10 TV Villains Who Stole The Show
7. Vern Schillinger (Oz)
Being a drama set in a maximum security experimental prison, most of the characters in HBO’s seminal Oz are some shade of bad. Perhaps the worst of the bunch, and certainly the most sadistic, is neo-Nazi and all round prison heavyweight Vern Schillinger, whose plethora of foul deeds are one of the few areas of consistency in this ever shifting series.
Vern’s misdeeds include (but are not limited to) murder, assault sexual and otherwise, conspiracy to kidnap, and various hate crimes. An ardent racist, he leads the Aryan Brotherhood with an iron fist. In the hands of the ever-brilliant J K Simmons he’s undeniably charismatic, and even verges on sympathetic at times, as he experiences the odd moment of clarity and reflection. His villainy is forever at the forefront, though, and he perpetrates many of Oz’s most heinous crimes - which is really going some for this show.
Oz is, late on especially, a pretty insane show, but Simmons always keeps Schillinger grounded, making him far more frightening. The Oscar winner has since found a niche playing imposing figures, but he’s had few characters as awesomely terrifying as this one.