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At least according to the "Time" magazine of May 7, 2007.

Arranged by the year, the film was released.

1945 "Detour" Vera (Ann Savage)

1949 "White Heat" Cody Jarrett (James Cagney)

1962 "Cape Fear" Max Cady (Robert Mitchum)

1962 "The Manchurian Candidate" Mrs. Iselin (Angela Lansbury)

1972 "Aquirre, the Wrath of God" Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski)

1976 "Marathon Man" Dr. Christian Szell (Laurence Olivier)

1984 "The Terminator" The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

1993 "Schindler's List" Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes)

1994 "Pulp Fiction" Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames)

2001 "Hannibal" Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins)

Any additions? Deletions? Comments?

I'll hold most of my comments to later on, but I do have two quick comments now. Note that most of these actors and actresses were born somewhere else other than the U.S.  And that most of these villains are fairly well known, except for perhaps the first one.

I'll add two:

Scorpio from Dirty Harry, played by Andy Robinson

and

Maximillian Largo as played by Klaus Maria Brandauer in the Bond film Never Say Never Again

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/250px-Commando2.jpg)   :teddyr:

Here 10 more to add:

* GOLDFINGER - Goldfinger (Gert Frobe)
* THE FRENCH CONNECTION - Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey)
* DELIVERANCE - Mountain Men (Bill McKinney and Herbert "Cowboy" Coward)
* M - Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre)
* SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine)
* LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT - Krug Stillo (David Hess)
* JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH - Count Saknussem (Thayer David)
* KILL BILL (VOL. 1 and 2) - Bill (David Carradine)
* STAR WARS - Darth Vader (David Prowse / James Earl Jones)
* THE OTHER - Niles and Holland Perry (Chris and Martin Udvarnoky)

Seems to me some version of Dracula or another should have been on that list. Still I'm pleased to see they included Ann Savage from DETOUR.

These are my Top Ten villains in cinema history

1) Top Dollar (Michael Wincott) in The Crow
2) Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman) in Leon (The Professional)
3) Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy) in Batman Begins
4) Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) in Reservoir Dogs
5) Darkness (Tim Curry) in Legend
6) John Doe (Kevin Spacey) in Se7en
7) Joseph Curwen (Chris Sarandon) in The Resurrected
8) Captain Renault (Claude Rains) in Casablanca
9) Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro) in Taxi Driver
10) Dudley Smith (James Cromwell) in L. A. Confidential

(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a327/smvgrey/FlashGordon_10.jpg)
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a327/smvgrey/Darkness2.jpg)
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a327/smvgrey/zod-2.jpg)

Whoever wrote that "Time" list has both alleles for Cinematically Clueless.

He wrote a top ten villain list and it didn't contain Darth Vader?

QED.

I thought Mr. Smith in the Matrix was a damn fine villan also.

(http://www.phillyfests.com/piglff/press/Bad%20Seed.jpg)
                   "What will you give me for a basketful of kisses?"

 

Some very recent additions to the list: Dr. William Block from the Planet Terror segment of Grindhouse & Costello from The Departed.

Personal fav villains: Carl Hill from Re-Animator, Edward Pretorious of From Beyond, and Nurse Wilson/Mombi and Dr. Worley/the Gnome King from Return to Oz have been always had a place in my cold dead heart.

Thulsa Doom!!

(http://www.bmoviegraveyard.com/reviews/ConanTheBarbarian/conanbarbarian003.jpg)
Now they will know why they are afraid of the dark. Now they will learn why they fear the night. (http://www.bmoviegraveyard.com/reviews/ConanTheBarbarian/conanbarbarian5.wav)

 :drink:

Some of mine are:

Dr Soran (Malcolm McDowell) in Star Trek Generations
Khan Noonian Singh (Ricardo Montalban) in Star Trek 11
Judith Herault (Nadia Fares) in The Crimson Rivers
Eddie Kim (played by Some Guy, sorry, forgot his name) in Snakes On A Plane
Colonel Cochrane (Malcolm McDowell) in Blue Thunder
Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina) in Midnight Run
Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough) in Walking Tall
Kaufman (Dennis Hopper) in Land Of The Dead
Neil (Robert DeNiro) in Heat

Lastly, Darth Vader. I know he does kill people and other things like that, but he does save his son (and his soul) eventually so he is a bad guy, but there is some good in him.  :teddyr:

I don't know, when I think "villain" I think "evil incarnate".  Most of the characters in Time's list seem to be merely criminal.  And some criminals are just so darn charming!

