Helen of Troy may have had a face that could launch a thousand ships but how good she would be on a brand deal is a question we’ll never get answered. Thankfully we have plenty of modern celebrities ready to have their faces spread all over different products and marketing campaigns.
Whether we’re seeing those famous faces as part of a deal or just homages to legendary figures, here are the most common famous icons you’ll see referenced across different types of media.
Indiana Jones
The most famous archaeologist to ever exist, Harrison Ford’s iconic character has appeared unofficially in more places than he ever has officially. The number of different kinds of media that pay homage to Dr Jones is enough to warrant its own Wikipedia page, with items across TV, books, video games and other movies just to pull out some. If you’ve seen or heard about a brown fedora anywhere, it’s clear where it came from.
One of the more high-profile references recently was listed at newsweek.com in the movie adaption of the Uncharted video game series, which features a young, action-inclined treasure hunter dealing with mysteries and the supernatural. The entire game series was already a nod to Indiana Jones, so when it came full circle and became a movie itself it was natural to see the ancestor brought up.
Rock Legends
This is less about one particular icon but a surprising trend across all of classic rock. While references to legendary bands and singers would be expected from other musicians and perhaps even in movie soundtracks, the most common place to find references is actually in the world of online casinos.
To take casino site megarush.com as an example, in their library you can find a range of classic musicians including slot games for Def Leppard and Motley Crue alongside more modern counterparts like a Lordi game. Beyond that, dozens of other classic groups show up in casino game libraries and it’s now more surprising for a group NOT to have one.
Don Corleone
Although Marlon Brando’s titular character from The Godfather may not immediately ring bells for a lot of people, the character’s style, mannerisms, speech and iconic scenes are some of the most commonly referenced and parodied across all of media. He is considered one of the most influential movie characters ever by fans at smithsonianmag.com and is instantly recognizable.
Between Ocean’s Thirteen, The Sopranos, Lost and as far back as Point Break, the list of references is endless, not to forget Dom Deluise with one of the most incredible character parodies seen in the Mel Brooks classic Robin Hood: Men In Tights. It’s a list that continues to this day, with newer viewers often ironically more familiar with the reference that the original character.
With all these faces rapidly becoming part of the past in the world of pop culture, we have to wonder how many will become like The Godfather, living on via references more than the original work.
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