20 Greatest Movie Villains Played By British Actors
15. Doctor Hannibal Lecktor - Brian Cox
And if one does what God does enough times, one will become as God is
Film Appearance(s): Manhunter (1986) Often over-looked thanks to the more famous interpretation of the same character, Brian Cox's take on Hannibal Lecktor (the name was changed from the novels spelling) is just as evil but more realistic and played with a subtle menace that gets under your skin. Dundee-born Brian Cox is an experienced bad-guy actor, racking up memorable villains in films like Troy and X-Men II but it is his underrated turn as the most famous film cannibal that shows you don't have to grandstand to play an evil character effectively. The film itself may not be as good overall as The Silence Of The Lambs but it is definitely much better than the direct remake Red Dragon where Anthony Hopkins failed to convince as much younger Lecktor. If you haven't seen Manhunter it is well worth a watch as there is plenty to enjoy, not least Scotland's finest tormenting William Petersen's FBI profiler. Did You Know?...During the filming of Manhunter, Anthony Hopkins was playing King Lear at the National Theatre. During the filming of Silence Of The Lambs, Brian Cox was playing, you've guessed it, King Lear at the National Theatre.
14. Emperor Palpatine - Ian McDiarmid
And now young Skywalker...you will die
Film Appearance(s): Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Episode VI - The Return Of The Jedi (1983) Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) Episode II - The Attack Of The Clones (2002) Episode III - The Revenge Of The Sith (2005) Next up is another Scot. Actor Ian McDiarmids portrayal of Emperor Palpatine, the alien megalomaniac from a galaxy far, far away, who engineered a Machiavellian rise to power in the Star Wars universe and was responsible for the deaths of millions of life forms. That sort of behaviour probably got him struck from everyones Christmas card list from Coruscant to Tatooine. Ian McDiarmids first taste of playing Palpatine was in Return Of The Jedi where he played the cloaked and disfigured Emperor as an all-out bad guy but it wasn't until the Star War prequels that McDiarmid had an opportunity to build a more nuanced and fully formed character. In the prequels McDiarmid created a seductive and charming Chancellor Palpatine and received some much deserved acclaim and also provided the generally underwhelming prequels with one legitimate highlight. Did You Know?...McDiarmid was originally cast for just a physical performance and was expecting to be dubbed. However, George Lucas was so impressed with McDiarmid's voice acting he kept all his lines. Shooting the prequels, Lucas also re-filmed the Emperor's first appearance from The Empire Strikes Back with McDiarmid replacing original voice of the Emperor Clive Revill.