10.  Mr. Helpmann - Brazil
09.  Richard Nixon - Nixon
08.  Nurse Ratchet - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
07.  Leopold & Loeb - Swoon
06.  H.A.L. - 2001: A Space Odyssey (not evil so much as inhuman, but he is quite nasty)
05.  Raymond Lemorne - Spoorloos (AKA The Vanishing)
04.  Henry - Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
03.  Alan Yates - Cannibal Holocaust
02.  Ilsa - Ilsa: She Wolf of the S.S.
01.  The masked assailants in Guinea Pig: An Experiment In Terror


Personally, I always felt the Dark Side got a bad wrap.  For one, the Dark Side was always taking new members, whereas the Rebel Alliance plotted to destroy all who disagreed with their principles.   And the rebels were certainly responsible for more deaths, not to mention the fact they used a robot to trick a peaceful civilization of teddybears (all right, ewoks) to fight a technologically superior enemy with sticks and rocks, resulting in innumerable casualties and disfigurements.  Come on, that's just cruel!  No, I think Star Wars is definitely an epic written by the winners.  Haha.

Dracula and Ming defintly belong on the list!
others...
.DR.MABSUE
.FU MANCHU
.SATAN
.JACK the RIPPER
.the OVERLOOK HOTEL
.the house in THE HAUNTING (60's version)
.GHIDRAH
.the mad Dr. Gogol from MAD LOVE(1935)
.Ygor from SON of FRANKENSTIEN
.Freddy Krugar
.JASON!
.MICHEAL MEYERS
.Krug and freinds from LAST HOUSE on the LEFT
.the TEXAS CHAINSAW clan!!!
.the DEVIL's REJECTS
. Mr.HYDE
.Seems like Erich Von Sroheim should be on their some place...
.DR.PHIBES

oh wait, i forgot two of my most favorite villians


NO WIRE HANGERS EVER!
(http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m69/normalhepkat/mommie_dearest.jpg)

SO LET IT BE WRITTEN, SO LET IT BE DONE
(http://www.tbkusa.com/yul%20brenner.jpg)

I could go for the obvious horror movies but i'm going with my faves

Thulsa Doom gets my vote.

John Travolta playing a bad guy in BROKEN ARROW and SWORDFISH. Might as well throw in his role in PULP FICTION.

Strange how James Earl Jones played two of the greatest villians Thulsa Doom and Darth Vader (in voice).

Hahaha, definite karma point for that one.  :cheers:

Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) in Blue Velvet
Captain Vidal (Sergei Lopez) in Pan's Labyrinth
Judge Doom/Baron Von Rotten (Christopher Lloyd) in Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Elizabeth Nadosheen (Ingrid Pitt) in Countess Dracula

I'll list them as they come to mind and I may forget a few...

Freddy Krueger
Emporer Palpatine (Star Wars)
Jaws
Sawyer Family From TCM
Darth Vadar
Adrienne In The Crush
The Killer Klowns
Zombies of any sort
Dracula
Max Cady In Cape Fear

I like mostly villains in films anyhow. 

What amazes me about TIMEs list is that it totally ignores some actors that spent most of they're carrears playing villians....such as Lugosi,Karloff,Lorre,  Vincent Price ,Christopher Lee, Charle Laughton, Jack Palance, and so many others!
  Also...it seems like one shot villians,should be surpassed by longtime screen villians like Mr. Hyde...who has been on the screen since films began....and no DRACULA?!?! That's sacriliage! Fooey on TIMEs list!  :hatred:

Dracula never really struck me as a villain (Nosferatu being a possible exception).  Sure, he preyed on people, but did so to ensure his own survival.  Self preservation is one of the most primitive and important instincts an animal possesses; he can hardly be blamed for that.  Besides which, he's a count, he's rich, charming, and sexy.  He's got more karma point-worthy attributes than the good guys!  Haha.

Christopher Lee's version was often painted as the Lord of Darkness as well as being Count Dracula.  All versions of Dracula preyed on innocent victims to satisfy their own twisted bloodlust. Sounds villainous to me.

