The Greatest Pirate Characters in Film

Ranker Characters
Updated September 16, 2023 120.6K votes 13.7K voters 233.9K views
Over 13.7K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Greatest Pirate Characters in Film

They're swashbuckling. They're bold. And they're always on the wrong side of the law. The greatest pirate characters in movies are memorable figures that audiences love – or love to hate. Some good pirate characters search for treasure on the high seas, while other fictional pirates call space their home. A few of the best pirate roles even earned Oscar nominations for the actors who played them.

What roles will you find on this list of the best pirate characters in films? Without a doubt, Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow is one of the most popular pirates to ever hit the silver screen. The actor even earned an Oscar nomination for his instantly iconic performance. His Pirates of the Caribbean co-stars Will Turner and Hector Barbossa are also fan favorites. Captain Hook and Smee keep Never Never Land on alert in all of the Peter Pan movies.

Not all pirates appear in period films. In the 2013 movie Captain Phillips, Abduwali Muse commandeered the MV Maersk Alabama and its crew. Other great roles featured on this top pirate characters in film list include Yondu from Guardians of the Galaxy and Morgan Adams from Cutthroat Island.

You decide which pirate character deserves the treasured number-one position on this list. Vote your favorite fictional pirates up to the top and add any good pirate movie roles that are missing.
Most divisive: Cotton
Ranked by
  • Jack Sparrow
    1

    Jack Sparrow

    Johnny Depp
    5,397 votes
    • Film: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Pirates of the Caribbean 5
    Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character and a main protagonist in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. The character was created by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and is portrayed by Johnny Depp, who based his characterization on Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and cartoon character Pepé Le Pew. He first appears in the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. He later appears in the sequels Dead Man's Chest, At World's End, On Stranger Tides, and Dead Men Tell No Tales. In the films, Sparrow is one of the nine pirate lords in the Brethren Court, the Pirate Lords of the Seven Seas. He can be treacherous and survives mostly by using wit and negotiation rather than by force, opting to flee most dangerous situations and to fight only when necessary. Sparrow is introduced seeking to regain his ship, the Black Pearl, from his mutinous first mate, Hector Barbossa. Later he attempts to escape his blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones while battling the East India Trading Company. The character's role expanded as the films progressed.
  • Hector Barbossa
    2

    Hector Barbossa

    Geoffrey Rush
    4,162 votes
    • Film: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
    Hector Barbossa is a fictional character in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series partly inspired by Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha. Barbossa is portrayed by Australian actor Geoffrey Rush in all the films. Barbossa was first introduced in the series as the villainous and treacherous captain of the Black Pearl after committing mutiny against the ship's rightful captain, Jack Sparrow, in the series' first installment Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Having met his demise in the climax of the film, his character is revealed to have been resurrected at the end of Dead Man's Chest. In the third film At World's End, it is revealed that Barbossa is also one of the nine pirate lords in the Brethren Court, the Pirate Lords of the Seven Seas. In the fourth film On Stranger Tides, he has become a privateer in the King's Navy and is ordered to be Jack's guide on an expedition for the Fountain of Youth.
  • Davy Jones
    3

    Davy Jones

    Bill Nighy
    3,919 votes
    • Film: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
    Davy Jones is a character in the Pirates of the Caribbean feature film series, who first appears in the second film, Dead Man's Chest and returns in the series' third installment, At World's End. He is the captain of the Flying Dutchman, roaming the seas in search of souls to serve upon his vessel for a century. In the story, his original purpose was to carry souls of those who died at sea from this world to the next on his vessel. He was charged with this duty by his one true love, the sea goddess Calypso. For every ten years at sea he could spend one day on land to be with her. Ten years after first being charged with the duty, Jones prepared to be reunited with his true love, but was heartbroken and enraged when she did not appear. Unable to deal with the sadness of Calypso's betrayal, he cut out his heart and locked it in a chest, burying it on the plague island Isla Cruces. This chest became known as the Dead Man's Chest, the primary object being sought after in the second film. Jones then abandoned his duties, and instead ruled the seas as a tyrant with a damned crew bound by oath to serve aboard the Dutchman for one hundred years each.
  • Joshamee Gibbs
    4

    Joshamee Gibbs

    Kevin McNally
    3,584 votes
    • Film: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
    Joshamee Hamish Gibbs is a fictional supporting character in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. He is portrayed by Kevin McNally and voiced by Steven Jay Blum in video game adaptations.
  • Captain Hook
    5

    Captain Hook

    Jason Isaacs, Danny Kaye, Dustin Hoffman
    4,328 votes
    • Film: Peter Pan, Peter Pan, Hook, Peter Pan, Disney's Halloween Treat
    James Hook is a fictional character from the adventure, fantasy film Neverland.
  • Elizabeth Swann
    6

    Elizabeth Swann

    Keira Knightley
    2,378 votes
    • Film: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
    Elizabeth Swann is a fictional protagonist of the first three films and a character in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. She appears in The Curse of the Black Pearl and two of its sequels, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End. She is portrayed by Keira Knightley. She is known to use the alias "Elizabeth Turner", but this later becomes her married name when she weds the character, Will Turner.