# Which actors have played more than one GREAT villain. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 4, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592 "2005-08-04T17:39:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/1 "2005-08-04T17:39:07Z")
A few actors come to mind that were great villains repeatedly. [Alan Rickman](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000614/) as Hans Gruber in Die Hard was the best part of the movie and he did this again as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). He is perfect as Snape in the HP movies. Before the movies were made, my wife and I decided the character was written with Mr. Rickman in mind. [Christopher Lee](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000489/) He has probably played the villain in over 100 movies. He was a good Dracula multiple times and great in all the campy Hammer films of the 60’s & 70’s. He was an excellent Bond Villain as Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) He was good as Rochefort in my 2 favorite Musketeers movies. He was the only good part of the classic bad mini series: Goliath Awaits (1981) He played the crazy Captain that kept everyone alive all those years but now won’t let go. Recently he was great as Saruman in the LotR movies. Star Wars fan tell me he a great or at least good as Count Dooku. [Vincent Price](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001637/) has got to be included for the complete body of work. [Boris Karloff](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000472/) Was great as The Monster in Frankenstein (1931) & Bride of Frankenstein (1935) He was scary as The Mummy (1932) He made an excellent comedic villain/foil in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) as Dr. Hollingshead & Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Hyde in Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953). I also give him bonus points as the Narrator/The Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) (TV). I think Bela was only great once. Who am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/2 "2005-08-04T17:49:28Z")
Kathy Bates, if we may include sympathetic villains. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/3 "2005-08-04T17:50:41Z")
No list would be complete without [Sydney Greenstreet](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002113/) . His very first role was as a murderer. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/4 "2005-08-04T17:55:01Z")
Gary Oldman has too many to remember, but a couple of favorites are in The \*5th Element \* and _The Professional_, with a decent job of being Dr. Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/5 "2005-08-04T17:58:32Z")
Ben Kingsley was truly detestable and scary as a Brit mob thug in [Sexy Beast](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203119/). And of course, there was [his earlier turn at evil](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083987/), which was unforgettably chilling. :rolleyes: ---
**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 4, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/6 "2005-08-04T18:02:43Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Gary Oldman has too many to remember, but a couple of favorites are in The \*5th Element \* and _The Professional_, with a decent job of being Dr. Smith. He was also great as the vampire Count himself in _Bram Stoker’s Dracula_, and a terrifying pimp in _True Romance_. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/7 "2005-08-04T18:05:50Z")
Robert De Niro? Pretty good bad guy in dozens of films. ---
**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 4, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/8 "2005-08-04T18:08:03Z")
Speaking of _True Romance_, Christopher Walken was only in one brief scene (with Dennis Hopper), but it is one of the most intense scenes in any movie ever. He is chillingly scary and evil there, and also strangely charismatic. You want to look away, but you don’t dare, in case you might miss something subtle. Walken also plays great villains in _Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead_, _Suicide Kings_ (another sympathetic villain performance), and the criminally-underrated _Nick of Time_. Arnold Vosloo is not a big-name actor, but he is very competent at playing villains: Imhotep in _The Mummy_ and _The Mummy Returns_, Habib Marwan, the terrorist mastermind from the fourth season of _24_, and the Scottish hunter/tracker from _Hard Target_, which I’ll defend to anyone as Jean-Claude Van Damme’s greatest movie ever and John Woo’s greatest movie that he made in America. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/9 "2005-08-04T18:08:08Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > He was also great as the vampire Count himself in _Bram Stoker’s Dracula_, and a terrifying pimp in _True Romance_. It was a shock seeing him look like himself in _Batman Begins_. 🙂 ---
**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:** [August 4, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/10 "2005-08-04T18:08:22Z")
Jack Nicholson was born to play villians. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/11 "2005-08-04T18:09:28Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Kathy Bates, if we may include sympathetic villains. I know of 1 great villian: Misery (1990) … Annie Wilkes who was the other: In Dolores Claiborne I thought she was the hero? I probably haven’t seen the one you’re refering to. :smack: How could I miss Gary Oldman ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/12 "2005-08-04T18:15:33Z")
[David Warner](https://boards.straightdope.com/us.imdb.com/name/nm0001831/) Jack the Ripper, in _Time After Time_ Evil, in _Time Bandits_ Ed Dillinger/Master Control Program, in _Tron_ and I think he was the villain’s butler or something in _Titanic_ [Malcolm McDowell](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000532/) Caligula, in _Caligula_ Alex, in _A Clockwork Orange_ Soran, in _Star Trek: Generations_ and he was also rather nasty in _Blue Thunder_ and the _Fantasy Island_ remake. In a head-to-head matchup between the two, David Warner wins. When they were in a movie together, Warner played to bad guy. ---
