20 Actors who stepped into Satan's Hooves
These actors all brought their own notably unique interpretations of "The Devil"/Satan/Lucifer and similarly likened characters to the big and small screen with positive and impressionable effect.
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Timothy James Curry was born on April 19, 1946 in Grappenhall, Cheshire, England. His mother, Maura Patricia (Langmead), was a school secretary, and his father, James Curry, was a Methodist Royal Navy chaplain. Curry studied Drama and English at Birmingham University, from which he graduated with Combined Honors. His first professional success was in the London production of "Hair", followed by more work in the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Glasgow Citizens Repertory Company, and the Royal Court Theatre where he created the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in "The Rocky Horror Show". He recreated the role in the Los Angeles and Broadway productions and starred in the screen version entitled The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Curry continued his career on the New York and London stages with starring roles in "Travesties", "Amadeus", "The Pirates of Penzance", "The Rivals", "Love for Love", "Dalliance", "The Threepenny Opera", "The Art of Success" and "My Favorite Year". He also starred in the United States tour of "Me and My Girl". He has received two Tony Award nominations for best actor and won the Royal Variety Club Award as "Stage Actor of the Year".
A composer and a singer, Tim Curry toured the United States and Europe with his own band and released four albums on A&M Records. In addition to an active movie and television career, he is a sought-after actor for CD-ROM productions. His distinctive voice can be heard on more than a dozen audio books, and in countless animated television series and videos. He lives in Los Angeles, California.Ridley Scott's 'Legend'
Though his character "Darkness" wasn't a direct portrayal of the devil, Tim Curry's representation remains possibly the most visually iconic, transcending mere visual effects through physical expression.- Actor
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One of the greatest actors of all time, Robert De Niro was born on August 17, 1943 in Manhattan, New York City, to artists Virginia (Admiral) and Robert De Niro Sr. His paternal grandfather was of Italian descent, and his other ancestry is Irish, English, Dutch, German, and French. He was trained at the Stella Adler Conservatory and the American Workshop. De Niro first gained fame for his role in Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), but he gained his reputation as a volatile actor in Mean Streets (1973), which was his first film with director Martin Scorsese. He received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Godfather Part II (1974) and received Academy Award nominations for best actor in Taxi Driver (1976), The Deer Hunter (1978) and Cape Fear (1991). He received the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull (1980).
De Niro has earned four Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, for his work in New York, New York (1977), opposite Liza Minnelli, Midnight Run (1988), Analyze This (1999) and Meet the Parents (2000). Other notable performances include Brazil (1985), The Untouchables (1987), Backdraft (1991), Frankenstein (1994), Heat (1995), Casino (1995) and Jackie Brown (1997). At the same time, he also directed and starred in such films as A Bronx Tale (1993) and The Good Shepherd (2006). De Niro has also received the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2010.
As of 2022, De Niro is 79-years-old. He has never retired from acting, and continues to work regularly in mostly film.Alan Parker's 'Angel Heart'
Robert De Niro's "Louis Cypher" is so restrained in his appearance that you can almost feel just how tightly wound he is, and that's something definitive of the immortal legend. He brings paranoia. Through little subtleties such as the egg-peeling scene, the theatricalities work best on slow release in this refreshingly noirish out-of-time drama. One of his best underrated performances.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Thomas Alan Waits was born in Pomona, California, to schoolteachers Alma Fern (Johnson) and Jesse Frank Waits. Described as one of the last beatniks of the contemporary music, Waits in fact has two separate careers. From 1973 (LP "Closing Time") to 1983 ("One From The Heart" soundtrack), he recorded nine LPs for Asylum Records, writing songs mainly in the manner of Tin Pan Alley, mixing them with jazz and blues. Extraordinarily, he never produced a hit, but he earned a cult following all over the world. In 1983 he signed with Island Records, and released a series of albums that stunned the music world. Beginning with "Swordfishtrombones", he introduced a whole new orchestration, which included some of the instruments invented by Harry Partch. He found a new ground for his innovations, searching in sound fields that never before were searched. This second part of his career coincided with his marriage to Kathleen Brennan, a former writer for Francis Ford Coppola (Zoetrope (1999)). His LPs "Rain Dogs" (1985), "Big Time" (soundtrack) and "The Black Rider" are today what Kurt Weill's music was once. "The Black Rider" brings music written for the show directed by Bob Wilson and staged in Germany.Terry Gilliam's 'The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus'
Possibly overshadowed by the death of Heath Ledger, Tom Waits plays "The Devil" with a performance that defines the delightfully insane tone his musical career incorporated from the 80s onwards. Obviously no stranger to performance art and innovation, Waits became increasingly theatrical as he delved into cinema a little at a time over the years (his first big role in the dramatic award winning Jack Nicholson vehicle Ironweed). Waits brings his delightfully mad character into this portrayal, and entertains unbound by chains, but with the insanity I would expect were this timeless character real.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Since his screen debut as a young Amish farmer in Peter Weir's Witness (1985), Viggo Mortensen's career has been marked by a steady string of well-rounded performances.
Mortensen was born in New York City, to Grace Gamble (Atkinson) and Viggo Peter Mortensen, Sr. His father was Danish, his mother was American, and his maternal grandfather was Canadian. His parents met in Norway. They wed and moved to New York, where Viggo, Jr. was born, before moving to South America, where Viggo, Sr. managed chicken farms and ranches in Venezuela and Argentina. Two more sons were born, Charles and Walter, before the marriage grew increasingly unhappy. When Viggo was seven, his parents sent him to the St. Paul's boarding school, in the Córdoba Sierras, in Argentina. Then, at age eleven, his parents divorced. His mother moved herself and the children back to her home state of New York.
