Top 10 Brits Who Always Play Villains

Top 10 Brits Who Always Play Villains
Some British actors have a glowing reputation for playing the bad guy. Maybe it's their tone of voice, but there's just something about the way these actors work which makes for some of the coolest, scariest, most memorable and most iconic movie villains ever seen. For this list we'll be counting those that are best at being bad. Expect to see the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Jason Isaacs, Tilda Swinton, Jeremy Irons, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman and Christopher Lee. Baddies for the win!
Special thanks to our user Jsmetalcore for submitting the idea on our interactive suggestion tool: WatchMojo.com/suggest
00:40 #10. Benedict Cumberbatch
01:32 #9. Ian McKellen
02:32 #8. Helena Bonham Carter
03:31 #7. Jason Isaacs
04:33 #6. Tilda Swinton
05:33 #5. Jeremy Irons
06:33 #4. Gary Oldman
07:33 #3, #2, #1: ???

[@amberelbishlawi6395]

EXCUSE ME SIRIUS BLACK IS NOT A VILLAIN

[@Joe-hi1zw]

Amber Elbishlawi Sirius black was never called a villain in this video... You mean Severus Snape?

[@amberelbishlawi6395]

a guy ew no I hate Snape, they implied Sirius was a villain

[@user-oc6nd8jd2s]

Amber Elbishlawi when?

[@shellnet411]

Amber Elbishlawi Snape was a hero the whole time he wanted to protect lily before she died and did everything he could and he protected harry and loved lily till his last breath he loved her so much he had her potronus only true love can do that James didn't do that you need to go back an watch everything again

[@mintal7884]

Amber Elbishlawi IKR

[@lisakaz35]

I am a simple girl. I see Alan Rickman, I click. (RIP)

[@sarahkinsey5434]

same

[@conaillmcm6517]

Lisa Kazmier | R.I.P Alan Rickman 🌺🌹🌷

[@lisakaz35]

But why not mention his Rasputin?

[@avasydney6529]

Lisa Kazmier 😭😭😭😭

[@Mia-zm9qd]

Saw the title and thought "if they don't freaking include Helena and Alan" they're my favs

[@Angels1and1Demons]

Did he just say "Benedict CumberPatch"? 😂😂😂

[@jade7934]

Ink splotches and Bookmarks I was looking to see if someone else heard it too 😂

[@5ksubswithnovideos236]

I was looking for this!!

[@kelbarraclougj3586]

Yes he did

[@hmmxst]

YESYESYESYESYESHEDID

[@lindildeev5721]

Pengwings. Hahahahahaha !

[@jmunday7811]

For the last time Snape is not a villain

[@doctorwhofanatic6057]

Captain Co [James] exactly

[@kasey1078]

But we don't find out until the last movie. So he spent most of the movies looking and acting like a villian.

[@TabularJoker]

Kasey Caragine technically not.Since we heard about the James being a bully to Snape in Order Of The Phoenix.

[@funnyman7111]

Captain Co [James] he is. He didn't love lily, he was obsessed with her. Obsession is far more harmful and selfish than love.

[@kasey1078]

TabularJoker : Gaming Vids just because he was bullied, doesn't mean he is totally innocent. It might have made us pity Snape when he was younger, but it doesn't show us his good side. If anything, it just shows why he ultimately became a "villian" until we understand everything in the last movie.

[@DCLeadboot]

With all these great British villain actors, I'm surprised you didn't mention Tim Curry (for Pennywise the Clown and various other) or Andy Serkis (for Gollum and several period-piece villains such as Sykes)

[@youtubingjaguar5082]

*MY PRECIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!* ;)

[@Sam-bv7vk]

Ian Brady and Snoke.

[@jackmclinden6809]

Gollum’s not a villain in lord of the rings he anyways he’s more of a foil or an anti hero

[@DCLeadboot]

Maybe not Gollum, but Andy Serkie has certainly portrayed Bill Sykes at least, in one adaptation of Oliver Twist o_~

[@countrycoffeecup7772]

Tim Curry was also that guy on _Freakazoid,_ and Dr. Morocco on _Transformers: Rescue Bots._ Not to mention the character who's merely a villain by a technicality, The Great Piccadilly from _Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey._

[@pearcemartins3881]

R.I.P Alan Rickman

[@stephvandykeozzy]

Pearce Martins And Christopher Lee.

