Indiana Jones is Movie Fans Favourite Hero

The whip cracking adventures of Indiana Jones have pushed the fearless archaeologist ahead of the pack with more than half (51%) of movie fans surveyed, selecting him as their favourite action hero, according to a new poll by Live Search.More than 2,500 movie fans took part in the survey that explored the most popular action heroes of the past as well as possible future contenders for the title. Almost 20 years since the nation’s favourite archaeologist graced our screens, Indiana Jones has beaten martini-loving agent James Bond (22%) and ‘Die Hard’ detective John McClane (11%) to the top spot.

Indy of the Future

When it comes to future Indiana Jones sequels, fans want Brad Pitt to step in when Harrison Ford hangs up his hat, with 29% voting him the best contender for the role. Pitt fought off competition for the coveted title from Brokeback Mountain star, Jake Gyllenhaal (20%), Atonement sweetheart James McAvoy (16%) and Pirates of the Caribbean heart throb, Orlando Bloom (14%).

When asked which non Hollywood star should play Indiana, professional adventurer, Bear Grylls came out on top with 35% of the votes beating Prince Harry (20%) and bohemian media magnet, Russell Brand (16%).

Ultimate Action Hero

According to the Live Search poll, if you combine the brains of Indiana and Jason Bourne with the bodies of Bond and Rambo and top it off with John McClane’s catchphrase you’ll have the ultimate action hero:

· 32% believe Indy and Jason Bourne are the most intelligent action heroes, beating Bond (21%) and Mission Impossible’s Ethan Hunt (9%)

· James Bond and Rambo share the title of ‘best body’ with 27% of votes, muscling out Indiana (19%) and Jason Bourne (17%)

· 31% voted John McClane’s 'Yipee-ki-yay' as the best catch phrase of all time, with Crocodile Dundee’s 'That’s not a knife. This is a knife' in second place (30%), followed by Bond’s 'Shaken not stirred' (18%) and Indiana’s 'Don’t call me Junior' with (15%)%

Paul Stoddart, Live Search UK Senior Product Manager, says: 'With the new Indy flick, ‘Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ out this week, we wanted to give movie fans the chance to tell us who their favourite action hero is and it’s no surprise Indy tops the list.

'He is one of cinema’s everyman heroes and since the last time he rode off into the sunset in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," we’ve all been dying to see his return.