Viggo attended Watertown High School, and became a very good student and athlete. He graduated in 1976 and went on to St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. After graduation, he moved to Denmark - driven by the need for a defining purpose in life. He began writing poetry and short stories while working many odd jobs, from dock worker to flower seller. In 1982, he fell in love and followed his girlfriend back to New York City, hoping for a long romance and a writing career. He got neither. In New York, Viggo found work waiting tables and tending bar and began taking acting classes, studying with Warren Robertson. He appeared in several plays and movies, and eventually moved to Los Angeles, where his performance in "Bent" at the Coast Playhouse earned him a Drama-logue Critic's Award.
He made his film debut with a small part in Witness (1985). He appeared in Salvation! (1987) and married his co-star, Exene Cervenka. The two had a son, Henry Mortensen. But after nearly eleven years of marriage, the couple divorced.
In 1999, Viggo got a phone call about a movie he did not know anything about: "The Lord of the Rings." At first, he didn't want to do it, because it would mean time away from his son. But Henry, a big fan of the books, told his father he shouldn't turn down the role. Viggo accepted the part and immediately began work on the project, which was already underway. Eventually, the success of "The Lord of the Rings" made him a household name - a difficult consequence for the ever private and introspective Viggo.
Critics have continually recognized his work in over thirty movies, including such diverse projects as Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Sean Penn's The Indian Runner (1991), Brian De Palma's Carlito's Way (1993), Ridley Scott's G.I. Jane (1997), Tony Scott's Crimson Tide (1995), Andrew Davis's A Perfect Murder (1998), Ray Loriga's My Brother's Gun (1997), Tony Goldwyn's A Walk on the Moon (1999), and Peter Farrelly's Green Book (2018).
Mortensen is also an accomplished poet, photographer and painter.Gregory Widen's 'The Prophecy'
In a movie where Christopher Walken's renegade Archangel Gabriel is possibly the most sinister and dreadful thing you could imagine (a great villain is often someone who think's they're the hero), Viggo's brief appearance as the devil in this great adventure's final act had to be something both definitive and contrasting. What you expect is a fallen angel and what you get is exactly that; another of god's chosen who believes he did the right thing and has suffered to the point of rejecting all that is good. Viggo's devil is playfully queer and deranged and his human form really is just a facade.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
American actor and producer Harvey Keitel was born on May 13, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York City, to Miriam (Klein) and Harry Keitel. An Oscar and Golden Globe Award nominee, he has appeared in films such as Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets (1973) and Taxi Driver (1976), Ridley Scott's The Duellists (1977) and Thelma & Louise (1991), Peter Yates' Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976), Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994), Jane Campion's The Piano (1993), Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant (1992), Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), James Mangold's Cop Land (1997), Paolo Sorrentino's Youth (2015). He is regarded as one of the greatest method actors ever. Along with actors Al Pacino and Ellen Burstyn, he is the current co-president of the Actors Studio.
Keitel studied under both Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg and at the HB Studio, eventually landing roles in some Off-Broadway productions. During this time, Keitel auditioned for filmmaker Martin Scorsese and gained a starring role as "J.R.", in Scorsese's first feature film, Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967). Since then, Scorsese and Keitel have worked together on several projects. Keitel had the starring role in Scorsese's Mean Streets (1973), which also proved to be Robert De Niro's breakthrough film. Keitel re-teamed with Scorsese for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), in which he had a villainous supporting role, and appeared with Robert De Niro again in Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976), playing the role of Jodie Foster's pimp.Steven Brill's 'Little Nicky'
All of the dramatic heavyweight's fellow allumni had capitalised their careers with a devil performance before 'Little Nicky' came along, and throughout his career, Keitel's resume was short on comedy. Playing "Dad" was a delightful contrast, even though it was more befitting of a Loony Tunes cartoon protrayal. Keitel had delved into so many dark characters previously, though, and some notably religious, that if he and Abel Ferrara had reteamed to bring the devil to life, it'd have been the dog's bollocks. Still, can't give "Dad" anything but love!- Actor
- Producer
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Mark Pellegrino was born on April 9, 1965 in Los Angeles, California, USA as Mark Ross Pellegrino. He is an actor and producer, known for The Big Lebowski (1998), National Treasure (2004) and The Number 23 (2007). He has been married to Tracy Pellegrino since October 30, 2008. They have two children.CW's 'Supernatural'
Interestingly Pellegrino bears resemblance to a younger Tom Waits and I wonder if the casting director had that in mind (and Waits' performance in Dr Parnassus). Pellegrino's Lucifer is mischievous, menacing and cocky, with a barely containable apathy for humankind, and yet he does it with serious charm. in regard to his audience, he's also one hell of a ladykiller.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Misha Collins is an actor, director, producer, writer, and activist dedicated to inspiring cultural and civic engagement through works that "game-ify" philanthropy, inspire creativity, and promote social good.
For 12 years, Collins co-starred in Supernatural (2005), the longest running American science fiction television show in history. In addition to Supernatural (2005), his work is featured in film and television programs including Girl, Interrupted (1999), ER (1994), 24 (2001), and more. He co-produced the award-winning documentary feature Loot (2008) and created TSA America: Yeah, But Is It Ticking? (2014), TSA America: Suspicious Bulges (2014) and TSA America: Just Relax (2013), a series of shorts providing a biting satirical look at American governmental security practices, as well as the web series Cooking Fast & Fresh. In 2021, he starred in - and co-executive produced - Aaron Mahnke's #1 fiction podcast, Bridgewater (2021).
Misha Collins was born Misha Dmitri Tippens Krushnic in Boston, Massachusetts, to Rebecca Tippens and Richard Edward Krushnic. He is of Hungarian-Russian Jewish, German, English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. Before turning to acting, his diverse background included work as a carpenter and woodworker, a White House internship during the Clinton Administration, and work at National Public Radio headquarters. Collins is a graduate of the University of Chicago, where he earned a B.A. with honors in Social Theory.
