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One May Smile, And Smile, And Be A Villain: Cinema's Most Charming Creeps

By Joanna Robinson | Posted Under Seriously Random Lists | Comments (55)

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Thor opens in the U.S. this weekend and the most positive buzz I’ve heard surrounding the film (which has already premiered in Europe) has not been for its muscle-bound lead actor (Chris Hemsworth), nor for either of the comely females, one scrawny (Natalie Portman), one buxom (Kat Dennings). No, the lion’s share of the praise is being heaped on the film’s silver-tongued, trickster villain, Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston. What, you’ve never heard of him? You didn’t watch the twee BBC mini-series “Return To Cranford: Alas, Now With Less Eileen Atkins”? Well I have it on very good authority that his is a name you’re going to know soon enough. Jack Giroux at Film School Rejects has a lovely interview with Hidddleston about both Thor and his upcoming projects with Woody Allen and Steven Spielberg.

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I have to say, I love a villain who smiles. Here are a few of my favorites.

Peter Sarsgaard (Skeleton Key, An Education, Knight and Day, Flightplan)
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Ned Beatty’s Voice (Toy Story 3, Rango)
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Timothy Olyphant (Go, The Girl Next Door)
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Sam Rockwell (Matchstick Men, Charlie’s Angels)
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Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds, Water For Elephants)
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Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York)
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Orson Welles (The Third Man)
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Joanna Robinson couldn’t think of any ladies!!!! Who is she missing?!? Louise Fletcher? She hates that witch.









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Comments

Favorite smiley villain (small screen) for me is Mayor Wilkins. And now I want to watch Inglorious Basterds again.

Posted by: Julie at May 2, 2011 4:21 PM

Dude, Heath Motherfuckin' Ledger

Posted by: meh at May 2, 2011 4:24 PM

Peter Lorre?

Posted by: thimble at May 2, 2011 4:26 PM

Julie, I've got two words that are going to make all the pain go away. Miniature. Golf.

Posted by: I Need More Allowance at May 2, 2011 4:28 PM

Aaron Eckhart for 'In the Company of Men' and 'Thank you for Smoking'.

I completely agree with the Mayor Wilkins call. Dude always creeped me right the hell out. Flawless combination of genuine charm, moments of caring and complete smarmy evil.

Posted by: Nobody's Little Weasel at May 2, 2011 4:30 PM

Tim Olyphant was also a grinning villian in Scream 2 and A Man Apart, he makes a great grinning villian.

Sam Rockwell also a grinning villian in Green Mile.

Posted by: Sarah at May 2, 2011 4:33 PM

Oh sweet smiling damned villain.

Posted by: Mrs. Julien at May 2, 2011 4:34 PM

Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.

Posted by: Mrs. Julien at May 2, 2011 4:35 PM


Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane or The Little Foxes

Posted by: PaddyDog at May 2, 2011 4:36 PM

Hans Gruber:

"I'm going to count to three... There will NOT be a four".

"What kind of terrorists are you?
"Who said we were terrorists?"

...& dozens of other lines.

Everyone knows Alan Rickman is the main reason Die Hard was such a hit.

Posted by: Harold ballard's ghost at May 2, 2011 4:38 PM

Powers Boothe as Cy Tolliver in 'Deadwood'

Posted by: Harold ballard's ghost at May 2, 2011 4:41 PM

Jack Nicholson in "The Shining."

Posted by: superasente at May 2, 2011 4:41 PM

This list just seems irrelevant without James Spader. He is THE charming creep.

Posted by: Mel C. at May 2, 2011 4:41 PM

Oh! Oh! Just remembered a great smiling, batshit crazy villainess! Lena Olin in 'Romeo is Bleeding'!

Posted by: Nobody's Little Weasel at May 2, 2011 4:43 PM

Andy Serkis in Little Dorrit.I jumped and said "AAAH!" every time he appeared and then revelled in his performance.

Posted by: Mrs. Julien at May 2, 2011 4:51 PM

Butbutbutbut Robert Carlyle in Ravenous isn't on this list. He's spectacular!

Posted by: Nat Kittyface at May 2, 2011 4:55 PM

Hmmm... Jodie Foster in The Inside Man?

Posted by: Maggie at May 2, 2011 5:01 PM

So many Peter Sarsgaard spoilers!

Posted by: Will at May 2, 2011 5:10 PM

At this point if Peter Sarsgaard is in a movie, I assume he is the villain until proven otherwise.

