10 Delightfully Hammy Villain Performances

By Elizabeth Peterson in Daily Lists, Movies, TV
Thursday, August 11, 2011 at 8:03 am
kurgan highlander.jpg
Like acting, villainy is a subtle art, except for when it's not. Sometimes what a villain lacks in finesse, an actor makes up for in enthusiasm. It is then we move into Ham Country, population: these folks. Some are genuinely well acted and the goofiness is intentional. Others, well, it gets to a point where we just can't take the villain seriously -- but all of them are still fun as hell to watch on screen. Two things: 1) this list is by no means definitive, so don't complain which of your favorite ridiculous bad guys are missing; just tell us about them in the comments so we can include them in Part 2. 2) While there are comedies on this list, you won't find things like Batman '66 or Power Rangers here, because that would quickly turn into The Feast of a Thousand Hams, and this list can only handle 10.

10) Gary Oldman as Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg in The Fifth Element
The name alone lets you know you're in for porcine delights. Gary Oldman of Leon: The Professional fame is having a criminal amount of fun in this role, and it shows. Hilariously inept yet dangerously greedy and ambitious, Zorg is an entertaining and memorable villain with really weird hair. Memorably, Oldman also gave Zorg the voice of an evil Southern plantation owner or Texas oil baron... in spaaaace!

9) Denis O'Hare as Russell Edgington in True Blood
Hold on a minute there, vampire-haters. There's a good reason for the king of Louisiana to be here. Sure, some vampires in True Blood uselessly mope around falling in love or trying to curry favor with humans. Not Russel Edgington. He knows that the true purpose of a vampire is to eat you. Edgington's moment of ultimate badass here is followed by a descent into madness so melodramatic that it results in him carrying a crystal urn containing his dead husband's gooey remains wherever he goes, and holding conversations with it.

8) Miranda Richardson as Queen Mab in Merlin
In this 1988 miniseries, Miranda Richardson gave Queen Mab a voice that sounds like she screamed until hoarse after gargling acid. This, plus her hippy-goth-raver wardrobe, puts her squarely in the realm of high hammery. It is both obnoxious and fun to see her berate her gnomish minion Frick (played by an equally silly Martin Short) and make life hell for Sam Neil's Merlin. Not since her performance as Queenie in Blackadder has there been so campy a royal figure. It is worth noting that, while Helena Bonham Carter makes a valiant effort to the point of giving Morgan Le Fay a ridiculous lisp, she ultimately fails to out-overact Richardson here.

7) David Warner as Evil Genius in Time Bandits
David Warner is no stranger to silliness, with voice acting roles for numerous cartoons (including Freakazoid and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy) on his resume. MSTies will recognize him as villain Lord Vultare from that campy renn-faire romp Quest of the Delta Knights. Tron fans know him as an evil programmer dude and evil program. But in Time Bandits, he plays a villain so brilliantly evil his actual name is Evil Genius. He has particular ideas about how the world should be run, and thinks God is just messing around making crap like slugs and nipples for men. Lasers, eight o'clock, day one indeed!

6) Willem Dafoe as The Green Goblin in Spider-Man
Some folks would disagree, but there is much to enjoy in Willem Dafoe's portrayal of the Green Goblin. From the moment Osborn opens his mouth and yells, "You know how much I sacrificed?!" it is clear that Dafoe has unhinged his jaw like a mighty python to gobble the entire audience up, bones and all. If we accept his batshit insanity and roll with it as comedy, Dafoe's Green Goblin becomes pretty much the most enjoyable villain ever (you can pretend he's a Skrull if it helps.) Certainly we can agree that his defeat is entertaining to watch!

More links from around the web!

 
Email Print