The Best at Playing Bastards
by jwoehr | created - 21 Mar 2013 | updated - 22 Mar 2013 | PublicBest at playing the conniving, black mailing, women abusing a-holes.
1. Mitch Pileggi
Actor | Basic Instinct
Mitch Pileggi was born on April 5, 1952 in Portland, Oregon, USA. He is an actor, known for Basic Instinct (1992), The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008) and The X-Files (1993). He has been married to Arlene Warren since January 1, 1997. They have one child. He was previously married to Debbie ...
Top on the list because if you watch Dallas, his is the main character, you'd love to beat the crap out of. But if you did he'd wake up the next day and be even more of an *beep*
2. Brian Cox
Actor | Succession
Brian Cox is an Emmy Award-winning Scottish actor. He was born on June 1, 1946 in Dundee, Scotland, to Mary Ann Guillerline Cox, maiden surname McCann, a spinner, and Charles McArdle Campbell Cox, a shopkeeper and butcher. His father was of Irish ancestry and his mother was of Irish and Scottish ...
3. Joe Pantoliano
Actor | Memento
Joe Pantoliano is an American actor of the screen and stage, Joe has over 150 credits to his name. On the big screen, he is known for his roles in such films as "The Goonies," "La Bamba," "The Fugitive," "The Matrix," "Memento," and the "Bad Boys" trilogy. Pantoliano has also appeared on numerous ...
4. Peter Weller
Actor | RoboCop
Peter Frederick Weller was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, to Dorothy Jean (Davidson) and Frederick Bradford Weller, a federal judge and career helicopter pilot for the United States Army. He traveled extensively as his father literally flew around the world. Before he was out of his teens, he ...
5. Robert Knepper
Actor | Prison Break
Robert Knepper, the son of a veterinarian, was born in Fremont, Ohio, and was raised in Maumee (near Toledo). When he was growing up, his mother worked in the props department for the community theater, and because of her involvement, he became interested in acting. Robert began his career in ...
6. Kevin Spacey
Actor | L.A. Confidential
Kevin Spacey Fowler, better known by his stage name Kevin Spacey, is an American actor of screen and stage, film director, producer, screenwriter and singer. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s before obtaining supporting roles in film and television. He gained critical acclaim in...
7. Kiefer Sutherland
Actor | 24
Kiefer Sutherland was born in London, England, UK, to Canadian actors Shirley Douglas and Donald Sutherland, who moved to California shortly after his birth. His maternal grandfather, Tommy Douglas, was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who was a Premier of Saskatchewan for over 17 years and led ...
Stand by Me, Lost Boys, A Time to Kill, Eye For An Eye, Freeway
8. Michael Madsen
Actor | Reservoir Dogs
Michael Madsen is an enigmatic force in the entertainment industry, widely regarded as one of the most intense and compelling actors of our time. With an electrifying presence both on and off the screen, Madsen has captivated audiences worldwide with his mesmerizing performances, making an ...
9. Mark Sheppard
Actor | Supernatural
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 ...
10. Michael Ironside
Actor | Starship Troopers
Michael Ironside has made a strong and indelible impression with his often incredibly intense and explosive portrayals of fearsome villains throughout the years. He was born as Frederick Reginald Ironside on February 12, 1950 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Ironside was a successful arm wrestler in ...
11. Michael Wincott
Actor | Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Widely respected among peers for his fearless commitment, Michael Anthony Claudio Wincott was born to an English father and Italian mother in Scarborough, a working class suburb of Toronto. His career began fortuitously in 1976 at the CBC, cast by Deidre Bowen, Clare Walker and director Mike Newell...
12. Ed Harris
Actor | Appaloosa
By transforming into his characters and pulling the audience in, Ed Harris has earned a reputation as one of the most talented actors of our time.
Ed Harris was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, to Margaret (Sholl), a travel agent, and Robert Lee Harris, a bookstore worker who also sang professionally. ...
13. Michael Shannon
Actor | Take Shelter
Michael Corbett Shannon was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, the son of Geraldine Hine, a lawyer, and Donald Sutherlin Shannon, an accounting professor at DePaul University. His grandfather was entomologist Raymond Corbett Shannon.
Shannon began his professional stage career in Chicago. His ...
14. Christopher McDonald
Actor | Thelma & Louise
Christopher McDonald was born and raised in New York City, New York, to Patricia, a real estate agent, and James R. McDonald, an educator. His breakout role was in Ridley Scott's Thelma & Louise (1991), followed shortly by his role as Jack Barry in Robert Redford's Quiz Show (1994). Other ...
15. Mark Strong
Actor | 1917
British actor Mark Strong, who played Jim Prideaux in the 2011 remake of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), is often cast as cold, calculating villains. But before he became a famous actor, he intended to pursue a career in law.
Strong was born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia in London, England, to an ...
16. Zeljko Ivanek
Actor | Seven Psychopaths
Zeljko Ivanek was born on August 15, 1957 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. He is an actor and producer, known for Seven Psychopaths (2012), Argo (2012) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).
17. Kim Coates
Actor | Bad Blood
Kim's film career began in 1991 with The Last Boy Scout. Two Warner Brothers' hits followed: Innocent Blood and The Client. Since that time he has starred in over forty films, including Academy Award winners Black Hawk Down directed by Ridley Scott, and Pearl Harbor directed by Michael Bay. Other ...
