Jason Isaacs is perhaps one of England's most talented actors. Born in Liverpool to a Jewish family, he overcame bullying and antisemitism to attend Bristol University and acted in over thirty plays. From there, he studied at London's Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and made his film debut in 1989's The Tall Guy.
Isaacs is best known for playing villainous characters. From historical dramas to science fiction and fantasy, his versatility as an actor ensures that he always delivers a strong and memorable performance, even if the film is lacking.
10 Count Dracula - 'Monster Family'
When Emma Wishbone (Emily Watson) tries to call a monster costume shop, she accidentally reaches the personal cell phone of Count Dracula. The vampire is instantly smitten by her and sends the witch Baby Yaga (Catherine Tate) to turn her into a vampire with a soul. The spell also affects Emma's family, turning her children into a werewolf and mummy, and her husband into Frankenstein's monster.
While not one of the best actors to play Dracula, Isaacs' take on the iconic vampire is the most memorable thing about this forgettable movie. He plays up Dracula as a romantic charmer, which compliments his handsome design. It's charming enough to make one wonder how Isaacs could play the character in live-action.
9 Dr. Heinreich Volmer - 'A Cure for Wellness'
A friendly but mysterious owner of a wellness spa in the Swiss Alps, Dr. Heinreich Volmer offers hydrotherapy to wealthy patrons. When a man named Lockwood (Dane DeHaan) comes to retrieve his boss, he becomes a patron after a car accident breaks his leg, and learns that nobody is allowed to leave. This is because the patrons are unwitting guinea pigs in Volmer's experiments.
Volmer masks his real intentions behind the facade of your friendly neighbourhood doctor. This makes his actions all the more disturbing, as she talks and acts like it's in his victim's best interests. All that matters is pursuing new breakthroughs in his scientific discoveries to reach the purification of body and mind, no matter how many are harmed along the way.
8 Dick Dastardly - 'Scoob!'
While trying to open a portal to the underworld, Dick Dastardly lost his trusted canine companion, Muttley (Billy West and Don Messick) when the portal proved to be one-way. Determined to retrieve his friend, Dastardly and his army of robots travel the world to find the three skulls of Cerberus. To open the door, he'll also need the help of Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker).
Dastardly is a chance for Isaacs to play a more comedic villain, which he does wonderfully. His voice plays beautifully with the exaggerated character design to sell him as threatening enough for the film, but still silly enough that you can laugh at him. He even manages to break into moments of tender emotion when talking about Muttley.
7 Col. William Tavington - 'The Patriot'
When rebellion breaks out among the North American colonies, Colonel William Tavington is sent to the New World to put it down. Under the command of Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis (Tom Wilkinson), Tavington leads the Green Dragoons on brutal raids across the countryside. He makes a personal enemy in Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) when he kills one of his sons.
While Tavington's actions were condemned by history buffs for being unrealistically brutal for the time, there's no denying that it made him a villain you loved to hate. Isaacs plays him as a man who truly believes that the ends justify the means, especially in war. He'll slaughter entire villages without remorse and delights in targeting the families of his foes to break their spirit.
6 Gabriel Lorca - 'Star Trek: Discovery'
Described as a brilliantly minded tactician, Gabriel Lorca is the captain of the Starship Discovery. After taking in the disgraced Michael Burnham (Soneqia Martin-Green), Lorca tasks her with finding a way to win the war she started against the Kingons. Later, it's revealed that he is actually an attempted usurper from the Mirror Universe.
Alternate-universe revelations aside, Lorca offered a chance to show a captain in Star Trek who was more morally gray than his predecessors. He presented himself as a man who would do what others wouldn't it if meant ending the war as soon as possible. He represents a perverted take on the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few, though sadly it's undercut by the revelation that he was secretly evil all along.
5 Captain Hook - 'Peter Pan 2003'
Though his crew would rather be sailing the high seas, Captain James Hook keeps his ship, the Jolly Roger, anchored in Neverland. He refuses to leave until he has exacted vengeance on Peter Pan (Jeremy Sumpter) for cutting off his right hand. Unfortunately, Pan fed it to a massive crocodile, who enjoys the taste so much it wants to finish the job.
Isaacs encapsulates everything audiences love about Captain Hook. In battle, he is a cunning and deadly foe, but when not drawing his blade, he can be courteous and gentlemanly, which allows him to manipulate others. Isaacs also continues the tradition of Hook's actor also playing Mr. Darling, which adds an interesting subtext about children's fears of growing up.
4 SkekSo the Emperor - 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'
In the world of Thra, an ancient race of bird-like creatures called the Skeksis rule as lords of the Crystal of Truth. Chief among them is SkekSo, the Emperor who has ruled since the Skeksis first arrived. Though he presents himself as benevolent and caring to the locals, in secret SkekSo performs unspeakable experiments on the crystal to obtain true immortality.
SkekSo allows Isaacs to showcase his acting range all in one character. He hits every note of a fantastic villain, from laughing maniacally when celebrating to cunning manipulations and cold fury when his plans go wrong. He also serves as a cautionary tale to the audience, as his plan to cheat death whittles away at his body and all but seals his fate.
3 The Grand Inquisitor - 'Star Wars: Rebels'
Once a Jedi Knight and temple guard, the Grand Inquisitor fell to the dark side and joined the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid). He was put in charge of the Inquisitorius Program and trained other force-sensitive individuals as Inquisitors to hunt down surviving Jedi. When reports of Jedi came from the planet of Lothal, the Grand Inquisitor was tasked by Darth Vader himself with dealing with them.
The Grand Inquisitor fulfills a similar role as Darth Vader in the original trilogy: an intimidating physical threat for the heroes who serve a stronger unseen master. He's more talkative than Vader, however, and knows how to get inside the head of his opponents. His methods are particularly effective against the Jedi Kanan (Freddy Prince Jr.), for whom he serves as a dark reflection to facilitate his growth as a character.
2 Admiral Zhao - 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'
Taught by one of the best fire-bending masters, Zhao believed that he was destined for greatness. After leaving before his master could teach him discipline, Zhao plundered a library of vast knowledge and learned that the ocean and moon spirits had taken mortal form in the north. With this knowledge, he planned a major offensive against the Northern Water Tribe to kill the Moon Spirit and destroy all water bending.
Zhao serves as an effective antagonistic force both for the heroes and their main antagonist, prince Zuko (Dante Basco) thanks to his political power and effectiveness. He believes it is his destiny to earn greatness for the Fire Nation and nothing will hinder him in this mission. Of course, like many villains fueled by pride, it blinds him to the consequences of his actions and prevents him from accepting help when offered.
1 Lucius Malfoy - 'Harry Potter Franchise'
After the fall of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), Lucius Malfoy melded back into wizard society. He used his family name to obtain great status among the Ministery of Magic and the board of governors for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In secret, he held onto Voldemort's belief in wizard supremacy over muggles and that they should keep their bloodlines pure.
Lucius is the perfect embodiment of a snake hiding in plain sight. His loyalty is only to himself and his family, so he's willing to do or say whatever is needed to ensure they come out ahead. Isaacs portrays this beautifully by never raising his voice above a hissing whisper and maintaining a look of disgust with everyone he converses with.