# Poll, Favourite baddie Actors. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2004, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440 "2004-08-11T22:25:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/1 "2004-08-11T22:25:11Z")
Inspired by The film currently on BBC1 - JFK, Gary Oldman is playing Lee Harvey Oswald. Gary tends to play the ‘baddies’ so does John Malcovich. Those two are my favourite almost exclusively ‘baddie’ playing actors. Who are/is yours? Off the top of my head the best (or ‘worst’) role for Gary is his role in ‘Leon’ (or ‘the professional’ as I think was it’s European name) And for John it was his role in In the Line of Fire (one of my fave Clint Eastwood films) ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/2 "2004-08-11T22:29:12Z")
Tim Roth in _Rob Roy_. Hands down my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/3 "2004-08-11T23:17:15Z")
I agree with all of the above, and I’ll add Christopher Walken and Alan Rickman. But doesn’t this thread belong in Cafe Society? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/4 "2004-08-11T23:28:19Z")
**Jason Issacs** is so wonderfully evil that I would watch in an movie. **Alan Rickman** has the most delicious sneer and condescending look. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/5 "2004-08-11T23:58:01Z")
Although he’s played some good-guys too, I think **Gene Hackman** is one of my favorite bad-guys. He’s just so damn good at it. I’ll give some secondary nods to **Daniel Day-Lewis** and **Jack Nicholson**. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/6 "2004-08-12T00:23:00Z")
**Boris Karloff**. Watch his performance in **The Body Snatcher** , one Oscar’s most overlooked roles. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/7 "2004-08-12T00:25:25Z")
Can’t forget about **Malcolm McDowell**! It seems that anytime they need a British baddie they call up either McDowell, Alan Rickman, or Gary Oldman. They should all be in a movie together. Even if it was the most horrible movie ever, I’d still pay to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/8 "2004-08-12T00:59:42Z")
> [@Rabid Child](#): > > Can’t forget about **Malcolm McDowell**! Of course. I am not as much a movie connoisseur as many cafe society dopers but the few films I’ve seen him play a baddie in, he’s been a cool one. A Clockwork Orange (I have difficulty connecting the young him with the old him), Tank Girl, and Star Trek: Generations. ---
**Author:** ![Carcosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@Carcosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carcosa)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/9 "2004-08-12T01:08:39Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Who are/is yours? Tommy Lee Jones. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/10 "2004-08-12T01:43:03Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Of course. I am not as much a movie connoisseur as many cafe society dopers but the few films I’ve seen him play a baddie in, he’s been a cool one. A Clockwork Orange (I have difficulty connecting the young him with the old him), Tank Girl, and Star Trek: Generations. And Caligula. The movie was awful, but he was hilarious! A hilarious historical baddie. He also plays great good guys (HG Wells, Mick Travis…), but the baddies are what he’ll be remembered for. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/11 "2004-08-12T02:27:31Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > **Jason Issacs** is so wonderfully evil that I would watch in an movie. > > **Alan Rickman** has the most delicious sneer and condescending look. Shirley, I knew I liked you! And they’re both so handsome and charming as well. Jason and Alan are my all time favorites. HPCofS is one of my all time fav movies precisely because we get both of them in “baddie” roles. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/12 "2004-08-12T02:32:18Z")
William Atherton - “Dickless” in _Ghostbusters_ amongst other roles. Always plays the smug bastard who always gets his comeuppance. ---
**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 12, 2004, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/13 "2004-08-12T03:16:22Z")
Geoffrey Rush - the Marquis de Sade, Casanova Frankenstein, Captain Barbossa, Nigel the Pelican… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/14 "2004-08-12T03:55:47Z")
James Woods. [Mae West] Y’know, honey, when you’re good, you’re good, but when you’re bad, you’re _better_. [/MW] ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/15 "2004-08-12T04:03:12Z")
Moving this from IMHO to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/16 "2004-08-12T04:03:39Z")
For an actor who plays bad guys almost exlusively, i’ve got to agree with the OP’s nomination of Gary Oldman. One of his lesser-known roles that always sticks in my mind is that of Bex Bissell, the head football hooligan in _The Firm_. And for good performances as a bad guy: Kevin Spacey did an excellent job in _The Usual Suspects_ and _Seven_. These were not your usual type of bad guy, however. I second **Turkey Curse** ’s nomination of Gene Hackman, having watched _Unforgiven_ again just the other day. Hackman was also a fun bad guy as Lex Luthor in the _Superman_ movies. Although i often find it hard to take him very seriously, Richard Gere’s character in _Internal Affairs_ was a pretty excellent bad guy. Kris Kristoffersen in _Lone Star_, one of my favorite movies. ---
**Author:** ![smartini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/22d042/32.png) [@smartini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smartini)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/17 "2004-08-12T04:48:31Z")
James Spader and Christopher Walken…good naughty baddies 🙂 And I would add Tom Cruise after seeing _Collateral_ . Never was a TC fan but noticed some lines in his face in this movie and they were very becoming. Maybe he just needed some maturity. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/18 "2004-08-12T04:57:44Z")
My favorite bad guy is **[Brian Cox](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004051/)**. He’s played villainous roles in many movies, recently including **X2** , **Troy** , and **The Bourne Supremacy**. He also played Dr. Hannibal Lecter in **Manhunter** , the earlier adaptation of _Red Dragon_. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/19 "2004-08-12T05:05:30Z")
[Brian Thompson](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0859921/) ---
**Author:** ![Jplacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@Jplacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jplacer)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440/20 "2004-08-12T05:10:22Z")
Udo Keir [http://www.us.imdb.com/name/nm0001424/](http://www.us.imdb.com/name/nm0001424/) “The blood of these whores is killing me.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-favourite-baddie-actors/259440.md?page=2)