Our Favorite Famous Cigar Scenes in Movies

As lovers of quality cigars and films, there are few things that please us more than seeing our favorite movie stars lighting up on screen. Cigars in film go back a long way, to the glory days of gangster flicks in the 1930s and 1940s, and have grown in popularity as directors continue to utilize cigars as signature props for character development. It’s tough to compile a definitive list of favorite films that feature classic cigar scenes, but we’re up for the challenge. Here are seven of our favorites, with links to check out and enjoy. Stay tuned for the second part of our list in a future blog!

A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

The first of Clint Eastwood’s trilogy of spaghetti westerns, A Fistful of Dollars introduced audiences to a new kind of hero. Quiet and deadly, Eastwood’s Man with No Name was a gunslinger of few words, armed with a six-shooter, poncho, and cheroot. His follow up performances in the two sequels solidified his status as a Hollywood heavyweight, and propelled Eastwood to lofty cinematic height. Of the many scenes where Eastwood is smoking, this is our favorite … here he enjoys a cigar while telling the mule story. 

For A Few Dollars More (1965)

Few actors could have upstaged Eastwood in the spaghetti trilogy, but Lee Van Cleef comes darn close. As Colonel Douglas Mortimer, Van Cleef teams up with Eastwood in seeking vengeance for a past wrong. Prior to joining forces, Van Cleef was working solo as a bounty hunter, scoping out a gang of bandits. After finding several of them in a saloon, he tries to goad them into making a move. Though he’s smoking a pipe, Van Cleef takes a smoldering cigar stub from a bandit to use as a light. If you watch closely, you’ll notice that Van Cleef’s steely gaze is never interrupted by a single blink. His slow burn is sinister and menacing.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966)

Eastwood and Van Cleef returned for the final part of the western trilogy, this time sharing the screen with the fabulous Eli Wallach as Tuco.  Scheming, untrustworthy, and lethal, Tuco makes for a formidable friend and foe while joining Eastwood and Van Cleef in a search for a cache of hidden Civil War gold. In the process, Tuco is left to fend for himself, and must appropriate a firearm, horse, and liquor to continue his trek. In this clip, he enjoys a simple pleasure, after finding one of Eastwood’s disposed of cheroots.

Scarface (1983)

Al Pacino’s portrayal of drug kingpin Tony Montana is so memorable that it’s iconic. Who isn’t familiar with Pacino imploring his enemies to, ‘Say hello to my little friend!’ as he unloads on full auto. As over-the-top as Pacino’s performance was, the Montana character is shown to evolve quickly, from refugee, to petty criminal, to aggressive up-and-comer, to Scarface. Once he has slain the competition and attained the crown of biggest and baddest, Montana freely indulges in all manner of extravagances, including cigars. Having reached his professional peak, and now in a drunkenly philosophical mood, Montana rants about a variety of issues in his life, all while puffing away on a very luxurious cigar. It’s a classic scene from a classic film, and is definitely NSFW.

Wolverine (2013)

Throughout the Wolverine franchise, Hugh Jackman has deftly embedded his character into our memories, to the point where we know him without a second thought. Wolverine has become one of the most successful comic book heroes to transition over to film, known for his signature sideburns and killer claws, as well as his trademark cigar. Though this particular clip is a short one, it shows how Wolverine lights up before getting down. Anyone want to ask him to put out his cigar?

Independence Day (1996)

Think for a moment about what you consider the best times to bust out that favorite cigar. Wedding? Check. Job promotion? Check. New baby? Check. Alien bashing? Che … wait a sec. We can’t say we’ve had many close encounters with outer space nogoodniks, but Will Smith has. He’s even brash enough to punch one out, then fire up an after-brawl cigar. Not too shabby for the former Fresh Prince. The more we watch this clip, from the first Independence Day film, the more we wish we could find a slimy space creature to knock around -- simply as an excuse to have another smoke.

Predator (1987)

We love Arnold. He’s a devoted cigar aficionado, certified cinematic legend, and all-around good guy. That’s why we can’t get enough of his action hero flicks, or waxing poetic about his tobacco-centric exploits. With so many examples of him on film smoking a favorite cigar, it was nearly impossible to narrow it down to a single clip. Therefore, we’re going with the one that epitomizes Schwarzenegger’s on-screen presence: Larger-than-life, confident, and ready to kick ass. And yes, we admit it: we’d never be cool enough to fire up cigar upon choppering into a war zone.