15. Howard Beale
played by Peter Finch in Network
“I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” This line, delivered with righteous fury by Peter Finch, awakened the anger of a generation fresh off Watergate and Vietnam. Howard Beale flies off the handle on a variety of subjects, making well-articulated points at the volume of a madman. The overall story of Howard Beale, however, is a tragic one, as we learn that even a counter-culture anti-hero can be co-opted by the powers that be.