A vocal activist for progressive causes, Collins engages with his over 11 million aggregate social media followers to help amplify social issues, generate political activism, and motivate social good.
Collins is also the creator of GISH, the Guinness World Record-holding global scavenger hunt which uses creativity to "game-ify" goodwill and generate social change. GISH is played in over 100 countries, with tens of thousands of annual participants. Among other successes, in the past seven years GISH participants have collaborated to save endangered rain forests, support Syrian refugees, and assist at-risk youth in Africa.
As a founder of the 100% volunteer-run non-profit Random Acts, Collins has inspired supporters to collaboratively engage in acts of social good such as building a school in Nicaragua and a children's center in Haiti, as well as facilitating thousands of random acts of kindness worldwide.
Misha and his wife Victoria co-authored the best-selling cookbook "The Adventurous Eater's Club" (Harper Collins). Collins is a published poet whose works can be found in literary journals including "The Columbia Poetry Review" and "The California Quarterly". He is the author of the New York Times Best selling poetry book, "Some Things I Still Can't Tell You" (Andrews McMeel), which hit shelves October 2021.
Misha is founder and one of three artists who comprise The Art Department, an artist's collaborative which creates large-scale public art installations in unexpected places. The Art Department has been heralded for their work in Southern California by "Time Out-LA", "The LA Weekly", "LA Times" and ABC National News.
Collins has been featured on the covers of magazines including "Entertainment Weekly" and "TV Guide". He has two children, West and Maison. Misha is a certified lifeguard, EMT and motorcyclist. In his spare time, Misha can be found baking, woodworking, meditating, and making fun of corrupt politicians.CW's 'Supernatural'
Like a cross between Detective Columbo and a naive lost puppy, Collins' portrayal of the angel Castiel is about one third of the reason SPN has lasted so long, so when he was possessed by Mark Pellegrino's "Lucifer", shock was quickly replaced by delight and laughter as god's most faithful servant became the angelic equivalent of a rebellious troublemaking teenager... who also likes to make people explode...
The show's dynamic allowed for Collins to slay in a role he probably wouldn't ever have been trusted to pull off anywhere else!- Actor
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- Director
Mark Andreas Sheppard was born on May 30, 1964 in London, England. He is an actor director and producer, known for Supernatural (2005), Battlestar Galactica (2004), Firefly (2002), Leverage (2008), Doctor Who (2005) In the Name of the Father (1993) and many others. He has been married to Sarah Louise Fudge since November 9, 2015.CW's 'Supernatural'
Not as the devil, but his replacement - "Crowley: The King of Hell" - Sheppard innovated every ounce of potential that such a role could offer over the years. Terrifying and sinister, disgusting and shameful, insecure and power-tripping, childlike and often hilarious; Crowley is a blank-eyed beast of a man with a glimmer of something good hidden as deep as hell itself. After all, unlike Lucifer, he was human once, and his relationship with the rest of the cast of characters keeps reminding him of that, leaving him oft with his own internal power struggle. Utterly superb!- Actor
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Peter Stormare was born in Arbrå, Gävleborgs län, Sweden, to Gunhild (Holm) and Karl Ingvar Storm. He began his acting career at the Royal National Theatre of Sweden, performing for eleven years. In 1990 he became the Associate Artistic Director at the Tokyo Globe Theatre and directed productions of many Shakespeare plays, including "Hamlet". In 1993 he moved to New York, where he appeared in English productions. He continues to work in both the United States and his his homeland of Sweden. He resides in Los Angeles, California, USA, with his wife.Francis Lawrence's 'Contantine'
Storemare's devil doesn't just have a hatchet to bury with god, he is the epitome of bitter, twisted inhuman hatred. Like Viggo Mortensen's portrayal, but from right out of the renaissance age. He's somewhere between undead and immortal visually, leaving you wondering if heaven's marketing strategy isn't being completely honest...- Actor
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Alfredo James "Al" 'Pacino established himself as a film actor during one of cinema's most vibrant decades, the 1970s, and has become an enduring and iconic figure in the world of American movies.
He was born April 25, 1940 in Manhattan, New York City, to Italian-American parents, Rose (nee Gerardi) and Sal Pacino. They divorced when he was young. His mother moved them into his grandparents' home in the South Bronx. Pacino found himself often repeating the plots and voices of characters he had seen in the movies. Bored and unmotivated in school, he found a haven in school plays, and his interest soon blossomed into a full-time career. Starting onstage, he went through a period of depression and poverty, sometimes having to borrow bus fare to succeed to auditions. He made it into the prestigious Actors Studio in 1966, studying under Lee Strasberg, creator of the Method Approach that would become the trademark of many 1970s-era actors.
After appearing in a string of plays in supporting roles, Pacino finally attained success off-Broadway with Israel Horovitz's "The Indian Wants the Bronx", winning an Obie Award for the 1966-67 season. That was followed by a Tony Award for "Does the Tiger Wear a Necktie?" His first feature films made little departure from the gritty realistic stage performances that earned him respect: he played a drug addict in The Panic in Needle Park (1971) after his film debut in Me, Natalie (1969). The role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972) was one of the most sought-after of the time: Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Ryan O'Neal, Robert De Niro and a host of other actors either wanted it or were mentioned, but director Francis Ford Coppola wanted Pacino for the role.
Coppola was successful but Pacino was reportedly in constant fear of being fired during the very difficult shoot. The film was a monster hit that earned Pacino his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. However, instead of taking on easier projects for the big money he could now command, Pacino threw his support behind what he considered tough but important films, such as the true-life crime drama Serpico (1973) and the tragic real-life bank robbery film Dog Day Afternoon (1975). He was nominated three consecutive years for the "Best Actor" Academy Award. He faltered slightly with Bobby Deerfield (1977), but regained his stride with And Justice for All (1979), for which he received another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Unfortunately, this would signal the beginning of a decline in his career, which produced flops like Cruising (1980) and Author! Author! (1982).
