Fictional Teachers in Movies: The Top Ten

Celebrities Who Have Portrayed Teachers in Movies

In movies, most teachers get a bad rap. It makes sense when you consider the target demographic of most movies consists of 18-24 year olds. With this in mind, the celebrity teachers on the top ten movie teachers list aren't necessarily the ones you wanted for homeroom - these are the teachers that really stand out in movies.

10. Professor Snape - Harry Potter
Okay, first you hate him, then you like him, then you hate him, then you don't trust him, then he seems all right, then he winds up being a good guy after all, maybe. Professor Snape has the distinction of being the most ambiguous celebrity teacher on this list - it's gotta be the hair.

9. Mrs. Darbus - High School Musical
She makes the list simply because I had a teacher just like her in high school. And who says these things aren't biased?

8. Ms. Norbury - Mean Girls
Tina Fey (who also wrote the Mean Girls script) plays Ms. Norbury to perfection. Mathletes of the world unite!

7. Arnold Schwarzenegger - Kindergarten Cop
So his real name is John Kimble, but let's face it - Arnold plays Arnold in every movie. And if you put Arnold in a classroom full of kindergarteners who speak better English than he does - hilarity is bound to ensue. By the way, just for the record - It's not a tumor.

6. Ben Stein - Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Simply billed as the Economics Teacher, Ben Stein turns in his most energetic performance to date. Stein, whose father was also an economist, used his economics background in this celebrity teacher role to ad lib the lecture he delivers to the students. Bueller? Bueller?

5. Robin Williams - Dead Poets Society
O Captain! My Captain! As English teacher John Keating in Dead Poets Society, Williams plays the English professor I always wanted.

4. Mr. Hand - Fast Times At Ridgemont High
It's difficult to write about Mr. Hand on my time. Convinced everyone was on dope, and digging into Jeff Spicoli's pizza, Mr. Hand, played by Ray Walston, was passionate about two things - truancy and history. On the flip side, this celebrity teacher went above the call of duty to teach Spicoli just enough to graduate, on his own time after class - sounds like Teacher of the Year material to me.