SEVERUS Snape, the coldly sarcastic schoolmaster whose animosity and bitterness towards the boy wizard provide a pivotal plotline as the Harry Potter franchise progressed.
Hans Gruber, the sadistic terrorist who took over the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles and a group of hostages, including the wife of Bruce Willis action hero John McClane in Die Hard.
The Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin Hood's ultimate foe in Prince of Thieves.
Three truly memorable villains brought to the silver screen by one truly great actor - Alan Rickman, who died this week at the age of 69.
A RADA trained British actor, he made playing the antagonist an art form.
How could one man be so good at being so bad?
Don't get me wrong, he was utterly brilliant at playing the good guy as well. His portrayal of Jaime in Truly, Madly, Deeply, is sweet without being sickening, he brings huge warmth to Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility and he's tough yet tender as Dr. Alfred Blalock in Something the Lord Made.
But where Rickman excelled was bringing depth, a touch of evil, and often a hint of humanity to even the darkest of characters.
He made you secretly root for the bad guy, made the villain interesting.
Who else could have turned a cheating husband into a bit of a hero? Yet each and every time I watch Love Actually (far more often than I should), I reach the closing credits and hope it works out for Rickman's Harry and his wife Karen (regular collaborator Emma Thompson) despite his dalliance with his young secretary.
He was one of the greatest actors never to receive any kind of Oscar recognition and that is a real shame.
But, he will remain the best loved villain in Hollywood.
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