# Which evil, malicious, despicable characters light up the screen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532 "2013-02-07T00:44:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![coolbyrne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@coolbyrne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coolbyrne)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/41 "2013-02-07T13:53:46Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > John Hurt as Caligula in _I, Claudius_. Just delicious. Ooooh, Sian Phillips as Livia was also wonderful! ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/42 "2013-02-07T13:58:27Z")
Tricia Helfer in the 2004 _Battlestar Galactica_ reboot. Sexy, pouty, manipulative, icy, hot, and turning suddenly terrifying without warning. Devoted to God and in love with a human, her only other obsession is hunting down and destroying the human race. She’s a machine – literally! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/43 "2013-02-07T14:52:00Z")
Chiwetel Ejiofor was remarkably good as The Operative in _ **Serenity** _, not least because the Operative KNOWS he’s doing unspeakably evil things, but has convinced himself it’s for a righeous cause. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/44 "2013-02-07T15:11:44Z")
Pete Postlethwaite as Sargent Obadiah Hakeswill in the Sharpe series. Utterly evil and crazy, and revelling in it; totally without a single redeeming characteristic - and magnetic. “Be warned - when Obadiah’s up, he’s up like an animal!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/45 "2013-02-07T15:29:58Z")
**Rachel Weisz** in [The Shape of Things](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shape_of_Things) ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/46 "2013-02-07T15:35:57Z")
Scar in the Lion King. Absolutely owns every scene he’s in. (And yes, I realize he’s voiced by Jeremy Irons, who was mentioned up-thread.) ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/47 "2013-02-07T15:38:08Z")
Ralph Fiennes as Harry - _In Bruges_ Christopher Lee as Saruman Geoffrey Rush chewing the scenery as Captain Barbosa in POTC: Black Pearl ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/48 "2013-02-07T15:45:51Z")
Henry Fonda as [Frank](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=827&q=Henry+Fonda+Frank&oq=Henry+Fonda+Frank&gs_l=img.3...2951.9259.0.10197.17.9.0.8.8.0.57.322.9.9.0...0.0...1ac.1.2.img.OlyKPe2RduM#imgrc=K_pZeDUUqvXsYM%3A%3B0hbyiUXcALFk8M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F-IHYQlQhW18c%252FUAk590VP18I%252FAAAAAAAAH1I%252FmugzHgLpAFE%252Fs1600%252F8C.%252BFrank.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fclementine-lagranpantalla.blogspot.com%252F2012%252F07%252Ffrank.html%3B800%3B347) in “Once Upon a Time in the West.” ---
**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:** [February 7, 2013, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/49 "2013-02-07T16:09:51Z")
> [@Mrs.Cake](#): > > Geoffrey Rush chewing the scenery as Captain Barbosa in POTC: Black Pearl Also Rush as Casanova Frankenstein in _Mystery Men_. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/50 "2013-02-07T16:29:25Z")
Daniel Day-Lewis has played some good bad guys (I mean, played bad guys well). _Gangs of New York_ was a bit of a letdown overall, but Day-Lewis as Bill Cutting was absolutely mesmerizing to watch. It could be argued as to whether Daniel Plainview was a villain in _There Will Be Blood_, but it was impossible to ignore his presence. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/51 "2013-02-07T16:30:47Z")
Another vote for Rickman, but this time as the Sherif of Nottingham in the Kevin Costner Robin Hood movie. Easily the best thing about that movie. “Cancel Christmas”! Additionally, I’d add Robert Knepper as “T-Bag” in Prison Break, the TV series. Also, did I miss something or has nobody yet mentioned Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs as well as Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson in their respective portraits of the Joker. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/52 "2013-02-07T16:32:56Z")
All this talk of Alan Rickman and no mention of "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves? He called off [Christmas!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUDntpV_HdQ) Also, gotta throw the Q man out there from Star Trek. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/53 "2013-02-07T16:50:37Z")
Some great choices in this thread. I’ll add Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort in the Harry Potter series. Sure, he chews up the scenery, spits it out, then chews it some more, but it’s a treat to watch. So much more interesting a charcter than goody-goody Harry and his friends. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/54 "2013-02-07T16:54:56Z")
Vincent D’Onofrio in _The Taking of Pelham 123_. Far more chilling than either Travolta or Shaw. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/55 "2013-02-07T17:11:18Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Vincent D’Onofrio in _The Taking of Pelham 123_. Far more chilling than either Travolta or Shaw. He was also good as The Bug in the first _Men in Black_ movie. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FrankJBN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/56 "2013-02-07T17:12:18Z")
Tim Curry did a turn as a serial murderer on TV’s “Criminal Minds”. A nicely abhorrent physical characterization. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/57 "2013-02-07T17:38:36Z")
Ooh ooh! Dennis Hopper in _Blue Velvet_. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/58 "2013-02-07T17:53:51Z")
Great responses! A few more scoundrels and hellions I forgot: More of a ‘bad girl’ than evil, but Rebecca Hall was loads of fun as Sylvia Tietjens in _Parade’s End_. Dame Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers is _Rebecca_ was unforgettably creepy. Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus in _Gladiator_ and Jane Seymour as Kate Trask in the _East of Eden_ miniseries were also fun to watch. Anyone who wants to put together a poll, as **Zeldar** suggested, would be wicked. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/59 "2013-02-07T18:19:03Z")
Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lector - only onscreen for some 12 minutes, but what an impression! ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/60 "2013-02-07T18:30:23Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > John Hurt as Caligula in _I, Claudius_. Just delicious. Hee – I was going to add this one. I revisit _I, Claudius_ every other year or so, and while it’s quite lovely in general, John Hurt is electrifying. I never fail to crack up at his ‘Aren’t people _awful_’ comment to Claudius. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532.md?page=4)