3. Eric Roberts - The Dark Knight (2008)
Eric Roberts is somebody who, for most of his career, has lived in the shadow of his sister Julia, who was one of the worlds most recognisable actresses in the nineties and early noughties, though her output has dwindled in recent years. Nominated for two Golden Globes and an Oscar in his early career, Erics acting output was frequent throughout the eighties and nineties, though the quality of his roles began to decrease as problems with his drug use became apparent. In the noughties, hed been relegated to obscure productions and one-off guest appearances in an assortment of television shows, including the likes of CSI: Miami, Heroes and The L Word. 2008s The Dark Knight became his first major film for several years. His character, seedy gangster Sal Maroni, was a good fit for Roberts, whose fate was left ambiguous towards the end of the film. Following its release, he remains an occasional fixture on television, having appeared in shows ranging in nature from Chuck to Celebrity Rehab, the latter of which saw him attempt to combat his drug addiction once and for all. Despite his own setbacks, Roberts legacy lives on in the form of his daughter, Emma, who has appeared in a number of films in recent years, Scream 4 chief amongst them, and may become a regular on television screens come the end of the year if her Fox pilot, Delirium, is picked up. On a footnote, The Dark Knight also featured appearances from two other once prominent actors in smaller roles. Anthony Michael Hall, a member of the 80s Brat Pack, appeared as television host Mike Engel, whilst Michael Jai White, the first black actor to portray a superhero in 1997s Spawn, appeared as a gangster named Gambol.