8 Terrifying Villains You Didn't Realise Were Played By Great Directors

1. John Huston - Chinatown

It's not just Roman Polanski who makes an impact as a villain in Chinatown - member of Hollywood royalty and fellow acclaimed filmmaker John Huston also makes a memorable appearance. And seeing as the character the director plays - and the way he plays it - is basically about as shockingly odious as you can get, Huston just pips Polanski's knife-wielding crim to first place. Huston, famed for directing such classics as The Maltese Falcon and The Asphalt Jungle, was considered the second-best cast performer in the film (behind Jack Nicholson, natch) by Chinatown's own screenwriter, and Huston is indeed a natural in front of the camera. That the role he slips so easily into is that of millionaire businessman Noah Cross, who raped and impregnated his daughter when she was just a child, is the worrying part. Huston is frightening largely because Cross appears so outwardly genial, when - slowly, it's revealed - underneath he's really a vile old man who literally gets away with murder just because he's rich. The paedophilia part's also pretty terrible. Are there any other movie villains played by great directors that we've missed out? Let us know in the comments below.