10 Good Guy Actors Who Played Terrifying Villains

Some say there's a thin line separating good from evil. Human morality and depravity can exist within a single person, as oftentimes monstrous people will justify their wickedness by calling it good. Sorry to get super deep and heavy on you here, but that is just how it goes. All of it to say, while good and evil are concrete and defined philosophical precepts, how they play out is oftentimes, well, super messy.

Perhaps that is why some of the best (well, worst) big screen villains have been played by "good guy" actors. As a moviegoer, there's only one thing more painful than watching a villain do horrible things; and that's when that villain is played by a hero. It takes brashness on the part of the director to upset audience sensibilities, and courage on the actor's part to play with their screen image. 

Sure, there are some actors born to play villains, such as Christopher Lee, who played everything from a James Bond villain to Saruman The White, to a multi-film run as Dracula. Still other across successfully straddle the line between dark and light, and can play both bad and good guys brilliantly, sometimes in one character. But the sweet spot is when an star moviegoers associate with goodness, kindness, and heroism (or at least, moral neutrality) turns to the dark side. Who were the best at becoming the worst? Which stars broke our hearts by breaking bad? Here are ten good guy actors who played terrifying villains.

Timing's everything in Hollywood. If Robin Williams played a villain right after TV's "Mork & Mindy," his movie career never would've never launched. Even as an established star, filmgoers probably would have rejected the inspiring teacher from "Dead Poet's Society," the genial genie from "Aladdin," or the devoted dad from "Mrs. Doubtfire" (even though that movie would never be made today) playing a bad guy. But by 2002, moviegoers were ready and so was Williams, having established himself as a gifted comedian and talented thespian, with four Oscar noms and one win to prove it. In 2002 Williams played not one, not two, but three villains -– Sy Parrish in "One Hour Photo," Rainbow Randolph in "Death To Smoochy," and Walter Finch in "Insomnia." While the latter two are worth a watch, "One Hour Photo" was the first, and most unsettling.

There was a time when people took camera rolls to photo stores to be developed. Yep, complete strangers saw your pictures before you. Sounds icky, yeah? Williams plays one particular developer, the shy, lonely, yet friendly Sy, who has watched a family grow up through their photos, but snaps when he discovers dear old dad is having an affair. Williams is perfect as Sy, because after a quarter of a century of stardom, you feel comfortable with him, just like the characters. When he betrays them, we feel betrayed too, as the movie star we loved and trusted transforms into a terrifying monster.

If you look up "movie star" in the dictionary, you might find a picture of Denzel Washington. Okay, you won't, but you should, because he has earned just shy of $5 billion worldwide, with only a handful of remakes and franchises. But let's be honest, those movies needed him more than the other way around. For the first twenty years of his career starting with 1981's "Carbon Copy," Washington typically played decent men. Sure, he was the broken and bitter Private Trip in his Oscar-winning performance in "Glory," and the combative and controversial, real-life title role in "Malcom X," which earned him another nom. But in every role, you always found yourself rooting for the guy. That all changed in 2001 with Washington's first proper villain role, Alonzo Harris in Antoine Fuqua's "Training Day."

Oh boy, where to begin with rogue Det. Harris? The LAPD narcotics officer doesn't cross the line, he blasts through it (or snorts it) as he takes the rookie Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) under his wing, and into his shadow. Harris is no fallen angel seeking redemption. He's a brutal, cruel man every bit as bad, if not worse, than the criminals he pursues. Harris seems to revel in crime because it gives him people to abuse and punish. Washington earned his fifth Oscar nom and second win for "Training Day" by elevating what could be a generic "good cop/bad cop" crime thriller with one of cinema's most chilling villains.

Even though we will insist "Han Shot First" to our dying day (despite what George Lucas says), Harrison Ford made a pretty comfortable living playing heroes. Actually, he made more than a small country's GDP. From the dashing space pirate Han Solo in the "Star Wars" franchise, to the eponymous explorer in the "Indiana Jones" series; from Tom Clancy's star attraction Jack Ryan, to his roles as "America's Dad" ("Air Force One") and "Everybody's Favorite Everyman" ("The Fugitive"), Ford became synonymous with heroism. Unless of course you kidnapped his family. You don't want to do that. So it was a wee bit surprising when Ford turned out to be the bad guy in Robert Zemeckis' 2000 supernatural suspense thriller, "What Lies Beneath."

