Gary Oldman has, for five decades, been one of the greatest performers in movies, and comfortably holds the distinction of being one of the greatest actors of all time. Known for his immersive roles, which often require make-up and prosthetic additions in some brilliant films, Oldman has demonstrated an impressive range rivaled by few other actors. While going unnoticed in a role is usually considered a detriment, Oldman’s ability to sink into a persona completely has earned him heaps of praise, with fans often shocked to see his name next to a character they had no clue he was playing.
Gary Oldman’s career spans various genres, roles, and personalities, all helping to make the actor arguably one of the most talented of his generation. The icon has appeared in everything from big-budget franchises to smaller projects, taking on characters with major and minimal screen time alike. Oldman’s presence is almost always a highlight of the films in which he appears, with him being one of the most captivating individuals on the big screen when he’s in his element.
Updated May 10, 2025, by Anthony Jeanetta. Gary Oldman remains one of cinema’s most outstanding performers. Even in brief roles, Oldman shines as one of the bright spots of any work he’s in. This list is updated with five more tremendous Gary Oldman performances and to reflect CBR’s current publication standards.
25 Shen Was Kung Fu Panda 2's Threatening Antagonist
Oldman Voices the Movie's Menacing Peacock
In 2011, Kung Fu Panda 2 was the first sequel in what has now become a nearly 20-year franchise that includes four movies and multiple TV series. This first follow-up finds Jack Black’s Po living a happy life alongside the Furious Five. However, despite his prominence in society, Po continues to lack inner peace. Then, a wolf army threatens even Po’s outer peace as they search for metal to build cannons.
These raiders, led by the villainous Peacock Shen, use their military technology to defeat the strongest kung fu masters. Eventually, it’s up to only Po to defeat this conquering terror and, hopefully, attain inner peace along the way. Goldman is the perfect choice to voice the film’s intimidating villain, giving Shen a real menace. Shen remains one of the franchise’s best antagonists through Goldman’s gravitas.
24 Albert Milo Is a Small but Important Character in Basquiat
He's Based on the Film's Writer-Director
Basquiat is a 1996 biographical drama based on the life of the iconic New York artist, Jean-Michael Basquiat. Basquiat was a Brooklyn-born artist who began creating graffiti before moving to traditional art, becoming a significant part of the neo-expressionism movement in the 1980s. Despite his artistic success, Basquiat had a troubled life that included drug use, eventually leading to his death by overdose at the young age of 27.
In Basquiat, written and directed by Julian Schnabel, a young Jeffrey Wright portrays the titular artist with aplomb. Gary Oldman plays a slight yet critical role as Albert Milo, a fictional character based on Schnabel himself. While not in much of the movie, Milo, as Schnabel’s onscreen cipher, pops into frame dispensing wisdom at critical moments.
23 Floyd Banner Makes His Presence Immediately Felt in Lawless
His Daring Criminal Exploits Leave a Strong Impression
Lawless takes place in Prohibition-era Virginia and tells the real-life story of the Bondurant brothers, who ran a successful bootlegging business. Despite facing violence from both the police and other bootleggers, the brothers manage to make a quality living off their criminal enterprise. Obviously, this business comes with risks, as one of the movie’s opening scenes demonstrates.
In this critical Lawless scene, Shia LaBeouf’s Jack Bondurant witnesses ruthless mobster Floyd Banner (Oldman) drive into the middle of town. Banner hops out, machine gun in hand, and proceeds to kill two federal agents — in broad daylight — for trying to arrest him. Banner’s brazen stand against the law inspires the Bondurant brothers to make their own stand against ruthless and corrupt U.S. Marshal Charly Rakes, attempting to intimidate the brothers through his own brand of violence.
22 Dreyfus Pits Humans Against Apes in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
He's the Human Equivalent of the Ape's Koba
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the first sequel to 2011’s franchise reboot, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. This follow-up, directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, The Batman), takes place years after the first movie’s events, but tracks the evolution of the genetically enhanced apes led by the first film’s protagonist, Caesar. These apes have established a thriving colony in the Muir Woods near San Francisco.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes begins with a group of humans unwittingly stumbling into the apes’ territory. They eventually form a tenuous truce to help the humans restore power to their settlement in San Francisco. Unfortunately, events don’t go as planned, and the apes, led by the backstabbing Koba, and the humans, led by the bigoted Dreyfus (Oldman), eventually battle. Dreyfus, the human community’s leader, distrusts the apes from the start and is quick to go to war. Oldman is typically tremendous and gives Dreyfus the exact amount of detestability yet stateliness to understand why he was a leader in the first place and why he eventually led his followers to doom.
21 Jackson Lamb Is the Flatulent Yet Capable Leader in Slow Horses
His Shlubby Appearance Belies His Competence in Espionage
Slow Horses is easily one of the best Apple TV+ series. This British spy thriller show is based on the Slough House series of novels by author Mick Herron. Each season adapts one of Herron’s novels, giving the show quality source material to draw upon. Any fan of spy or espionage TV shows needs to watch Slow Horses.