[@pearcemartins3881]

Steph V.D. Oh yeah, sorry and him as well

[@stephvandykeozzy]

Pearce Martins Just reminding you. That's all. Both Alan and Christopher will always be remembered.

[@TheAnn2shoes]

A brilliant actor, sadly missed

[@avasydney6529]

Pearce Martins 😭😭😭😭😭

[@clonecommandogregor8201]

'Looks at thumbnail' "You better not have" 'Watches video' "Snapes not a villain!!!"

[@robertsirois1297]

Alan Rickman and Gary Oldman in one movie as both villains.... the world would of exploded from awesomeness, but we lost Hans to early in life to see the masterpiece that never will be

[@MKT-7777]

How can Gary Oldman always play a villain?

[@Coniecles]

Actually they did yogether in hp but Gary is not a villan soo ok I agree

[@countrycoffeecup7772]

​@@ConieclesThough almost everyone in the world he's a part of _thought_ he was a villain, so.....

[@SamuelBoy1991]

Helena and Tilda should do a movie together.

[@abbeymclane6985]

S198 I agree

[@stephvandykeozzy]

What about Tim Curry. He played many villains. To name a few: Pennywise, Hexxus, Drake, and I think Dr. Frank'N'Futer.

[@martijnstuart95]

Steph V.D. He also played a serial killer on Criminal Minds

[@stephvandykeozzy]

The Stargazer He did? I didn't know that.

[@jltavare]

Darkness in Legend.

[@e3180]

I like that half of these are harry potter

[@toreswe]

Tim Curry should be mentioned.

[@gabriellafagan9651]

toreswe yes, he does play a good villain

[@Abbenxena]

I was looking through the comments to see if anyone else realized that the person who should have been #1 was overlooked

[@hugsnotdrugsfriesbeforeguy5968]

Rip Alan Rickman. Always

[@Harrison1010]

* Tom Hiddleston* Sean Bean* Tim Curry* Mark Strong* Andy Serkis

[@MKT-7777]

Sean Bean played Boromir in LoTR trilogy

[@shouvikghosh8946]

Tom Hiddleston..??? His only villain role would be Loki in MCU....!!

[@lindildeev5721]

@@shouvikghosh8946 Maybe not : Sir Thomas Sharpe is basically a villain but he found redemption by love.

[@hmmxst]

Crap I saw Tom I left

[@get-the-joke]

It's quite reasonable to cast British actors as villains because they can act, most good American actors are method actors and you always have to fear they actually go nuts in preparation.

[@sarahkinsey5434]

For me it's the voice and accent, and the skill of an actor.

[@lordythegreat88]

Yeah you gotta be careful of method acting, it drove Heath Ledger half insane filming Batman and Dicaprio freaking ate a wolf liver for reals

[@LittleB2007]

Daniel Day-Lewis is a Brit, perhaps the most intense method actor in cinema history, has played all kinds of roles including brilliant villains like Bill the Butcher and Daniel Plainview, and somehow he stays sane and composed. Maybe he is a rare exception...

[@gabriellafagan9651]

Sarah Kinsey I agree, it's what I love about living in Britain, the accent just sounds evil in the best way. 😀

[@felicialouisianagirl5034]

Michael Lord yeah I get what you're saying and I even tought that but just I case you didn't know heath ledger was Australian

[@MTTT19]

Where is Tim Curry? He's one of if not the greatest villain actors of all time!

[@nikki._.337]

Nobody hates anyone in the HP series except Umbridge(hate her so much) Lucius, Belltrix, Snape even Voldemort are favourites of potterheads.

[@cloudyojbullet47]

Yes. Draco is my favourite

[@missybarbour6885]

We can enjoy them because they're well written, but some fans excuse too much.

[@gabriellafagan9651]

Yeah, I love voldemort, I appreciate a good villain

[@naly202]

Indeed. I was disappointed to see Lucius M on this list. JK. Rowling was brilliant at making her characters likeable and complex. Except for poor Umbridge. I also tend to like her because she's so alone--nobody in their sane minds (characters/HP fans) like her.

[@ellie9311]

I think Christopher Lee should be number one

[@MKT-7777]

Saruman,Grof Dooku and Will Wonka dad

[@joshtalbert2007]

May he rest in peace

[@orlamacgrath8409]

At 2:07 Michael Fastbender couldn't be on this list anyway, it's British actors and he was born in Germany and raised in Ireland.

[@jrogan3591]

+flip inheck Irish are not British

[@Joe-hi1zw]

flip inheck Irish isn't British, if it's northern Irish then you say northern Irish!

