27 Actors Who Mostly Play Villains—and We Still Love Them August 5, 2025 by Valentino Marro #22: Ian McDiarmid As Emperor Palpatine, Ian McDiarmid gave us villainy with flair. He didn’t just play evil, he enjoyed it. That performance shaped the Star Wars saga and gave audiences one of cinema’s most iconic bad guys. Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27