48. Lester Burnham

Appearance: American Beauty (1999)

Creator: Alan Ball

Performer: Kevin Spacey

Defining moment: Visually the rose petals peeling off Mena Suvari was the image of the film, but it is Lester’s touching voice-over that really lingers: “I can’t feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life.”

Fascinating fact: The original script was bookended with Lester’s daughter and her boyfriend being arrested for his murder.

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