10 Henchman Movie Roles Made Epic By Casting

Mike Erhmantraut was always a menace.

It's no surprise that Jonathan Banks made a name for himself playing tightly-wound heavies on either side of the law throughout the eighties, but his first two major appearances are: his now-famous short Linda's Film on Menstruation and an early part in Airplane!

But Banks settled into the law enforcement/criminal dynamic pretty early, appearing in Gremlins, Armed and Dangerous, and earning his first Emmy nomination during his four-year run on Wiseguy.

Banks would also pull the cop/criminal duo for Eddie Murphy, first as a cop gunned down in 48 Hrs. and later as the trigger man who kills Murphy's friend in Beverly Hills Cop.

The moment Banks shows up in Cop, it's clear who's in charge. And while he's not the main villain, Banks' quiet menace is far more intimidating than that of the effete Victor Maitland.

Maitland is almost intentionally a weak villain, written to be the polar opposite of Murphy's loudmouth Detroit cop. He's boring by design. Banks, on the other hand, gives the film a villain that will gladly meet Murphy on his terms.

It would be 22 years before Hollywood started nominating him again. He still hasn't won an Emmy.