Titillating Villains List

SidneyKay here from Kay's Blog

Has this ever happened to you? You’re sitting in a theater watching some pretty boy cavort on the screen, say, oh, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington or maybe an old black and white with Gary Grant, Errol Flynn or Tyrone Power. Suddenly you’re distracted by a deep rough voice with a southern accent (or English or Spanish or whatever). And you take a second look… and find that your eyes are following this man, who usually has greasy hair. You can’t take your eyes off of him, and to top it off, you start to look for him in other movies. Who is this guy? Why, he’s the villain, the sexy villain. Sometimes he’s good looking, but a lot of times he isn’t. But this sleazy, smarmy, creepy guy can certainly make the little ol’ heart beat just a little faster.

Well, over the years I have collected quite a list of these ne’er-do-wells, heels, or sexy scoundrels, and I call it my Titillating Villains List. And, I’m sharing it with you. You may feel free to add to it, cause I know you have them. In no particular order, except for number one.

1. Alan Rickman. First of all, Alan Rickman is the best bad guy… and he is sexy. When I first saw him in Die Hard, I thought…Gads! Who is that guy? Thank goodness, he’s still around. And if you want to see a villain who can knock your socks off, take a gander at Quigley Down Under - bad movie, great villain. Of course, could anyone play Snape the way Mr. Rickman does? Nope! Now, there is a role out there that Alan Rickman plays that is one of my favorites and he’s not a villain, although he is a little sarcastic - Alexander Dane from Galaxy Quest. Great movie, great part! Alan Rickman can also play the hero and has a wonderful romantic turn in Sense and Sensibility. But ya gotta love his villains!

2. Michael Wincott. I hear voices out there asking, who? All I can say is if you ever hear his voice, you will be wiping drool from your chin for a long time. First time I saw him was in the perfectly dreadful movie 1492: Conquest of Paradise. He gallops into camera view, on his horse, his long black hair flapping in the breeze… and I was lost. For more on Mr. Wincott (the voice) check out, Strange Days and The Crow. He also has a website that has sound waves that you can download (I haven’t become quite that silly…yet).

3. William Forsythe. Not really good looking and once again it’s the voice that first draws you in. Usually he uses a southern accent, sometimes he’s a cop, sometimes he’s a killer. Doesn’t matter - he is a scene stealer. He’s in Once Upon a Time in America, Raising Arizona and the one that I first noticed him in, The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag. Cute movie… really bad, sexy guy.

4. Jason Isaacs. Really, does anything say sexy more than Lucius Malfroy? Yes, this is supposed to be a young adult movie, but really… talk about throbbing… hearts. I did see Mr. Isaacs in another movie without the long hair, not so throbbing, so, maybe it’s the hair because look at all some of his villainy movies: The Patriot and Peter Pan… long hair… sexy, sneering villain. One of my new favorite bad guys.

5. Sean Bean. Now, Sean Bean has played heroes and villains, and Captain Sharpe is really quite a hunk, but I love him when he’s bad… he’s a very intense actor. There’s Lord of the Rings, The Hitcher, Ronin, Patriot Games… what a great villain.

6. George Sanders. Yes, I said George Sanders. No one, no where, no how plays an oozing, charming bad boy better than George Sanders did. He’s pretty oozy in Rebecca, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and All About Eve, but I think his best smarmy bad boy role was in The Picture of Dorian Gray. And with the goatee, he’s even kind of good looking.

7. Basil Rathbone. While we are in black and white territory, let me introduce you to a snarling sexy villain, Basil Rathbone. Forget those Sherlock Holmes movies and check out Captain Blood, Zorro, and Robin Hood. In Captain Blood, Robin Hood and Zorro, Rathbone is up against two pretty boys - Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power - but my eyes are always drawn to Rathbone. He’s quite a snarl-er. And if you want to see him really creepy, check out the old David Copperfield and watch a very young Rathbone cast lustful eyes on David’s mother… you won’t forget that look!

8. Tim Curry. Yes, I think Tim Curry makes a sexy bad guy. Am I the only one that thinks Dr. Frank-n-furter (Rocky Horror Picture Show) coming down the elevator in those giant heels is sexy? I bet not! Now’s the time to admit it and not be ashamed. Shout it from the roof tops – Dr. Frank-n-furter is sexy! And, Tim Curry was the best thing to happen in another “what were they thinking” movie - Legend. What more could anyone want than a guy with big horns?

