MOVIE STARS

The ten best movie villains according to the American Film Institute

The American Film Institute, an independent non-profit organisation created by the National Endowment for the Arts and dedicated to the preservation and promotion of historical films, has produced several rankings relating to the world of cinema.

Among the rankings made, one of the most interesting is that of the Top 100 Villains in the history of cinema, basically the best antagonists or simple villains who have remained imprinted in the memory of the audience. 

In the Top 100, Jack Nicholson, James Cagney, Robert Mitchum, Faye Dunaway and Bette Davis are the only ones to appear with two characters. Here, according to the AFI, is the Top 10 best 'villains' in film history.

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The best "villains" ever: the Top 10 according to AFI
The American Film Institute, an independent non-profit organisation created by the National Endowment for the Arts and dedicated to the preservation and promotion of historical films, has produced several rankings relating to the world of cinema. Among the rankings made, one of the most interesting is about the best 100 Villains in the history of cinema, basically the best antagonists or simple villains who have stuck in the memory of the audience. Here, according to AFI, are the Top 10 best 'villains' in film history.
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10. Evil Queen (Lucille La Verne - voice) - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937
Disney's first feature film has as its antagonist the Evil Queen, Snow White's wicked stepmother, vain and obsessed with beauty, but above all willing to do anything to kill her stepdaughter so as to be the fairest in the kingdom. Giving the voice to this character, in the original language, was actress Lucille La Verne, who dubbed Grimilde both as the Queen and when she transforms into a witch to offer Snow White the poisoned apple.
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9. Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) - The Exorcist,1973
One of the scariest films in the history of cinema, mainly (indeed exclusively) because of one character: Regan MacNeil, a little girl who is possessed by the demon Pazuzu. Scars, deepening voice, words spoken backwards and more: very few characters are capable of generating more fright and horror than Regan MacNeil...
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8. Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) - Double Indemnity, 1944
The dark lady par excellence who proposes to insurance agent Walter Neff to kill her elderly husband. Initially, Barbara Stanwyck was unnerved to learn that the character she was to play was a ruthless and unscrupulous woman, but in the end the actress was convinced and has never regretted her choice.
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7. Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) - Fatal Attraction, 1987
Glenn Close brought to life one of the most iconic characters in Hollywood history. Stalker Alex Forrest is willing to do anything to get to her one and only target, Manhattan lawyer Dan Gallagher. Glenn Close's icy, wicked looks have stuck in the minds of viewers and the actress received an Oscar nomination for this role.
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6. Mister Potter (Lionel Barrymore) - It's a Wonderful Life, 1946
Mister Potter is a rich and unscrupulous banker who holds his small town in his grip, hates poor people, immigrants, and above all aspires to absolute power-no need to add more to understand why he is in this ranking.
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5. Mildred Ratched (Louise Fletcher) - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, 1975
A woman with a cold, ruthless and aggressive character, Mildred Ratched is the nurse who runs one of the wards in the psychiatric hospital at Salem. To gain respect, Mildred plays on her patients' guilt, and it is because of this tactic that she will be responsible for the film's tragic ending. For this role, which is complex and difficult to play, Louise Fletcher won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
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4. The Wicked witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) - The Wizard of Oz, 1939
Actress Margaret Hamilton was delighted to take part in the film because she was a great admirer of Frank Baum's books, but declared years later that she would have liked to play a role other than that of the wicked witch, who aims to kill Dorothy and her companions in order to get hold of her slippers.
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3. Darth Vader (James Earl Jones - voice) - The Empire Strikes Back, 1980
Physically in this film Darth Vader was played by David Prowse, but giving him third place in the AFI ranking is the voice of James Earl Jones who voices him in the original language. A unique, dark and gloomy character who has also remained in film history for his famous quotes.
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2. Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) - Psycho, 1960
Polite, generous, fragile, kind: at first glance Norman Bates seems like a good and lovable boy, at times even a bit awkward. But instead, Norman possesses a dark side of which he is not even totally aware, a dark side that drives him to turn into a heinous murderer, without even remembering it once he has carried out his murders. Norman Bates is a complex, gloomy character who has made cinematic history and, above all, bequeaths many insights into the complexity of the human mind.
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1. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) - The Silence of the Lambs (The Silence of the Lambs), 1991
The cannibal psychiatrist (and serial killer) Hannibal Lecter tops the list of the 100 best villains in film history. Cynical, ruthless, but at the same time endowed with a decidedly off-kilter intelligence, Hannibal Lecter is a heinous criminologist with almost supernatural insight. Despite acting for less than 25 minutes in the film (which runs about 120 minutes), Anthony Hopkins managed to win theOscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role: it is one of the shortest performances to have earned the prestigious statuette, thanks to a simply perfect performance.
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