20 Greatest Movie Villains Played By British Actors
7. Gollum - Andy Serkis
Murderer they called us. They cursed us and drove us away. And we wept Precious. We wept to be so alone
Film Appearance(s): The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) The Two Towers (2002) The Return Of The King (2003) Following a brief appearance in The Fellowship Of The Ring, former Ringbearer Gollum finally makes his full debut in all his CGI-glory in The Two Towers. Sometimes unctuous and creepy, other times truly frightening, Gollum is a triumph of not just technology but also perfect casting. From the first moment we see Andy Serkis Gollum, all fears of a Jar-Jar Binks style debacle fade away. Everything, from the strangulated voice to the tics and facial expressions, accurately convey the wretched Gollum and the pitiful Smeagol to such an extent that Serkis performance ends up stealing the film. Serkis went on to act in other big-budget productions which used the man from Middlesexs motion capture abilities but none were better than his first; a Stoor Hobbit of the river-folk who lost his way and became, er, precious, to all fans of Lord of The Rings. Did You Know?...Peter Jackson gave one of the rings used in filming to both Andy Serkis and Elijah Wood as a gift when filming wrapped. They both thought they had the only one.
6. Scar - Jeremy Irons
You're in trouble again. But this time Daddy isn't here to save you
Film Appearance(s): The Lion King (1994) Taking their inspiration from Hamlet, Disney made, arguably, the best kids film of all time when they made The Lion King. It has great characters, great songs, laughs and tears. It also has a villain so dastardly most people fist-shake the air whenever they see the Jeremy Irons voiced Scar on-screen. Scar kills his own brother and makes our hero Simba think hes responsible to get his paws on the throne and does it all with a devilish relish. This villain slithers through the story in grandiose style with a hugely enjoyable malice. Born on the Isle Of Wight, Irons has played a number of villains over the years, from the good (Die Hard With A Vengeance) to the bad (Eragon) to the downright fugly (Dungeons & Dragons) but none will top his African Claudius, Scar. Did You Know?...Scar and Mufasa differ so much physically because in an early draft Scar was a rogue lion with no relation to Mufasa.
