3. The Tramp (Charlie Chaplin in Kid Auto Races at Venice)
Created almost 100 years ago (1914, to be precise), the character of The Tramp is funny, moving, sad, and acrobatic, all at the same time. From being stuck in Yukon eating a shoe, to fighting a twice-his-size boxer, to raising a kid and seducing a princess, The Tramp has done it all. His was probably the first ever character with a memorable costume. And a century later, it is still recognizable by everyone! Think about it: tie a towel around your neck, and youll be considered as any superhero, maybe Superman (and crazy, too!); put on a cowboy hat, and youre just any cowboy. But put on a bowler hat, and youre instantly recognized as The Tramp (or maybe a Magritte painting!). His power is incredible: inspiration, humor, tenderness, anger (at the Dictator!), but most of all, nostalgia for a long-gone Golden Age era of Hollywood, with silent films, under-contract stars, but also acrobatics and antics. It was an era of pure creativity and sheer imagination, hence the bronze medal for this character.
Runner-up: Charles Foster Kane in Citizen Kane