4. Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk - Elizabeth (1998)
Though many people probably see him as incredibly well-suited to playing villainous Englishman in period-inclined films, Christopher Eccleston has said that it was considered something of a risk casting him as a nobleman in 1998's Elizabeth, which also starred Cate Blanchett as the titular queen. At the time, though it sounds rather bizarre in retrospect, allowing Eccleston to play a character of extreme entitlement was seen as somewhat odd. And according to the actor himself, nobody but director Shekhar Kapur would allow him to give roles like this a go. Needless to say, as Thomas Howard, the 4th Duke of Norfolk, Eccleston is mesmerising and utterly immersed in his role - as he delivers his lines, it's hard to take your eyes off of him. Convinced that Elizabeth I is entirely ill-suited to her position as queen of England, he sets about trying to stop her accession to the throne and it's delicious to watch unfold. Given Eccleston's theatrical training, it's no wonder that he thrived in this part. And though it introduced him to a wider audience, it also pegged him as an "actor who does villains" - for better or worse.