In the film, Ford plays Dr. Norman Spencer, whose wife Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer) begins seeing a young woman's image in their home. Turns out this woman (Amber Valletta) is the ghost of Spencer's late former mistress, who the not-so-good doctor murdered to hide his affair. The big reveal works spectacularly as a plot twist because it plays with our expectations. Surely Ford will save the day with his customary cocksure snark and swagger, right? Not so much. Ford being a the vile villain seemed so unlikely, and frankly risky, that it was hidden from the film's promotion. Turns out it didn't matter, as "What Lies Beneath" earned $288 million worldwide, becoming Ford's last certifiable hit without a space blaster or bullwhip.

Nearly two decades following Heath Ledger's tragic death at just 28 years old, his legacy has become synonymous with his posthumous, Oscar-winning role as The Joker in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight." What more needs to be said about Ledger disappearing into the role of Clown Prince of Crime? Plenty, actually. But to do so, we need to remind ourselves just how crazy his casting was. Ledger started his cinematic career doing solid work in a host of hot young heartthrob roles like "10 Things I Hate About You," "The Patriot," and "A Knight's Tale." If there was one element to distinguish Ledger from his peers like Paul Walker or Josh Hartnett it was his lack of edge, as his babyfaced features and warm, charming demeanor made him seem like a guy you'd share a beer with (and who'd pay for yours too).

Ledger proved he had real chops in Marc Forster's "Monster's Ball," and especially in his Oscar-nominated performance in Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain." These roles established Ledger was a talented thesp, capable of playing fundamentally good and decent, albeit deeply troubled, men who were wounded and broken by cruel people. But there was nothing in either to suggest Ledger could play a cruel person himself. In fact, Ledger was even considered for Batman! Nolan famously said he cast Ledger because "he's fearless." Turns out what he should have said is "because beneath his friendly exterior he can transform into someone extremely frightening." 

Elijah Wood will forever be associated with ringbearer Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's multiple Oscar-winning "The Lord of the Rings." Hey, being the hero who selflessly bears the burden of evil itself ain't a bad reputation to have, especially considering the trilogy is one of the best ever, and earned nearly $3 billion at the worldwide box office. But it's worth remembering that Wood was also once a child star. 

Before he was old enough to legally drive or vote he starred in "Radio Flyer," "Forever Young," "The War," "North," and "Flipper." Okay, so he wasn't exactly Macaulay Culkin or Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, but he was still a solid cinematic junior achiever. But throughout his entire career up to the mid-2000s he had always played good people, whether he was a ten year-old tyke or a 50-year old hobbit. Welp, that all changed in 2005 with Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's adaptation of Miller's "Sin City."

"Sin City" tells a quartet of neo-noir tales featuring a host of sordid stories about people who range from the morally questionable to the out-and-out horrific. Wood falls into the latter category in his performance as Kevin, a mute, cannibalistic serial killer with a taste for sex workers. Oh, and he also has a pet wolf that he feeds parts of his victims to. Real standup guy, this Kevin. Villains don't come much more vile or vicious, and Wood gamely turns his "good guy" cred on its head.

Despite initial fan apprehension (okay, nerd rage), Michael Keaton donning the cape and cowl for Tim Burton's "Batman" was a massive success. So how did the former and forever "Mr. Mom" follow up the record-breaking "Batman" and his performance as one of the greatest heroes ever (according to no less an authority than the AFI)? By playing one of the most terrifying tenants of all time in 1990's "Pacific Heights." Hey, give the guy credit for surprising expectations.

Keaton plays Carter Hayes, who rents the first floor of an expensive, San Francisco Victorian from owners Drake (Matthew Modine) and Patty (Melanie Griffith) in the prized neighborhood of, you guessed it, Pacific Heights. It seems like a match made in heaven, as Hayes' rent helps pay for the renovations on the yuppy couple's dream home. Welp, sooner than you can say "kooky California rental laws" Hayes reveals himself to be a con artist who uses fine print and arcane clauses to swindle the couple out of their home –- and worse. The movie is not a masterpiece by any means, as the intriguing premise is nearly undone by the villain's over-the-top antics and questionable motives (who wants to steal ownership of heavily mortgaged real estate?). At the same time, it is Keaton's slithery supporting role that keeps you on the edge of your seat. "Pacific Heights" will have any would-be landlord sleeping with one eye open, with all credit due to Keaton's creepy, charismatic, and compelling performance.

Every single actor on this list deserves praise for playing against their "good guy" type and portraying a villain. Yet we dare say the boldest among actor them was also the youngest –- Macaulay Culkin in "The Good Son." Granted, this was not a smart career move on his parents' or representatives' parts, and Culkin probably should have never even been in the R-rated horror movie in the first place. That said, we can still admire and appreciate the young star's unsettling performance as a pint-sized psychopath.