Pacino took on another vicious gangster role and cemented his legendary status in the ultra-violent cult film Scarface (1983), but a monumental mistake was about to follow. Revolution (1985) endured an endless and seemingly cursed shoot in which equipment was destroyed, weather was terrible, and Pacino fell ill with pneumonia. Constant changes in the script further derailed the project. The Revolutionary War-themed film, considered among the worst films ever made, resulted in awful reviews and kept him off the screen for the next four years. Returning to the stage, Pacino did much to give back and contribute to the theatre, which he considers his first love. He directed a film, The Local Stigmatic (1990), but it remains unreleased. He lifted his self-imposed exile with the striking Sea of Love (1989) as a hard-drinking policeman. This marked the second phase of Pacino's career, being the first to feature his now famous dark, owl eyes and hoarse, gravelly voice.
Returning to the Corleones, Pacino made The Godfather Part III (1990) and earned raves for his first comedic role in the colorful adaptation Dick Tracy (1990). This earned him another Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and two years later he was nominated for Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). He went into romantic mode for Frankie and Johnny (1991). In 1992, he finally won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his amazing performance in Scent of a Woman (1992). A mixture of technical perfection (he plays a blind man) and charisma, the role was tailor-made for him, and remains a classic.
The next few years would see Pacino becoming more comfortable with acting and movies as a business, turning out great roles in great films with more frequency and less of the demanding personal involvement of his wilder days. Carlito's Way (1993) proved another gangster classic, as did the epic crime drama Heat (1995) directed by Michael Mann and co-starring Robert De Niro. He directed the film adaptation of Shakespeare's Looking for Richard (1996). During this period, City Hall (1996), Donnie Brasco (1997) and The Devil's Advocate (1997) all came out. Reteaming with Mann and then Oliver Stone, he gave commanding performances in The Insider (1999) and Any Given Sunday (1999).
In the 2000s, Pacino starred in a number of theatrical blockbusters, including Ocean's Thirteen (2007), but his choice in television roles (the vicious, closeted Roy Cohn in the HBO miniseries Angels in America (2003) and his sensitive portrayal of Jack Kevorkian, in the television movie You Don't Know Jack (2010)) are reminiscent of the bolder choices of his early career. Each television project garnered him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.
Never wed, Pacino has a daughter, Julie Marie, with acting teacher Jan Tarrant, and a set of twins with former longtime girlfriend Beverly D'Angelo. His romantic history includes Jill Clayburgh, Veruschka von Lehndorff, Carole Mallory, Debra Winger, Tuesday Weld, Marthe Keller, Carmen Cervera, Kathleen Quinlan, Lyndall Hobbs, Penelope Ann Miller, and a two-decade intermittent relationship with "Godfather" co-star Diane Keaton. He currently lives with Argentinian actress Lucila Solá, who is 36 years his junior.
As of 2022, Pacino is 82-years-old. He has never retired from acting, and continues to appear regularly in film.Taylor Hackford's 'The Devil's Advocate'
There's a reason the "lawyers at the bottom of the sea" joke will always be funny to somebody, and so Pacino's powerful law firm boss "John Milton" is the perfect facade for the Prince of Darkness, which you find out in due time as his corruption is slowly exposed. It feels more a case here of Pacino's acting style and charisma being right for the role, which is fine. He was in a lot of legal/crime/courtroom dramas, so it made sense that he was right at home controlling the whole show like Christianity's second most powerful play-maker.
It takes a lot of swagger as well as charisma to pull of this version of the devil; the type who would sell you your own soul for the cost of something even greater, and still hang around for your gratitude. Pacino does it the way Pacino should, and like only Pacino could.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Raymond Herbert "Ray" Wise (born August 20, 1947) is an American actor. Some of his best-known roles include Leland Palmer in Twin Peaks (1990), henchman Leon C. Nash in RoboCop (1987), Jack Taggart Sr. in Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003), the Devil in the CW television series Reaper (2007), Donald Wadsworth in Suburban Gothic (2014).
Wise was born in Akron, Ohio, graduated from Garfield High School in 1964 and attended Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. He is of Romanian descent on his mother's side.The CW's 'Reaper'
Like a cross between Pacino's "John Milton" and Keitel's "Dad", Ray Wise's devil pretty much is the lead character's dad and he has a devilish charm destined for such a role. The Devil here is such a smooth bastard when he gets his way, and he's the king of all motivators when he really wants what he wants. But even when he shows his true colours, you cannot help but love Ray Wise's portrayal.- Actor
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Perhaps best known for his chilling performance as "Candyman", the charismatic 6' 5" actor Tony Todd has consistently turned in compelling performances since his debut in the fantasy film Sleepwalk (1986). Born in Washington, D.C., Todd spent two years on a scholarship at the University of Connecticut, which, in turn, led to a scholarship from the renowned Eugene O'Neill National Theatre Institute. It proved to be the foundation for intense stints at the Hartman Conservatory in Stamford, Connecticut and the Trinity Square Repertory Theatre Conservatory in Providence, Rhode Island. Todd appeared in dozens of classical and many experimental plays, yet still managed to find time to teach playwriting to high school students in the Hartford public school system.
