10 Great Actors Who Should Have Played A James Bond Villain By Now

Summary

Many iconic actors have played Bond villains, but there are still plenty of talented stars yet to have their moment in the franchise.
The future of the James Bond franchise remains uncertain, with casting for Bond 26 unclear, but the need for iconic villains is crucial.
Actors like Hugo Weaving, Jason Isaacs, and Stellan Skarsgård have the potential to bring new depth and menace to the role of a Bond villain.

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In the James Bond franchise, the villains are almost as important as 007 himself, but many actors who seem like a perfect fit haven’t had the chance to add their names to the list of great Bond villains. There have been plenty of great actors who have squared up with Bond over the years, many of whom are particularly famous for playing villains, such as Mads Mikkelsen, Christopher Lee, and Christoph Waltz. However, there are just as many actors who seem like natural choices who have been overlooked.

The future of the James Bond franchise is still a mystery, with the casting for Bond 26 no clearer now than it was when Daniel Craig made his final appearance in 2021. As well as selecting the right actor to fill his shoes, the franchise will need to continue its trend of iconic big-screen bad guys. Fortunately, there is no shortage of actors who would be ideally suited to the part of a Bond villain, although many of them should have already had their moment years ago.

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James Bond’s eccentric villains have been a beloved hallmark of the franchise for decades, and the best ones have gone down in film history.

10 Ben Kingsley

Don Logan in Sexy Beast (2000)

Years after his Oscar-winning performance in Gandhi, Ben Kingsley proved that he could play slimy villains just as easily as peaceful freedom fighters. As Don Logan in the crime drama Sexy Beast, Kingsley is a miniature package of rage and violence. His reputation precedes him, as the other characters fret over his imminent arrival, but Kingsley more than lives up to this billing.

Don Logan is a rather unusual character for Kingsley, who so often plays calm and collected individuals. Even in his other villain roles, Kingsley often plays an evil genius-type.

Don Logan is a rather unusual character for Kingsley, who so often plays calm and collected individuals. Even in his other villain roles, Kingsley often plays an evil genius-type. Don Logan is more emotional and volatile, proving that Kingsley could play a Bond villain who is as detached as Blofeld or as hands-on as Alec Trevelyan or Raoul Silva. Ben Kingsley’s best movies show that he could still play a great villain in his 80s.

9 Charles Dance

Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

Charles Dance’s most famous villain is arguably Tywin Lannister, the ruthless and cunning head of House Lannister in Game of Thrones. Dance’s innate gravitas and composure make Tywin a formidable enemy, and even his own family can’t trust him completely. However, this is far from Dance’s only performance as a villain. He is also outstanding in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Last Action Hero and many more films which allow him to showcase his talents as a villain.

Charles Dance’s innate gravitas and composure make Tywin Lannister a formidable enemy, and even his own family can’t trust him completely.

It’s important to note that Charles Dance has had a very minor role in James Bond before. He made his film debut in 1981’s For Your Eyes Only, which starred Roger Moore as 007. He appears as the right-hand man to the Belgian assassin Emile Locque during one of James Bond‘s iconic skiing sequences, but he deserves a much meatier role in the franchise.

8 Hugo Weaving

Agent Smith in The Matrix (1999)

Hugo Weaving would have been a brilliant Bond villain during the Pierce Brosnan years, just as he became globally famous with his roles in The Matrix and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but he would still be an excellent choice for the next era of the franchise. Weaving played Red Skull, one of the MCU’s best villains, in Captain America: The First Avenger, and he has a few other villainous roles to his name.

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Hugo Weaving would have been a brilliant Bond villain during the Pierce Brosnan years, but he would still be an excellent choice for the next era of the franchise.

2018’s Mortal Engines gave Hugo Weaving his most recent high-profile villain role. He plays Thaddeus Valentine, a power-hungry ego-maniac who wants to bend the world to his will. This type of character has been seen in many Bond movies. Karl Stromberg and Hugo Drax are just two examples, and Weaving could easily have played another off-the-wall antagonist with more money than sense.

7 Anthony Hopkins

Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Anthony Hopkins’ Oscar-winning performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs ensured that the character earned a place alongside iconic movie villains such as Norman Bates and Darth Vader. Other actors have tackled the character, but Hopkins’ version remains the gold standard. The Welsh actor has played many other villains, but none have been as extravagant as the cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Lecter.

Anthony Hopkins never allowed himself to be typecast as a villain, and he has played a wide variety of characters since The Silence of the Lambs. This may be why he never took on the role of a Bond villain, although he was considered by the producers as a potential star for both Alec Trevelyan and Raymond Carver during the Pierce Brosnan years. He would be much older than most Bond villains if he were to take on the challenge now.

6 Jason Isaacs

Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise

There are two roles which best highlight Jason Isaac’s potential as a Bond villain, and they each show a different side to his talent as an actor. As Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, Isaacs exudes a contemptuos kind of evil. Lucius believes himself to be part of the pure-blooded elite who should claim their place as the rulers of wizarding society and wipe out all opposition.

The Death of Stalin allows Jason Isaacs to play a completely different kind of villain, but he is just as captivating. He’s a no-nonsense operator who isn’t afraid to do everything himself.

