8. Eddie Marsan
Britain is certainly not short of talented character actors, and Eddie Marsan is undoubtedly one of the best. Equally comfortable on television, low-budget independent movies or expensive blockbusters, the actor is guaranteed to do his best with the material provided. 2013 was a great year for Marsan, with a hilarious turn in Edgar Wright's The World's End contrasting with excellent character work on Showtime's Ray Donovan and a great supporting turn in Filth, which will hopefully lead to bigger and better things in the near future. Marsan has appeared in plenty of blockbuster box-office hits over the years, but never really seems to be given a true opportunity to show off his incredible talents. He was a henchman in Mission: Impossible III, disappears from the story in V for Vendetta, was the undercooked villain in Hancock, the bumbling Lestrade in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes movies, one of the dwarves in Snow White and the Huntsman and part of the king's guard in Jack the Giant Slayer. Outside of popcorn movies, Marsan has also worked with Scorsese (Gangs of New York), Spielberg (War Horse), Malick (The New World) and Mann (Miami Vice). Despite the vast number of blockbuster movies and high-profile directors on his resume, Marsan has never been given a chance to truly showcase his skills to a wide audience. A chameleonic actor that can disappear into any role, the 45 year-old is currently best served by smaller projects where he can deliver his best work. A well-written villain role in a Hollywood blockbuster would surely see his profile rocket.