Every actor who's played Paul, Chani and other characters from Dune: Who did it best?

The sci-fi novel Dune by Frank Herbert originally came out in 1965. An action-packed, epic story with themes of ecology, politics and the expansion of the human mind, people were hooked from the start, and many filmmakers attempted to adapt Dune to the screen over the years. Dune is set in a fantastical, richly imagined world, so that was tricky; filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky famously tried and failed to make it happen in the 1970s, but others would soldier on.

The first proper screen adaptation of Dune came in 1984 from director David Lynch. Although it has its fans, that movie was widely seen as a failure, including by Lynch himself, but at least it proved that an adaptation was possible. Next up was the Frank Herbert's Dune miniseries on The Sci-Fi Channel in 2000, which became a hit for the network despite its limited budget. And finally, director Denis Villeneuve made Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two, which seem destined to go down in history as the definitive adaptations of the book.

Between these three versions, we have a lot of different angles on the same story, and that's without even getting into adaptations of the Dune sequel books. That's three actors playing Paul Atreides, three actors playing Chani, three actors playing the Emperor, and so on. In this article, we'll take a look at who all has played these iconic characters over the years, and assess how the performances stack up against each other. Let's start with the Lisan al Gaib himself:

Paul Atreides

Paul Atreides is the main character of our story, the scion of a noble house who is cast out into the desert where he becomes a messiah to the Fremen, the native people of the planet Arrakis. With his army and his precient visions, he retakes his home and becomes the new emperor of the universe. Who has played him?

Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides in Dune 1984

Regular David Lynch collaborator Kyle MacLachlan was the first person to play Paul in Dune 1984. Lynch's movie is strange and cerebral, and sometimes it feels like MacLachlan is having to act through a fog, but he's still charismatic.

Alec Newman as Paul Atreides in Frank Herbert's Dune

In the miniseries, Scottish actor Alec Newman took on the role of Paul. He's able, but sometimes struggles to get across the gravity of the series when surrounded by cheap-looking scenery. On the other hand, Frank Herbert's Dune is the most faithful to the source material of any Dune adaptation, and Newman proves himself capable of delivering on the book's biggest twists. He plays the role a bit more arrogant and petulant than MacLachlan and Chalamet.

Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two

Although all three actors who played Paul were around the same age when they made their respective movies — in their mid-20s — Timothée Chalamet reads the youngest, which helps with the early stages of Paul's journey. Chalamet also delivers when Paul has to become a leader of frightening power to the Fremen.

Best Paul Atreides: Timothée Chalamet

Duke Leto Atreides

Paul's father Duke Leto Atreides is an important character. It's his loss that drives Paul for much of the story.

Jürgen Prochnow as Duke Leto Atreides in Dune 1984

The problem with the 1984 Dune movie is that it had to cram a huge epic story into the space of a single movie. Many characters didn't much of a chance to shine, including Jürgen Prochnow as Leto Atreides. He seemed warm and paternal in his few scenes, but they come and go pretty quickly.

William Hurt as Duke Leto Atreides in Frank Herbert's Dune

Academy Award winner William Hurt was the most famous actor in Frank Herbert's Dune, and you can tell he's worth the accolades. The acting talent in this miniseries was hit and miss, but Hurt is always compelling. His duke is kind but firm, driven but weary, crafty but relatable. Hurt brings a lot of layers to the character.

Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides in Dune: Part One

Oscar Isaac's occupies a healthy middle ground between Prochnow's Duke and Hurt's. He gets the space of a whole movie to explore the character, and has the budget to look regal doing it.

Best Duke Leto Atreides: William Hurt

Lady Jessica

Paul's mother sticks around for much longer than Duke Leto. She's a member of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, a loving wife and mother, and eventually a powerful Reverend Mother for the Fremen.

