“Few of us are like Bob Redford or Steve McQueen,” reckons Spielberg. “Most of us are like Richard Dreyfuss.” Who better, then, to meet extra-terrestrials?

The climax of Spielberg’s alien-hugging epic may welcome the mothership, yet the bulk rests on one man’s shoulders. Dreyfuss plays it straight as his middle-class, midwestern Joe Shmoe juggles family and destiny and tries not to crack up as he proves the truth is out there.

Look past the industrial light and magic and you’ll see he’s the movie’s heart and soul.

Greatest Moment: Obsessively sculpting a plate of mashed potatoes into a mountain.

Also See: Curt Henderson (American Graffiti), Matt Hooper (Jaws), Elliot Garfield (The Goodbye Girl), Bill Babowsky (Tin Men).