[@bobsickle2336]

That's not how it works. Great Britain is the union of England, Wales and Scotland, the mainland UK. Northern Ireland is part of the UK but NOT of Britain.

[@apolloriddle-grimm4142]

"Benedict cumberPatch" 😂

[@charlottapeterson]

hahaha

[@mintal7884]

Apollo Riddle-Grimm CUCUMBER PATCH!!!

[@_Moonlit_]

Also Snape is NOT a villain! The first few films you think he is but the last couple of films you realise he's actually such a selfless hero. He did more good than Dumbledore.

[@purplexninjamom]

I agree with you. He is the anti-hero. That´s NOT the same as a Villain.

[@user-ts1xm4pg3m]

he was in voldemorts inner circle. he probably did some horrible things to get there. he was completely okay with getting an infant killed until he found out it was lily's son and even then he still didn't care that the baby was gonna die, he begged voldemort to kill james and harry and spare lily. that's not something a "selfless hero" would do

[@augustslippedaway]

more good than dumbledore??? he did his good deeds BECAUSE of dumbledore wtf

[@Demaad]

They already pointed that out in the video

[@nikki._.337]

He wasn't a villian. No

[@abbeymclane6985]

Helena Bonham Carter and Jason Isaacs: partners in crime and British, today version of Bonnie and Clyde, but I'm a big Tilda Swinton, Gary Oldman, and Ralph Fiennes fan

[@_Moonlit_]

Love Tom Hardy! He should've been on the list not just an honourable mention seeing as most of his roles he plays the villain

[@_Moonlit_]

Lawrence Stevens nah he plays the villain in Batman, Legend, Taboo, Bronson, Revenant etc

[@chrisholland7367]

Rihanna And Little Mix most recently he played both Kray twins and Bronson .

[@michaelhayes1609]

Bronson is more of an anti-hero to be fair but the point stands

[@Freddy1428]

That is a real great list!

[@TheLeondude]

Seriously? No Tim Curry?!

[@adamgordon-boyle1560]

How does Charles Dance not even make an honorable mention?

[@kyeflint1]

I'd of gone with David Tennent with his role as kill grave in jessica jones and barty crouch JR in Harry Potter tgof

[@kyeflint1]

Lawrence Stevens true but he does play a very good villain when he is cast as one

[@donaldtusk2678]

Don’t forget postman pat

[@feanoriel22]

sirius is wrongly accused for james and lily potters death. SIRIUS BLACK IS INNOCENT and dead...

[@varshamendirattakhurana]

You are right

[@lindildeev5721]

And it's not the only good guy played by Gary Oldman : Léon found redemption by helping Mathilda and Jim Gordon is the only ally of Batman.

[@darthleia2536]

Alan Rickman was an awesome actor, so sad we lost him . This list was great.

[@avasydney6529]

OMG I LOVE ALAN RICKMAN #bestvillianEVER I WAS SO SO SAD WHEN HE DIED 😱😨😰😭😢😥😪😓

[@Emelllll64]

The kid who played malfoy is always in villain roles e.g. belle, planet of the apes, hp

[@cloudyojbullet47]

get his name right please. its TOM FELTON. only one of the hottest people alive.

[@AntiAuthority55]

I love this top 10 so much

[@Mia-zm9qd]

So glad Hellie was mentioned. I just love her so much 🖤

[@andysbg77]

I like *Alan Rickman* as Metatron in DOGMA!!!!!

[@bigboredthing]

Tequila?

[@naly202]

Why do they never mention Alan Rickman playing Rasputin? It's a BRILLIANT interpretation. Probably his filthiest role (aka not washed, drunk, crazy, degenerate). My first time watching it, I was appalled, my second time - I was like :"poor soul, poor dear man". Dang it! He even makes you love Rasputin himself!

[@bandotaku]

What about Tim Curry? The guy's villain repertoire far exceeds most of the actors on this list, and it's what he is most known for. Pennywise, Wadsworth, the Devil, Frankenfurter (he might be more of an antagonist in this one), John Silver, Hexxus, Forte, and more.

[@RockismyAir]

Why oh why is Jason Isaacs always a baddie? He does it so well. And WHY is he placed so low?

[@fabianaguilar6288]

I am surprised that Malcolm McDowell isn't on this list

[@penelopeobrien3999]

Where is tim curry?