Todd's extensive credits exemplify his versatility. They include such film classics as The Rock (1996), The Crow (1994), Lean on Me (1989), Bird (1988), Night of the Living Dead (1990), Final Destination (2000), the multiple Academy Award winning Oliver Stone film Platoon (1986) and The Secret (2000), which was nominated and screened at the Cannes Film Festival. Todd's recent films include the independent film Silence (2002) and Final Destination 2 (2003). He has had prominent guest starring roles in numerous critically-acclaimed television series, including recurring on Boston Public (2000), For the People (2002) and The District (2000), as well as NYPD Blue (1993), Smallville (2001), Law & Order (1990), Crossing Jordan (2001), Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) and The X-Files (1993). Todd recurred on three incarnations of "Star Trek" and guest starred on Xena: Warrior Princess (1995) and episodes of CSI: Miami (2002) and Andromeda (2000). His television movies include starring roles in True Women (1997), Black Fox (1995), Butter (1998), Ivory Hunters (1990), Babylon 5: A Call to Arms (1999) and Control Factor (2003).
Todd's considerable theatre credits include the world premiere of award-winning playwright August Wilson's "King Hedley II", where he originated the title role in Pittsburgh, Seattle and Boston. Variety commented: "Todd's King Hedley dominates the stage. A sour-faced mix of rage and resolve, anger and vulnerability. Todd's Hedley was a memorable tour-de-force even on opening." He also received a coveted Helen Hayes nomination for his performance in Athol Fugard's "The Captain's Tiger at La Jolla, the Manhattan Theatre Club and the Kennedy Center. Other theatre credits include "Les Blancs", "Playboy of the West Indies", "Othello", "Zooman and the Sign", award-winning playwright Keith Glover's "Dark Paradise", "Aida" (on Broadway), and most recently, "Levee James" for the prestigious Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference and The New Dramatist Guild.Ricardas Marcinkus' 'Final Destination'
"The Coroner" is a pretty ingenious alias for the devil, being that he's lighted as an inevitability to all, just like death as he likes to point out. In Final Destination, death itself is a force of nature and Todd's devil acts as a grim reaper, come to take the dead away. In that there's an atheist skepticism, but also a frightening futility to human mortality. We really do make our own hell, and we don't have to die to go there. This devil has all the patience in the world because he gets his due either way. That's why the gentle giant fits into the role so naturally.- Actor
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Dustin Lee Hoffman was born in Los Angeles, California, to Lillian (Gold) and Harry Hoffman, who was a furniture salesman and prop supervisor for Columbia Pictures. He was raised in a Jewish family (from Ukraine, Russia-Poland, and Romania). Hoffman graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1955, and went to Santa Monica City College, where he dropped out after a year due to bad grades. But before he did, he took an acting course because he was told that "nobody flunks acting." Also received some training at Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. Decided to go into acting because he did not want to work or go into the service. Trained at The Pasadena Playhouse for two years.Luc Besson's 'The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc'
Besson's The Messenger is a bit of a mess, but it's a pretty awesome mess if you like medieval mayhem and interesting casting choices (John Malkovich playing the king of France in an English speaking French film made by a French director?).
You might be able to historically tear The Messenger a new one, but for all it's patriotism and hatred of the English, it gradually turns around on itself and criticises the brutality of both sides, and then judges and evaluates Joan's faith in god and her sanity with a very interesting turn from Hoffman's mysterious character - who could be Jesus, or God, or Satan, or an amalgamation of all three.
Either Joan is terrified and confused and loses control of her beliefs through losing control of her self in her imprisonment and persecution, or she was insane. Or maybe she came to see that good versus evil means nothing in a world where evil is performed under the guise of religion and righteousness.
Hoffman's portrayal of the hooded ghost raises these questions, which ultimately purifies Joan of the very doubts he uses to torture her soul with; so he could just be a figment of her imagination, a manifestation of religious guilt. But then isn't that the devil through and through?
Hoffman's character, to me, is the devil incarnate as a result of guilt and existential crisis. After all, his greatest trick may have been making the world believe he didn't exist, or that god doesn't, and that goodness is futile. But in the end it's his influence that gives Joan the strength to martyr herself to protect the word of god.
And does the devil not serve, in some beliefs, to burn us free of our sins and earthly bonds?- Actor
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Virile, fair-haired, set-jawed actor Jamey Sheridan was born (on July 12, 1951) and raised in Pasadena, California. He turned to acting after a knee injury ended his pursuit of a dancing career.
Beginning professionally on stage in 1978, he gained some momentum into the next decade and eventually reached Broadway where he earned a Tony Award nomination in 1987 for his potent performance in the revival of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons." He made his feature-film debut in Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), starring Whoopi Goldberg, and started making the TV guest star rounds on such series as Spenser: For Hire (1985) and The Equalizer (1985) at around the same time.
Sheridan received his first big on-camera break when he was cast in the title role of Shannon's Deal (1990), gaining quirky notice for two seasons as a highly unconventional attorney. From this series he moved to the already established Chicago Hope (1994) set, wherein he played a sympathetic role. Into the millennium, his best-known role was in the series Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) in the long-running (five seasons), less showy role of a police captain.
Other support roles in the movies include Stanley & Iris (1990) with Jane Fonda, A Stranger Among Us (1992) with Melanie Griffith and The Ice Storm (1997) and Life as a House (2001), both starring Kevin Kline, followed by Nothing But the Truth (2008) with Kate Beckinsale and Matt Dillon, the title role in Handsome Harry (2009), and The East (2013) starring Elliot Page.
While commanding some attention as a villain in the Stephen King miniseries The Stand (1994), Sheridan also turned in an interesting performance as actor/director Ozzie Nelson in the TV movie Ricky Nelson: Original Teen Idol (1999). He has been a steadfast presence these days in such series as Homeland (2011), Smash (2012), Arrow (2012) and Agent X (2015), while adding a strong presence in such biopics Spotlight (2015), Sully (2016) and Lizzie (2018) (as Andrew Borden).
