1. Doc Brown

Back to the Future (1985), II (1989) and III (1990)

The mad genius who fell and hit this head in 1955, came up with the answer to time travel, and finally executed it 30 years later.

How to spot one in your workplace:

Ask him about mass differentials and he'll talk your ear off. Meet him with a smile and a 'hi' if you're a member of the opposite sex and he'll stammer 'I... ah, ah...'. The Doc Brown type is a tinkerer, the workplace MacGuyer, a frustrated engineer who'll build an intra-office communications system with A4 paper and staples and fix your wonky chair with sticky tape and bubble gum.

2. Mark Zuckerberg

The Social Network (2010)

The online antihero billionaire titan whose inability to relate in real life makes him seem callous and evil.

How to spot one in your workplace:

He'll have his head down in a screen all day, making you think he's got no social life, but he's actually wielding a network of people you wouldn't believe – just friend him on social media to see. Don't try to invite him to an office do or BBQ to his face, he'll just look at you blankly. But ask him through Twitter and get his advice about the arrangements and he'll effusively plan the whole shebang.

3. Michelle

American Pie (1999), II (2001), Wedding (2003)

The perky, cute, gormless heroine who tends to speak her mind a little too much and at times inappropriately.

How to spot one in your workplace:

She'll be the awkward, dorky girl at work who seems to have no filter. Her loud voice invites you to engage, but the endless anecdotes might end up driving you mad. But get her on the right subject – maybe with a drink or two – and she'll impart some of the most unwittingly incisive wisdom you've ever heard.

4. Tony Stark

Iron Man (2008), II (2010), III (2013)

The anti-geek – silver-tongued, sharply dressed and oozing charm.

How to spot one in your workplace:

He's probably in sales, marketing or PR rather than development. Watch him charm the pants off clients, staff and the bigwigs alike. Money, brains and an alpha personality in the one package is a dead giveaway, and he's a powerful ally to have. He'll rig your desk lamp with nuclear power and get into the best club for after-work drinks.

5. Neo/Mr Anderson

The Matrix (1999), Reloaded (2003), Revolutions (2003)

Software programmer Anderson (Keanu Reeves) doesn't know he's Neo, destined to lead humanity from enslavement from the simulated world we all think is real.

How to spot one in your workplace:

He'll have red-rimmed eyes from the all night gaming session he considers the real world. Talk to him about this life of relationships, bills and social graces and he'll look at you like you're speaking a foreign language. But frame every conversation in gaming terms – levels, bosses, obstacles – and he might be the best project manager material you have. Just don't get him started on conspiracy theories.

6. Andy Stitzer

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

He keeps his head down, hoping the world just leaves him alone with his extensive collection of geek paraphernalia.

How to spot one in your workplace:

He's definitely obsessive compulsive, his paper clip holder and notepad arrange at perpendicular angles without fail. He has a head for factoids and trivia and we're pretty sure he never forgets, so make him your friend and enjoy the inside track on dirt about everyone.