Posted by: I Need More Allowance at May 2, 2011 5:12 PM

I make that assumption about Brad Dourif all the time. Which made the one movie where he WASN'T the bad guy (or at least on the bad guys' team) completely shocking. What an unexpected twist! Brad Dourif isn't the villain?! What?!

Posted by: Nat Kittyface at May 2, 2011 5:26 PM

Smiling lady villain, you say?

I say Saffron.

Posted by: (Not So) Blonde Savant at May 2, 2011 5:39 PM

@Nat Kittyface ... One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?

Speaking of, how is Jack Nicholson not on this list? I mean, nowadays he is a mere caricature of himself, but he had his moments.

Posted by: Siege at May 2, 2011 5:39 PM

Kris Kristofferson in Lone Star.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at May 2, 2011 5:51 PM

Tim Curry - Rocky Horror
Ian McKellan - Richard III
"Hand Branded" Nazi - Indiana Jones
Ben Forster (sp?) - 3:10 to Yuma
Jessica Alba - any time she smiles (I loathe her)

Posted by: The Mangler at May 2, 2011 5:52 PM

Famke Janssen in Goldeneye.

Best damn female villain ever.

Also, yes to whoever said Sssssssspader, and yes to Orson Welles!

Posted by: Samantha at May 2, 2011 5:59 PM

Lucy Lui in "Kill Bill."

Charming in manner and spoken word, but terrifyingly bloodthirsty...that's creepy, right?

Posted by: Kristin at May 2, 2011 6:05 PM

Hannibal Lector seems perfect for this list.

Michelle Pfeifer's Catwoman always had a sexy little smirk too. Sue Sylvester.

Posted by: becks at May 2, 2011 6:06 PM

Villains have the often enviable job of being far more interesting and entertaining than the heroes. Off the top of my head:

Alan Rickman, Sheriff of Notthingham (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves)--Say what ye may about the movie overall, Rickman was absolutely delicious as Nottingham. From the spoon, to the fast ordering of wenches, to canceling Christmas, he was ceaselessly bad and wonderfully naughty.

Anthony Hopkins, Hannibal Lector (All three Harris adaptations)-- I know that it isn't popular to like anything about Hannibal, but Hopkins was wonderfully quiet and contained, which made his moments of violence just horrifying. And all the while, though it would surely mean the end of me, I just couldn't help but think he'd make the most fascinating dinner guest.

Ian McShane, Al Swearengen, (Deadwood)--Though he was later shown to be the lesser of a couple of evils, Al could be rotten through and through. And was a joy to listen to in an intense tirade against his goons' incompetence or a lonely soliloquy whilst mopping a bar top. No matter, he'd still feed your ass to the pigs if you crossed him.

Christopher Walken, Anybody (Any Movie)--Loved him in Batman Returns. Loved him in Prophecy. Pretty much just love him.

Christian Bale, Patrick Bateman (American Psycho)--This one's just fun for the whole family.

James Spader, Proto-Yuppie and Resident Softly Spoken Scumbag, (Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Wolf, Two Days in Valley, Etc.)--Spader is so good at being morally ambiguous that even when he's the de facto hero, he can still give off a subtly creepy and menacing vibe. Is it wrong that I find that terribly seductive? Well, then I don't want to be right.

Jeremy Irons, Whatever He Wants--The guy that made a cartoon lion a good villain. He was mesmerizing as Klaus von Bulow.

The only female I can come up with right now is Maleficent, which is pretty wicked in any book, I would imagine.

Posted by: Hawkeye Fierce at May 2, 2011 6:07 PM

Dexter. Not really a villain but he's suave and charming as fuck.

Posted by: Steph at May 2, 2011 6:08 PM

Also, Hades from the Disney Hercules film.

Posted by: Steph at May 2, 2011 6:21 PM

John Simm and Derek Jacobi as The Master. (Sorry, I'm still in Dr. Who mode.)

Posted by: BWeaves at May 2, 2011 6:29 PM

Can I get some Giovanni Ribisi in this piece? He's got the creep to cool ration down like nobody else. Dude has gone from porn addicted Halle Berry stalker to a mentally disabled muppet-type caricature, slicked back business man to hot for teacher jail bait. He definitely flies under most people's radar, but I'd be cool to acknowledge his unusually diverse body of work. Chad ftw!

Posted by: beet salad at May 2, 2011 6:35 PM

I'd throw Ben Foster into the mix as well. Any kid from a feel good Disney show about being an awkward pre-teen who grows up to inhabit multiple otherwise utterly unrecognizable scummybag dirtball-types (30 Days of Night, the Mechanic), is on my list.