 I wonder about a top VILANESSES list....hmmm....can any one think of some of them? Whatta bought the Ladies?
 .Ingrid Pitt as Carmilla in the VAMPIRE LOVERS(1970)
.Nurse Ratchett in ONE FLEW OVER the CUCKOOS NEST
.Shelly Winter's in BLOODY MAMA!
.BARBRA STELLE as the Witch in BLACK SUNDAY
.I think someone posted ILSA-SHE WOLF of the SS! Yikes!!!Dyanne Thorne!!!
.Susan had listed Joan Crawford...MOMMY DEAREST
.The GORGAN!!!(Barbra Shelly)!
.Bette Davis as Baby Jane...WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?
.I always had a spot in my blackheart for the old lady in MOTHER'S DAY....

            (http://img460.imageshack.us/img460/2312/untitledoq9.png) (http://imageshack.us)

I still can't believe someone else hasn't mentioned Bennett from Commando.  He set the bar for villains for quite some time after 1985.   :teddyr:

(http://www.badmovies.org/othermovies/commando/commando6.jpg)

and what about everybody's favorite dessert faring bondage freak and murderous psychopathic monster Lord Humungus?

Fortunato:

Travis Bickle in TAXI DRIVER?  How is he a villain?  He belongs on the 10 greatest heroes list

For villians anyone remember Telly Savalas' role as Archer Maggot in the Dirty Dozen. He was kind of a villain.

While I can't concoct a coherent list right now, I must mention my support for Matthias from OMEGA MAN...

(http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/7015/mathiassb8.jpg)
"You...Mr. Neville...are the refuse of the past.  You are discarded!"

I'd say more "anti-hero" than hero... which is about to be my next post.

  Oo-oo some really good ones!  Here's 10 I was able to think of real fast:

Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
Henry Brandon as Silas Barnaby in MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS (1934)
The shark in JAWS (1975)
Robert Mitchum as Harry Powell in THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955)
Joseph Wiseman as DR. NO (1962)
Spike in GREMLINS (1984)
James Earl Jones, etc., as Darth Vader in STAR WARS, et al (1977)
Gene Tierney in LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945 ~ now that's cold!) 
Bob Gunton as Warden Samuel Norton in THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)
Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber in DIEHARD (1988)

my best movie villains are:
lex luthor (kevin spacey, not gene hackman)
the joker (jack nicholson)
darth maul (ray park)
dracula (christopher lee)
bad ash (bruce campbell)
the predator (kevin peter hall)
leatherface (gunnar hansen)
charles manson (steve railsback)
mister hyde (spencer tracy)
farmer vincent (rory calhoun)

If you aren't aware that Travis Bickle has psychopathic tendencies, then you are just as guilty as he is of his crimes. Maybe he could be called more of an anti-hero than a villain, but at the end of the film, I still feel a little disturbed that he's out on the streets of New York.

By the way, I absolutely love the film. Just because someone's a main character (and you are meant to sympathize with him or her) doesn't mean that they can't act evilly. Just look at Momento.

Has anyone mentioned Sir Laurence Olivier in "Marathon Man" yet?

 (http://www.websophist.com/Teeth_IsItSafe_MarathonMan.jpg)

I still say Bickle is a hero.  Any guy who blows away pimps in an attempt to rescue young girls from prostitution is a hero.

Sorry my friend, but if Travis Bickle is psychopathic then he is not guilty of his crimes . . . That being said I think there is definitely an argument to be made that Travis Bickle is a villain . . .
The score of TAXI DRIVER is by Bernard Herrmann and it is just wonderful.  TAXI DRIVER is a sad, scary, remarkable film that people will be looking at for a long time. 

 Alot of the early punk rockers starting wearing the mowhawk style haircut due to their feelings of isolation ,thus they imated Travis Bickles  unique 'do.

                                   (http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/8054/untitledba4.png)

                                             "pah-chooo...."

                 Personally,I think Travis is kinda cool...'course,I'm kinda warped...

thats what i never understood about punks. they always say that theyre different and they try to be apart from society but they all dress the same and imitate things like movies. isnt wanting to be an individual defeated by being the same as the people you associate with?

Here are mine in no paticular order...

