I’m slow in the uptake, then. I’ve spent over a minute, and I still can’t figure it out.
“Past actor” – Nahhh.
“Best Actor” – No, it can’t be that bad a typo.
What is it?
What? Nobody here remembers Sidney Greenstreet?
Bruce Dern’s contributions to the world of Evil Cinema deserve more than a passing mention as well. I thought he was superb in Black Sunday.
[QUOTE=CalMeacham]
I’m slow in the uptake, then. I’ve spent over a minute, and I still can’t figure it out.
“Past actor” – Nahhh.
“Best Actor” – No, it can’t be that bad a typo.
What is it?
[/QUOTE]
Why the confusion? The OP is asking us to post the names of actors who play good villains.
Oh, it’s a verb…
Oy.
Personally, I think Jason Isaacs would’ve been a great James Bond, and I nominate Rutger Hauer as a cool villain.
[QUOTE=Cerowyn]
Bah.
[/QUOTE]
I should have added “amongst others”
THAT’S why.
[QUOTE=Paintcharge]
Why the confusion? The OP is asking us to post the names of actors who play good villains.
[/QUOTE]
I probably should have further noted that after spending the minute I figured it out.
Malcolm McDowell can be pretty creepy.
[QUOTE=LonesomePolecat]
What? Nobody here remembers Sidney Greenstreet?
[/QUOTE]
If we’re going back that far, let us bow to Peter Lorre.
Sean Bean!
(He makes a pretty good hero, too. In fact, you can just cast him in every role, it’s okay…)
Rufus Sewell’s not half bad, either. 
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton]
Gary Oldman in Leon (a.k.a. The Professional). But Oldman plays a great anything.
[/QUOTE]
He was pretty awesome in The Contender, and in Murder in the First. Great villains, both.
Mike Starr is a great villain for comedies.
Brad Dourif usually plays the role.
But by far the best is Ricardo Montalban. Buried alive, buried alive…
[QUOTE=gallows fodder]
Jason Isaacs. Brilliant actor, and his eyes are ice-blue (always a plus in the villain arena).
[/QUOTE]
Gallows wins it in one. (Took my post, too.)
What, no female villains?
Eleanor Audley - Voice of Cinderella’s Stepmother and Malificent (possibly the most evil Disney villains ever)
Glenn Close - "Fatal Attraction, "“Dangerous Liasions”
Barbara Stanwyck - For “Double Indemnity” alone
Anjelica Huston - “The Witches,” “The Grifters,” “Ever After”…I had no idea until I checked the imdb page that she was also the baddie in “Captain EO” (Ha!)
Kathleen Turner - “Body Heat”, “Serial Mom”
Sharon Stone is kind of a movie-villain come to life, does that count?
I always thought Henry Silva played nothing but villian/bad guy roles. But looking at IMDB, surely one of his 135 roles must be a ‘nice’ guy.
The newest addition to the classic villian list…
Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men. He’s wonderful in everything though.
[QUOTE=wouldn’t you like to know]
I always thought Henry Silva played nothing but villian/bad guy roles. But looking at IMDB, surely one of his 135 roles must be a ‘nice’ guy.
[/QUOTE]
Well, he only took that job for a quick buck.
Zeljko Ivanek. He was gonna hook Billy Crudup up to electricity in The Pillowman! Creepy!
[QUOTE=Kythereia]
Sean Bean!
(He makes a pretty good hero, too. In fact, you can just cast him in every role, it’s okay…)
[/QUOTE]
He was so sweet in North Country, now I find it hard to hate him as a villian. And Timothy Oliphant(astic) in Die Hard? Pfft, he’s a pretty-boy romantic lead (yum).
Kurtwood Smith should get a nod based solely on his performance in Robocop.