2. Harry Potter
Although he's not been around for half as long as many on this list you can't deny the cultural impact little scar-head has had. With 8 films to his name even though he was only first brought to the attention of the world in 1997 Harry Potter has got to be the most recognized on-screen orphans of the last couple of decades. Background Harry Potter was born to Lilly and James Potter, a witch and a wizard, who are members of the order of the phoenix which opposed the evil Lord Voldemort. Voldemort is all worked up about a prophesy where he will be defeated by a child. Enter baby Harry whose mother sacrifices herself to protect him which renders Voldy non-corporeal. Harry has to go and live with his nasty Aunt and Uncle until he rejoins the wizarding world at the age of 11. Importance of being orphaned The death of Harry's parents in J.K. Rowling's wider universe and its inhabitants is eclipsed by the death of Lord Voldemort's. Obviously you can't have one without the other but he is 'the boy who lived' and not 'the boy whose parents died'. Though, to the character the longing to know his parents is certainly of huge importance and they appear plenty of times throughout the films with their appearance before Harry's 'death' a particularly memorable one. Harry is a true blue orphan where the loss of his parents has a huge domino effect not just for him but for the entire world he inhabits. But he isn't quite motivated by his parents death the same way our next candidate is . . . Companions Harry has a pretty big extended gang when compared to others on this list but it's obviously his constant companions Ron and Hermione that stand out.