#1 Gandalf: The Lord of the Rings
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." What a great quote. He is my favorite man (wizard) on the list, because without him, Middle Earth would be done for. (And I love Middle Earth). He is the one that discovers the power of the ring, that decides it must be destroyed, saves the fellowship from the balrog, saves them at Helm's Deep, saves the men from the Nazgul near Osgiliath, and saves Frodo and Sam with the eagles. I mean heck, he was the first one to stand up to the Witchking of Angmar at Minas Tirith during the battle of Pelanor Fields! He is one great wizard!
#2 Mufasa: Lion King
"You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life." That is some deep stuff. Mufasa's time with us may have been short, but we will never forget how he taught lessons of good leadership, finding your true inner self, and how we are all a part of the circle of life.
#3 Abbe Faria (The Priest): The Count of Monte Cristo
Dantes: "I don't believe in God."
Abbe Faria: "It doesn't matter, he believes in you."
Now that is some awesome, sage wisdom right there. This guy trades priceless knowledge and probably a few billion dollars in treasure for some prison labor. He is solely responsible for helping Dantes become who he is. His words of wisdom continue to help Dantes even after he is dead.
#4 Grandmother Willow: Pocahontas
"Listen to your heart, you will understand." How does Pocahontas have a tree for a grandmother you may ask? Did you not even listen to Mufasa's circle of life speech!? This Grandmother is pure full of wisdom, and seems to be one of the main people (trees) responsible in changing John Smith's mind about the Native American Indians. She is always there when Pocahontas needs sage advice, mostly because she really can't go anywhere else.
#5 Yoda: Star Wars
Luke: "I can't believe it." Yoda: "That is why you fail." Just one of many wise quotes from this amazing mentor. He was 874 years old when he died, and in those years was able to pass his wisdom on to many Jedi. (Trust me, I googled it). This Jedi master did his best to keep those he trained away from the dark side, and even foresaw what would become of Darth Vader. Very wise.
#6 Dumbledore: Harry Potter
"We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided." "It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be." He is full of wise quotes. Dumbledore was always there when school was over and after Voldemort tried to kill Harry to explain what had happened the whole year. After a few mishaps, he personally saves Harry from Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic, and even explains the whole Horcrux issue to Harry, ultimately giving his life to the cause. Without him, Voldemort would have won.
#7 Red: The Shawshank Redemption
"Get busy living or get busy dying." Another wise prison inmate on the list? Maybe one simply needs to go to jail to get some good advice. Either way, Red provided friendship, advice, and even goods to help his friend Andy escape from jail. In the end, Andy offered him a sweet life restoring boats on the beach. This role turned Morgan Freeman into the guy in every movie that offers sage advice to the main character.
#8 Alfred: Batman
Alfred: "Why do we fall sir? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up" Bruce: You still haven't given up on me have you Alfred." Alfred: "Never." Alfred is simply always there, and I don't know about any of you, but I wish I had an Alfred. He always helps Batman maintain a level head, keeps him healthy, and makes sure he doesn't do anything too stupid.
#9 Mr. Miyagi: The Karate Kid
"First learn stand, then learn fly." So...personally, I am not a huge fan of this movie, but he is too widely known as the wise mentor friend to not put him on the list. Through a bunch of chores around his house, he is able to teach Daniel to be a kind, controlled, well adjusted kid. Every word that comes out of his mouth is sage. "Walk on road. Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later, squish." Man, so true.