Wes Anderson’s 15 Most Memorable Characters

Wes Anderson is one of the most unique filmmakers working in the film business these days. Each of his movies has an unmistakable look and feel that makes them instantly identifiable as his work. While this style has earned him critics, he certainly has many fans who love his movies and eagerly await whatever his next project might be.

Anderson’s movies have also given us some truly great cinematic characters. With a mix of his witty and original writing and often perfect casting, these characters have stood out as truly special among his many great creations. Here are the most memorable characters from Wes Anderson’s movies.

15 Captain Sharp (Moonrise Kingdom)

Bruce Willis stars in a lot of movies and they’re not always all that memorable but, much like fellow prolific actor Nicolas Cage, he still appears in a really acclaimed movie every once in a while.

Captain Sharp is the local cop at the secluded island location of Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom and his subdued demeanor plays against Willis’ usual heroic charms and is a welcome blast from the past for fans of some of Willis’ more quiet and complex characters.

14 Atari Kobayashi (Isle of Dogs)

The main human character of Anderson’s 2018 stop-motion animal adventure movie, Isle of Dogs, is an interesting hero for his youth, his determined temprament and his relationship to the story’s villain.

The dog-loving Atari is the son of none other than the evil dog-hating mayor who has persecuted the furry friends, setting Atari off ona  quest to find his beloved guard dog on the titular isle.

13 Chief (Isle of Dogs)

Chief is the main dog character of Isle of Dogs and, unlike the other animal characters, a stray with no desire to return to the days of ownership and affection seen in better times.

Naturally, his stubborn manner clashes with Atari’s headstrong decisiveness and the, when the pair are stuck together on a jounrey across the isle, it makes for a heartwarmingly comedic odd couple pairing that wouldn’t feel out of place in the most beloved Pixar movies. The voice perforamnce of actor Bryan Cranston perfectly fits Chief’s gruff persona and gives the actor one of the best movie roles of his career so far.

12 Zero Moustafa (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

The main character of Anderson’s widely acclaimed eigth movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Zero Moustafa starts out as a lwoly bellhop at the titular hotel but is soon taken under the wing of the charismatic concierge, who we’ll get to later.

Zero is one of the many framing devices for the multi-layered story, narrating the course of events as an old man (played by F. murray Abraham) and in the thick of the adventure as a young man (played by Tony Revolori).

11 Jack’s Ex-Girlfriend (The Darjeeling Limited/Hotel Chevalier)

Despite being of great importance to one of the main characters’ individual stories, Natalie Portman’s role in Anderson’s fifth movie, The Darjeeling Limited, is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fast. But she has a much more central role in the movie’s prologue short film, Hotel Chevalier.

The Darjeeling Limited follows three brothers on a journey through India and the name ‘Jack’s Ex-girlfriend’ is fairly self-explanatory but her mysterious power over Jack and the audience means that she leaves a fittingly big impact in a relatively short amount of time.

10 Mr. Fox (Fantastic Mr. Fox)

For whatever reason, Wes Anderson and stop-motion animation are a perfect match. Anderson’s affinity for a sort of old-timey aesthetic fits very well with this animation style which he first used in this adaptation of the Roald Dahl story Fantastic Mr. Fox. The movie finds the titular Fox trying to keep his community safe as he goes to war with local farmers.

Fox (voiced by George Clooney) is a charmingly arrogant hero. He finds himself living a mundane life and his efforts to find some excitement have dangerous consequences. But he is a quick thinker always with a plan at the ready and a positive attitude they’ll get through their current predicament.

9 Dignan (Bottle Rocket)

Anderson’s first movie, Bottle Rocket, is the story of two friends whose plans for pulling off the perfect heist are sidelined when one of them falls in love. The film was co-written by Anderson’s frequent collaborator Owen Wilson, who also stars in the film as Dignan.

Though all of Dignan’s ambitions revolve around a life of crime, his dedication to it is very endearing. He gets so excited about his plans but proves to be quite self-conscious when challenged. He is certainly one of cinema’s most unique career criminals.

8 Suzy Bishop (Moonrise Kingdom)

Anderson’s films often deal with somewhat childish adults, but Moonrise Kingdom switched things up by telling a story of kids who were trying to be more adult. Set in a remote island community, it is the story of a troubled young girl and an outcast young boy who run away together, sending the island into mayhem.

