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Who are the best movie villains ever?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With “The Dark Knight” debuting on Friday — and featuring Heath Ledger as The Joker — it’s a great time to name the best movie villains of all time.
Time magazine’s Richard Corliss has proclaimed his Top 25 … and, somehow, Darth Vader didn’t measure up. It’s hard to fathom how that happened.
I have my own list. As I’m sure you do, too.
Here are my 10 Favorite Movie Villains on Film:
1. Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs.” He creeps me out every time I see him. And the weird chemistry with Jodie Foster is amazing.
2. James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back.” It would be totally terrifying to be the good son and hear the words, “Luke, I am your father.”
3. Margaret Hamilton in “The Wizard of Oz.” She’s perfect every moment she’s on the screen.
4. Ralph Fiennes in “Schindler’s List.” Pure evil and easy to hate.
5. Alan Rickman in “Die Hard.” Pure evil and easy to love.
6. Ben Kingsley in “Sexy Beast.” Kingsley talking to himself in the mirror is amazing.
7. Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction.” Over the years, the movie’s grown on me. And Close is about as good as an actress can be.
8. Henry Fonda in “Once Upon a Time in the West.” Fonda’s always the good guy in other films, so it’s jolting to see him be so harsh, hard and dastardly.
9. Andy Serkis as Gollum in “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King.” He’s a vision of Frodo’s future if our Hobbit hero doesn’t watch out.
10. Angela Lansbury in “The Manchurian Candidate.” Talk about the mother from hell.
I also have two favorites from TV miniseries: Tim Curry in “It” and Jamey Sheridan in “The Stand.”
Who are your favorite villains from the movies? Arnold Schwarzenegger in “The Terminator”? Lionel Barrymore in “It’s a Wonderful Life”? Bette Davis in “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane”?
Permalink | Comments (20) | Post your comment | Categories: Alan Smithee
Comments
By matt
July 14, 2008 1:02 PM | Link to this
how bout the dude from “no country for old men”….just plain evil…
By Tom
July 14, 2008 1:03 PM | Link to this
He is not a person, I know, but the Shark from JAWS scares me still!
By GeoffDawg
July 14, 2008 1:03 PM | Link to this
I thought that Jack Nicholson did a nice turn as the Joker in the 1989 Batman movie. Haven’t seen Heath Ledger yet to compare the two.
Speaking of Nicholson, what about Nurse Ratchett?
By MovieFan
July 14, 2008 1:05 PM | Link to this
Tommy Lee Jones in “Under Siege”. He played the brilliant but psychotic villian perfectly. I’ve been a huge fas of his ever since.
By Stephy
July 14, 2008 1:13 PM | Link to this
Chuggar in “No Country for Old Men” pure evil.
By MovieFan
July 14, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this
Robert DeNiro in “Cape Fear” was pretty creepy.
By West Cobb Dad
July 14, 2008 1:26 PM | Link to this
Christopher Walken in ‘The Prophecy’. As the angel Gabriel…Hell hath no fury as an angel scorned.
By what
July 14, 2008 1:38 PM | Link to this
Denzel Washinton as Alonzo in Training Day.
By Bette Davis Fan
July 14, 2008 2:26 PM | Link to this
*Baby Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) in “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”
*Regina Giddens (Bette Davis) in “The Little Foxes”
*Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) in “All About Eve”
*Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) in “Nightmare on Elm Street” series
*Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) in Psycho
*Damon in The Omen
By Karl Childers
July 14, 2008 2:30 PM | Link to this
Doyle Hargraves was a pretty mean SOB, hmmm hmmmm.
By JJ
July 14, 2008 2:54 PM | Link to this
“Scar” from the Lion King…..ha ha ha.
Just kidding. I agree with Denzel Washington in Training Day. Oh God he was good in that role……
By Robert
July 14, 2008 2:59 PM | Link to this
Excuse me? You’re all missing the best and most evil villian of all time. I’m talking about Cruella De Vil. I mean what kind of heartless monster wants to make a coat out of puppies? PUPPIES!!! Cute furry puppies. Now that’s cold!
By John
July 14, 2008 3:56 PM | Link to this
Dr. Terwilliker in “The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T”
Oliver Reed in “The Devils of Loudon”
By Bosch
July 14, 2008 4:15 PM | Link to this
To be so unassuming, David Morse makes a good villain - Disturbia and 12 Monkeys.
But I agree with Robert - Cruella Deville. And of course, there’s Voldemort.
By Josh
July 14, 2008 4:17 PM | Link to this
Michael Myers in the Halloween movies…DUH! I don’t know who played him though :).
By Vee
July 14, 2008 4:38 PM | Link to this
Annie Wilkes—“Misery” Peyton aka “Mrs. Mott”—“Hand that Rocks the Cradle” The gangster who shot Ricky (Morris Chestnutt) in “Boyz in Da Hood” (appeared only 5 min. in the movie, but he was evil) Adebisi—“Oz” (no, it’s not a movie, but the character was unbelievably sadistic)
By Sheri
July 15, 2008 12:05 PM | Link to this
While I love Alan Rickman in Die Hard, his role as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood was Oscar worthy!
By Joy Gulliksen
July 15, 2008 12:49 PM | Link to this
Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York. Yikes!
By Kelly
August 5, 2008 10:00 AM | Link to this
What about Darth Vader from Star Wars and HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. They were recently ranked as the “worst” villians.
By Jade the Joker
August 13, 2008 10:20 AM | Link to this
Heath Ledger as The Joker
Those creepy guys in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Davy Jones
Hannah Montana