Francesca Annis as Lady Jessica in Dune 1984

Because the David Lynch movie doesn't have much time to explore the details of Dune, characters often get by on iconogaphy. The more memorable you are a glance, the better impression you'll make. With her lidded eyes and breathy voice, Francesca Annis is pretty memorable as Lady Jessica, conveying a lot of internal conflict with few lines of dialogue.

Saskia Reeves as Lady Jessica in Frank Herbert's Dune

Saskia Reeves' turns in a lower-key performance that makes Lady Jessica seem more like an ordinary person, rather than an inscrutable Bene Gesserit schemer.

Rebecca Ferguson in Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two

Stately and commanding, Rebecca Ferguson's performance as Lady Jessica hews a little closer to Annis' than it does Reeves', but she's also able to use the expanded runtime over the first movie to explore more of Jessica's contradictions. Also, Dune: Part Two makes Lady Jessica out to be something of a frightening presence, and Ferguson is very convincing.

Best Lady Jessica: Rebecca Ferguson

Gurney Halleck

Gurney Halleck is the faithful retainer of House Atreides, and one of several mentors for young Paul Atreides.

Patrick Stewart as Gurney Halleck in Dune 1984

Patrick Stewart only gets a few lines as Gurney in Dune 1984, but he makes them count, speaking always in that big booming voice of his and sounding like he's about to launch into a Shakespeare sonnet. If Stewart had more time to play with his performance, I have a feeling that his version of Gurney Halleck would be my favorite.

P. H. Moriarty as Gurney Halleck in Frank Herbert's Dune

In the miniseries, P.H. Moriarty plays Gurney Halleck like a straight-talking, good-hearted hustler out of a Charles Dickens story. It's a likable performance.

Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck in Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two

Josh Brolin certainly looks the part of a battle-hardened warrior, and I liked his role as someone who was trying to push Paul towards war in Dune: Part Two.

Best Gurney Halleck: Josh Brolin

Duncan Idaho

Duncan Idaho is a swordmaster who taught Paul Atreides how to fight.

Richard Jordan as Duncan Idaho in Dune 1984

As usual in Dune 1984, the actors don't get much time to spread out. Richard Jordan doesn't have as much charisma as Patrick Stewart, so you kind of forget his take on Duncan Idaho when he's not onscreen.

James Watson as Duncan Idaho in Frank Herbert's Dune

Once again, this take on Duncan Idaho seems a little muted considering he's supposed to be a swordfighting spy whom Paul idolizes, although I do like Watson's Scottish accent. Also, why do none of the adaptations include the scene where Duncan gets drunk and suspects Lady Jessica of being a traitor? That would have been fun to play, especially for...

Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho in Dune: Part One

Jason Momoa has become a movie star based on his swaggering charisma, which he puts to excellent use as Duncan Idaho. You can see why Paul would look up to this guy.

Best Duncan Idaho: Jason Momoa

Thufir Hawat

Thufit Hawat is a Mentat — a human computer and master tactician — in the service of House Atreides. He is yet another of Paul's tutors.

Freddie Jones as Thufir Hawat in Dune 1984

Freddie Jones gives us a Thufit Hawat who's avuncular, kind and a bit stuffy. And the eyebrows are spectacular, c'mon now.

Jan Vlasák as Thufir Hawat in Frank Herbert's Dune

Jan Vlasák's take on Thufir feels a bit more imperious than Jones'. A nice job all around.

Stephen McKinley Henderson in Dune: Part One

Stephen McKinley Henderson does a decent job as Thufir, but he doesn't get much to do in Dune: Part One and is cut entirely from Dune: Part Two.

Best Thufir Hawat: Freddie Jones

Doctor Wellington Yueh

Yueh is the doctor of House Atreides who betrays the family in hopes that the vile Baron Harkonnen will release his captive wife.

Dean Stockwell as Doctor Yueh in Dune 1984

Honestly, Dean Stockwell's version of Yueh doesn't seem too broken up about betraying the family he's served for years.

