Some of the greatest fictional thieves were in it solely for personal gain. Others wanted to avenge past injustices they experienced or knew were happening in their communities. For my list of the best thieves in movies and on TV, I’m choosing a mix of thieves and criminals who stole for their own profit, to right injustices, to help others in their town or city, or by sheer accident.
Merriam-Webster defines a thief as, “one that steals stealthily or sneakily.” Thieves rarely resort to violence, unless there’s no other way. Instead, thieves are often cunning and even charming. They use their charisma to get the job done in a way that goes unnoticed until long after committing the crime. There’s also usually a purpose for the theft. It might be a financial gain for the thief, but it could also be to get revenge or to bring justice to the world.
An example of one of my favorite fictional thieves is in the novel “The Book Thief” by Marcus Zusak. Liesel Meminger steals books, but she does so because she knows German politicians are planning to destroy certain titles forever. She’s stealing books she believes need to be available for future generations to read and learn from. I admire her thefts. It’s thieves like her that were easy to add to my list of 20 of the best TV and movie thieves.
Here are the greatest fictional thieves I believe deserve their place on this list. I’ve listed them in alphabetical order. (Also, discover some of the men on the FBI’s most wanted list and learn more about true-life thieves and criminals.)
Frank Abagnale, Jr.
Abagnale, Jr. is the lead in “Catch Me If You Can,” a movie based partially on a true story. The real-life Abagnale, Jr., however, made several claims that were proven false. I’m focused on the movie character portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s a man who forged checks and posed as a doctor, pilot, and even part of the FBI to get away with his crimes. The cat-and-mouse chase between DiCaprio and Tom Hanks is so much fun to watch.
Aladdin
In the Disney movie, Aladdin is impoverished and lives on the streets, doing what he can to get by. The sorcerer Jafar wants a magic lamp hidden deep in the caves, but only certain types of people can retrieve it. Jafar gets Aladdin to steal the lamp for him, which sets Aladdin on a path of theft for good and for Jafar’s evil ways.
The Artful Dodger
The Artful Dodger, aka Jack Dawkins, originated in Charles Dickens’s “Oliver Twist.” The orphan was given a place to live in exchange for learning thievery by the greedy Fagin. In 2023, the character gained his own TV series where he left his life of crime to become a surgeon. Only, it isn’t long before Fagin is back in the picture pushing Jack to pull off one more crime. Yet, he’s torn between his work helping save others and the crimes he’s committed for so many years.
Danny Atlas
Atlas is a character in “Now You See Me” played by Jesse Eisenberg, and he’s part of a magic troupe called The Four Horsemen. The quartet forms after receiving tarot cards and magic show instructions from a mysterious benefactor. The resulting magic shows pull off amazing bank heists with a twist. The money stolen goes to members of the audience, including the victims of Hurricane Katrina. FBI and Interpol agents are hot on their heels, but Atlas ensures they’re always two steps ahead.
Neal Caffrey
Matt Bomer plays Caffrey on the show “White Collar.” He has more than two dozen aliases and a knack for forgery. It’s during his arrest that he points out some counterfeits to the arresting FBI agent. Instead of going to prison, he ends up working with the FBI to identify white-collar criminals.
Catwoman (Selina Kyle)
Kyle’s a popular movie, comic, and TV thief turned Batman ally. Her background varies a bit between the comics, movies, and TV shows. However, she’s an extremely likable, cunning thief. Several actors made Catwoman memorable, including Julie Newmar, Lee Merriweather, Eartha Kitt, Michelle Pfeiffer, Halle Barry, Anne Hathaway, Zoe Kravitz, Camren Bicondova, and Lili Simmons.
Dom Cobb
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Cobb in the movie “Inception.” He’s a thief with a unique talent. He enters people’s dreams to steal their ideas. He’s offered a role in implanting ideas into people during their dreams. As he’s promised in return he’ll be cleared of his wife’s alleged murder and reunite with his children, he agrees.
Thomas Crown
Crown of the movie “The Thomas Crown Affair” is played by Steve McQueen in the original and Pierce Brosnan in the remake. He’s a billionaire with a perchance for stealing priceless works of art. He’s involved in a cat-and-mouse chase with an insurance investigator, played by Faye Dunaway and Renee Russo. She’s always hot on his heels as she chases him around the world trying to end his thefts.
