In 1998, the directorial duo released what would become one of the with . In 1990s Los Angeles, "The Dude" Lebowski () is mistaken for a millionaire who shares the same name as him, leading to all sorts of trouble. After trying to extort him for money that he doesn't have, a pair of thugs soil The Dude's rug. Looking for restitution from the millionaire Lebowski (), The Dude recruits the help of his Vietnam veteran friend Walter () and bowling teammate Donnie ().

Despite the film being , The Big Lebowski has since garnered a legacy of being , . There just really has never been a movie since quite like The Big Lebowski; . As the movie lives on favorably in all of our collective memories, so does its colorful cast of wacky characters. This is a selection of the 10 best characters from The Big Lebowski.

Uli Kunkel () is the head of a trio of criminals known as The Nihilists. , the three devise a plot to defraud Jeffrey Lebowski out of a million dollars by framing the kidnapping of his wife, Bunny (). Tensions between the Nihilists and The Dude's trio eventually lead to a deadly standoff.

Peter Stormare has to be one of the most . In true Coen brothers fashion, everything Uli and his gang do to intimidate comes across as utterly hilarious, from while he's taking a soak. , and The Big Lebowski is all the better for it.

After moving away from her family farm, Bunny Lebowski found a career in California as an adult film actress and eventually married the much older Jeffrey Lebowski. After racking up a serious financial debt, .

Tara Reid is , most notably for her part in the series. Her minor character in The Big Lebowski is that of the perfectly exaggerated, spoiled valley girl. —a result of her free-spiritedness, as assistant Brandt () would call it.

At its center, . Jeffrey "The Big" Lebowski is an educated multi-millionaire. Despite his status and wealth, Lebowski has gotten into some hot water with debt collectors as a result of his wife's reckless spending, inadvertently roping The Dude (who shares his last name) into the plot.

, and that's where the great comedy comes from in their shared scenes. Huddleston is simply perfect as the wheelchair-bound pundit with a flair for the dramatic and the way he aggressively challenges The Dude's ineptitude is consistently hilarious.

Brandt is the personal assistant of The Big Lebowski and . In terms of character and mannerisms, Brandt is pretty much the complete opposite of The Dude.

The forced interactions between Brandt and The Dude make for some of The Big Lebowski's funniest moments. Even in a minor role, the great Phillip Seymour Hoffman proves that he could ; his anxious laughter and nervous twitching are perfectly executed. It's hard to imagine anyone else filling this role quite as well as Hoffman, and .

By design, The Big Lebowski . That sentiment is made clear by the inclusion of The Stranger (), a cowboy figure whose involvement in The Big Lebowski is .

The Stranger may as well be the all-knowing being of The Big Lebowski​​​​​'s universe. . The Stranger only ever interacts with The Dude, offering invaluable wisdom, most of which The Dude can't quite grasp. Sam Elliot is , and even if his purpose in the story isn't immediately apparent, maybe that's, like, the point, man.

In the world of The Big Lebowski, bowling is as competitive as gladiatorial combat. While his activities outside the bowling alley are reprehensible, Jesus Quintana (), self-referred to as The Jesus,.

Despite only having a couple of minutes of screentime, Jesus leaves an impression that cements him as one of the most memorable minor characters ever. Just about everything he does is suggestive to an uncomfortable degree—this, of course, includes . Legendary actor John Turturro, also a frequent Coen collaborator, , perhaps too much so.

The daughter of The Big Lebowski himself, . After stealing The Dude's beloved rug, Maude offers him $100,000 as a reward if he can recover a sum of money that was removed from the family fortune.

Maude's introduction in The Big Lebowski is an unforgettable one, . Julianne Moore is one of modern , and her high-class tone and mannerisms make Maude . Her motives are ambiguous and, despite her limited screen time, Maude is behind many of the movie's narrative developments.

Theodore Donald Kerabatsos, known as Donny to just about everyone, . Not much is known about Donny; he's the reliable third of the bowling team, but both The Dude and Walter don't make much of an effort to get to know Donny.

Portrayed by , Donny's rapport (or lack thereof) with Walter is consistently amusing. in a movie that's full of them. Despite mostly operating as Walter's punching bag, Donny's demise is surprisingly emotional. While the spreading of his ashes may not have gone according to plan, Donny lives on favorably in the memories of all The Big Lebowski fans.

, Walter Sobchak is a pivotal part of The Big Lebowski​​​​. Walter isn't exactly the most mentally stable or adept at problem-solving, but he consistently proves his loyalty to The Dude, especially when things get hairy.

—his ceaseless political ramblings are as aimless as they are hilarious. Goodman has brought many interesting characters to life , but Walter is certainly his best. Despite The Dude taking center stage for most of The Big Lebowski​​​​​​, the dynamic between him and Walter is what makes it all feel special. Just don't argue with him about crossing that foul line.

Sometimes the most obvious choice is the right choice. , through and through. Not only does Bridges bring to life one of the best characters in any Coen brothers movie, but he created one of the most iconic pop-culture figures in the history of cinema.

From his affinity for White Russians to his interior design sensibilities, just about every aspect of The Dude as a character has become synonymous with one of the best comedic performances in movie history. The Dude is the perfect everyman, as well as the perfect vessel for an audience; as he lackadaisically stumbles his way through all the narrative's bizarre setpieces, it's impossible not to be amused. The always-talented Bridges understood the assignment perfectly, and the result is a movie character that will live on forever.

NEXT: The 10 Best Coen Brothers Movies With Great Acting, Ranked