The Role: Kit

Why It’s The Best: It’s the role that Sheen himself regards as his best work, and the one that marked his arrival as a major Hollywood player. Oozing an icy charisma as the James Dean obsessed Kit (Dean was an idol of Sheen’s also), he’s a disconcertingly magnetic screen presence, even when his bloodthirsty deeds threaten to turn the stomach. A towering performance in one of the greatest films of the ‘70s.

Iconic Moment: The scene in which Sheen and Sissy Spacek dance to Love Is Strange as it plays on their portable radio. This sequence sums up the film’s offbeat mood perfectly.

Sheen Says: “It was mesmerising. It disarmed you. It was a period piece, and yet of all time. It was extremely American, it caught the spirit of the people, of the culture, in a way that was immediately identifiable.”