Success and satisfaction always came from the stage. Having never left the theater lights for long, Sheridan playing Brutus in "Julius Caesar" at New York's Shakespeare in the Park that also featured his wife, actress Colette Kilroy. Over the years, he has continued to grace the Broadway boards with stimulating performances in such sterling revivals of "Biloxi Blues," "Ah, Wilderness!," "The Man Who Came to Dinner," "Long Day's Journey Into Night," "A Moon for the Misbegotten," and "The Shadow Box." He also appeared in "God of Hell" in 2004. A versatile actor to be sure, Sheridan is the father of three.Mick Garris's 'The Stand'
In Stephen King's fictional universe, "Randall Flagg" is many things but he may not be the devil incarnate. However all things that exist, in some beliefs, serve a higher purpose, so where 'The Dark Tower's' Crimson King might be devil to both gunslinger Roland Deschain and timeless sorcerer Randall Flagg, Flagg is certainly devil and antichrist to 'The Stand's ill-fated world.
Haunting the dreams of both good and evil in the wake of a world ending supervirus, Flagg can also possess people and animals, exist in an intangible state and control the souls of those he kills, to name a few devilish talents. He's also seeking a bride to bear his child, which is described as an antichrist in its own right.
Sheridan's portrayal in the 90s miniseries is stone cold sinister, nonchalant, and devilishly charming. Swap Jack Nicholson's characters between The Shining and Easy Rider and give him the devil's powers, and that is what you get.
His "true form" when you see it makes all the sense in the world!- Rosalinda Celentano was born on 15 July 1968 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She is an actress, known for The Passion of the Christ (2004), Paz! (2002) and Probably Love (2001).Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ'
Being that this movie is both mainstream torture porn and mainstream arthouse Oscar bait, it's hard to appreciate the sheer nuance dedicated to The Passion. One of the greatest references happens to be the choice in casting when it comes to Old Scratch.
The devil is often referred to in pop culture as a woman, so why the hell not? Religion has made a point for millennia of being evil as hell to women anyway, so why split hairs?
Angels are meant to be beautiful, being that god created us in "His" image, and that angels are above humanity. So the fallen one being this strangely beautiful inhuman creature makes all the sense in the world. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. That is the beautiful simplicity of Celentano's bible-black Lucifer. - Actor
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Byrne was the eldest of six children born to a family in Dublin, Ireland. His father was a cooper and his mother a hospital worker. He was raised Catholic and educated by the Irish Christian Brothers. He spent five years of his childhood in a seminary training to be a Catholic priest. He later said, "I spent five years in the seminary and I suppose it was assumed that you had a vocation. I have realized subsequently that I didn't have one at all. I don't believe in God. But I did believe at the time in this notion that you were being called." He attended University College Dublin, where he studied archaeology and linguistics, and became proficient in Irish. He played football (soccer) in Dublin with the Stella Maris Football Club.
Byrne worked in archaeology after he left UCD but maintained his love of the Irish language, eventually writing Draíocht (Magic), the first drama in Irish on Ireland's national Irish television station, TG4, in 1996.
He discovered his acting ability as a young adult. Before that he worked at several occupations: archaeologist, cook, bullfighter, schoolteacher of Spanish. He began acting when he was 29 - at first on stage at the Focus Theatre and the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, later joining the Royal Court Theatre and the Royal National Theatre in London.
Byrne came to prominence in the final season of the Irish television show The Riordans, later starring in the spin-off series, Bracken. He made his film debut in 1981 as Lord Uther Pendragon in John Boorman's King Arthur epic, Excalibur.
Byrne was featured as therapist Dr. Paul Weston in the critically acclaimed HBO series In Treatment (2008).
In his return to theater in 2008, he appeared as King Arthur in Lerner and Loewe's Camelot with the New York Philharmonic, which was featured in a PBS broadcast in the Live From Lincoln Center series in May of 2008.
Byrne did not visit America until he was 37. In 1988, Byrne married actress Ellen Barkin with whom he has two children. The couple separated amicably in 1993 and divorced in 1999. Byrne resides in Brooklyn, New York.
In November 2004, Byrne was appointed a UNICEF Ireland Ambassador.
In 2007 Byrne was presented with the first of the newly created Volta awards at the 5th Jameson Dublin International Film Festival. This was for lifetime achievement in acting. He also received the Honorary Patronage of the University Philosophical Society, of Trinity College, Dublin, on February 20, 2007. He was awarded an honorary degree in late 2007 by the National University of Ireland, Galway, in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to Irish and international film".Peter Hyams' 'End of Days'
As disappointing as End of Days turns out to be - Schwarzennegger's limited grasp on his career high for so long fuelled a lot of apathy and left few credible options - the film's undeniable strength lies in its establishment of Gabriel Byrne's devil-possessed Wall Street Banker (fitting... so fitting) and the sign of the times, the damning darkness that creeps in his wake.
Cruising by, utilising all the staples of the trademark devil, an unstoppable evil with a lust for earthly pleasures, Byrne is the next step up from Damien Thorne from The Omen trilogy. He's the daddy and he knows it.
With a more credible story, script, and lead (Arnie, I love ya, but you and the plot are the two most ridiculous things about this film), End of Days would have done Gabriel Byrne justice.- Actor
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Jack Nicholson, an American actor, producer, director and screenwriter, is a three-time Academy Award winner and twelve-time nominee. Nicholson is also notable for being one of two actors - the other being Michael Caine - who have received an Oscar nomination in every decade from the '60s through the '00s.
Nicholson was born on April 22, 1937, in Neptune, New Jersey. He was raised believing that his grandmother was his mother, and that his mother, June Frances Nicholson, a showgirl, was his older sister. He discovered the truth in 1975 from a Time magazine journalist who was researching a profile on him. His real father is believed to have been either Donald Furcillo, an Italian American showman, or Eddie King (Edgar Kirschfeld), born in Latvia and also in show business. Jack's mother's ancestry was Irish, and smaller amounts of English, German, Scottish, and Welsh.