Thunderleg                       -Drunken Master
The Predator                    -Predator 1 and 2
Bill                                    -Kill Bill
Alex DeLarge                    -Clockwork
Hans Gruber                     -Die Hard
Gyaos                               -Gamera flicks
Agent Smith                      -Matrix flicks
Eight Devils of Kimon        -Ninja Scroll
Zombies                            -zombie genre

oh and of course..."Who's the master?..."

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v706/MisterEnzeru/shonuff.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v706/MisterEnzeru/sho.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v706/MisterEnzeru/Shonuff01.jpg)

"Sho-Nuff!"

Hmmm . . . it should be pointed out that Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro) first determined to assassinate the character of Senator Palantine, possibly because of his twisted and frustrated feelings for Betsy (Cybil Shepherd) but was stymied, so plan B was to "rescue" Iris (Jodie Foster).   It seems clear that Travis Bickle was determined to shoot somebody.  Perceived  in the film as a hero by the media and those around him, it seems likely that Scorsese was exposing the thoughtless impulse of murder and the irony and absurdity of the term "hero" so readily used. 

Allhallowsday gets karma for that lovely post. It negates the one you lost for your Angel Heart comments.

Hey Fortunato, I thank you.   

Many good ones there, people. Here are mine. First, in alphabetical order, a score of greats, who made the greatest (IMHO) villains. Notice that most of them were born somewhere other than the U.S., which goes to my supposition that dem dere foreigners make better villains than we Americans.

Lionel Atwill
Humphrey Bogart
James Cagney
John Carradine
Lon Chaney, jr.
Hans Conreid
Peter Cushing
Henry Daniell
Gert Froebe
Lionel Jeffries
Boris Karloff
Christopher Lee
Peter Lorre
Bela Lugosi
Vincent Price
Basil Rathbone
Edward G. Robinson
George Sanders
Terry-Thomas
George Zucco

And some one-shot villains. Not necessarily these, but the problem I have with the list from "Time" magazine, is that so many are well known. If you take some of the more obscure villains, I think you'll find them as good or as better than the ones on "Time's" list.

1964 "The Gorgon" Carla Hoffman (Barbara Shelley)
She turns men's hearts to stone, and all the rest of them as well.

1964 "Masque of the Red Death" Juliana (Hazel Court)
Any woman that deliberately brands herself has issues.

1966 "The Reptile" Anna Franklyn (Jacqueline Pierce)
She has a wicked love bite.

1968 "Oliver" Bill Sikes (Oliver Reed)

1968 "2001: Space Odyssey" HAL (Douglas Rains)
"I don't think I can do that."

1971 "Countess Dracula" Countess Elisabeth (Ingrid Pitt)

1971 "Macbeth" Lady Macbeth (Francesca Annis
I can see her telling her husband, if you don't kill the old king and make me the new queen, you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight and every night thereafter.

1971 "Straw Dogs" Tom Hedden (Peter Vaughan)

1988 "Lair of the White Worm" Lady Sylvia Marsh (Amanda Donohoe)
She has a wicked love bite, too.

And a group I'll count as one.

1972 "Tales from the Crypt" Jeanne Clayton (Joan Collins), Ian Hendry (Carl Maitland), James Elliott (Robin Phillips), Ralph Jason (Richard Greene), and Major William Rogers (Nigel Patrick)

My favorite villain of all time is General Woundwart of Watership Down.  His translation from book to film wasn't the best, but he was still pretty menacing.

Peter Lorre in M and Mad Love, Bogart in The Desperate Hours, Fu Manchu, and King Ghidorah (I would actually call him most threatening in Mothra 3, no dicredit to his first film...).

I was watching Foxy Brown earlier, and I did quite love Miss Katherine.  Maybe it was just because I liked seeing Pam Grier face off against an equally powerful woman.  Definitely not enough great female villians. 

 Charles Laughton-Dr. Moreu...in ISLAND of LOST SOULS! (1933)!!!
 HAN!!-in ENTER the DRAGON!!!!
Some of my favorite B to Z budget villians...
Dr.Eric Vornoff -Lugosi-BRIDE of the MONSTER!!!-"You will be as strong as a hundred men!...Or...like all the others...DEAD!!!"
M.Legendre-Lugosi (again!) in WHITE ZOMBIE!!!
Timothy Carey as the psycho hillbilly/rapist in POOR WHITE TRASH(1957)
Charles Bronson in MACHINE GUN KELLY (1958)
Lawerence Tierney in everything!!!!
Neville Brand in EATEN ALIVE-(1976)
the CRIMSON GHOST!!!!
Did I mention the unknown enities known as the EVIL DEAD!?

