# What actors/actresses always play really good bad guys? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-actresses-always-play-really-good-bad-guys/747865 "2016-03-03T21:02:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-actresses-always-play-really-good-bad-guys/747865/61 "2016-03-07T13:57:14Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > I was watching Cliffhanger the other day (for about the 40th time) and (not for the first time) I thought about how good a bad guy John Lithgow can play. **Cliffhanger, Raising Cain** , the 4th season of **Dexter** …movies and shows seem to improve by at least eighty percent with him playing a bad guy in them. Do you mean actors who always play bad guys and who always do a good job at it, or actors who, on those occasions when they do play bad guys, do a really good job at it? Your title suggests the former interpretation but I’m not sure if the example in your OP fits. John Lithgow often does non–bad guy roles, some of which have been highly popular and acclaimed (e.g., Dick Solomon on _3rd Rock from the Sun_). ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-actresses-always-play-really-good-bad-guys/747865/62 "2016-03-07T14:35:07Z")
Walter Brennan Lee Van Clieff Eli Wallich Jack Elam Bruce Dern James Woods Sorry about the spelling. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-actresses-always-play-really-good-bad-guys/747865/63 "2016-03-07T15:53:52Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Field of Dreams? Subtle, and funny! ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-actresses-always-play-really-good-bad-guys/747865/64 "2016-03-07T16:17:11Z")
> [@Hocus\_Pocus](#): > > Nancy Davis played a great villain in the 80’s. And lost. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-actresses-always-play-really-good-bad-guys/747865/65 "2016-03-08T16:39:26Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > **Ian McShane** is wonderfully bad. He was amazing in **Deadwood**. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-actresses-always-play-really-good-bad-guys/747865/66 "2016-03-08T18:48:01Z")
[Louise Fletcher.](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001221/?ref_=nv_sr_1) ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-actresses-always-play-really-good-bad-guys/747865/67 "2016-03-12T14:31:19Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > He was amazing in **Deadwood**. For years I only knew him from the affable tv series Lovejoy, where he plays an antique dealer surrounded by other affable characters. That and a nuclear reactor technician in Space 1999. None of which prepared me for the calm menace of Al Swearengen. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-actresses-always-play-really-good-bad-guys/747865/68 "2016-03-12T15:50:29Z")
Having seen [Sterling Beaumon](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1869029/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t9) play a very young spree killer on Criminal Minds (an episode that had the biggest jaw dropping surprise ever)and a young serial rapist and killer on Law & Order: SVU, he has a good future playing really bad guys. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-actresses-always-play-really-good-bad-guys/747865/69 "2016-03-14T18:13:28Z")
Viggo Morgenstern also plays either a great baddie, or a great hero ---
**Author:** ![mistymage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mistymage/32/459_2.png) [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-actresses-always-play-really-good-bad-guys/747865/70 "2016-03-14T22:08:12Z")
Danny Trejo. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-actresses-always-play-really-good-bad-guys/747865/71 "2016-03-16T01:58:10Z")
Walton Goggins. [Walton Goggins - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walton_Goggins) He’s one of those kind of fuckeers that you can’t wait to see get a bullet in the eye. Sort of a new Bruce Dern. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-actors-actresses-always-play-really-good-bad-guys/747865.md?page=3)