Hercule Flambeau
TV’s “Father Brown” is an endearing British cozy mystery show starring Mark Williams. It’s based on the book series by M. K. Chesterton. Flambeau appears in the 10th episode of the first season and returns frequently after that. Each time, Flambeau steals a priceless religious artifact, and Father Brown is determined to stop him. Over time, they form a friendship with Flambeau, transitioning from thief to father and man who wants to change his life, although thievery is what he does best.
Henry Gondorff
Paul Newman played Gorndorff in the movie “The Sting.” Gondorff is an alcoholic expert at pulling off successful cons. When a crime boss orders the murders of Johnny Hooker’s partners, Hooker seeks out Gondorff to help him swindle the crime boss to seek retribution. “The Sting” won seven Oscars and Robert Redford was nominated for his performance of Hooker.
Hans Gruber
He’s ruthless, yet Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Gruber is one of the best, which puts him on my list of the greatest fictional thieves. He’s the movie thief John McClane (Bruce Willis) goes up against in the theft of $640 million from Nakatomi Plaza in “Die Hard.”
Max Guevara
I believe the network canceled “Dark Angel” way too soon. It starred Jessica Alba as Max, a genetically-created Manticore soldier. She escapes the compound and lives in a post-apocalyptic world. At night, she steals things to have the money she needs to keep herself and other Manticore escapees safe.
Earl Hickey
Hickey (Jason Lee) is a small-town thief who wins $100,000 on a scratch card, only to get hit by a car. In the process, he loses the ticket and believes that’s the work of karma. He seeks to right all of his life’s wrongs. He’s a thief who spends each episode reversing the crimes he committed. Watch him in “My Name is Earl.”
Robin Hood
He and his men stole from the rich to give to the poor. Understandably, he has no tolerance for the Sheriff of Nottingham’s tax collections on townspeople. Many actors have portrayed Robin Hood over the years. Douglas Fairbanks portrayed him in a 1922 silent film. Errol Flynn, Sean Connery, Kevin Costner, Cary Elwes, Russell Crowe, and Taren Egerton have also portrayed this popular movie thief.
Doug Judy, aka The Pontiac Bandit
The Pontiac Bandit is Detective Jake Peralta’s nemesis. He gets his name from his crimes, which include, accordingly, stealing Pontiacs. He’s played by Craig Robinson, and many fans grew to enjoy his character. While he’s a thief, he also proves to be one of the most cunning the team from “Brooklyn 99” encounter. As it goes, they keep catching him, but he keeps escaping. I especially loved the episode “The Takeback” where Jake is hurt that he’s not The Pontiac Bandit’s choice as best man. It brought a new level to their relationship.
Omar Little
Michael K. Williams plays Little on “The Wire.” While he’s a TV thief, he steals from notorious drug dealers, so it’s hard for fans to dislike him. I also loved that he made it his goal to never hurt an innocent person in his crimes.
Mac MacDougal
Sean Connery portrayed MacDougal in “Entrapment,” opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones. As a notorious art thief, he’s approached by Zeta-Jones to help her pull off a heist of a priceless Chinese mask. The problem is she’s an investigator hoping to entrap him in the crime. He’s an enjoyable thief to watch as he’s always a step ahead.
Neil McCauley
Robert DeNiro portrayed McCauley in the movie “Heat.” McCauley is a thief who is on a job stealing bonds from an armored vehicle. One of the crew kills a guard, forcing the others to kill additional guards, which angers McCauley. He makes it his mission to kill the thief who didn’t follow instructions. It’s based on a true story.
Professor Moriarty
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created Moriarity as a rival to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Moriarty uses his shrewd insights and intelligence to advise others on how to pull off the perfect crime. In exchange, he receives a share of the profits. In TV and movies, he’s been portrayed by numerous actors including Ralph Fiennes, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Sir Laurence Olivier.
Sonny Wortzik
The “Dog Day Afternoon” character Wortzik is based on John Wojtowicz. Wojtowicz was a banker who stole from the bank where he worked. Allegedly, the robbery was a mafia job and also helped Wojtowicz pay for his partner’s gender-affirming surgery. Al Pacino received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Wortzik. (Would you like to explore more of true crime’s notable thieves? Read 25 of the Biggest Bank Heists in History.)