9. Yul Brynner. Whenever I read a romance novel that has a swaggering man in it, I always think of Yul Brynner. Watch him walk across the screen - he doesn’t walk he swaggers. Check out these movies for this wonderful exotic man: The Ten Commandments (a movie filled with ham actors and weird casting - Edward G. Robinson as an Egyptian? Puh-leese) and Westworld (talk about sexy robots). And, he’s bald!!!

10. Wes Studi. Was anyone more of a villain than Magua in Last of the Mohicans? But didn’t we all secretly think he was also quite sexy? Fess up...you know you did!

11. Ben Kinsley. Forget Gandhi. Think Sexy Beast! And, another bald guy. But Kingsley in Sexy Beast… wow! You should also look out for him in Transsiberian. Hubba hubba.

12. Delroy Lindo. Another man, who the first time I saw him, was up against a pretty boy - Denzel Washington (who, by the way, also does a great bad guy). Lindo played a sleazy, sexy gangster in Malcolm X and then turned in what should have been an Oscar winning performance in the same role when he slides down the hill… You were robbed Delroy! Robbed! Check him out in Get Shorty also!

13. Dennis Farina. And while we’re on Get Shorty. No one can fill a silk suit the way Dennis Farina can. Is he pretty? Not really. But when you see this guy play a sleazy villain, you’re not going to forget him for a long time. Be sure to catch one of his early roles in Midnight Run – talk about a bad guy!

14. Ralph Fiennes. Yes, I know he plays good guys! Yes, I know he’s sort of good-looking. But let’s look at his bad guys. Talk about intense! Lord Vordemort in the graveyard, when he is first moving around in his new body and silky robes is pretty hot! And Amon Goeth…is Goeth sexy? Nor really. But he is certainly mesmerizing and intense. And, whenever he is in the scene, your eye is drawn to him. In fact, no one can do intense the way Fiennes does and that makes it sexy. Would I want to hang around him (Fiennes?) Nah, I think it would be too much work; I’ll just enjoy him from afar on the big screen.

15. Anthony Quinn. Forget those silly Oscar winning roles! Who needs a guy dancing on the sand… well, maybe me. However, if you want to see a sexy sneer, check out Road to Singapore (Bob Hope/Bing Crosby road movie.) Yes, I’m a nerd. Yes, I admit it - those road pictures are a guilty pleasure. But a young Anthony Quinn in the giant white hat is truly eye-catching. He also makes a dandy is-he-or-isn’t-he-a-bad-guy in The Ghostbreakers.

16. Queen Margot. This is a movie you say! Yes, I know this is a movie. But let me tell you about this movie. Even though it is filled with a lot of over-acting it is also just swarming with sexy bad guys… and they all have accents! At least for me they have accents! If you’ve never seen this movie, check it out… great costumes. But it also has three guys I just love:
17. Jean-Hugues Anglade (cleans up pretty good), 18. Daniel Auteuil, and 19. Gregory Pascal. I don’t know if it’s the greasy hair or what… but I love this movie and its sexy bad guys (Auteuil is actually a good guy) so much that I own it. Wish it would be released in the extended version. The best bad guy is Pascal! He is truly evil. And watch for the giant kiss scene on the balcony.

20. Goran Visnjc. Jimmy Angelov - need I say more? Oh sure, now Goran's gone on to play good guy doctors, but when I first saw him in one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies, Practical Magic, I thought wow, what a hunk! You go Nicole! Those eyes! Can you be smoldering and hot at the same time? Goran can. Combined with the accent and those beautiful eyes, even when they're silver, he can be sinister and sexy at the same time.

And, that makes my list of 20 Titillating Villains. I’ve often asked myself why these guys/characters jump out at me from the screen, but I’ve never really figured it out. I know I’m not alone in my fascination with bad guys. They’re creepy, smarmy, oily, not particularly good looking, sometimes maniacs, sometimes murderous but most times there is also something sensual about them… they draw your attention away from the hero, and unlike villains in books, they don’t reform. Is it the voice, the greasy hair or the bald head? Is it the actor or the character? The script? What is it? Maybe, it’s a combination of all that. Whatever it is, it makes life interesting. And now, what are some of your favorite ne’er-do-wells?

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