The 10 Greatest Pirates In Movie/Television History

Who doesn’t love the swashbuckling adventures of a great pirate story? While they are often incredibly far-fetched and over the top, that’s part of the charm which makes pirates some of the greatest characters in history. The stories and tales live on for generations and are often retold in new ways.

The reason for that is because they simply don’t age. People of all ages can get sucked into a great pirate story, sailing across the seas to pillage and plunder, battling undersea monsters, and taking treasure are all things to find exciting. That’s why Hollywood often looks to the pirate world for new concepts.

Throughout history, there have been countless pirate-related television shows or movies, and that has seen some truly incredible characters be created in the process. Within this list, we will look out to the open waters and rank the 10 greatest pirates in television and film history.

10 Captain Barbosa (Pirates Of The Caribbean Franchise)

We kickstart this list with a pirate from the incredible Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Captain Barbosa. Played expertly by Geoffrey Rush, this character went from being a vile and hated villain to one of the most popular characters within this franchise.

Barbosa has the wackiness that all great pirates have, leaving audiences unsure what to expect from him at any point. He is power-hungry and determined to become rich at all costs, but in the same vein, he is also incredibly caring and is one of the bravest pirates of the entire franchise.

9 Jake (Jake And The Neverland Pirates)

From a Disney pirate film to a Disney pirate series, albeit with a very different style. Jake and the Neverland Pirates is an incredibly popular show amongst young Disney fans, taking place in the same world as Peter Pan with the show centering around a young pirate, Jake.

He’s a loveable character who has been very marketable for Disney, and the show is both educational and entertaining. There’s always a moral lesson to be learned from the show and Jake and his friends, with this young pirate quickly becoming a hit.

8 The Count (Pirate Radio)

A very different entry from the previous two, ‘The Count’ is technically a pirate, but not in the traditional sense. He isn’t going around stealing gold and fighting with swords but is instead playing illegal rock music onboard a boat in the middle of the ocean.

Pirate Radio was an amazing film all about rock and roll radios, which were done against the law on the sea. They were technically all pirates and of all the characters in the film, ‘The Count’ is the very best. He oozes coolness, and Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the role to perfection.

7 Dread Pirate Roberts (The Princess Bride)

The Princess Bride is a truly amazing movie that takes viewers on an incredible adventure throughout. While there is all manner of characters throughout the film, one of those just so happens to be Dread Pirate Roberts, who is one of the movie’s most memorable characters.

Within the movie, Dread Pirate Roberts has a brilliant reputation as a pirate and quite a ruthless one at that. However, the character ends up becoming a very layered one, which helps make him so memorable and is why he’s one of the best movie pirates of all time.

6 Captain Pugwash (Captain Pugwash)

Captain Pugwash was another incredibly popular pirate that was shown on British television and was based upon a series of books where he was the lead character. Pugwash is loveable in every way a pirate should be, despite the fact he is greedy and desperate. The fact he’s not actually great and normally gets by through luck is one of the reasons he became a hit.

A live-action movie for Captain Pugwash has also been reported in the past, with Nick Frost’s name being attached to play the popular pirate. Hopefully, the film goes ahead in the future, and the popular pirate will be able to continue entertaining.

5 Long John Silver (Treasure Island)

Long John Silver is one of the most famous pirates of all time. He has been written about in countless novels and has appeared in numerous different movies, but it is the classic 1950 Treasure Island version that takes its spot within our list.

Robert Newton excellently portrays the character in this version, bringing an amazing blend of anger and evil alongside the fun level of craziness and a cool factor that all great pirates seem to ooze. It’s a very fun pirate movie, and it created a truly classic character in the process.

4 The Pirate Captain (The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists)

While the title of this movie is quite an insane one, the film itself is one of the greatest pirate movies of all time. The film was inspired by a book series and was then turned into an amazing stop-motion movie by Aardman Animation, who are the kings when it comes to this style of movie.

The film is a brilliant blend of action and comedy, with some truly funny moments taking place within it. The Pirate Captain is the lead role of the film and is voiced by Hugh Grant, who plays the character perfectly with his dry comedy. It might not be live-action, but it certainly is one of the greatest pirates of all time.

3 Captain Flint (Black Sails)

Black Sails is one of the greatest pirate based television shows of all time. It is very much a Game of Thrones on the water with heavy violence, sex, and colorful language, and that’s what made it so compelling. It provided a more honest and less glorified version of piracy.

Things don’t always go right, and there is a lot less leaning on comedy here. The show is packed full of amazing characters, but the standout has to be Captain Flint, who is one of the shows lead roles. He is a pirate who has his own code and isn’t afraid to cross people in order to get what he wants, but he is also an honorable man at the same time, making him relatable to an audience.

2 Captain Hook (Peter Pan)

Pirates are often depicted as evil characters simply because of the fact they steal and pilage, causing pain and suffering to everyone in their path. Well, Disney provided a slight twist on that with Peter Pan. The pirates are the villains here, but they don’t cause too much devastation.

However, that doesn’t stop Captain Hook from becoming so iconic. He is truly evil, but he is also loveable at the same time, mainly because of how funny he and Smee are together. Captain Hook is one of Disney’s most iconic villains, and achieving that is no easy feat, proving how great of a character he is.

1 Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates Of The Caribbean Franchise)

There was only ever going to be one name taking the top spot on this list, wasn’t there? When it comes to pirates, they just don’t come more iconic than Captain Jack Sparrow. He is the lead role in arguably the biggest and most popular pirate movies of all time that instantly became a hit.

Johnny Depp has put in a stunning performance every time he plays Jack, with this arguably becoming his most well-known character. Sure, it’s over the top, but that’s the exact reason it works. He is loveable and has all the characteristics that people love in pirates. He brings the laughs and the emotion to each movie and has become one of the greatest characters in cinematic history.

About The Author