18. Jack Gleeson
Actor | Game of Thrones
Jack Gleeson was born on May 20, 1992 in Cork, Ireland. He is an actor, known for Game of Thrones (2011), Batman Begins (2005) and A Shine of Rainbows (2009). He has been married to Roisin O'Mahony since August 27, 2022.
19. Joseph Morgan
Actor | The Originals
Joseph Morgan was born in London and spent his childhood with his family in Swansea, Wales. Morgan moved back to London in his late teens to study acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama. While there he continued to write and experiment with filmmaking, participating in student films and ...
Easily steals the show on Vampire Diaries as the guy you love to hate.
20. Josh Henderson
Actor | Step Up
Josh Henderson was born in Dallas, Texas. Josh grew up with his mother (Sharon) in Oklahoma & Texas. Graduating from Tulsa Memorial Senior High School in May 2000, he returned to Texas after graduation to auditioned for (2001) Popstars (2002) in Dallas. Remembered for "singing like Justin Timberlake...
21. Henry Czerny
Actor | Mission: Impossible
Henry Czerny was born on February 8, 1959 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor, known for Mission: Impossible (1996), Clear and Present Danger (1994) and The Pink Panther (2006). He has been married to Claudine Cassidy since August 11, 2001. They have one child.
22. Jack Nicholson
Actor | Chinatown
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 ...
23. Dennis Hopper
Actor | Easy Rider
Multi-talented and unconventional actor/director regarded by many as one of the true "enfant terribles" of Hollywood who led an amazing cinematic career for more than five decades, Dennis Hopper was born on May 17, 1936, in Dodge City, Kansas. The young Hopper expressed interest in acting from a ...
24. Kevin Gage
Actor | Heat
Kevin Franklin Gaede, who later changed his name to Kevin Gage, was born and raised in northern Wisconsin. He was physically active, working on his grandparents' dairy farm and excelling in school sports, including basketball, baseball, football, hockey, and track. He also enjoyed fishing and other...
25. Ron Perlman
Actor | Hand of God
Ron Perlman is a classically-trained actor who has appeared in countless stage plays, feature films and television productions.
Ronald N. Perlman was born April 13, 1950 in Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York. His mother, Dorothy (Rosen), is retired from the City Clerk's Office. His father, ...
26. Bryan Cranston
Actor | Breaking Bad
Bryan Lee Cranston was born on March 7, 1956 in Hollywood, California, to Audrey Peggy Sell, a radio actress, and Joe Cranston, an actor and former amateur boxer. His maternal grandparents were German, and his father was of Irish, German, and Austrian-Jewish ancestry. He was raised in the Canoga ...
27. David Morrissey
Actor | The Walking Dead
David Morrissey started acting at Everyman's Youth Theatre in Liverpool, where he was born and raised. He made an auspicious debut in One Summer (1983), a series about two Liverpool runaways. Following a degree at RADA, he worked with the theatre company Cheek By Jowl. He has also worked at theatre...
28. Ron Eldard
Actor | Super 8
Former golden gloves boxer Ron Eldard has found success on stage, television and in feature films. Fans of the NBC medical drama ER (1994) will remember Eldard for playing a paramedic and love interest for nurse Julianna Margulies on the show's second season. The New York native graduated from the ...
29. Walton Goggins
Actor | Justified
Walton Goggins is an actor of considerable versatility and acclaim who has delivered provocative performances in a multitude of feature films and television series. He won a Critics' Choice Award for his performance in the HBO comedy series "Vice Principals" and landed an Emmy nomination for his ...
30. Mark Pellegrino
Actor | Mulholland Dr.
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 ...
31. Nicky Katt
Actor | Dazed and Confused
Nicky Katt has been acting since the age of 7, when he appeared on the TV series CHiPs (1977) in 1977. He continued to work steadily through the 1980s on shows like Quincy M.E. (1976), Father Murphy (1981), and V (1984) but did not fall into the trap of many child actors who became identified with ...
32. Donal Logue
Actor | Blade
Donal Logue's versatility and talent makes him one of the most well respected and beloved actors today. Born in Ottawa, Canada, Logue moved all over the United States, from the Boston area as an infant to various towns on the Mexican border. He returned to Boston to attend Harvard University, where...
33. Michael Raymond-James
Actor | Jack Reacher
Michael Raymond-James is an American actor. He is best known for playing René Lenier in the first season of the HBO series True Blood, Britt Pollack on the FX series Terriers, Neal Cassidy/Baelfire on the ABC series Once Upon a Time, and Mitch Longo on the CBS All Access series Tell Me a Story.
34. James Gandolfini
Actor | The Sopranos
James Gandolfini was born in Westwood, New Jersey, to Santa (Penna), a high school lunchlady, and James Joseph Gandolfini, Sr., a bricklayer and head school janitor. His parents were both of Italian origin. Gandolfini began acting in the New York theater. His Broadway debut was in the 1992 revival ...
He played really scummy guys well in earlier films like True Romance.
35. Vincent D'Onofrio
Actor | Men in Black
Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio was born on June 30, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York, to Phyllis, a restaurant manager and server, and Gene D'Onofrio, a theatre production assistant and interior designer. He is of Italian descent and has two older sisters. He studied at the Actors Studio and the American ...
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