14 Actors Who Became Absolute Legends With Just One Movie

10. Julian Glover - Walter Donovan (Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade)

For much of the 20th century it was very rare for British actors to achieve screen success until they were middle-aged. The traditional route to success was through years of hard graft in the theatre, leading eventually to some TV appearance and then perhaps films in later life. Julian Glover's career follows one such trajectory, becoming immortalised in later life and then struggling to escape the boundaries created by fame and increasing age. Glover made his name through his TV appearances, turning up in Doctor Who, Blake's 7, The Avengers and The Saint. His film breakthrough came in Hammer's version of Quartermass and the Pit, in which he played Professor Quartermass' nemesis Colonel Breen. He impressed Lucas with the small role of Imperial General Maximilian Veers in The Empire Strikes Back, and also made a splash as villain Aristotle Kristatos in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only. Walter Donovan is a very interesting villain. A ruthless beast lurking beneath a refined facade, his greed and ambition lead him to the Holy Grail but ultimately cause his demise when he drinks from the wrong vessel. His death scene is one of the most memorable and elaborate in 1980s Hollywood, and Glover has a reptilian quality which balances out the more pantomime Nazi stooges. Despite this, Glover was very much a product of the British system, failing to diversify after the film's success. What He Did Next: Glover has largely concentrated on smaller parts in TV, culminating in a recent recurring role in Game of Thrones. His subsequent film roles include the voice of Aragog the giant spider in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and the Duke of Wellington in The Young Victoria.