell Minow writes the Movie Mom blog on Beliefnet.

Tom Doniphon in 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'

John Wayne often played the hero, and one of his best roles was the rancher who stood up to a gunslinging bully (Lee Marvin) who terrorized the town. What makes Doniphon so interesting is hinted in the title. An idealistic young lawyer played by James Stewart builds a political career out of being credited with shooting Valance, a career that enables him to do a lot of good for a lot of people. But Doniphon's heroism goes beyond the courage to take on the outlaws. He also has the wisdom and modesty to let someone else get the credit and win the woman they both love because he knows it is best for all three of them and for the people of the territory.

Han Solo/Luke Skywalker in the 'Star Wars Trilogy'

Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) are more than a team; they are two sides of one heroic character. Luke is the young, inexperienced "chosen one" and Han is the cynical, cocky rogue. Together, they make a thrilling hero -- hope tempered with skepticism, talent tempered with expertise.

And there are many runners-up for movies with great fictional heroes (some with more than one hero), including "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," "Captains Courageous," "High Noon," "It's a Wonderful Life," "Sister Kenny," "The Magnificent Seven," "The Terminator," "Mad Max," "Sherlock Holmes," "Transformers," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Twelve Angry Men."

Jaime Escalante in 'Stand and Deliver'

Jaime Escalante believed that inner-city high school students could not just study calculus; they could excel. And they did—their test score were so high they were accused of cheating. Sometimes the greatest heroes are those who show us not what they are capable of but what we are capable of. He could have taught math at a school for college-bound kids but he chose to spend his life teaching teenagers to believe in themselves and to dream of greatness along with lessons about derivatives and integrals.

And many runners-up for movies with great characters based on real-life heroes, including "A Man for All Seasons," "Serpico," "Amistad," "Schindler's List," "Gandhi," "Glory," "Sergeant York," and "All the President's Men."