Collider ranks 10 greatest movie musical characters — Sally Bowles is No. 1

Collider Senior Editor David published a ranking on Jan. 31, 2026, of the 10 greatest movie musical characters of the last 100 years, placing Liza Minnelli’s Sally Bowles from Cabaret at No. 1. The list highlights Sally as an Oscar-winning, free-spirited main attraction at the Kit Kat Club whose willful blindness and complicity are central to Bob Fosse’s dark 1931‑Berlin drama.

At No. 2 is Barbra Streisand’s Fanny Brice in Funny Girl — a role that earned Streisand an Oscar and showcased her signature voice on numbers such as "Don't Rain on My Parade." Julie Andrews’s Maria von Trapp ranks No. 3, with Collider noting The Sound of Music’s $287 million gross and Andrews’s elevating vocal performances on songs like "Do-Re-Mi." Gene Kelly’s Donald "Don" Lockwood from Singin’ in the Rain appears at No.

4, praised for the film’s iconic titular sequence and Kelly’s status as the archetypal song-and-dance man. Judy Garland’s Dorothy Gale is No. 5, with Collider pointing to the heartbreak and power of her "Over the Rainbow" performance and the bittersweet context of Garland’s difficult experiences on set.

Catherine Zeta-Jones’s Velma Kelly from Chicago is No. 6; Collider highlights her Oscar win and her commanding delivery of "All That Jazz," noting Zeta-Jones insisted on a short wig to make clear she was performing the dancing and singing. Audrey Hepburn’s Eliza Doolittle is No.

sally bowles, liza minnelli, cabaret, fanny brice, barbra streisand, funny girl, maria von trapp, julie andrews, don lockwood, singin' in the rain, dorothy gale, judy garland