**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 4, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/13 "2005-08-04T18:15:34Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > No list would be complete without [Sydney Greenstreet](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002113/) . His very first role was as a murderer. I don’t believe Guttman ever killed anyone; he had his gunsel do it. On that track, there’s Peter Lorre, with things like **M, The Man Who Knew Too Much,** and **The Maltese Falcon**. Edward G. Robinson was memorable in **Little Caesar, Two Seconds, The Whole Town’s Talking** (where he played a good guy, too), and **Key Largo**. Humphrey Bogart was a fine villain in **The Petrified Forest, Dead End, The Oklahoma Kid, The Roaring 20s, Angles with Dirty Faces** and **Brother Orchid**. James Cagney was memorable in **The Public Enemy, Angels with Dirty Faces,** and **White Heat**. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/14 "2005-08-04T18:31:11Z")
> [@Robot Arm](#): > > [David Warner](https://boards.straightdope.com/us.imdb.com/name/nm0001831/) > Jack the Ripper, in _Time After Time_ > Evil, in _Time Bandits_ > Ed Dillinger/Master Control Program, in _Tron_ > and I think he was the villain’s butler or something in _Titanic_ > > [Malcolm McDowell](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000532/) > Caligula, in _Caligula_ > Alex, in _A Clockwork Orange_ > Soran, in _Star Trek: Generations_ > and he was also rather nasty in _Blue Thunder_ and the _Fantasy Island_ remake. > > In a head-to-head matchup between the two, David Warner wins. When they were in a movie together, Warner played to bad guy. Don’t forget that David Warner also played SOCKS (Or however his name is spelled, the head red guy) in _Tron_. Interestingly enough, both David Warner and Malcolm McDowell have played Admiral Sir Geoffery Tolwyn in various incarnations of the Wing Commander series, and both played the character excellently. That said, Tolwyn was only a villian when Malcolm McDowell played him. Let’s also not forget [John Lithgow](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001475/) who has played a number of entertainingly over-the-top villians in various action movies (and of course, he was Duke Farquad in the first Shrek movie). Anybody else notice a tendency for comedic actors to make good villians? ---
**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 4, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/15 "2005-08-04T19:03:30Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Don’t forget that David Warner also played SOCKS (Or however his name is spelled, the head red guy) in _Tron_. Sark. > [@Raguleader](#): > > Let’s also not forget [John Lithgow](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001475/) who has played a number of entertainingly over-the-top villians in various action movies (and of course, he was Duke Farquad in the first Shrek movie). Anybody else notice a tendency for comedic actors to make good villians? Lithgow was great as Dr. Emilio Lizardo/John Whorfin in _The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai_, and he was one of the only things to redeem _Cliffhanger_. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/16 "2005-08-04T19:22:43Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Don’t forget that David Warner also played SOCKS (Or however his name is spelled, the head red guy) in _Tron_. You reminded me of another. [Yul Brynner](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000989/) Rameses, in _The Ten Commandments_ The gunslinger, in _Westworld_ ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/17 "2005-08-04T19:35:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Lithgow was great as Dr. Emilio Lizardo/John Whorfin in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, and he was one of the only things to redeem Cliffhanger. and the **only** thing to redeem _Raising Cain_ ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/18 "2005-08-04T19:36:08Z")
> [@](#): > > by jrfranchi > I think Bela was only great once. Twice. [\*The Dark Eyes of London \* a.k.a. _The Human Monster_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031208/) “You are blind, Lou, and you cannot speak. But you can hear…and that will never do!” ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/19 "2005-08-04T19:41:08Z")
Max Von Sydow was fantastic hamming it up in both **Flash Gordon** and **Strange Brew** , (“I could crush your head. Like a nut.”), as a hitman that actually managed to be sympathetic in **Three Days of the Condor** , and more recently as the is-he-good-or-not head of Pre-Crime in **Minority Report**. Ronny Cox was great in both **Robocop** and **Total Recall**. Stephen Berkoff was memorable as General Orlov in **Octopussy** and Victor Maitland in **Beverly Hills Cop**. Vernon Wells was great in three totally over-the-top performances as the bad guy from **Commando** , the crazy biker chief in **Weird Science** , and (my favorite) the crazy mohawk guy from **Road Warrior**. “You! You can run! But you can’t hide!!” Clancy Brown: Kurgan in **Highlander** , the murdered in **Shoot To Kill** , Capt. Hadley in **Shawshank Redemption** > [@](#): > > Walken also plays great villains in Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead, Suicide Kings (another sympathetic villain performance), and the criminally-underrated Nick of Time. And he was also fantastic as the Bond villain Max Zorin in **A View To A Kill**. ---
**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 4, 2005, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592/20 "2005-08-04T19:56:39Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > Max Von Sydow was fantastic hamming it up in both **Flash Gordon** and **Strange Brew** , (“I could crush your head. Like a nut.”), as a hitman that actually managed to be sympathetic in **Three Days of the Condor** , and more recently as the is-he-good-or-not head of Pre-Crime in **Minority Report**. He also played the villain in _Needful Things_, a forgettable movie based on a Stephen King movie about a small town shop owner who could sell people the very thing they always wanted, for a high price. He totally stole the movie. > [@Dooku](#): > > Clancy Brown: Kurgan in **Highlander** , the murdered in **Shoot To Kill** , Capt. Hadley in **Shawshank Redemption** He played a good guy in _Buckaroo Banzai_, but that is out of character for him. He is also great as the voice of Lex Luthor in the _Superman: The Animated Series_ and _Justice League_ cartoons. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actors-have-played-more-than-one-great-villain/315592.md?page=2)