Robert Russell as Doctor Yueh in Frank Herbert's Dune

Robert Russell plays up the impossible situation Yueh finds himself in and is clearly more tortured about what he feels he must do.

Chang Chen as Doctor Yueh in Dune: Part One

Honestly, none of the actors playing Doctor Yueh get much time to shine. But I'll give the edge to Chang Chen's Yueh, since he seems more contrite than Stockwell's Yueh and his costumes are less silly-looking than Russell's.

Best Doctor Yueh: Chang Chen

Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam

Reverent Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam is the head of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, making her one of the most powerful people in the universe.

Siân Phillips as Reverend Mother Mohiam in Dune 1984

For a minor character, the Reverend Mother gets a good deal of screentime in Dune 1984. David Lynch must have liked her vibe and look, which is mysterious sci-fi witch queen. She's memorable here.

Zuzana Geislerová as Reverend Mother Mohiam in Frank Herbert's Dune

Zuzana Geislerová seems too young to me to play the ruler of one of the most powerful organizations in the universe. I think she was miscast.

Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Mohiam in Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two

Veteran actor Charlotte Rampling gives us a Reverend Mother who's a bit more down-to-earth than Phillips' version, but still plenty opulent. I think I like the exaggeration of the Phillips performance more.

Best Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam: Siân Phillips

Baron Vladimir Harkonnen

The most obvious villain of the story, Baron Harkonnen plots to take down his rivals in House Atreides. He succeeds...until his actions come back to haunt him.

Kenneth McMillan as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in Dune 1984

There's something about Baron Harkonnen that invites actors to overdo it, because both Kenneth McMillan in Dune 1984 and Ian McNeice in Frank Herbert's Dune go incredibly broad, gleefully gnashing sceneny and laughing like a psycho. McMillan's Baron seems a bit more crazy while McNeice's seems more theatrically evil:

Ian McNeice as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in Frank Herbert's Dune

These performances are both a lot of fun, if kind of goofy. That's in stark contrast with what Stellan Skarsgård does with the character in Denis Villeneuve's movies.

Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two

Skarsgård plays the baron as a sadistic man of few words. I like how over the top McMillan and McNeice are with their performances, but Skarsgård is the most successful at making the baron a credible villain.

Best Baron Vladimir Harkonnen: Stellan Skarsgård

Glossu "Beast" Rabban

Baron Harkonnen's nephew, Glossu Rabban is his uncle's brutal enforcer on Arrakis.

Paul Smith as Rabban in Dune 1984

Apparently there's something about the Harkonnen roles that makes actors want to laugh evilly. Paul Smith mugs and yells his way through his performance as the violent, simple-minded Rabban.

László I. Kish as Rabban in Frank Herbert's Dune

László I. Kish's Rabban is given a few moments to just be a normal person, but he has trouble selling moments of anger as well as his colleagues, and anger is Rabben's default setting.

Dave Bautista as Rabban in Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two

Denis Villeneuve clearly wanted to guard against the possibility of the Harkonnens sliding into camp. While the actors who played these characters in Dune 1984 and Frank Herbert's Dune sometimes seemed like they were about to tie a maiden to a railroad track, actors like Dave Bautista are deadly serious. His version of Rabban, given to sudden violent outbursts, is also legitimately scary.

Best Glossu "Beast" Rabban: Dave Bautista

Piter De Vries

Piter De Vries is a Mentat who serves House Harkonnen and the Baron.

Brad Dourif as Piter De Vries in Dune 1984

Brad Dourif doesn't get a ton of time as Piter, but he manages to convey the character's arrogance and intelligence in just a few lines. And again, let's hear it for those Mentat eyebrows!

Jan Unger as Piter De Vries in Frank Herbert's Dune

Apart from the Russian accent, there's nothing in particular to distinguish this performance from the crowd.

