The Definitive (so-and-so)

I've been thinking about this because of the release of Superman Returns. Which actors have so defined a role that it's hard to imagine another actor playing it in a remake or sequel?

My list:

Gregory Peck (Atticus Finch To Kill A Mockingbird)
Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock "Star Trek")
Colin Firth (Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy Pride and Prejudice)...special recognition here for having beaten out Laurence Olivier's performance in the role.
Mel Gibson (Martin Riggs Lethal Weapon)
Jack Nicholson (get ready for a list: Robert Eroica Dupea in Five Easy Pieces, Jake Gittes Chinatown, R.P McMurphy One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Jack Torrance The Shining)
Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito Goodfellas)
Marlon Brando (another list: Stanley Kowalski A Streetcar Named Desire, Don Vito Corleone The Godfather)
Jimmy Stewart (L.B. Jeffries Rear Window, George Bailey It's a Wonderful Life)
Bette Davis (Margo Channing All About Eve)
Peter O'Toole (T.E. Lawrence Lawrence of Arabia)
Marilyn Monroe (Sugar Kane Kowalczyk Some Like It Hot)
Maggie Smith (Jean Brodie The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie)
Orson Welles (C.F. Kane Citizen Kane, Harry Lime The Third Man, Captain Hank Quinlan Touch of Evil)
Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates Psycho, K. The Trial)
John Travolta (Tony Manero Saturday Night Fever)
Denzel Washington (Malcom X Malcom X)
Robert De Niro (Travis Bickle Taxi Driver, Jake Lamotta Raging Bull)
Malcom McDowell (Alexander DeLarge Clockwork Orange)
Christian Bale (Patrick Bateman American Psycho)
Kathy Bates (Annie Wilkes Misery)
Paul Newman (Fast Eddie Felsen The Hustler and The Color of Money)
Susan Sarandon (Annie Savoy Bull Durham, Louise Sawyer Thelma and Louise)
Sidney Poitier (Virgil Tibbs In the Heat of the Night; yes, I know about Howard Rollins's portrayal of Tibbs in the TV series, but the TV series was so different from the film that it seemed like another character entirely.)
James Garner (Jim Rockford "The Rockford Files")
Roger Moore (Simon Templar "The Saint")
Christian Slater (Jason Dean Heathers, Clarence Worley True Romance)
Cher (Loretta Castellini Moonstruck)
Harrison Ford (Han Solo Star Wars)
Humphrey Bogart (Sam Spade The Maltese Falcon, Rick Blaine Casablanca)
Clint Eastwood (Will Munny Unforgiven, Josey Wales The Outlaw Josey Wales, Blondie The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, and Harry Callahan Dirty Harry)
Gary Cooper (Marshal Will Kane High Noon)
John Wayne (Ethan Edwards The Searchers)
Jack Palance (Jack Wilson Shane)
Michael Douglas (Gordon Gekko Wall Street)

Justified Omissions:

Christopher Reeve (Superman): Yes, I loved him as Superman, but I also appreciated Tim Daly's portrayal in the animated series. I wasn't a big fan of TV's "Lois and Clark", but I know it did well.

Michael Keaton (Batman): He lasted a long time, but Christian Bale seems to have settled into the role comfortably.

Sean Connery (James Bond): Yes, he made a very successful 007; but so did Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan.

Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones): I'm not just thinking of "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles", but also of River Phoenix's portrayal of young Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Mr. Phoenix might have been a worthy man to take the fedora, had he lived.

There are plenty of unjustified omissions as well, I'm sure. But I'm too tired to get to them. Anyone who wishes to make an addition can shock the world by leaving a comment below.

Say good night, Gracie.