Nicholson made his film debut in a B-movie titled The Cry Baby Killer (1958). His rise in Hollywood was far from meteoric, and for years, he sustained his career with guest spots in television series and a number of Roger Corman films, including The Little Shop of Horrors (1960).
Nicholson's first turn in the director's chair was for Drive, He Said (1971). Before that, he wrote the screenplay for The Trip (1967), and co-wrote Head (1968), a vehicle for The Monkees. His big break came with Easy Rider (1969) and his portrayal of liquor-soaked attorney George Hanson, which earned Nicholson his first Oscar nomination. Nicholson's film career took off in the 1970s with a definitive performance in Five Easy Pieces (1970). Nicholson's other notable work during this period includes leading roles in Roman Polanski's noir masterpiece Chinatown (1974) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), for which he won his first Best Actor Oscar.
The 1980s kicked off with another career-defining role for Nicholson as Jack Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Shining (1980). A string of well-received films followed, including Terms of Endearment (1983), which earned Nicholson his second Oscar; Prizzi's Honor (1985), and The Witches of Eastwick (1987). He portrayed another renowned villain, The Joker, in Tim Burton's Batman (1989). In the 1990s, he starred in such varied films as A Few Good Men (1992), for which he received another Oscar nomination, and a dual role in Mars Attacks! (1996).
Although a glimpse at the darker side of Nicholson's acting range reappeared in The Departed (2006), the actor's most recent roles highlight the physical and emotional complications one faces late in life. The most notable of these is the unapologetically misanthropic Melvin Udall in As Good as It Gets (1997), for which he won his third Oscar. Shades of this persona are apparent in About Schmidt (2002), Something's Gotta Give (2003), and The Bucket List (2007). In addition to his Academy Awards and Oscar nominations, Nicholson has seven Golden Globe Awards, and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2001. He also became one of the youngest actors to receive the American Film Institute's Life Achievement award in 1994.
Nicholson has six children by five different women: Jennifer Nicholson (b. 1963) from his only marriage to Sandra Knight, which ended in 1966; Caleb Goddard (b. 1970) with Five Easy Pieces (1970) co-star Susan Anspach, who was automatically adopted by Anspach's then-husband Mark Goddard; Honey Hollman (b. 1982) with Danish supermodel Winnie Hollman; Lorraine Nicholson (b. 1990) and Ray Nicholson (b. 1992) with minor actress Rebecca Broussard; and Tessa Gourin (b. 1994) with real estate agent Jennine Marie Gourin. Nicholson's longest relationship was the 17 nonmonogamous years he spent with Anjelica Huston; this ended when Broussard announced she was pregnant with his child.George Miller's 'The Witches of Eastwick'
One of the few deservedly humorous turns on this list, Nicholson is an old devil. His deadpan expression says more - as the devil - than The Book of Revelation. When it comes to the devil, theatrically, and the nuances that make him, an actor has to know how to let the devil out to play.
Nicholson running amok in a house full of MILFS? It's the definition of devilry. He could do no wrong... figuratively!- Actor
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Sam Neill was born in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, to army parents, an English-born mother, Priscilla Beatrice (Ingham), and a New Zealand-born father, Dermot Neill. His family moved to the South Island of New Zealand in 1954. He went to boarding schools and then attended the universities at Canterbury and Victoria. The 6-foot tall star has a BA in English Literature. Following his graduation, he worked with the New Zealand Players and other theater groups. He also was a film director, editor and scriptwriter for the New Zealand National Film Unit for 6 years.
Sam Neill is internationally recognised for his contribution to film and television. He is well known for his roles in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993) and Jane Campion's Academy Award Winning film The Piano (1993). Other film roles include The Daughter (2015), Backtrack (2015) opposite Adrien Brody, MindGamers (2015), United Passions (2014), A Long Way Down (2014), Escape Plan (2013), The Hunter (2011) with Willem Dafoe, Daybreakers (2009), Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010), Little Fish (2005) opposite Cate Blanchett, Skin (2008), Dean Spanley (2008), Wimbledon (2004), Yes (2004), Perfect Strangers (2003), Dirty Deeds (2002), The Zookeeper (2001), Bicentennial Man (1999) opposite Robin Williams, The Horse Whisperer (1998) alongside Kristin Scott Thomas, Sleeping Dogs (1977), and My Brilliant Career (1979).
He received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for the NBC miniseries Merlin (1998). He also received a Golden Globe nomination for One Against the Wind (1991), and for Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983). The British Academy of Film and Television honoured Sam's work in Reilly by naming him Best Actor. Sam received an AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in Jessica (2004).
Other television includes House of Hancock (2015), Rake (2010), Doctor Zhivago (2002), To the Ends of the Earth (2005), The Tudors (2007) with Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Crusoe (2008), Alcatraz (2012) and recently in Old School (2014) opposite Bryan Brown, Peaky Blinders (2013) alongside Cillian Murphy and The Dovekeepers (2015) for CBS Studios.'The Omen III: The Final Conflict'
I could have gone on about the whole trilogy, and whereas the final instalment was not, in my eyes, the strongest, Neill as the adult and powerful Damien Thorne portrays a complex representation of our understanding over the years of what an antichrist might be, and how they would rise to power to fulfil their destiny.
His dark power and his true nature always hidden just beneath the surface, he's not just a representation of political evil but he reeks of another familiar form of presumed supremacy; something distinctly Aryan. Nothing will stand in his way, but unlike Hitler - who was also deemed an antichrist by many - he doesn't need others to do his dirty work. He has the power of fate in his hands.
