1. Robert De Niro (Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver)
Travis is still considered as one of the most influential and iconic fictional characters in the film industry. His character is based on the Arthur Brenner, a real life person who tried to assassinate George Wallace, a presidential candidate on May, 1972. Travis is a former marine and a Vietnam War veteran. He is relatively uneducated and socially inept. As he is afflicted with a severe case of insomnia, Travis takes the full-time job as a cab driver, in graveyard shifts, 7 days a week. Working late at night, he is visibly disgusted by thieves, addicts and pimps who become his regular customers.