The Death of Stalin allows Jason Isaacs to play a completely different kind of villain, but he is just as captivating. Gregory Zhukov, head of the Soviet Army, enters the fray while the politicians have already been squabbling for a while. He’s a no-nonsense operator who isn’t afraid to do everything himself. This makes him seem like a Bond villain and a henchman rolled into one.

5 Stellan Skarsgård

Baron Harkonnen in the Dune series

Stellan Skarsgård has already played one of the most eye-catching villains of 2024 as Baron Harkonnen in Dune: Part Two, but his potential as a Bond villain has been clear for years. As evidenced by Le Chiffre, Emilio Largo and Rosa Klebb, the Bond franchise has a penchant for eccentric European villains, and there are few actors working today who would be a better fit for the archetype than Skarsgård.

Another recent project which highlights Skarsgård’s potential as a Bond villain is Andor, in which he plays a morally gray freedom fighter who has given everything to the resistance.

Stellan Skarsgård brings a lot of much-needed menace to the Dune movies. His minor role in the first movie is enough to show that his character is a powerful and intelligent adversary, but his villainy finds new heights in the sequel. Another recent project which highlights Skarsgård’s potential as a Bond villain is Andor, in which he plays a morally gray freedom fighter who has given everything to the resistance. This is reminiscent of certain Bond villains who aren’t purely selfish, but they believe that they are ushering in a new dawn for the world.

4 Tilda Swinton

Minister Mason in Snowpiercer (2013)

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The James Bond franchise has been slowly but surely beefing up its female roles in recent years. Lashana Lynch’s Nomi briefly took on the 007 title in No Time to Die, a movie which also showcased Ana de Armas’ potential as a female James Bond equivalent. While a female Bond still seems highly unlikely, the franchise’s next chapter could at least provide an interesting female villain to compete with the likes of Blofeld and Goldfinger. Elektra Kane is the franchise’s only central villain.

While a female Bond still seems highly unlikely, the franchise’s next chapter could at least provide an interesting female villain to compete with the likes of Blofeld and Goldfinger.

If Bond 26 does opt for a female Bond villain, Tilda Swinton would be the perfect option. She has the ability to disappear into any role, and this could serve her well as a wide variety of villain archetypes in a Bond movie. She recently showed in David Fincher’s The Killer that she can be just as chilling while playing a more grounded antagonist, but she has enough flair to play a more over-the-top villain if needed. Other female candidates for a Bond villain might include Charlize Theron, Olivia Colman, Helena Bonham Carter or Helen Mirren.

3 Cillian Murphy

The Scarecrow in Batman Begins (2005)

Off the back of his Oscar win for Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy will have a lot of freedom to plot his career path going forward. He would be a coup for the James Bond franchise if they could get him to play the first villain in the new era, and this could signal the intent of the franchise’s future. Murphy may choose to follow up his role as the quantum physicist Dr. Oppenheimer by playing a Bond villain with a different kind of obsession with nuclear weapons, much like Emilio Largo or Aristotle Kristatos.

Murphy would be a coup for the James Bond franchise if they could get him to play the first villain in the new era, and this could signal the intent of the franchise’s future.

Cillian Murphy’s upcoming movies suggest that he could potentially be open to the James Bond franchise. While many actors opt for prestige dramas and passion projects after winning an Academy Award, Murphy is returning to Peaky Blinders and 28 Days Later, two franchises that helped him make a name for himself before his recent success. Murphy could bring his intense gaze and measured, eloquent speech to the role of a Bond villain. Batman Begins is one of only a few movies which have let him show off his talents as a villain.

2 Alan Rickman

Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988)

Alan Rickman would have been a fantastic choice for a Bond villain before his death in 2016. After working for a while in theater productions, Rickman made his film debut as Hans Gruber in Die Hard, and he immediately became one of the greatest movie villains of all time. The Die Hard franchise would never find another villain as compelling or as contemptible as Rickman’s smug German terrorist.

Rickman made his film debut as Hans Gruber in Die Hard, and he immediately became one of the greatest movie villains of all time.

Rickman played more varied characters throughout the 1990s, but his most famous role of all came when he leaned into his natural flair for portraying villains once more. As Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series, Rickman helped transition the franchise from lighthearted children’s fare to something darker and more serious. Rickman’s best tools as a villain are his deep, languid voice and his controlled physical movements.

1 Gary Oldman

Norman Stansfield in Léon: The Professional (1994)

Gary Oldman’s best movies showcase his incredible versatility as an actor. He has played morally dubious heroes in the Harry Potter franchise, the Dark Knight trilogy, and War for the Planet of the Apes, but he often saves his best performances for his villain roles. Léon: The Professional provides Oldman with his most iconic bad guy, but The Fifth Element and Bram Stoker’s Dracula shouldn’t be overlooked.

Oldman has played all kinds of villains in his career. He can be slick and intelligent or violent and aggressive.

Oldman and the Bond franchise seem like a match made in heaven, but he is yet to star as an antagonist to 007. Oldman has played all kinds of villains in his career. He can be slick and intelligent or violent and aggressive. This means that he could play all manner of Bond villain archetypes, but he has the talent to portray a much more layered character. There are only a handful of James Bond movies which develop their villains as much as their main character, but Oldman would be the ideal choice if Bond 26 explores this route.

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