8 Coolest Cigar Smoking Characters In Film & TV

Through the years, there have been many cool cigar smoking characters, both on TV as well as on film.

And, it wouldn't be too much an exaggeration to say that some of these characters helped make cigar smoking cooler, and more mainstream than it would have been otherwise.

If you'd like to take a trip down memory lane, find out about some great movies or TV shows to add to your collection, and enjoy watching them later with a good cigar and drink by your side, then you've definitely come to the right place.

So let's get into it. Here are eight of the coolest cigar smoking characters from film and TV.

Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer

Who can forget Dutch - played by Arnold Schwarzenegger - from the highly acclaimed 1987 Action/Horror/Sci-Fi, Predator?

Dutch doesn't just save the world from aliens. He does so with style. A Vietnam vet with a penchant for cigar breaks, he's easily one of the coolest cigar smoking characters from film.

If you're looking to retreat to the man cave and watch an action flick that's action-packed, Predator is always a good choice.

Incidentally, Schwarzenegger is a cigar aficionado on and off of the silver screen, proving that you never have to work a day in your life if you get to work at what you love.

Wolverine

The original child-friendly X-Men may not have had a stogie-smoker in their midst. But in the 2000 movie and in subsequent sequels and prequels, Wolverine - played by Hugh Jackman - can be seen enjoying a cigar break from time to time.

Controversy aside, there are few cigar-smoking characters as cool as Logan, whose claws slice through virtually anything, and whose skeletal structure is comprised of the virtually indestructible Adamantium. If that wasn't enough, he has a ridiculously fast healing system too.

Wolverine's cigar of choice? Cohiba.

John "Hannibal" Smith

If you grew up watching TV in the 80s, you idolized The A-Team, comprised of four distinct characters known as John "Hannibal" Smith (played by George Peppard), "Howling Mad" Murdock (Dwight Schultz), B.A. Baracus (Mr. T), and Templeton "Faceman" Peck (Dirk Benedict).

Of course, the 2010 re-make featuring Liam Neeson as Hannibal isn't half bad either.

Either way, if it involved blowing stuff up, the TV Hannibal would either be seen puffing on a cigar, or using it to light explosives. And what's cooler than that?

Cosmo Kramer

If you were a faithful viewer of the TV show Seinfeld, there's no way you don't remember Cosmo Kramer as played by Michael Richards. In fact, all we need to say is ”Kramer", and you know exactly who we're referring to.

And while Kramer may not be the epitome of cool, his love of vintage clothing and Cuban cigars - if nothing else - makes him an obvious choice for this list.

You also can't deny the amount of comedy the character brought to the show, with his sudden bursts through Jerry's apartment door, and the outbursts of noise he made to convey any emotion.

Tony Montana

Who can forget Al Pacino as Tony Montana in the 1983 Crime and Drama classic, Scarface?

This Cuban refugee doesn't stray far from his roots, as he can be seen puffing on Cuban cigars throughout the film.

Although his race to the top in the mob scene doesn't end well for him, his many quotable lines live on in the minds of fans everywhere.

Xenia Onatopp

GoldenEye - featuring Pierce Brosnan as James Bond - is still one of the most memorable and most praised Bond movies from the 90s.

And that might have something to do with the villainous, cigar-smoking, curious-sounding female villain, Xenia Onatopp, as portrayed by Famke Janssen.

As you can imagine, there aren't too many women that make a list like this, but the homicidal Russian beauty that smoked big cigars while scheming is deserving of the "cool" moniker, don't you think?

The Man With No Name/Joe

Client Eastwood played The Man With No Name (or Joe) in the classic 1964 Action/Drama/Western, A Fistful of Dollars.

And there are few names as synonymous with Westerns today as Clint Eastwood. In those times, any character he played could have been the dictionary definition of "cool", at least in an understated way.

But there's a reason why we have to pick on The Man With No Name, because he was a skinny cigar smoker. Rumor has it that the stogie smoking was something Eastwood himself brought to the role. There's no question that it added to the mystery of the character.

In addition to that, A Fistful of Dollars, along with For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - a trilogy of spaghetti Westerns - is what really put Eastwood on the map in Hollywood.

Starbuck

Battlestar Galactica is a series with considerable fanfare, whether you're talking about the short TV run that occurred in the 70s, or the reboot that ran from 2004 to 2009.

And in both instances, the character known as Starbuck (male in the original, female in the new version) enjoyed a cigar, especially while playing a game of Pyramid.

What's interesting to note is that the original Starbuck, played by Dirk Benedict, was also "Faceman" on The A-Team. It's interesting that there would be some intersection between a character already on this list, and the one we're talking about right now.

The stogies give Benedict, a ladies' man, all the more swagger.

Conclusion

It's fun to look back on the history of film and TV and consider who the cigar puffers were.

In a way, it's something you don't even think about until it's pointed out to you.

There's little doubt that some of the characters mentioned here - and others - had an effect on the popularity of stogies.

Can you think of other cool cigar smoking characters in film and TV? Who are your favorites?

Once you start digging, you'll find that there are many others.

So, if you have some time, kick back, relax, prepare your favorite drink and cigar, and take a trip down memory lane.