2. Hans Gruber - Die Hard
There is an army of nostalgia loving 80s film fans who would consider anything but top spot for Hollywood's most famous German villain an atrocity, but you can rest assured that the difference between this performance and its superior was a matter of millimetres. Gruber isn't the kind of role that should be considered among a classical actor's best: it should have been a bread and butter performance, unchallenging, outrageous and cartoonish. Which is the exact opposite of what Rickman brought to the role. If you consider someone like Malcolm MacDowell in the role, it would have been pantomime-esque, more heavy propped up on the German stereotype - almost wordless with Rickman - and far more blatant. But Rickman's performance is a study in restraint, bubbling with evil, but remaining poised and classic-feeling, and it is considered by many his best bad guy turn for good reason.