[@scouser2010ify]

I love all of these actors

[@this80sgeek]

Alan either plays an antagonist of some sort or a love interest of some sort. And I love it

[@thesorrentosmoon4693]

l agree with every single Actor, l am a great fan of all of them. They all bought me many hours of pleasure and goose bumps. Thank you for the memories Mojo. Australia. xx

[@marissamay8527]

I'm surprised you didn't include Tim Curry, Glenn Close, Kevin Spacey, Anthony Hopkins, Andy Serkis, Mark Strong, and Tim Roth on this list.

[@dennistheconstitutionalpea6174]

I would like to mention Julian Glover. He's plays bad guys in For Your Eyes Only, The Empire Strikes Back and Indiana Jones 3. That's to say nothing of his roles as baddies on TV (Doctor Who, The Saint, The Avengers) and his great charismaticly eeeeevil persona.

[@arwenitaofdoom9041]

RIP Christopher Lee

[@TEKKENKING23]

Benedict Cumberbatch is also the voice of Dormammu in Doctor Strange

[@MKT-7777]

He played a hero in Doctor Strange and gave the voice to a villain in Dr. Strange

[@shouvikghosh8946]

Sir Ben Kingsley in Iron Man 3 made us truly believe that he was The Mandarin (although it turned out to be fake)... but Sir Ben Kingsley will be remembered for his heroic roles in Schindler's List....!!!

[@friidrottskarlsson3878]

Jason Isaac also plays the Grand Inquisotor and emperor Skekso

[@rubenashleywesterhoff2664]

what aboud the manick-depressive robot in Hitchhickers gide to the galaxy ?

[@toreswe]

#1 and #2 should switch places though

[@MKT-7777]

Ikr,Chris Lee played villain but real ALWAYS

[@danic9304]

played the monster in Frankenstein yes - but also played Frankenstein - the two lead actors, Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, played the roles of Frankenstein and the Monster, alternating between them.

[@davidjackson2524]

Remember an actor called Julian Sands? He played a villain in numerous films, including a Jackie Chan film filmed in Ireland which costarred Lee Evans and Clare Forlani.

[@azkadeliamalfoy9462]

Was the number one spot ever a question? The magnificent amazingly beautiful Alan Rickman! RIP

[@classicerynn8452]

Tobias Menzies has played some great villains: Black Jack Randall (in "Outlander") and Geoffrey Droomgoole (in "The Night Manager").

[@fan1360]

"Benedict Cumberpatch" nice pronunciation

[@The101genco]

I love Saruman and The White Witch, Great villains!

[@SilentGlaceon94]

Y'all forgot about Ramses from Prince of Egypt, Ralph voiced him as well.

[@cheyennebrennan8127]

Alan Rickman doesn't play villains. He plays interesting characters-Personal Quote

[@rhiannonkitchener]

My friend is a child actor and last year he was on a tv show on the BBC called love Nina playing one of the boys and he was playing alongside Helena Bonham Carter. Seriously.

[@andrebeatrix1554]

I see Benedict Cumberbatch and I stay but he honestly isn't a villain just saying

[@opinionsarelikea55holes20]

How can you talk about gary oldman bad guys and not mention leon the proffesional

[@smalon75]

He did mention Leon but didn't show a clip of the film.

[@lordythegreat88]

EVEERRRRRYONNNNNE!

[@opinionsarelikea55holes20]

Steven Allen fair enough but they also mentioned sirius black. One of the bravest and most good-hearted characters in harry potter

[@martijnstuart95]

Kenobi43 hj And Mason Verger in Hannibal

[@7pontiff]

You could have mentioned Gary Oldman's role as Mason Berger in Hannibal also.

[@PhoenixReaper04]

Ok i agree with this whole list but still i love these British actors cause well they have amazing talent and they are all just so cool 😍

[@ashleywilkerson7514]

Good list, . . . but you overlooked the magnificent Boris Karloff.

[@friidrottskarlsson3878]

Christopher Lee also plays Knight Cato in the Swedish film Mio my son

[@jacomoss3041]

Jason Isaacs also voiced Admiral Zhao in Avatar the Last Airbender

[@user-xn9vp3xe4x]

He did!

