9. The Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood in A Fistful of Dollars)
Blondie, Joe, Manco, Uhh, or the Unknown Cowboy with the Hat that Hides his Eyes. Even if legend (and a lawsuit!) says director Sergio Leone based this character on Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo, Clint Eastwood still made him unique and unforgettable. What actually makes him memorable is his lack of origin, similar to Wolverine in his original comic books. Clint Eastwoods character appears when hes needed, out of nowhere, and leaves as quickly as he arrived, when hes not needed. No one knows much about him, no one is quite sure he can be trusted, but he does the job, and does it well, too! This enabled every viewer to kind of imbue the character with all their hopes and fears. Is he a criminal looking for redemption? A sheriff that lost his star? A widow avenging his wife? Nobody knows, but everyone tries to guess!
Runner-up: Most of John Waynes characters, especially Sheriff John T. Chance in Rio Bravo or Cole Thornton in El Dorado or Reuben "Rooster" J. Cogburn in True Grit are all based on literary work. Most of the greatest Western movies are! Liberty Valance as well! In the end, I chose Snake Plissken, as one could argue that it is kind of a Western. But its open for debate, like every spot on this list!