Culkin plays Henry, a violent and sadistic young man who takes twisted pleasure in killing dogs and causing traffic accidents, much to the horror of his cousin Mark (Elijah Wood). When Henry tries to murder his own sister, Mark must convince Henry's mother (Wendy Crewson) of her son's depravity. So yeah, the cute kid from "Uncle Buck," "My Girl," and the "Home Alone" movies murdering animals wasn't exactly what moviegoers wanted from Culkin, as evidenced by the film's dismal box office, which sent his young career on a downward spiral. If we're being honest though, Kevin McCallister luring bumbling burglars into his home where he has staged elaborate traps, all so he can take delight in his game of cat and mouse isn't much better. Still, "Home Alone" is among the greatest Christmas movies, while "The Good Son" helped kill Culkin's A-list career. While the movie itself is questionable, there's no denying Culkin was (pardon the pun) killer.

Few movie stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood brought more decency, honesty, and integrity to the big screen than Henry Fonda. Fonda always played the voice of reason, from the judicious Juror #8 in Sidney Lumet's "12 Angry Men," to his multiple collaborations with John Ford, including his performance as Tom Joad in "The Grapes of Wrath," the best movie ever set in Oklahoma. When even "Grapes" author John Steinbeck says you're the perfect fit for the part, you know your screen persona is secure. So naturally, Fonda was also the perfect fit for the fiendish Frank in Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time In The West."

Frank is a greedy rail baron's henchman, who's hired to scare a local land owner, but murders him instead. But the murdered man's mail-order bride Jill (Claudia Cardinale) won't be so easily intimidated, especially when she enlists the help of a mysterious gunslinger (Charles Bronson) with a score to settle with Frank. Casting Fonda was a stroke of genius, as was insisting Fonda not wear brown contact lenses over his famous baby blues, giving Frank an icy glare as he guns down children. Wicked western bad guys have been around as long as the genre, but Fonda's performance as Frank threw the white hat versus black hat dynamic on its head. While Fonda became a legend playing good guys, he was never better then when playing a monster.

In a year jam packed with horror (seriously, there were like two new releases every week), "Heretic" made believers out of us, with $58 million worldwide to prove it. That may seem meager, but it more than filled the collection plate given its budget, and also landed "Heretic" as the #11 horror film at the domestic box office, which is extra impressive given the biggest hits ("A Quiet Place: Day 1" and "Alien: Romulus") were sequels. How did "Heretic" do it? We submit it's because of the filmmakers bold decision to cast perennial nice guy and "Britain's Sweetheart" Hugh Grant as the seriously sinister sinner, Mr. Reed.

"Heretic" stars Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East as two Mormon missionaries who knock on the wrong door. Lured by the promise of blueberry pie (been there), the two are sucked into a spirited debate about religion with Grant's Mr. Reed, that turns into a literal death trap that forces the girls to rely on faith to survive. Usually the roles are reversed, as it's the religious nut job who kidnaps the innocent "rationalists." But the flick 2025 escapes the trap of being just another "creepy guy kidnaps people in his house of horrors" thanks to its novel approach, and Grant's chilling committed performance. Bravo to Grant, who deftly goes from charmingly befuddled to ghoulishly guileful, playing on his screen persona to make the crazed, anti-religious zealot one of the creepiest villains we have seen in years.

Perhaps the greatest honor an actor can achieve is to give a performance so powerful it changes the course of their career. Sure, actors complain about being typecast, but the worst thing that can happen in show business is to be forgotten. We can say for certain that will never happen with Anthony Perkins. Before Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Jack Torrance, or Dr. Hannibal Lecter, there was Perkins' Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," the great-grandfather of grizzly, girl-killing ghouls who created a horror subgenre, the slasher pic.

At the time, The Master of Suspense casting Perkins was provocative bordering on cinematic sadism. Perkins had not only played "good guys," but boyishly meek and naive ones. Two of his most famous roles were a pacifist Quaker who contemplates defending his home in the Civil War in "Friendly Persuasion," and a baseball prodigy who makes it to the majors, but suffers a breakdown following his father's bullying in "Fear Strikes Out." Imagining that guy as a psychotic serial killer? Well, you can relate to Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) who thought Bates was innocuous, up until he slashed her to pieces in the shower. Far from being bitter about forever being associated with Bates, Perkins was proud of his performance. Rightfully so. Perkins' performance in "Psycho" remains one of the first and best examples of a good guy actor playing a terrifying villain.