David Dastmalchian as Piter De Vries in Dune: Part One

With his sallow stare, David Dastmalchian is good casting for Piter De Vries, but doesn't get the attention he needs to fill out the character.

Best Piter De Vries: Brad Dourif

Liet-Kynes

Liet-Kynes is a planetary ecologist who has gone native among the Fremen people. He likes the Atreides but stops short of declaring himself openly as their ally, although it's possible he would have had the Harkonnens left the Atreides alive long enough. He dies pretty early in the story and is often a bit of an afterthought in the adaptations.

Max von Sydow as Liet-Kynes in Dune 1984

Between his work with director Ingmar Bergman in films like The Seventh Seal as well as a featured role in The Exorcist, Max von Sydow was already an acting legend by the time the first Dune movie came out. He only gets a couple moments as Liet-Kynes, but you remember him.

Karel Dobrý as Liet-Kynes in Frank Herbert's Dune

Karel Dobrý's performance as Liet-Kynes was a nice surprise. He brought a lot of personality to this supporting role. His Liet-Kynes is smart and subtle, and a bit mischievous. There's always a sense that he's being very careful with his words lest he say too much. He's interesting to watch whenever he's onscreen.

Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Liet-Kynes in Dune: Part One

Sharon Duncan-Brewster holds down the fort as a somber, serious Liet-Kynes in Denis Villeneuve's first Dune movie. She's solid, but hers isn't the performance you remember when you walk away.

Best Liet-Kynes: Karel Dobrý

Stilgar

Stilgar is the leader of the Fremen sect that Paul and his mother Lady Jessica join after they're forced into exile in the desert.

Everett McGill as Stilgar in Dune 1984

Like a lot of actors in Dune 1984, Everett McGill doesn't get much of a chance to do anything beyond stand still and look significantly at things.

Uwe Ochsenknecht as Stilgar as Frank Herbert's Dune

Uwe Ochsenknecht plays Stilgar as an effective leader willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good of his people if necessary. It's not a particularly showy performance but it gets the job done.

Javier Bardem as Stilgar in Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two

Weirdly, Javier Bardem's Stilgar is the comedy MVP of Dune: Part Two; the movie milks more than a couple laughs out of how seriously Stilgar takes Fremen scripture, even as the people around him are slightly flabbergasted. This doesn't take away from his role as a leader and teacher for Paul, but it does add an extra layer that makes him fun to watch.

Best Stilgar: Javier Bardem

Chani

Chani is a young Fremen woman who falls in love with Paul, and he with her.

Sean Young as Chani in Dune 1984

Thanks to roles in films like Blade Runner, Wall Street and No Way Out, Sean Young was a bit of an '80s movie icon. She's charismatic in Dune, but doesn't have much to do other than stand there and look important, which she does well.

Barbora Kodetová as Chani as Chani in Frank Herbert's Dune

Barbora Kodetová gets to dig into the character of Chani more than Young, displaying a decent range of emotions.

Zendaya as Chani in Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two

In the original Dune book, Chani more or less goes along with everything Paul does, including him becoming the leader of the Fremen people. In Dune: Part Two, Chani is mistrustful of Paul's rise because it takes advantage of lies the Bene Gesserit spread among her people many years ago. She loves Paul but also has something of an adversarial relationship with him. That gives Zendaya a lot of meaty emotions to play with.

Best Chani: Zendaya

Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen

Feyd-Rautha is another nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and the heir apparent to to his uncle's dukedom. He's a psycho who has a rivalry with Paul.

Sting as Feyd-Rautha in Dune 1984

There's a lot of variety about the actors playing Feyd-Rautha. In the 1984 movie, he's played by musician Sting, fresh off his hit "Every Breath You Take."

It's hard to talk about Sting's performance without acknowledging how odd and meta the whole thing is. He does a decent job — he certainly keeps the energy level in the room high — but he's not immune to the curse of Harkonnen campiness. The moment above, where Feyd-Rautha steps out of some kind of steamy chamber in a Jetsons speedo, is famous or infamous depending on how you look at it. You won't forget this performance, but I'm not convinced that's a good thing.