Kara Hayward plays Suzie Bishop, an intelligent and artistic young girl whose emotional struggles go unnoticed by her bickering parents. She is far more than a damsel in distress needing to be saved as she shows that she can do some real damage when provoked.

7 Herman Blume (Rushmore)

Bill Murray has appeared in all but one of Wes Anderson’s films to date. Their long and wonderful collaborative relationship started back with Anderson’s second film, Rushmore. The film is about a young man who finds himself in an awkward love triangle when he and his mentor fall for the same woman.

Murray plays Herman Blume, the older man in the love triangle. Stuck in an unhappy marriage, Herman is a sad man looking for some kind of happiness. Even though he is a highly successful businessman, he has become disillusioned and is in the midst of a mid-life crisis. Murray, of course, plays all these aspects for comedic gold.

6 Klaus Daimler (The Life Aquatic)

The Life Aquatic is one of Anderson’s most off-beat films, which is certainly saying something. It is filled with so many zany characters in the tale of Steve Zissou, a washed up oceanographer who sets out on his latest expedition to find and kill the rare shark that ate his friend. One of the standout characters is Klaus, played by Willem Dafoe.

Klaus is Steve’s trusty right-hand man who seems more than a little unstable. With the arrival of Steve’s estranged son, Klaus becomes jealous and insecure while still being completely intimidating.

5 Margot Tenenbaum (The Royal Tenenbaums)

The Royal Tenenbaums is a fantastic ensemble film with an amazing cast that makes up one of the most dysfunctional families in cinema history. The quirky dramedy tells the story of a family of prodigies who, thanks largely to their eccentric father, grew up to be deeply damaged adults.

The adopted daughter of the family, Margot Tenenbaum is one of the most interesting characters in the film. She is a depressed and reserved artist who carries a great sadness in her life. Gwyneth Paltrow is both heartbreaking and funny in the role.

4 M. Gustave (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Ralph Fiennes is usually known for his very intense dramatic roles or terrifying villain roles, but Anderson really got him to embrace his inner goofball for The Grand Budapest Hotel. Told through a unique narrative structure, it is the story of a refined and professional concierge at a premier hotel in an unnamed war-torn European country.

M. Gustave (played by Fiennes) is a very layered character. He cares deeply for his hotel and his employees, he is professional, he is quick to violence when faced with injustice, he is occasionally vulgar and he likes older women. It is a charming, sweet, and hilarious role in a very entertaining movie.

3 Max Fischer (Rushmore)

Though Bill Murray’s Herman Blume is a highlight of Rushmore, the film belongs to Jason Schwartzman’s Max Fischer. Max is a bright and very ambitious young man with a great many talents. He embraces every extracurricular aspect of the private school he belongs to, but is a poor student in the academic sense.

Max simply refuses to accept the fact that he is a kid, and yet he is often prone to immaturity and awkwardness whether he knows it or not. He has big dreams for himself and doesn’t let to confines of his situation limit him from realizing those dreams.

2 Royal Tenenbaum (The Royal Tenenbaums)

The role of Royal Tenenbaum is one of Gene Hackman’s final performances before retiring from acting and it stands out as some of his best work on film. Royal is the patriarch of the titular family and the reason many of them have so many problems. In an attempt to reconnect with the family that hates him, Royal lies about having cancer, which goes as well as you might think.

Royal has no doubt lived an interesting life, and even when alone and penniless he carries himself as though he is still a person of great importance. He is a pretty bad man who seeks just enough redemption to make him likable.

1 Steve Zissou (The Life Aquatic)

If Bill Murray was an oceanographer, he would be Steve Zissou. It is the perfect meeting of character and actor with Anderson building the ideal starring role for his main muse.

Anderson seems to have a real talent for writing funny and touching existential crisis and Murray is really good at playing characters in those situations. Steve is insecure, lonely, and sad all the while dragging his closest friends and family on a very dangerous mission. He is selfish and pathetic but there’s not a moment that the audience doesn’t like him.

About The Author

Colin McCormick
(2027 Articles Published)

Colin McCormick is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been a proud member of the team since 2019. In addition to his work as Screen Rant, Colin is also a writer of News, Feature and Review pieces at Game Rant. Colin has had a long passion and obsession with movies going back to the first time he saw The Lion King in theaters. Along with movies, Colin stays up-to-date on the latest must-see TV shows. While he loves to find interesting projects in any kind of genre, he has a special movie of crime stories that are infused with a little dark humor much like the work of his favorite author, Elmore Leonard.

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