Because Neill's Damien will never directly be threatened or have blood on his hands, he is completely innoncent in his own mind, maybe even in his own right. And as mentioned here and there, evil is most powerful when it carries the torch of righteousness. Therefore Neill's antichrist is as good as any Satanic portrayal.- Actress
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From the age of five, Linda Blair had to get used to the spotlight, first as a child model and then as an actress, when out of 600 applicants she was picked for the role of Regan, the possessed child, in The Exorcist (1973). Linda quickly rose to international fame, won the Golden Globe, and seemed to be set to take the Academy Award for that role, but when it leaked how some parts of the role were not performed by her (the demonic voice was dubbed by Mercedes McCambridge, and eight seconds of a stunt dummy were used) that dream broke, and with that disappointment probably came the first blow to what looked like the beginning of an A-list career.
Over the next few years she had no trouble securing lead roles in a number of pictures, including the highly successful television films Born Innocent (1974) (the #1 TV movie of that year) and Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic (1975), as well as the Exorcist sequel Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977). However, when she was peer pressured into buying cocaine at the age of 18, it led to an arrest and subsequent sentencing to three years probation. The much-publicized drug bust caused Linda to be blacklisted in Hollywood, and her career was soon reduced to B-movies and occasional TV guest appearances only.
Although her career never returned to its former glory, Linda proved to be a good sport about embracing the change, and out of the '80s emerged lead roles in two cult classics: the women-in-prison film Chained Heat (1983) and the femme fatale vigilante action film Savage Streets (1984). She continued acting in numerous films throughout the '80s and '90s, including the Exorcist spoof Repossessed (1990). In 1997, she also took to the Broadway stage and starred as "Rizzo" in the revival of "Grease." She received widespread mainstream attention again in the 2000's with the theatrical re-release of the Exorcist, followed by a hosting job on the hit Fox Family TV series Scariest Places on Earth (2000), which ran for six years and followed Linda as she visited notorious "haunted" locations around the world.
Linda was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Elinore, a real estate agent, and James, an executive headhunter. She has a brother, Jimmy, and a sister, Debbie. Linda has been a Hollywood icon for over 40 years, but it is her first love of animals that has ultimately taken center stage in her life. She now runs the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, a non-profit 501C3 tax deductible organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating abused, neglected, and abandoned animals from the harsh streets of the Los Angeles area, as well as from the overcrowded and overwhelmed city and county animal shelters. She works and lives on the 2-acre rescue sanctuary full-time in California, which was featured on The Today Show in a segment titled "From Devil to Angel." Of course, she also makes frequent appearances at horror fan conventions to celebrate the legacy of The Exorcist (1973) .William Friedkin's 'The Exorcist'
The definitive movie on demonic possession may not feature Satan himself, or the heir to his/her throne, but when it comes to satanic offspring, Linda Blair may never be surpassed. She and the films production throw out all the stops and as a result, well...
A whole lot of people for decades after thought twice about using a Ouija Board when they saw The Exorcist. Her portrayal really put the fear of demonic power up the audience and instilled a nightmarish belief of just how terrible Lucifer and his powers could be.
God creates man in God's own image, and so therefore the devil twists them to resemble its own instead. So that's why I feel Linda Blair's "Reagan" belongs in this list.- Actor
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Max von Sydow was born Carl Adolf von Sydow on April 10, 1929 in Lund, Skåne, Sweden, to a middle-class family. He was the son of Baroness Maria Margareta (Rappe), a teacher, and Carl Wilhelm von Sydow, an ethnologist and folklore professor. His surname traces back to his partial German ancestry.
When he was in high school, he and a few fellow students, including Yvonne Lombard, started a theatre club which encouraged his interest in acting. After conscription, he began to study at the Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school (1948-1951), together with Lars Ekborg, Margaretha Krook and Ingrid Thulin. His first role was as Nils the crofter in Alf Sjöberg's Only a Mother (1949). After graduation, he worked at the city theatres in Norrköping and Malmö.
His work in the movies by Ingmar Bergman (especially The Seventh Seal (1957), including the iconic scenes in which he plays chess with Death) made him well-known internationally, and he started to get offers from abroad. His career abroad began with him playing Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965); Hawaii (1966) and The Quiller Memorandum (1966). Since then, his career includes very different kind of characters, like Karl Oskar Nilsson in The Emigrants (1971); Father Lankester Merrin in The Exorcist (1973); Joubert the assassin in Three Days of the Condor (1975), Emperor Ming in Flash Gordon (1980); the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the Never Say Never Again (1983); Liet-Kynes in Dune (1984) the artist Frederick in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986); Lassefar in Pelle the Conqueror (1987), for which he received his first Academy Award nomination; Dr. Peter Ingham in Awakenings (1990); Lamar Burgess in Minority Report (2002) and The Renter in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), which earned him his second Academy Award nomination.
He became one of Sweden's most admired and professional actors, and is the only male Swedish actor to receive an Oscar nomination. He was nominated twice: for Pelle the Conqueror (1987) in 1988 and for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) in 2012. He received the Guldbagge Award for Best Director in his directing debut, the drama film Ved vejen (1988). In 2016, he joined the sixth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011) as the Three-eyed Raven, which earned him his Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Max von Sydow died on March 8, 2020, in Provence, France, and was survived by his wife Catherine Brelet and four children. He was 90.Fraser Heston's 'Needful Things'
Adapted from another Stephen King work, Von Sydow's Leland Gaunt, owner of the new small-town titular antique curiosity shop, has something that everybody NEEDS, no matter how little. But it seems that for every need, there is a price, and for every price that cannot be met, there is a personal favour that suffices. Before long, Ed Harris's town is going up in flames as the supernatural Gaunt relishes in the true cost to these peoples' souls.
A major contrast to his immortal priest role in The Exorcist, Von Sydow is a perfect old devil, fuelling the wickedness he plans to feed off. He might not be Satan himself, because there may not be a true Satan in the Kingverse, but he's one classic representation in a lighter, more dramatic look at how humans often catastrophically mistake want for need.