Posted by: beet salad at May 2, 2011 6:41 PM

Sam Rockwell was a villain in Iron Man 2, as well.

Posted by: Kelly Anne at May 2, 2011 8:12 PM

I vote for the double whammy of John Malkovitch and Glenn Close a la Dangerous Liasons. Smirks on the faces, powder in the wigs, and snake oil in the souls.

Posted by: Aratweth at May 2, 2011 8:12 PM

PaddyDog:
Or Deception.

Though but perhaps for a few moments in All About Eve, I don't think of Bette Davis as the smiliest.

Perhaps Liz Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Posted by: Jerry at May 2, 2011 8:26 PM

Verbal Kint?

Posted by: LG at May 2, 2011 9:03 PM

Robert Mitchum: The Night of the Hunter and Cape Fear.

Posted by: snapnhiss at May 2, 2011 9:05 PM

Cillian Murphy: Batman Begins, Red Eye, and Disco Pigs.

I second Alan Rickman and Kevin Spacey.

Posted by: Drea at May 2, 2011 9:13 PM

I throw another vote in for Kevin Spacey.
I mean, Lester Burnham is a total pervy creep buuuuuut... I can't say as I would turn that outta bed. Ever.

Posted by: Lisa Bee at May 2, 2011 9:55 PM

Is it wrong that I want to be the bacon in a Spader/Irons/Murphy/Rickman Sandwich?

Posted by: Jami at May 2, 2011 9:57 PM

Hawkeye Fierce:

Spader was the first name that jumped to mind, specifically as Steff in "Pretty in Pink". When that movie first came out, I couldn't have cared less about Duckie and Blaine, but the hot, evil preppy? Swoon.

And, of course, Olyphant should make every "best of" list b/c, well - Olyphant is magic.

Posted by: kimk at May 2, 2011 10:10 PM

Jami, I think my head just exploded.

Posted by: Drea at May 2, 2011 10:14 PM

Gru from Despicable Me. What, he's real, isn't he?

Posted by: Uriah Creep at May 2, 2011 10:18 PM

If you ever do a television version of this, remember Jim Moriarty.

"I gave you my number...I thought you might call...
The flirting's over, Sherlock, daddy's had enough now!"


And, oh yeah, the Master sounds pretty good as well.

Posted by: Ellie at May 2, 2011 10:37 PM

Hannibal Lecter!! And what about Angelina Jolie in "Girl, Interrupted". Come on 'jiba.

Posted by: L-Za at May 2, 2011 10:39 PM

I need Olyphant and Rockwell to have an Evil Smile Off. Ideally in or near the vicinity of my bunk.

Posted by: Nadine at May 3, 2011 3:49 AM

Can't we just agree that almost every villain ever was most charming? The only one that was all creepy and zero charming was Sergi Lopez in Pan's Labyrinth (even though he's handsome in real life).

Posted by: Rooks at May 3, 2011 4:27 AM

Ian McKellen, Richard III
Ian Richardson, House of Cards
Alan Rickman, Die Hard
Helen Mirren, Excalibur

Posted by: The Wanderer at May 3, 2011 7:04 AM

@kimk I just watched Less Than Zero over the weekend, and between Evil!Spader and StrungOut!RDJ, I just confirmed that I have some really deep seated issues. Andrew McWho?

@jami Throw in a side of McShane and pre-KPAX Spacey, and you have just about the smoothest voiced sex sammich ever.

Posted by: Hawekeye Fierce at May 3, 2011 11:58 AM

That photo of Sam Rockwell made my privates squeal and start clapping together like a trained sea lion.

Posted by: Amanda H. at May 3, 2011 12:41 PM

Linda Fiorentino-The Last Seduction

Posted by: C S-W at May 3, 2011 12:52 PM

If Christoph Waltz ever showed up at my doorstep, I would be elated and invite him in because, you know, he has a nice smile. I would then remember Inglorious Basterds and curl up into a ball of weeping terror.

Posted by: Ethnic Mike at May 3, 2011 4:59 PM

"Hand Branded" Nazi - Indiana Jones

You mean Major Arnold Toht played by the inimitable Ronald Lacey? Funny thing he was Himmler in the Nazi scene in Last Crusade.

Posted by: EshinX at May 5, 2011 12:59 AM

I don't 100 percent agree, but regardless a very well written post. I'll link back from my blog in the archives, when I get time :) Thanks!

Posted by: Trevor Westveer at May 18, 2011 6:41 AM