# Your Favorite Heavy (Bad Guy) In Old Movies?



## HiDesertHal (Dec 3, 2017)

I'm talking about those films from the 1930's through 1950's, mainly.

These actors portrayed slick, mean, sneering, hateful villians, in both standard and western films.  Cagney was one, for example.

My favorite "heavy" was Dan Duryea.   

Hal


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## Camper6 (Dec 3, 2017)

HiDesertHal said:


> I'm talking about those films from the 1930's through 1950's, mainly.
> 
> These actors portrayed slick, mean, sneering, hateful villians, in both standard and western films.  Cagney was one, for example.
> 
> ...



You are right but he was a British actor was he not.

For Westerns? Randolph Scott.


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## HiDesertHal (Dec 3, 2017)

Dan Duryea was a born in the USA and educated at Cornell University.

Randolph Scott never played a heavy. He was always the arrow-straight good guy, and in many films was the US Marshal.

Hal


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## Smiling Jane (Dec 3, 2017)

Lee van Cleef was always a great stereotypical villain. I also enjoyed Jack Elam, whose face was made for bad Westerns.

Some of my favorite screen villains were actors who were usually known for being heroes, like Henry Fonda (Once Upon a Time in The West), Robert Mitchum (bone-chilling in both Night of the Hunter and Cape Fear), Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List), Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men), Barbara Stanwyck (Double Indemnity), Kevin Spacey (Usual Suspects) and many more. A good actor is a good actor, no matter the role he plays.


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## HiDesertHal (Dec 3, 2017)

Good Choice, Smiling Jane!

Lee van Cleef, of course!

Also Bette Davis in a few films.

Hal


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## Smiling Jane (Dec 3, 2017)

Bette Davis was wonderful in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.

Richard Widmark played a scary villain. Surprising enough, so did Fred McMurray, best known for his goofy roles.


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## MarkinPhx (Dec 3, 2017)

My first thought was Sydney Greenstreet but not sure if he would be considered a villain or  an arch nemesis. I'll add Burt Lancaster to the list mainly for his role in Sweet Smell of Success.


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## NancyNGA (Dec 3, 2017)

Jack Elam. He was so mean looking he was cute.


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## Smiling Jane (Dec 3, 2017)

He only played villains a few times, but Orson Welles was excellent. His Harry Lime in The Third Man could not have been equaled by anyone else.


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## applecruncher (Dec 3, 2017)

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter


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## RadishRose (Dec 3, 2017)

Terence stamp as General Zod in Superman ll  and the other 2 villains Ursa and Non.


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## Falcon (Dec 3, 2017)

Glad Jack Elam  was mentioned.  (I couldn't think of his name.)

He used to eat in the same restaurant  with us, in Santa Monica, as did others from the
motion picture industry.


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## Smiling Jane (Dec 3, 2017)

RadishRose said:


> Terence stamp as General Zod in Superman ll  and the other 2 villains Ursa and Non.
> 
> View attachment 45468 View attachment 45469
> 
> View attachment 45470



From Billy Budd to Priscilla the Queen of the Desert to General Zod. That's quite an acting range.


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## Sassycakes (Dec 3, 2017)

Katy Bates


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## applecruncher (Dec 3, 2017)

^^ If you mean Annie Wilkes in Misery, yes that was a dandy.  :yes:


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## jujube (Dec 3, 2017)

Peter Lorre, with menace greasily oozing from every pore.....


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## Falcon (Dec 3, 2017)

Lon Cheney


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## Smiling Jane (Dec 3, 2017)

I disliked the story Misery and also the movie, but Kathy Bates was very good in it.


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## SeaBreeze (Dec 3, 2017)

Not from old movies, but Rutger Hauer came to mind.


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## HiDesertHal (Dec 4, 2017)

Anthony Hopkins' "Hannibal Lecter" would eat your Liver if he had the chance!

Hal


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## moviequeen1 (Dec 5, 2017)

John Malkovich in "In The Line of Fire" '93. Clint Eastwood stars a Secret Service agent protecting the President,JOhn plays a very creepy assassin. He seems to relish playing 'bad guys' making it look so easy,talented actor. Sue


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## TonyK (Dec 10, 2017)

Jack Elam lost his sight in his left eye after being stabbed with a pencil at a boy scout meeting. He played a lot of bad guys.


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## RadishRose (Dec 10, 2017)

Danny Trejo


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## Pappy (Dec 10, 2017)

James Cagney could really play a tough guy. Very talented man.


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## Smiling Jane (Dec 10, 2017)

Robert LaSardo. Scary-looking heavily-inked guy, supposedly a sweetheart.


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## rgp (Dec 10, 2017)

Lee Marvin...Charles Bronson.


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## RadishRose (Dec 10, 2017)

Al Pacino


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## Warrigal (Dec 10, 2017)

At age 16 I was fascinated by the character of Cassius in the Marlon Brando film Julius Caesar.
I thought Brando as Antony was ridiculous but couldn't take my eyes of John Geilgud  as Cassius.
I remember remarking that he has a fascinatingly ugly face and a wonderful voice.
He's the one on the left, with James Mason as Brutus.


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## Gary O' (Dec 10, 2017)

Lotsa hateful bad guys that did a good job 

But

My all time fav
*Struther Martin*


I first loved to hate him in Cool Hand Luke






Then

Just sat back and enjoyed his despicable yet somehow endearing characters

The Ballad of Cable Hogue showed him at his best











(aaaaaand he qualifies since his career started in the 50s)


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## DaveA (Dec 10, 2017)

James Cagney, George Raft, and Humphrey Bogart.  They all played "good guy" roles at times but were best IMHO in their villain roles.


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## HiDesertHal (Dec 11, 2017)

Good ones, DaveA!

Hal


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## RadishRose (Dec 11, 2017)

Lady Tremaine is a fictional character from the 1950 film Cinderella.


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## Smiling Jane (Dec 18, 2017)

I woke up this morning thinking about this thread. Actually, what I was thinking about was Lee Van Cleef, who pretty much defined the flinty-eyed bad guy in so many movies.


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## Smiling Jane (Dec 18, 2017)

Jack Palance, another great villain.


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## Camper6 (Dec 18, 2017)

How can we forget Lee Marvin.

I loved him in Westerns.

I have never seen a Western without a card game, have you?


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## Camper6 (Dec 18, 2017)

How can we forget Lee Marvin.

I loved him in Westerns.

I have never seen a Western without a card game, have you?


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## AZ Jim (Dec 18, 2017)

Lee Van Cleve  "High Noon"


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## Smiling Jane (Dec 18, 2017)

I always enjoyed Lee J. Cobb. Not always a villain but even when he played a good guy there were lots of layers hidden under the façade.


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## Camper6 (Dec 19, 2017)

Is there any bad ladies?


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## Aunt Bea (Dec 19, 2017)




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## Smiling Jane (Dec 19, 2017)

Camper6 said:


> Is there any bad ladies?



Barbara Stanwyck played a very bad lady in some movies. She was all villainess in Double Indemnity with Fred McMurray.


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## Smiling Jane (Dec 19, 2017)

Joan Crawford could be pure evil.


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## Smiling Jane (Dec 19, 2017)

Sharon Stone, Basic Instinct.


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## Smiling Jane (Dec 19, 2017)

Glenn Close, everyone's favorite bunny boiler.

View attachment 46248


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## Don M. (Dec 19, 2017)

There have been some great actors, over the years, playing the part of a villian.  Recently, an actor from Spain...Javier Bardem...raised the bar on portraying one of the scariest villains I've ever seen, in the movie "No Country For Old Men".  Running into someone like that would be a nightmare.


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