101 Most Evil Characters in Cinema

Hannibal Lecter: If you want to see a great villain so intelligent, so manipulative, and so undeniably vicious, then watch this film and see Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter, a sociopathic serial killer whose known for literally devouring his victims. Hopkins earned himself a Best Actor Oscar for his brilliant portrayal of a man whose mindgames are as dangerous as his taste for flesh.

Dr. Strangelove: Peter Sellers portrays Dr. Strangelove as the epitome of the post-nuclear man as monster. He's completely comfortable, almost gleeful, when talking about mass-murder as an abstraction and a political expediency. He is not only zany but manipulative in his role. Sellers earned himself a Best Actor Oscar Nomination with a role that still transcends time.

Vito Corleone: Vito Corleone is both a family man and a business man. He cares deeply for his famiy but is afraid of the legacy he is leaving for them. As a business man, he tries not to leave any bloodshed but in the end he was still feared. As the Godfather, he is both feared and respected but loved by his family. Even today, the film, The Godfather, is well deserved for Best Picture and Marlon Brando gives an Oscar-winning performance that would stand the test of time.

Adenoid Hynkel: Charles Chaplin was well-known for his silent film success as the comedic Tramp. In his film 'The Great Dictator' (1940) (which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred) he plays the Tramp , a Jewish barber who ends up being in the middle of Germany's harsh treatment towards Jews and Adenoid Hynkel, the ego-maniacal leader who rules with an iron fist. As old as this film is, it still brings presence to the modern world today. As Hynkel, he plays him with gusto and grace. There is a scene where he does ballet with the globe which is so amazing to represent how much control he wants to the world. In case, you did not notice, Chaplin was parodying Adolf Hitler to impose on attrocities he was inflicting on the Jews. Either way Chaplin earned himself a Best Actor Nomination for how good he played the role along with others on how good he made the film.

Michael Corleone: Al Pacino earned both Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor Oscar Nominations for his infamous portrayal of Michael Corleone, whose personality has changed when forced to lead the Corleone family from his beginnings to his point being frightened by his family members including his wife and children especially his brother and sister asking him for forgiveness when he was nothing but cold and heartless to them all.

Gordon Gekko: In the film, Wall Street (1987), Michael Douglas wins a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of a Wall Street mogul, Gordon Gekko whose greed would match his devious nature. When it comes to making money in stocks, he does whatever necessary no matter who pays the price. Even his phrase 'Greed is Good' lives on.

Mr. Hyde: For any of you old monster movie fans, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) really set the record for a scary character. Fredric March is brilliant as innocent handsome Dr. Jekyll and the evil sadistic ugly Mr. Hyde. You want to see a performance showing polar opposites of one person this is it. You cannot beat this kind of brilliant acting and March earned himself a Best Actor Oscar for his monstrous performance.

Annie Wilkes: In the film, Misery (1990) Kathy Bates really delivers in her Oscar winning role as the obsessed kidnapper Annie Wilkes whose love is matched with her violent goal to keep the captive writer by her side, no matter what it takes.

Jonathan Shields: If you want to see a cold Hollywood mogul, here is one. Jonathan Shields is a man who takes Hollywood by storm by achieving success by whatever means no matter who he hurts. Kirk Douglas earned a Best Actor nomination for his role in 'The Bad and the Beautiful' in which he should have won but makes for a cold, overachieving, Hollywood scum that tells how Hollywood is then and now. Shields is a man who rose to success but loses his soul.

Travis Bickle: If you want to see a movie about a man push to the edge by society, Taxi Driver (1978) is the one you should see. De Niro's first Best Actor Nomination really reflected a man who goes mad when the streets are filled with crime that the police are not there for anyone. As crazy as Bickle is, he is one hell of a character.

Mrs. Eleanor Iselin: In 'The Manchurian Candidate' (1963), Angela Lansbury, who you might know from Murder She Wrote, really gave us a villain who is devious, controlling, and downright cruel to whoever stands in her way. So far in the history of film, she is the only villainous that has a incestuous relationship with her son. Lansbury should have won the Best Supporting Actress nomination.

Willie Stark: For anyone who saw 'All the King's Men' with Sean Penn, I comment that Penn pulled a great performance but the film itself was disappointing. In 1949, 'All the King's Men' won Best Picture that year, along with Broderick Crawford in his Oscar-winning performance as Willie Stark, who had good intentions becoming a politicean but became corrupt while pursuing goals for the state. Stark convinced alot of voters that he is a good man but never proved it to the people he works with. He is an adulterer, a businessman, and an ego-maniacal dictator. Either way the 1949 film is better than the Sean Penn one. Stark's character is based on a real corrupt politicean Huey P. Long.

Alex Forrest: Before the tv show 'Damages,' Glenn Close was the obessed Alex Forrest in the thriller 'Fatal Attraction' (1988) who after a one night stand with a man, she won't let him go. Forrest is a woman who felt betrayed and is a force to be reckoned with when she wants to get back at the guy. No matter how much the man pleads with her to stop, it would make Alex want to have him more if it means killing everything he values most including his family. This character made every man think twice before sleeping around on their wives. I can't believe Glenn Close did not win the Best Actress Oscar for this sinister performance and to Cher of all people.

