The American Film Institute is a prestigious organization that honors America’s motion picture arts, frequently releasing their picks for various cinema-related accolades and achievements. In 2003, AFI presented their exciting ranking of greatest villains of all time, with some of Hollywood’s most iconic characters topping the list. A jury of 1,500 directors, critics, actors and more were polled to create the elaborate ranking, resulting in a colorful and expansive lineup.
From devious Disney antagonists to iconic wicked witches, notorious serial killers and seductive femme fatales, AFI’s ranking covers a wide array of silver screen classics and legendary characters that remain beloved fan favorites. Let’s dive into the organization’s choices for the best movie villains of all time.
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10 The Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
RKO Radio Pictures
Being so consumed by jealousy and vanity that you want to cut your step-daughter’s heart out is most certainly grounds for landing on a list of iconic movie villains, and The Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is undoubtedly a legendary bad guy in cinema. The menacing character torments Snow White and drives her into a forest to seek shelter, where she stumbles upon the kind and quirky seven dwarfs in hopes of hiding out from the evil woman.
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The Queen transforms herself into an old hag in order to finish the job, but like most Disney flicks justice is ultimately served by the end of the animated classic.Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is widely considered one of the greatest animated films of all time, with Rolling Stone calling it the picture “that changed the future of animation.”
9 Regan MacNeil (The Exorcist)
Warner Bros
Audiences across the world were terrified to the bone by Linda Blair’s chilling portrayal of the demonically-possessed Regan MacNeil in the 1973 supernatural horror juggernaut The Exorcist, providing fuel for nightmares as she speaks in tongues, has her head freakishly spin around and projectile vomits in her demented state.
The pop culture phenomenon caused quite the uproar upon its release, with many moviegoers reportedly fainting, becoming nauseous and running out of theaters in fear during the screenings; ambulances were even on stand-by in case viewers became distraught during Regan’s disturbing possession scenes. For her sensationally frightening role, Linda Blair earned an Academy Award nomination and won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.
8 Phyllis Dietrichson (Double Indemnity)
Paramount Pictures
Barbara Stanwyck is the ultimate femme fatale in Billy Wilder’s lauded 1944 crime film noir Double Indemnity, an adaptation of the James M. Cain novel that follows a savvy claims adjuster who becomes embroiled in a dangerous murder plot involving an alluring married woman determined to kill her husband and cashing out on his insurance policy.
Stanwyck was initially hesitant to take on the part of the devious Phyllis, who attempts to lure the poor salesman into murdering her spouse, but eventually gave in and later stated it was one of her favorite roles. The celebrated actress’ performance was described as the “insolent, self-possessed wife is one of the screen’s definitive studies of villainy – and should (it is widely thought) have won the Oscar for Best Actress.”
7 Alex Forrest (Fatal Attraction)
Paramount Pictures
Acting chameleon Glenn Close embraced her inner villainous when she starred as a disturbed book editor obsessed with a married New York City lawyer (Michael Douglas) in the 1987 psychological thriller Fatal Attraction, which follows the unhinged Alex Forrest as she becomes more and more fixated on the family man she had a fling with.
Alex will stop at nothing to make Douglas’ Dan Gallagher her own, progressively becoming more erratic as the film progresses, boiling his family’s rabbit and pouring acid on his car in retaliation for his rejections. Despite initial hesitations to cast Close as the crazed vixen, producers commented that during her audition, “an extraordinary erotic transformation took place. She was this tragic, bewildering mix of sexuality and rage—I watched Alex come to life.”
6 Mr. Potter (It’s a Wonderful Life)
RKO Radio Pictures
A beloved but dark Christmas classic and Hollywood staple, It’s a Wonderful Life stars James Stewart as the severely depressed George Bailey as he contemplates suicide on Christmas Eve and is visited by his faithful guardian angel and shown what the world would have been like without him.
Lionel Barrymore appears as the greedy and miserable robber baron Mr. Potter, who owns most of the businesses in Bedford Falls and sets his sights on George’s family business Building and Loan and eliminating it. The character was described by Time Magazine as “… Scrooge, the Grinch and Simon Legree in one craggy, crabby package,” and he remains a prominent and extremely notable cinema antagonist.
5 Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest)
United Artists
The sadistic, cold and calculating tyrant Nurse Ratched shocked, outraged and devastated fans in both the Ken Kesey’s novel and the 1975 adaptation One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, with Louise Fletcher knocking it out of the park as the heartless head administrative nurse at the Salem State Hospital.
Nurse Ratched constantly abuses her power and torments those under her care in the riveting psychological dramedy, going to-to-toe with the defiant Randle McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) in a showdown with tragic results. To embody the deplorable character, Fletcher based her performance on the condescending way she witnessed white people treat Black people in her home state of Alabama; the actress won an Academy Award for her unforgettable portrayal.
4 The Wicked Witch of the West (The Wizard of Oz)
Metro-Goldwyn Mayer
Few movie villains have had the lasting impact and iconic legacy like Margaret Hamilton’s terrifying The Wicked Witch of the West, who along with her flying monkeys, spine-tingling cackle and startling green appearance scared the audiences of The Wizard of Oz with her wicked performance.
Hamilton was extremely dedicated to the role and even suffered a second-degree burn on her face when a trap door scene was delayed, and she was burned by the prop fireworks during her fiery entrance. This resulted in the actress having to recuperate for six weeks during the film’s production. Hamilton’s only reservation regarding the character was that she didn’t want children to fear her because of her portrayal, so she went on Mister Rodger’s Neighborhood in 1975 to explain what a costume and character was to alleviate their fears.
3 Darth Vader (The Empire Strikes Back)
20th Century Fox
Pop culture juggernaut and legendary movie villain Darth Vader is instantly recognizable with his famous masked face, black cape and his unmistakable deep voice, courtesy of the revered cinema star James Earl Jones.
The George Lucas character was physically portrayed by bodybuilder David Prowse in the original Star Wars trilogy, with the director commenting that the six-foot-six actor “brought a physicality to Darth Vader that was essential for the character … with an imposing stature and movement performance to match the intensity and undercurrent of Vader’s presence.” Darth Vader is undoubtedly one of the most distinguished and greatest fictional characters of all time and has left an immeasurable impact and influence on pop culture.
2 Norman Bates (Psycho)
Anthony Perkins delivered a tour de force performance as the disturbed motel proprietor Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film, the lauded horror masterpiece Psycho. Bates appeared alongside Janet Leigh as the murderous young man suffering from dissociative identity disorder.
Based on the Robert Bloch novel of the same name, the lauded classic was loosely inspired by the crimes of grave robber and killer Ed Gein and skyrocketed Perkins to new levels of fame he had yet to experience; the role proved to be a blessing and a curse for the actor as his career was given a boost, but he was subsequently typecast. Psycho is considered one of the first slasher films and is heavily regarded as one of the finest films ever created.
1 Dr. Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs)
Orion Pictures
Landing in the top spot of the American Film Institute’s best movie villain of all time is the brilliant-yet-ghastly cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter from the 1991 Oscar-winning picture The Silence of the Lambs, superbly portrayed by the great Anthony Hopkins. The unnerving Lecter plays a cat-and-mouse game with FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as she goes to the infamous murderer for help tracking down another demented serial killer; both characters have landed on numerous critic’s lists as the best heroines and villains in cinema.
Hopkins explained to Entertainment Weekly how he portrayed the notable character — “ultra sane, very still … He has such terrifying physical power, and he doesn’t waste an ounce of energy. He’s so contained. He’s all brain.” The Silence of the Lambs won the major five categories at the Academy Awards and is the only horror film to win Best Picture.