David Carradine, as Bill, was a darned good villain too, I thought.   Certainly not a conventional villain, but greatly entertaining.

I've been rewatching Kill Bill v1 and 2, and I particularly enjoy the chapter (in 2) labelled "The Massacre at Two Pines."  (That's the one that shows the actual shooting at the wedding rehearsal.)  The bizarrely bright black and white filming gives Carradine a great look, and the tension is drawn out so well -- Beatrix gets a horrified/sick look on her face when she hears the flute, and then a mixture of grief and something else when she (mistakenly) thinks he is going to let it all go peaceably.    And then there's that awesomely mad look Carradine gives the groom when the groom says "I like to live dangerously!"  and Carradine pauses, and says "I know exactly what you mean."

And then there's the whole Pai Mei story that he tells by the campfire.  =)

Great use of an excellent second-tier actor.  More than most directors I've seen (not by any means as exhaustive, my viewings, as for most of you here) Tarantino has a gift for taking that has-been tarnish off of some actors and polishing them into diamonds again.

Well said Zapranoth, though Quentin Tarrantino's schtick seems to be dusting off "second-tier" actors, I think his attraction is their tarnish and not so much a polish (he also resurrected Pam Grier, Robert Forster, and even John Travolta.) 

I watch KILL BILL VOL 1 or 2 whenever I get a chance, after repeated viewings, though, there's much to speed thru, but I do find them vastly entertaining.  Though I own the DVDs, I recently sat thru a TBS or TNT back-to-back showing, complete with commercials every 5 minutes.  Why?  It was on. 

Ozzymandias speaks: Monica Mooney of Rats Are Coming, The Werewolves are Here (I love crazy girls) and Douglas C. Neidemeyer from Animal House.

Ozzymandias has spoken!!!

In no particular order,

Freddy Krueger: why? because in at least the first 3 movies he was downright evil, he was calculating, methodical, and relentless all great qualities for a villian.

Max Schrek (Batman Returns) why? because he is perhaps the worst kind of villian as he will calm you with a warm smile, and reassuring words right before he gets You!! :buggedout: he is morally and ethically bankrupt yet a proficient enough liar to make folks think he's an ok guy.

Dr. Phibes: why? this dude is so brazen and badass he will get you no matter what you do, surrounded by police? ain't gonna help you, locked in a room alone? he still gets you! out in the exact middle of nowhere? he'll find you....if you are on his "list" you might as well just give up.

Dr. Smith(Lost in Space TV show or Movie): why? because he brings out the absolute worst in human nature, he is petty,coniving,greedy,self serving, and will stop at nothing to get what he wants, he will sell out his friends in a heartbeat to get what he wants.

Captain Howdy (Strangeland): why? he is not afraid to follow his own path and the fact that he preys on  children and taunts the parents and authorities while he does it makes him even worse.

I forgot one - Kate Capshaw as flyboy's mother in The Locusts - possibly one of the most evil female characters ever comitted to celluloid

Oh, word . . .
Too many choices . . .
I read over what has already been posted here and am overhwhelmed --
Really, there are so many worthy candidates . . .
HOWEVER . . . (Didn't you know there would be a "however"?). . .
I would say that Robert Mitchum's duty in "Night of The Hunter", standing in for Charles Laughton's tortured Psyche, is perhaps the single sickest Villain ever put on film.  No "Top 10" here, as everyone named is worthy of inclusion.
I am only interested in Number One:  Robert Mitchum.  Sleazebag Evil Personified. 
If you have not seen "Night of The Hunter", please do so before arguing this point.
peter johnson/denny craine . . . what are you doing?  What's that in your hand?  OH GOD DON'T DRAG ME DOWN INTO THE WATER!!!

NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, that weird frickin' mid-50s movie (yup know Laughton's only directorial, but tortured as it almost certainly was, I'm not so sure that psyche is expressed thru Harry Powell) is one of my top 5 favorite films.  Clumsy as parts of it are, that filmed fable is a miracle at the tail end of the so-called Hollywood era.  Though it has lots going for it, the great Robert Mitchum has much to do with the extraordinary impact of the masterpiece, NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. 

