The 20 most famous vampires in TV and movie history

Dracula is that vampire. Without him, who knows if we’d even be discussing the rest of the vampires on this list. Dark, spooky, and iconic, Dracula is the blueprint by which all the other vampires have taken shape. 

Edward Cullen is quite possibly the most famous vampire next to Dracula. He is that iconic. His sparkling skin, constant agitation, and frequent warnings to Bella to stay away from him just made her that much more intrigued, and to be honest, we kind of get it. Okay, we fully get it. We’d want to spend eternity with Edward, too.

But we can’t mention Edward without giving proper appreciation to his lover, Bella Swan. Bella’s transformation takes so long that it’s sometimes hard to remember that she turns into a vampire in the end, but she does. And we’ll never forget the moment at the end of the fourth movie when she’s finally able to spend forever with Edward. 

The best thing about Grandpa Munster is not that he’s a vampire but that he’s been married 167 times. Couldn’t he have solved this problem by just marrying another vampire? It seems like a very simple solution. 

Vampires are typically scary, but The Simpsons found a way to put a humorous spin on the trope. Although he was barely on screen, he left his mark, and fans of the show and fans of vampires will not soon forget his quick cameo. 

It’s rare for vampires to be cute, but Count von Count is adorable. He’s a cheerful and helpful vampire whose main objective in life is to teach other people how to count. While most vampires count victims, Count von Count just counts blocks. 

Viago from What We Do in the Shadows might have more of a cult following, but it’s growing steadily thanks to the success of his vampire contemporaries in Long Island on the TV adaptation of the same name. Viago does what he has to do, but he feels bad doing it. And he just wants to keep things clean. 

If you’re a fan of vampires, TV, and movies, there was no better time to be alive than in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Between Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, and True Blood, there was plenty of content to sink your teeth into (pun intended). Eric Northman had more than a few people keeping up on everything True Blood had to offer. 

Morbius became a famous vampire quickly. While he had long been depicted in Marvel comics and appeared in other projects, he finally got his own starring role in the 2022 film Morbius starring Jared Leto as the titular character. Critics didn’t love the film, but audiences were quite taken with the vampire.

Eventually, Spike becomes good, but he starts out straight-up terrifying. Just a casual reminder that he garnered his nickname by using railroad spikes to torture his victims. That is a shudder-inducing thought. 

Blade is to vampires what Dexter is to serial killers. He’s just out here making it safe for humans to live in a world full of vampires, all the while blurring the line between safe and harmful creatures. 

Before Johnny Depp portrayed Barnabas Collins in the film adaptation of Dark Shadows, Jonathan Frid played the iconic role in the original TV series. Frid acted as the vampire for 595 episodes. Yes, 595. Soap operas might fare better today if they included some supernatural characters like Barnabas. 

There are vampires you root for and there are vampires who bring you back down to earth and remind you that they mostly just wreak havoc whatever and whomever is around them. Some might think he’s a misunderstood villain, but he’s mostly just a maniac out for revenge. 

Never has 171 looked so good. Sweet, kind, and trying to be good, Stefan Salvatore is hard not to love. He’s one of the vampires who are chiefly responsible for making the masses wish the dangerous creatures existed in real life. 

Damon Salvatore is the ultimate bad boy. Also incredibly good-looking and endlessly charming, Damon is made even more attractive with his frequent pop culture references and wit that’s as undying as he is. Long live Damon Salvatore. 

Another Vampire Diaries favorite, Katherine Pierce is the iconic queen of love triangles. We’re of the opinion that being a vampire would cause enough complications in your life, but more power to Katherine for adding just a slice more of drama into hers. 

There is an entire generation of people who only know about Count Orlok because of an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, and those same people all believe him to be named Nosferatu. If you are one such person, the vampire’s name is Count Orlok.

Lady Gaga can do it all, even convince the world she’s a vampire. Honestly, if any celebrity were to make the general public believe such a thing, it’d be her. The Countess wins the prize for the most glamorous vampire in TV and movie history. 

Tom Cruise as a vampire is the intersection of many a Gen Xer’s fantasy. If you’re into dark, arrogant, and, quite frankly, dangerous, Lestat de Lioncourt is the vampire for you. Bonus points if you like your men in vests and billowing blouses. 

Brad Pitt as a vampire is the intersection of an entirely separate group of Gen Xer’s fantasy. Where the Lestat stans are fonder of a ruggedly handsome look, those who prefer Louis like a beautiful man, particularly one with very long hair and five names.