Abe Kid Twist: Before Columbo, Peter Falk was Abe 'Kid Twist' Reles in the film Murder Inc. You take one look and say "wow he's scary." That was my impression when I saw the film. Despite his disturbing looks, he makes the film worth watching. He's both scary and crazy to be with. Either way Falk really deserved his Best Supporting Actor nomination.

Regan MacNeil: 'The Exorcist' was known in the 1970's as one of the best horror films ever to be made about demonic possession. In the film we see 12-year-old Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil, an innocent little girl who despite efforts made by her mother, is possessed by an demonic entity that would give you chills to your bones. What a performance it was, having to change from an innocent little girl to a demonically possessed little girl that would curse and vomit on the priest despite the efforts he was making to fight off this evil. Don't believe me watch this film and you will see what I mean. Blair earned herself a Best Supporting Actress Nomination for her scary but brilliant performance.

Big Boy Caprice: Al Pacino adds another violent role to his list of Oscar nominations and one of the them is Big Boy Caprice in the film 'Dick Tracy' (1990) where his brilliance as a career criminal makes him more dangerous as a power hungry mob boss who wants to take over the city.

Dr. Christian Szell: Laurence Olivier delivers a performance that personifies greed. Dr. Christian Szell was a Nazi doctor who performed experiments on Jews and was paid with gold teeth. Now he is paid with diamonds and if he does not get them, Szell will leave no prisoners until he gets what he wants. His famous phrase, "Is it safe, is it safe, is it safe." Szell's character is based on infamous Nazi doctor Dr. Josef Mengele. Either way well deserved Best Supporting Actor nomination

Anton Chigurh: Javier Bardem plays the killer Anton Chigurh with subtlety and great results. He plays him as a violent force that won't stop until he gets his man. What makes him more scary is his obsession with flipping his coin to tell who lives or who dies. He is silent but extremely violent. Bardem earned his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this role that would match Hannibal Lecter.

Norma Desmond: Norma Desmond is a former silent film actress who lives on Sunset Boulevard (also the title of the film) but is anxious for a comeback and so she meets a writer, Joe Gillis. They eventually became lovers but would soon end with murder and madness. Desmond is an example of how some actors and actresses can tragically drift to obscurity and desperately want to be in the spotlight again. Gloria Swanson gives a scary performance as Desmond and with her line, "All right Mr. Demille I am ready for my closeup," she received a Best Actress Nomination.

Little Bill Daggett: If you think he is great as Popeye Doyle in 'The French Connection' than you may have to see Gene Hackman in 'Unforgiven.' Little Bill Daggett is a sheriff who protects his town but runs it with an iron fist. He is a cold heartless bastard who makes a habit of killing anyone that gets in his way. Through moments with Richard Harris, you would be frightened by the way he tells his stories to the prisoner and how he tells them to the writer he hired. Either way Hackman is cleverly great in a role that earned him his Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.

Diana Christensen: In the film, 'Network' tv ratings are worth killing for, literally. Diana Christensen lives for her job in television. Like television, she is manipulative, clever, and never shows remorse. Faye plays her as a leech who sucks the life out of everyone she works with and deceives. She can be desperate and and downright devious to the bone. Dunaway won the Best Actress Academy Award for her clever performance.

Rhoda Penmark: In The Bad Seed, Rhoda is a villain unlike any other because she is a little girl who may look innocent but like the Devil himself, she is a deceiver and does not care who she hurts as long as she gets her way. Patty McCormack really pulls off an evil personality and well deserving of a Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nomination. ”

Phyllis Dietrichson: Barbara Stanwyck plays a woman who cons a man to kill her husband. Phyllis is seductive as she is devious. The man thought he was in love with her but instead was conned to do an insurance scam where Phyllis is the person receiving the money out of the settlement. Stanwyck really proved herself receiving a Best Actress Nomination as Phyllis performing emotions in order to perform a sinister plot.

Baby Jane Hudson: 'Whatever happened to Baby Jane' the title of the film but that is the question everybody wants to know when they wonder where the former child star has been. Bette Davis plays a disillusioned former child star who lives in isulation at a crumbling mansion with her sister. When her sister was crippled by Jane herself through drunk driving, Jane tries to control every aspect of her sister's life while she is at her mansion. Jane was famous but now is a weak old hag who can't even see that she is not a child anymore but to the audience, we pity her for not even seeing what kind of monster she made herself to be. Bette Davis really pulled off a sinister performance, worthy of a Best Actress Nomination.

Tommy Udo: Richard Widmark made his acting debut in Kiss of Death as the scary gangster Tommy Udo. He's mostly dedicated to the mob but is determined to get revenge who testified against him. He's psychotic and kills anyone that gets in his way. Widmark deserved his Best Supporting Actor nomination. ”