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What is the best Gary Oldman performance of all time?

By YPB Team

Unrecognizable transformations, theatrical villains, quiet masterstrokes — few actors have ranged so far across the acting spectrum. Which performance is his finest?

  1. Winston Churchill — Darkest Hour — ranked #11
    Winston Churchill — Darkest Hour
    Oldman's Oscar-winning transformation into Britain's wartime Prime Minister in the 2017 drama, delivering both gravitas and vulnerability.
  2. George Smiley — Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy — ranked #22
    George Smiley — Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
    A masterclass in restraint as the quietly brilliant spy George Smiley in the 2011 Cold War espionage thriller.
  3. Norman Stansfield — Léon: The Professional — ranked #33
    Norman Stansfield — Léon: The Professional
    The terrifyingly unhinged DEA agent in Luc Besson's 1994 film, whose pill-popping villain is utterly mesmerizing.
  4. Sid Vicious — Sid and Nancy — ranked #44
    Sid Vicious — Sid and Nancy
    Oldman's electrifying turn as the Sex Pistols bassist in the 1986 punk biopic, fully embodying the self-destructive icon.
  5. Commissioner Gordon — The Dark Knight Trilogy — ranked #55
    Commissioner Gordon — The Dark Knight Trilogy
    The honest, dedicated Gotham police commissioner across Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy (2005-2012), anchoring the story in moral reality.
  6. Lee Harvey Oswald — JFK — ranked #66
    Lee Harvey Oswald — JFK
    A chilling portrayal as the assassin Lee Harvey Oswald in Oliver Stone's conspiracy epic JFK (1991).
  7. Drexl Spivey — True Romance — ranked #77
    Drexl Spivey — True Romance
    The white pimp with dreadlocks in Tony Scott's True Romance (1993), so unrecognizably committed the role became legendary.
  8. Count Dracula — Bram Stoker's Dracula — ranked #88
    Count Dracula — Bram Stoker's Dracula
    A theatrical, sensual portrayal of the iconic vampire in Francis Ford Coppola's lavish 1992 adaptation.
  9. Sirius Black — Harry Potter — ranked #99
    Sirius Black — Harry Potter
    The wrongfully imprisoned godfather of Harry Potter across multiple films (2004-2007), bringing depth and warmth to a complex character.
  10. Ivan Korshunov — Air Force One — ranked #1010
    Ivan Korshunov — Air Force One
    The magnetic Russian terrorist who hijacks the President's plane in the 1997 action blockbuster, a perfectly calibrated villain.
  11. Zorg — The Fifth Element — ranked #1111
    Zorg — The Fifth Element
    The flamboyantly evil corporate antagonist in Luc Besson's The Fifth Element (1997), gleefully over-the-top and iconic.
  12. Hermann Mankiewicz — Mank — ranked #1212
    Hermann Mankiewicz — Mank
    Oldman's layered portrayal of Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz in David Fincher's 2020 black-and-white Hollywood drama.
  13. Joe Orton — Prick Up Your Ears — ranked #1313
    Joe Orton — Prick Up Your Ears
    The iconic British playwright in the 1987 biopic, a daring early performance full of wit and tragedy.
  14. Mason Verger — Hannibal — ranked #1414
    Mason Verger — Hannibal
    The horribly disfigured, revenge-obsessed millionaire in Ridley Scott's 2001 sequel to Silence of the Lambs.
#movies#actors#classics#gary oldman

Comments

Four hours of prosthetics a day took the 2018 Best Actor award, while George Smiley was carried in pauses with no make-up at all: https://youpick.best/articles/winston-churchill-ranked-many-ways

YP
ypb-team·3 days ago·
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