I'll have to check that out.  I'm a huge Dark Shadows fan and Thayed David plays several characters in that show.

Thanks guys!

Dr. Evil (Austin Powers series)- Hell, his name says it all.  He's evil.  AND a doctor to boot.

Let me add to this thread:

Heath Ledger's Joker.

As much as I disliked the prequels, Darth Maul was a greater villain IMO

Mr. Smith from the Matrix Trilogy?

Darryl Revok from Scanners

The Klowns from Killer Klowns from Outer Space (not really, probably the least evil villains)

Lord Crumb

-Darth Vader (Star Wars)
-Dracula
-Joker (The Dark Knight)
-Pennywise (It)
-Bill (Kill Bill)
-Norman Bates (Psycho)
-Hannibal (Hannibal series)
-Costello (The Departed)
-Captain Vidal (Pan's Labyrinth)
-Pazuzu (The Exorcist)

Blofeld
Vader
Norman Bates
Godzilla (original)

1. The Vampire  (Esp. Nosferatu and Dracula, the original inspirations)

2. Frankenstein's Monster (arguably the forefather of every mad scientist created monstrosity)

3. The Werewolf (especially the influential Universal Wolf Man)

4. The Alien Invader (The Thing from Another World stands out in memory as does the Metaluna Mutant but for more modern day frights, there's Alien and Predator)

5. The Unstoppable Robot (From Metropolis to Terminator, how do you defeat a machine with no feelings or conscience? Or is this in fact true at all?...what if it's an alien creation as in The Day the Earth Stood Still?)

6. The Giant Monster (whether spawned by atomic mutation such as Godzilla or hidden away in a remote unknown area like King Kong or awakened from a deep frozen slumber like Gamera, these baddies are mighty tough to bring down!)...tied to dinosaurs and lost worlds too.

7. Aliens Among Us or Controlling Us (What if the alien looks just like us as can inflitrate our society? Invasion of the Body Snatches, It Came From Outer Space, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Invaders From Mars all delved into this)

8. The Creature From the Black Lagoon (arguably the inspiration for nearly every underwater nightmare to come).

9. The Real World Killer (especially the serial killer...Ed Gein an inspiration for PSYCHO, THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE and DERANGED just to name but one). One could sight real world killers such as sharks and lions. Certainly the shark in Jaws was a great screen villain.

10. The Slasher Killer (the real world killer often magnified and sometimes given supernatural powers...Freddy Kruger, Jason Vorhees, Micheal Myers, etc.)

If we're talking about single acting performances, there are indeed way too many to names in all film genres. Some particular favourites include The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, The Emperor from Star Wars, Christopher Lee and Bela Lugosi's Draculas, Max Shreck's Nosferatu, Peter Cushing's Dr. Frankenstein, Eddie Albert's Capt. Erskine Cooney, CO, Fox Co. in the 1956 war B-move ATTACK, The previously mentioned Rev. Powell from NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, Vincent Price's Matthew Hopkins, Witchfinder General and Dr. Phibes amongst other roles and certain actors like Jack Palance, Lee Marvin and Cameron Mitchell not to mention actresses like Hazel Court, Barbara Steele and Ingrid Pitt tended to make particular memorable villains in many a film.

:ahem:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wait_Until_Dark

Why has this not been mentioned?

Or for that matter any Giallo films like...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_and_Black_Lace

or even

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clockwork_Orange_(film)

Ozzymandias speaks: J. J. Hunsecker, played by Burt Lancaster, Sweet Smell of Success. http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=24062 (http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=24062)

(http://www.filmreference.com/images/sjff_01_img0481.jpg)
There are plenty of J.J's out there. Many of them have moved from newspaper to radio and the internet.

Matter of fact, Sidney Falco, played by Tony Curtis, isn't a very nice guy either. This movie has two villains.

Ozzymandias has spoken!!!

Just watched THE BODY SNATCHER (1945) again last nite, and I can't believe no one has mentioned Boris Karloff's Cabman John Gray yet.  This is probably Karloff's greatest performance--he absolutely dominates the screen when he's on it, and you keep waiting for him to return when he's off it. 

Want evil? 

This guy takes the business end of a shovel to the head of a cute little lapdog who's faithfully watching over his master's grave!  Rough stuff!