Paul Walker tribute: Best of 'Fast & Furious' character Brian O'Connor

Paul Walker's earliest roles came on television shows in the mid 1980s. The films She's All That and Varsity Blues made him a Hollywood heartthrob. But it was his role as an undercover cop in the street racing world that made him a star. His role in the Fast and Furious franchise as Brian O'Connor, the cop who alters his life and the lives of those he meets when he becomes enamored with the world he was meant to bring down, spanned five films and more than a decade. Brian was sexy, sweet, good yet bad, deep yet silly, cocky yet humble. Even though his blonde hair, blue eyes, pretty-boy facade might suggest simplicity, he was a complex character who repeatedly faced even more complex issues of morality. His character—and the man who portrayed him—will be missed incredibly.

Throughout the franchise Walker's character had too many excellent moments to count. But to give you an idea of what they were, here's a list of the best Brian O'Connor moments, broken down by topics:

Miscellaneous
Every time Brian and Dom (Vin Diesel) joke about who is a better racer or what cars are best. He's always smirking in a sexy, playful way and it makes the bromance one for the ages.

His cars:
His first one-

His car in the second film:

For a complete list of Brian's amazing fast cars, click here.

Bottom line? They were all amazing—in both appearance and ability.

The evolution of his driving skills:
He starts out as an amateur racer, but with higher tech equipment and technique mentoring from Dom, along with a ton of practice, he improves to the elite level. He can take on any street racer and can even beat Dom, though with the latter, it's never certain whether those wins are given or earned.

His fights:
Brian takes several beatings, all from guys much stronger and more physically commanding than him—Dom (Vin Diesel) in the fourth film, Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) in the sequel, among others. But he's tough, scrappy and wily so he holds his own and comes out alright.

His heroics:

The Fast and the Furious
He leaps from a car to a truck to save teammate Vince, whose arm is caught even though Vince was nothing but horrible to him since Brian first joined the group.

Fast & Furious
Brian is chasing a bad guy. He's wearing a suit, yet is just as fast, agile, and tough as he's ever been. The suit mixed with the street skills he uses to catch his man is the perfect representation of his conflicting sides: the cop and the criminal. Plus, he looks really good while doing it.

Fast Five
Brian leaps from a train onto a vehicle to fight the bad guys sent to chase after his girlfriend Mia (Jordana Brewster).

Fast & Furious 6
When he hints at his cop roots, pointing out that their plan to move the military equipment bad-guy Owen Shaw is after might be exactly what Shaw wants.

His scenes with Mia:

The Fast and the Furious
-One of their first times hanging out, at the Toretto house during a party. She's doing most of the work but he responds in such an adorable way—with his subtle, playful cockiness... the same kind of situation happens shortly after when Mia asks Brian out to annoy Vince, the jealous hot-headed long-time friend of Dom.

-Their first date. He is playfully charming. He gathers intel like a detective but in the form of honest, real conversation. He delivers a corny line but manages to not make it sound too corny. He's just the definition of slick.

Fast & Furious

-When he first sees Mia and they go for coffee. He apologizes for what he did in the first film, lying to her and everyone. She asks if he's wondered if he's really a bad guy pretending to be the good guy or vice-versa. He says every day. Walker's stare and composure in the scene is perfect. You can see the sincerity, pain, and conflict in Brian's eyes.

-He answers Mia's question about why he let Dom go (in the first film). His answer is chilling. "I did it, because at that moment, I respected him more than I did myself. One thing I've learned from Dom is that nothing really matters unless you have a code." Mia asks what his code is and he says that he's still working on it.

Fast Five
Mia tells Brian she's pregnant and he is gleefully excited. Even given the life they were then living as fugitive, for him to be so happy about that showed his humanity--his love for Mia and desire for a normal life.

Fast & Furious 6
When he finds out that Shaw's guys have kidnapped Mia. His fear and anger is raw, quick and adorable.

When Brian picks his side:
His loyalties were altered in the first, putting him on the wrong end of the law. In the second he was caught but offered a deal to clear his name. In the fourth he was back working officially with the FBI but Dom gets pulled back into the target sights of law enforcement and Brian must re-evaluate his place in the world once again. At the end, Dom lets himself get caught, is sentenced to 20 years or more in prison and it prompts Brian to pick a side for good. He picks Dom and the life of a fugitive when he leads the mission to break Dom free from a prison transport vehicle. It is the moment that truly defines him and solidifies his place in the Toretto family.

His buddy scenes with (or about) Dom:

Fast Five
Brian tells Dom that he's worried about being a father because his own bailed on him, but Dom reassures him that he is a different man, that he's good.

The Fast and the Furious

-Dom stops his crew member from eating and demands they say grace first. Brian's reaction is one of shock and awe, reflecting how complex and interesting he finds Dom. Walker nailed the look perfectly.

-When Dom tells Brian about his father's death and the crime he committed in revenge of it. It's the moment where Brian truly becomes captivated by Dom and his story.

-When Brian's superiors insist that Dom is the one responsible for the thefts, despite Brian's protests, and he responds like someone would if they'd been told a lifetime friend had betrayed them. He was frustrated with disbelief, refused to accept that explanation.

-When he tells Mia he's a cop so that she can help him go after Dom and his crew and save them. He knows it will mean losing everything—his cover, Mia, possibly worse—but he does it anyway for Dom.

-When he lets Dom go. The conflicting emotion is in his face and then without a word, he hands him the keys, revealing in his expression that he's given in to one side—his admiration for Dom has won out. He justifies it out loud with a joke and turns away. It is the perfect ending to what their relationship had begun as, and the perfect start to what it would become.