Dracula has existed in literature and pop culture for over a century. Since the invention of motion pictures, adaptations have portrayed numerous versions of the character in films and television. More often than not, these include his eternal enemy and the original vampire hunter, Professor Abraham Van Helsing.
Fans have seen different versions of Van Helsing appear over the years alongside his nemesis. These include authentic takes on the original literary character, action-heavy portrayals, or even descendants of the character who have created their own popular stories. Here, we explore the best versions of Van Helsing that have appeared in movies and TV across the decades.
10 Mel Brooks In Dracula: Dead And Loving It
While fans have seen a number of terrifying and serious adaptations of Dracula over the years, there have been a few comical takes on the characters as well. One such portrayal is the 1995 film Dracula: Dead And Loving It.
Brooks both directed and starred as Professor Abraham Van Helsing in a parody of Bram Stoker's Dracula novel. The movie pitted Brooks' vampire hunter against Leslie Nielson's Count Dracula, as they waged an eternal fight for the final word.
9 Peter Fonda Nadja, As He Faced Off With Dracula's Daughter
1994's Nadja took place after the death of Count Dracula. His vampire daughter arrived to claim his recently staked body before Peter Fonda's Van Helsing and his nephew Jim could arrive to finish him off.
Van Helsing learned Nadja's existence after her seduction of Jim's wife Lucy. He then set about completing his mission and ending Dracula's legacy. He was almost successful; however, Nadja ultimately revealed her ability to possess the body of Van Helsing's daughter, Cassandra.
8 Kelly Overton As Vanessa Van Helsing On The Syfy Series
Syfy's Van Helsing series was based on Zenescope Entertainment's Helsing comic. It introduced the character of Vanessa Seward, as she is resurrected in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by vampires.
Kelly Overton starred as the main character. Vanessa soon discovered that she was a descendent of the legendary Van Helsing bloodline, and her blood could revert transformed vampires back into humans. This made her a powerful player in the ongoing war between vampires and the surviving factions of humanity.
7 Christopher Plummer In Dracula 2000
This film saw a reimagined version of Dracula return in the year 2000, after his coffin was stolen from Matthew Van Helsing (played by Christopher Plummer). The reborn Dracula then set his sights on young Mary Heller. This version of Dracula was later revealed to be the biblical Judas Iscariot.
As Matthew Van Helsing set out to take down Dracula once again, he revealed himself to be the original Abraham Van Helsing who had extended his life using injections of Dracula's blood. While not all fans remember Dracula 2000 fondly, Plummer's portrayal of Van Helsing still stands out.
6 David Warner In Penny Dreadful
Showtime's Penny Dreadful included a number of classic literary characters, like Dorian Gray and Victor Frankenstein. They briefly worked with Abraham Van Helsing in the first season of the hit series.
David Warner portrayed this version of the character. The show reimagined him as a hematologist, whose personal tragedy led to a connection with Count Dracula and his rededicated study of vampirism. The celebrated actor perfectly captured this vision of Van Helsing.
5 Edward Van Sloan In Universal's Dracula
Bela Lugosi starred as Universal Pictures' Dracula in 1931 opposite Edward Van Sloan, in one of the first cinematic versions of Bram Stoker's tale. Sloan would reprise the role of Van Helsing in 1936's Dracula's Daughter, though his name was slightly altered to Von Helsing.
Sloan had first portrayed Van Helsing in the touring stage show of Dracula before joining the film adaptation. He went on to play other monster hunter-type characters in Universal's Frankenstein and The Mummy.
4 Sir Anthony Hopkins In Bram Stoker's Dracula
Francis Ford Coppola directed the 1992 adaptation of the literary classic. This version starred Gary Oldman as the titular vampire, alongside a star-studded cast that included Sir Anthony Hopkins as Professor Abraham Van Helsing.
Hopkins gives a dynamic performance as a slightly unhinged, but knowledgable Van Helsing. He successfully leads the final charge against Dracula, following his feeding on and seduction of young Mina Harker.
3 Hugh Jackman's As The Amnesiac Gabriel Van Helsing
2004's Van Helsing introduced Hugh Jackman as an amnesiac monster hunter named Gabriel Van Helsing. Working for the Catholic Church, he took on supernatural threats while exploring his own forgotten history.
This supernatural action movie featured the age-old rivalry between Dracula and Van Helsing while also introducing other monsters, like Frankenstein and werewolves. Van Helsing used his specially-created weapons to battle evil in an attempt to launch a new franchise, which sadly never developed further.
2 Sir Laurence Olivier In 1978's Dracula
Bram Stoker's classic vampire tale was reworked for 1978's Dracula to intensify the romantic themes of the novel. This ultimately resulted in Mina Harker's transformation into Mina Van Helsing, increasing the conflict between Dracula and Sir Laurence Olivier's Abraham Van Helsing.
Mina Van Helsing also took Lucy's original role as Dracula's first victim. This led to a powerful scene that saw Olivier's Van Helsing forced to slay his undead daughter, prior to his own death during a final battle with Frank Langella's Dracula.
1 Peter Cushing In Hammer Horror's Adaptations
Hammer Horror introduced two of the best-regarded versions of both Dracula and Van Helsing, respectively played by Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. This series of films began with 1958's Dracula.
While Lee's Dracula stood out due to his younger appearance and enhanced ferocity, Cushing's Van Helsing was also at the prime of his life. He operated as a dedicated vampire hunter across six films, which culminated in The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires in 1974.