Can you name these 10 iconic 1980s movie villains and the actors who played them?


Only true '80s cinema buffs can get 10/10, but prove your silver screen knowledge by naming the actor that brought them to life on set


Actor Rutger Hauer in a scene from the movie 'Blade Runner', 1982.© Getty Images
Daisy Finch
Daisy FinchAudience Writer
1 hour ago
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The clean-cut heroes of the '80s didn't stand a chance against these iconic movie villains, at least not in the affections of cinema-goers. 

They often brought a dark charm or memorable horror to the screen, making each movie a certified hit even 40 years on. But can you remember the names of these villainous figures and, for double points, the name of the actor who brought them to life?

Read on to test your villain trivia skills and maybe even rediscover a cruel character you'd long forgotten... 

Portrait of American actor Robert Englund as 'Freddy Krueger' of the 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' series of movies, circa 1989. © Getty Images

This villainous character is the ghostly remains of a terrifying child killer

What a Nightmare!

This villain made his debut on screen in Wes Craven's 1984 horror hit A Nightmare on Elm Street. This unsettling spirit was the poltergeist remains of a child murderer who had been burned to death by parents seeking revenge.

If it's still on the tip of your tongue now's your last chance: Robert Englund's killer character was Freddy Krueger.

Christopher Lloyd and Thomas F Wilson in a scene from the film 'Back to the Future Part III', 1990.© Getty Images

The character might change, but the actor brought a villainous charm to all three films

Pistols at dawn, or algebra II?

The time travelling hijinks of Back to the Future might bring the loveable Doc Brown and Marty McFly to mind, but there was more to the cast of this '80s hit.

Thomas F. Wilson was booked and busy across all three films, though he played several different members of the same family tree. In the classic '80s instalments, the actor played the iconic modern-day bully, Biff Tannen, making Marty McFly's life a misery across multiple timelines.

Actors David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly in a scene from the movie 'Labyrinth', 1986. © Getty Images

You remind me of the babe. What babe? The babe with the power!

Fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave

It's hard to imagine Ziggy Stardust as a fantasy villain, but the music legend brought his stage charisma to the screen opposite Jennifer Connelly in this '80s cult classic.

Jim Henson's puppetry added to the unsettling atmosphere, but it was David Bowie as Jareth who stole the show (and the baby).

Actress Pat Carroll engaged in a mock scream in front of ocean scene backdrop.© Getty Images

You might not know her face, but you'd recognise her voice (and she might try to steal yours)

Poor unfortunate souls!

The '80s were a golden age of family films, and Disney were at the forefront. Their animated classics brought musical theatre to the screen with colourful scenery, true love's kiss and some iconic cartoon villains.

One fan favourite is The Little Mermaid's Pat Carroll who played Ursula the sea witch. With a perfect coiffure and long-reaching tentacles, she's still an icon of on-screen trouble today.

Arnold Schwarzenegger in a large green jacket over a dark jumper as Terminator in film The Terminator.© Corbis via Getty Images

Like any multimillion pound franchise, he'll be back

Come with me if you want to quiz

Any good action hit needs some high stakes and what better way to make things perilous for our heroes than to introduce an almost indestructible force?

It can't be reasoned with, it doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. At least, that was the case for Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator. This unrelenting force had us all on the edge of our seats in 1984.

Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back© Disney

He is your father, Luke, but who's the man inside the suit?

Don't choke on your (trivia) aspirations

It doesn't get much more villainous than this. Dressed all in black, complete with a cape and iconic helmet that has since been turned into cushions, lamps and coffee tables, we're still shaking in our boots today.

No list of '80s movies would be complete without Star Wars hits The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and no list of '80s villains would be complete with Darth Vader himself, played by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones.

Rutger Hauer on the set of "Blade Runner".© Corbis via Getty Images

An unfeeling android or a bank of human memories?

Are you a Runner for top spot?

Ridley Scott's 1982 hit followed ex-policeman Rick Deckard's mission to destroy a group of Replicants and his own journey of identity. Of course, the action hit needed an antagonist at its centre which is where Rutger Hauer stepped in.

While he sits more comfortably in the 'antagonist' category than the purely villainous, Rutger's Roy Batty gave us some iconic lines and took a nuanced approach to Blade Runner's conflict.

Paul Freeman as Belloq and Wolf Kahler as Dietrich.  Initial theatrical release June 12, 1981.© CBS via Getty Images

According to this character, he and heroic archaeologist Indy are much alike

Archeology is not an exact science... unlike quizzes

Of course, it's the Nazi forces as a whole that Indiana Jones wanted to thwart. But that didn't mean there wasn't time for a personal rivalry alongside his world-saving mission.

Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones' darker  counterpart, French mercenary Dr. René Belloq, was played by Paul Freeman. 

American actors Jack Nicholson and Danny Lloyd on the set of The Shining, based on the novel by Stephen King, and directed by Stanley Kubrick.© Corbis via Getty Images

Better step back from that door, or an axe blade is going to get too close for comfort

Heeerrreee's the next question!

Stephen King is a legend of the horror genre, from Pet Sematary to The Long Walk and It. But there's one flick that stands above the rest, found in room 237 (or 217 if you read the book first).  

Jack Nicholson brought the terrifying axe-wielder Jack Torrance to life and had us all hiding behind the back of the sofa.

Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle in a stil from 'Rambo: First Blood' dated 1982.© CBS via Getty Images

He might be the last villain in our trivia run down, but he's not afraid to draw First Blood

Nothing is over! Nothing! (Except our villain quiz)

To be a hunted man, someone's got to be hunting you. In the case of John Rambo, there was one man who wanted to take down the Vietnam vet more than most. 

Brian Dennehy starred in 'First Blood' as Sheriff Will Teasle. The 1982 action classic is one of Sylvester Stallone's best-loved hits, partly thanks to Brian's terrible villain.

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