[@MKT-7777]

My favorite Jason Isaacs role was Lucius Malfoy

[@hmmxst]

As soon as I heard Helena Bonham Carter, the first thing I thought was that Tom Hiddleston challenged her to the ice bucket challenge Lol XD

[@Gatergirl79]

How does Benedict Cumberbatch make it onto this list for only three or four villainous parts (you seriously can't use Doctor Strange and Sherlock, being an obnoxious ass does not make you a villain) but Mark Strong, who's has played villains so many times I'm instantly sure he's the bad guy whenever he turns up in a movie, does not. I mean, not even a damn honourable mention?

[@ESTree-ds5tu]

Helen REALLY should have been higher on the list!!!

[@PhoenixRebellion01]

Benedict Cumberpatch somebody hasn't done annunciation lessons today.

[@freddiesmith984]

Jacob Isaac was in the OA as well, he kept human experiments in his basement, one of which was Blind!

[@XiuLiwa1996]

Freddie Smith Thank you i was wondering why they didn't mention that and why no one was commenting about that...

[@chrissyfleming2676]

Sekgabo Malefho n

[@carmelitafox9180]

Pitch Black: (Clears throat) I'm waiting for MY voice actor to be included.

[@friidrottskarlsson3878]

Fiennes also plays Rameses II in the primce of Egypt

[@lizziewhitby-davies2472]

Firstly, Snape wasn't a villain. Second, it's Borgias not Bourgeois. Finally, learn their names. Last I checked, it's Saunders, not Sanders.

[@MKT-7777]

Snape was a hero and anti-hero

[@samkresil6011]

Tim Curry, Ian McShane, Alfred Molina, Mark Strong and Cillian Murphy

[@reemsalem6715]

Alan Rickman ia the sexiest villain i've ever seen

[@multiplefandoms4928]

I've noticed Helena as all the villains 😆😂

[@AquaValentineGG]

"Number 10 Benedict Cumperpatch" ME: *pauses video and thinks about what the heck has happened and what is life*

[@reese9633]

When they said Tilda Swinton I was like they better show the lion the witch and the wardrobe

[@thaliakanne314]

*Sees Sherlock can't breathe for 2 minutes*

[@eliza2418]

3 points to Slytherin! (3 people for hp were on this list and they were all in Slytherin).

[@clintoncook6082]

One thing that I feel needs to be noted: How many brits actually have a problem being a villain? They're more complex and delicious to play. Sure, I'm sure british actors would love to be knows for more than that. But, I imagine that they wouldn't have a problem being both.

[@jonnybaynham1689]

Cumberbatch didn't play Shere Kahn in the Jungle Book, that was Idris Elba. I assume you meant Smaug going by the clip.

[@catetaylor8675]

If we're splitting hairs, Benedict played both the creature AND Frankenstein and from a dramatical point of view, it's actually Frankenstein who's the villain :))

[@coralmclaughlin9864]

Severus Snape was not a villain, he was just very misunderstood!

[@RoxygodxD]

Alan Rickman will always be in our Hearts

[@jtrenoweth]

I will airways remember Alan Rickman in truly madly deeply

[@ollieshane7835]

You should have Rufus Sewell in this list

[@MsRee713]

I know you can't mention any and all roles each played but how could you miss Christopher Lee as Lord Summersisle in The Wicker Man?

[@6thwilbury2331]

My favorite Tilda Swinton villain was in Michael Clayton AINEC.

[@lindildeev5721]

Hey ! Tilda played the Ancient one and Helena the mother in "Charlie and the chocolate factory".

[@XmatineeX]

Did he just say "The Borgias" with a French accent for no apparent reason? The Borsoir? Lmao

[@danaberry3568]

Let's also remember the first (and possibly greatest) of them all - Boris Karloff

[@raxelleon8189]

No Tim Curry?! He was Pennywise, Wadsworth and Darkness. But apparently that's not enough for you people.

[@trollkenobi6727]

Christopher Lee acted as Saruman, Dooku, and Dracula. 1. Saruman 2. Dooku 3. Dracula

[@MKT-7777]

R.I.P Alan Rickman Benedict played Dr Strange Gary Oldman played Sirius Black But I agree with Christopher Lee

[@multiplefandoms4928]

I like how 3 Harry Potter actors are in this list 😆

[@davidjackson2524]

Christopher Eccleston has played a few good villains including Gone In 60 Seconds.

[@generalgrievous6689]

Wait, would Aidan Gillen count? I mean, Petyr Baelish is good enough for me... But seriously this list is amazing.

[@jacobmilligan8777]

Benedict Cumberbatch was also a villain in Doctor Strange. Not Doctor Strange himself, but Dormammu.