# 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:** 5
**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:** [September 4, 2024, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/81 "2024-09-04T15:01:25Z")
Beautiful Virginia Mayo in _ **The Best Years of Our Lives** _. I’m sure she was a nice person in real life, but in this movie she’s what my dad called a “floozy.” (I’d go a bit farther than that, myself.) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/82 "2024-09-05T09:20:09Z")
I often get the feeling that Anthony Hopkins might not really be acting. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/83 "2024-09-05T11:10:01Z")
> [@Capn\_Carl](#): > > What? No one mentioned Jack Palance? The day ain’t over yet. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/84 "2024-09-05T12:15:27Z")
Ronny Cox is quite good at playing murderous corporate assholes. See: Robocop and Total Recall. ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/85 "2024-09-05T13:35:17Z")
Perfect response. ---
**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:** [September 5, 2024, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/86 "2024-09-05T22:07:41Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > And before I forget: Gene Tierney in _Leave Her to Heaven_ (1945) was exceptionally evil. Indeed. Also see Claire Trevor in _Murder, My Sweet_, and Jane Greer in _Out of the Past_. (Noir in general provides many actresses who “do a good job of playing evil…” as the thread title puts it.) ---
**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:** [September 5, 2024, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/87 "2024-09-05T22:25:31Z")
Barbara Stanwyck in _ **Double Indemnity** _ is about as evil as anyone can get. A lying, manipulating, emotionless, sociopathic multiple murderer. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/88 "2024-09-06T07:35:31Z")
How about David Boreanaz? As Angel, he was mostly mopey and broody, but with occasional moments of true darkness (locking the lawyers in with Darla and Drusilla), but as _Angelus_, he just goes over the top in gleeful evil. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/89 "2024-09-06T18:50:52Z")
Dabney Coleman was always good as an egotistical jerk especially in his series Buffalo Bill. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/90 "2024-09-06T20:42:02Z")
Speaking of Buffalo Bill there is Ted Levine playing the serial killer with the same name in _Silence of the Lambs_, and speaking of serial killers Michael Rooker playing the title character in _Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer_. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/91 "2024-09-06T20:58:49Z")
I was not a fan of Boreanaz. I find him a wooden actor, with only mediocre comedy chops, and not especially impressive as a villain. De gustibus and all. The best the last actor not mentioned so far, in my opinion, is Walton Goggins. He chewed scenery as the ghoul in fallout. He did the best he could in Ant-man. But as Boyd Crowder? Holy smokes, one of the best villains in fiction. Which makes me think how much I’d love to see a PG-13 Treasure Island, with him as Long John Silver. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/92 "2024-09-06T21:02:56Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > He was also pretty nasty in “Quigley Down Under” > > Professor Snape, of course, will forever be his legacy. > > He was a good English actor. He was the hero in one of those Merchant/Ivory movies. The Potter movies gobbled up lots of great English actors. (Don’t get me wrong, I love Harry Potter, anyway). No mention of Hans Gruber?! ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/93 "2024-09-06T21:11:32Z")
Jeffrey Dean Morgan - Mostly known for Negan in The Walking Dead, but also Joe Kessler in The Boys and The Comedian in Watchmen. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/94 "2024-09-07T00:37:52Z")
I’m embarrassed to say I recognize Mr. Goggins mostly by his dental work. “Hey, honey, it’s that guy with the teeth, again!” “Is he shootin’ up Waylan again?” “Any minute now!” Hell, he was creepy all the way back to **In The Heat of the Night** when he kidnapped Mrs. Tibbs and did something nasty to himself. What a badass! ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/95 "2024-09-07T09:01:13Z")
One of the scariest psychopaths in movie history is Ben Kingsley’s Don Logan in _Sexy Beast_. Mind you, Ian McShane as his boss, Teddy Bass, is not far behind him. It is a terrific movie but not a very comfortable viewing experience, ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/96 "2024-09-07T09:44:15Z")
This is who I came in to mention. Did you see him in Babylon 5? His character was Brother Edward, a gentle natured monk. Turns out he had a mysterious past. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/97 "2024-09-07T14:36:53Z")
Since people are mentioning Babylon 5 villains I would like mention a few for its dueling show _Star Trek: Deep Space Nine_: Marc Alaimo as Gul Dukat Jeffrey Combs as Weyoun and Brunt Salome Jens as The Female Changeling ---
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/98 "2024-09-07T15:52:28Z")
Has the name James Woods been invoked yet? What makes him great as an evil character is that even when he plays a sympathetic character, as in Salvador (great movie by the way) he plays the role as the scummiest, most dishonest weasel of a sympathetic character imaginable. Of course he’s also played his share of out and out rotten to the core villains as well: Roy Cohn, for one, and the NASA scumbag in Contact. Also qualifying him is the role he plays as James “MAGA FOREVER” Woods in real life, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/99 "2024-09-07T19:43:01Z")
> [@GailForce](#): > > Also qualifying him is the role he plays as James “MAGA FOREVER” Woods in real life, of course. Say it isn’t so, Joe… James Woods is MAGA? 😢 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527/100 "2024-09-07T21:09:28Z")
> [@GailForce](#): > > Has the name James Woods been invoked yet? > > What makes him great as an evil character is that even when he plays a sympathetic character, as in Salvador (great movie by the way) he plays the role as the scummiest, most dishonest weasel of a sympathetic character imaginable. Of course he’s also played his share of out and out rotten to the core villains as well: Roy Cohn, for one, and the NASA scumbag in Contact. Even his voice acting runs the gamut from Hades (in devil-as-businessman mode) to Batman’s evil counterpart (in kill-lots-of-people-in-cold-blood mode). (No, more people than that.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-do-a-good-job-of-playing-evil-or-dark-characters/1006527.md?page=6)