# Actors who do a good job of playing evil or dark characters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** actor-characters\ **Created:** [August 31, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527 "2024-08-31T19:43:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/21 "2024-08-31T20:38:40Z")
``` Single Performance ``` Bolaji Badejo – _Alien_ (1979) Henry Fonda – _Once Upon a Time in the West_ (1969) Margaret Hamilton - _The Wizard of Oz_ (1939) Mercedes McCambridge – _The Exorcist_ (1973) – voice only Ronald Reagan – _The Killers_ (1964) Andrew Robinson – _Dirty Harry_ (1971) ``` Multiple Roles ``` Michael Dunn Boris Karloff Tatsuya Nakadai Conrad Veidt Richard Widmark ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/22 "2024-08-31T20:47:20Z")
Terence Stamp as General Zod in Superman and Superman III Ian McDiarmid as Senator Palpatine/Darth Sidious in Star Wars Ronny Cox and Kurtwood Smith in Robocop ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/23 "2024-08-31T21:20:02Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > David Warner Nailed it in One! > [@dorvann](#): > > Kurtwood Smith Terrifying Grandpa! I’ll toss out Guy Pearce. Scary dude. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/24 "2024-08-31T21:25:34Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > Henry Fonda – _Once Upon a Time in the West_ (1969) Good call on that. One of my favorites and he was so evil. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/25 "2024-08-31T21:36:04Z")
How am I the first person to mention Willem Defoe? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/26 "2024-08-31T21:42:08Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > `Single Performance` If we’re including single performances, a couple of really iconic ones are Javier Bardem in _No Country For Old Men_ and Anthony Hopkins in _The Silence of the Lambs_. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/27 "2024-08-31T21:50:43Z")
John Goodman. Yes, he’s the affable, goofy guy in so many movies, including all voice work. But when he’s playing evil, he’s terrifying. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/28 "2024-08-31T21:53:38Z")
Why has Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter not been mentioned yet? ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/29 "2024-08-31T21:56:20Z")
Since single performances are eligible, I’ll go with Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh in _No Country for Old Men_. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/30 "2024-08-31T22:05:58Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Agreed. I get the same vibe from Michael Shannon. And yet in the 2018 miniseries _Waco_ (and its 2023 sequel) he was **completely** convincing as the principled guy deeply troubled by FBI lapses and bad decisions. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Agreed. I get the same vibe from Christopher Walken. Yes, he’s reliably scary. Yet he was utterly sympathetic as the leading man in both _Brainstorm_ and _The Dead Zone_, among others. And his SNL performances are those of a sweet guy who’s pretty close to being a comic genius. > [@dorvann](#): > > Ian McDiarmid as Senator Palpatine/Darth Sidious in Star Wars But see him as Michael Caine’s butler in _Dirty Rotten Scoundrels_ and you’d swear he’s a specialist in playing patient and kind guys. These people have _range_. Another who comes to mind is Cate Blanchett. I haven’t seen her Evil Stepmother in the 2015 live-action _Cinderella_ but she got some good notices. And of course she was extremely evil in the third Thor movie. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/31 "2024-08-31T22:27:43Z")
Christoph Waltz. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/32 "2024-08-31T22:53:59Z")
Danny Trejo Raymond Cruz (Tuco Salamanca in Breaking Bad) Mark Margolis (Hector Salamanca in Breaking Bad) ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/33 "2024-08-31T22:57:00Z")
> [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > John Goodman. > > Yes, he’s the affable, goofy guy in so many movies, including all voice work. > > But when he’s playing evil, he’s terrifying. Other than 10 cloverfield lane, what other movies has he played a villain? He was a good villian in that film. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/34 "2024-08-31T22:57:09Z")
James Gandolfini Tony Sirico Michael Imperioli Dominic Chianese Dan Grimaldi Vincent Curatola Frank Vincent Joe Pantoliano Basically, most of the male cast of _ **The Sopranos** _. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/35 "2024-08-31T23:00:42Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > He was a good villian in that film. Sure was! Very frightening. I had no idea he had that in him. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/36 "2024-08-31T23:02:52Z")
I’m surprised I’m the first to mention Hugo Weaving. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/37 "2024-08-31T23:07:27Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Other than 10 cloverfield lane, what other movies has he played a villain? _Barton Fink_ and _O Brother Where Art Thou_. The Coen Brothers bring out something in him. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/38 "2024-08-31T23:09:10Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > > [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > > > John Goodman. > > > > Yes, he’s the affable, goofy guy in so many movies, including all voice work. > > > > But when he’s playing evil, he’s terrifying. > > Other than 10 cloverfield lane, what other movies has he played a villain? He was a good villian in that film. He was a villain in _Revenge of the Nerds_, _Raising Arizona_, and _O Brother, Where Art Thou?_ and arguably _Community_. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2024, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/39 "2024-09-01T01:18:37Z")
Jesse Plemons, the dude who asked “what _kind_ of Americans are you?” in Civil War. He also had a memorable role in Breaking Bad. You might not recognize the name [Richard Brake](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0104114/) but he was in The Mandalorian as an Imperial officer with a Southern accent. Bill Burr shot him. Brake also appears in Mayor of Kingstown as the leader of a white supremacist gang. He’s believable enough in that role to make me hope he’s nothing like that in real life. Edit: apparently he was the Night King on Game of Thrones too. Billy Connolly, who is mostly known for comedy, was fantastic as a badass assassin in The Boondock Saints. Although apparently the reason why he is smoking a cigar in one particular scene (“what if it was one guy with six guns?”) was because he couldn’t keep a smile off his face. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2024, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/40 "2024-09-01T01:40:34Z")
Its kind of tangentially related to this topic but the actor Chris Pratt is known for playing goofball characters in comedies. But in the 2019 movie [The Kid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kid_(2019_film)) he grew a beard and played a pretty scary villain. Its always nice when a character known for light hearted, goofball comedy can play an evil character so well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527.md?page=3)