One of the primary reasons to recommend Slow Horses is Gary Oldman’s central performance as Jackson Lamb. The head of Slough House, Lamb, is in charge of this M15 unit comprised entirely of disgraced agents relegated to administrative purgatory. Although Lamb is impatient, rude and slovenly, he protects his «slow horses» with an intense fierceness. Likewise, despite his incessant smoking, drinking and farting, he’s a whip-sharpy spy who’s a master at espionage.
20 Bill Carnegie Is The Book of Eli's Compelling Villain
Released in 2010, It Puts Oldman Opposite Denzel Washington
The Book of Eli is a post-apocalyptic story that follows Eli (Denzel Washington) through the wasteland of a nuclear holocaust. His purpose is mysterious until he comes to a town ruled by Bill Carnegie (Oldman). Carnegie is impressed by Eli’s combat abilities and his intelligence and wants to employ him. Eli refuses and Carnegie eventually discovers that Eli has a Bible with him.
As Carnegie’s motives in regard to the Bible are revealed, he becomes a more complex character. Oldman’s portrayal of the antagonist walks a line between the Western man-in-the-black-hat trope (the film certainly plays out like a Western) and the modern villain who strains for sympathy. Carnegie is a little of both, aggressive yet calm, ruthless yet circumspect. The movie received mixed reviews upon release, despite its big twist at the end, but has continued to garner a cult following, which is why it takes the 20th spot on the list.
19 Jackie Is the Unpredictable Gang Member In State of Grace
Oldman Stars Opposite Sean Penn In This 1990 Film
State of Grace was a critical success but a box office flop, possibly because Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas was released at the same time, and both movies are about gangs in and around New York City. Nevertheless, State of Grace has gone on to be a cult favorite, loved for its ensemble cast.
Oldman plays Jackie Flannery, the mercurial younger brother of Frank (Ed Harris) who runs an Irish-American gang in Hell’s Kitchen. Jackie is also friends with Terry Noonan (Sean Penn), who returns to the neighborhood as an undercover cop and uses his connection with Jackie to get into Frank’s gang. At the time of its release, Oldman was praised for departing from his previous roles to invest Jackie with a fresh identity, something aided by his spot-on accent.
18 Oldman Captures Lee Harvey Oswald
JFK Remains a Controversial Film With Stunning Performances
For a while, Oliver Stone only seemed interested in a film if it had a list of conspiracy theories attached to it. Case in point, JFK, which was released in 1991. Coming off the heels of his performance in State of Grace, JFK showed Oldman’s impressive range. In the space of one year, he portrayed an Irish-American resident of Hell’s Kitchen and Lee Harvey Oswald, hitting the accent of both spot on and adopting the latter’s mannerisms with shilling accuracy.
In a movie that brought out a long list of acting powerhouses, JFK is replete with great performances that have only a few scenes in the film, such as one by Donald Sutherland. Oldman stands out from the others, owning the character of Oswald to such a degree that side-by-side clips of Oldman and the real Oswald show an incredible depth of portrayal.
17 Sheldon Runyon of the Contender Epitomizes Political Sleaze
Oldman Plays the Congressional Villain In This 2000 Film
In The Contender, Democratic President Jackson Evans (Jeff Bridges) loses his Vice President to an unexpected death and must choose a new Vice President. He selects Senator Laine Billings Hanson (Joan Allen) who must get approval from both houses of Congress. Though it was released over 20 years ago, The Contender still feels relevant as a political drama the likes of which had recently played out with then-President Bill Clinton and continues to garner political attention.
Every political drama needs a slimy congressional villain, and that role went to Oldman who plays Republican Representative Sheldon Runyon. Oldman invests the character with the sort of charm and calm demeanor of someone who is holding all the cards, not the maniacal intensity of a James Bond villain. In the political arena, the one who loses cool loses the day. Oldman’s Runyon is the picture of calm and reason and the villain that viewers love to hate.
16 Oldman Plays the Late British Playwright, Joe Orton
1987's Prick Up Your Ears Is an Early Period Triumph
The British film Prick Up Your Ears is based on the life and tragic murder of the British playwright, Joe Orton. PLayed by Oldman in the film, Orton was a controversial figure during his brief public career which lasted from 1964 to 1967. He wrote plays that brought black farce and parody to wholly new and darker levels. He was both loved and hated depending on who was watching.
Prick Up Your Ears focuses on Orton’s relationship with Kenneth Halliwell, who, frustrated by Orton’s rising success, promiscuity, and his own mental health, murders Orton before committing suicide. The movie received a great deal of praise at the time of its release, and the insightful Roger Ebert called Oldman «the best young British actor around,» writing that «like a few gifted actors, [Oldman] is able to reinvent himself for every role.»