Matt Keeslar as Feyd-Rautha in Frank Herbert's Dune

Matt Keeslar's performance as Feyd-Rautha is the most ordinary of the three; he plays him as pretty much a normal guy with a mean streak. I think it's too ordinary. His Feyd doesn't feel particularly dangerous or memorable. He avoided camp, but at what cost?

Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha in Dune: Part Two

Now here's a healthy balance. We spend enough time with Austin Butler's Feyd to get an idea of who he is when he's not slicing and dicing, but he's also larger than life, a dangerous sadist who could rip out the throat of the nearest passerby at a moment's notice. The Villeneuve movies definitely have my favorite take on the Harkonnens.

Best Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen: Austin Butler

Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV

He's the emperor of the known universe, but being in charge comes with some difficult challenges. It's exhausting always having to beat back would-be claimants to your throne.

José Ferrer as the Emperor in Dune 1984

José Ferrer seems regal and commanding as the Emperor. You believe this is a man suited to authority. His performance has persisted in the popular imagination.

Giancarlo Giannini as the Emperor in Frank Herbert's Dune

Giancarlo Giannini's performance as the Emperor is a bit more theatrical than Ferrer's. We spend more time with the Emperor in the miniseries, which cuts down on his mystique a bit.

Christopher Walker as the Emperor in Dune: Part Two

Christopher Walken is imperious as the Emperor, but also more feeble than either of his predecessors, a sign that his grasp on the universe may be slipping.

Best Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV: José Ferrer

Alia

Alia is Paul's younger sister, who is only a young child during the events of the first Dune books.

Alicia Witt as Alia in Dune 1984

In Villeneuve's Dune movies, Alia is not born by the time the credits role. Both David Lynch's Dune and and the miniseries stick closer to the text, where she's a little girl by the end of the story; in the book, it's Alia who finally kills Baron Harkonnen, not Paul.

Alia is played by child actors in the two earlier Dune adaptations. In both cases, the vibe is "creepy child who knows more than she should." I think it works better in Dune 1984, although both child actors pull it off.

Laura Burton as Alia in Frank Herbert's Dune

Like I said, Denis Villeneuve's movies take a very different approach with Alia; we only hear her voice as she communicates with Lady Jessica while still in her womb, and Paul has a brief vision where a grown-up Alia is played by Anya Taylor-Joy.

Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia in Dune: Part Two

It's hard to say how well Taylor-Joy will portray Alia because she appears in the movie for less than a minute. I do think that she's good casting, though, with her striking features and ethereal demeanor. If and when Villeneuve makes Dune: Part Three, Joy will feature more heavily.

Best Alia: Alicia Witt

Princess Irulan

The only child of Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, Irulan is next in line for the throne, but at the end of the story marries Paul as part of a political arrangement that makes him the new emperor.

Virginia Madsen as Irulan in Dune 1984

A young Virginia Madsen makes the most of her few minutes as Princess Irulan in Dune 1984. In this movie, there isn't time to develop a deep character; you stand out if you have charisma, and Madsen's got it.

Julie Cox as Irulan in Frank Herbert's Dune

Julie Cox digs into Irulan a bit deeper in the miniseries; they even write her a new scene where she shows up to Arrakeen and visits with Paul before the Baron attacks House Atreides. Cox is solid if not singular.

Florence Pugh as Irulan in Dune: Part Two

Florence Pugh does a great job of hinting at Irulan's hidden depths without saying too much. She's smart, she's calculating, she's empathetic, and she'll have more to do in Dune: Part Three.

Best Princess Irulan: Florence Pugh

Based on my choices, it's pretty clear that I think Denis Villeneuve's Dune movies are the best adaptation so far. But I think there's value to be found in all three.

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