10 Performers Who Should Have Played Columbo Villains

 


When I started compiling the list for this, I could not stop at 10.  This is an entry that will probably have a few episodes of its own. 

Here's the first 10 performers who should have played Columbo villains.

1. Jeremy Irons. He's the right mix of charming and chilling. He can play hard without being nasty. He'd turn on the charm with Columbo (as Louis Jordan did in Murder Under Glass).  

2. Billie Whitelaw. Her steely gaze would have turned Medusa into stone. However, she could also play more vulnerable characters. She would have had Columbo second guessing himself. 

3. Alexander Siddig. An actor capable of presenting a benign exterior with a very sinister edge. He would have brought a calmer, colder villain. 

4. Anton Diffring. When I watch the episodes with Jack Cassidy in them, Anton is the actor that he reminds me of. They both have an icy charm that hides the fire of evil that's brewing beneath it. 

5. Angela Pleasence. She's every bit as talented as her father and would have been a boon to any episode. From accidental killer to psychopath, she could have played them all. Columbo wouldn't know what direction he, never mind she was heading in. 

6. Lee Remick. She proved her worth time and time again and could play vulnerable characters who were not weak. She would have held up for much longer than a lot of the villains did. She would have been ready for him. 

7. Dean Stockwell. Though he was murdered in one and framed in another (The Most Crucial Game and Troubled Waters), he never got to do the murdering. He could make a glass eye cry (no pun intended) as well as give a champion performance as morally bankrupt people. He would have been ahead of Columbo for at least three quarters of the episode. 

8. Gina Lollobrigida. She would have had Columbo wrapped around her little finger with her large personality and bubbling charm. She could have talked her way out of almost anything.  

9. Peter Cushing. The man is considered an acting legend for a very good reason. He could turn his hand to anything convincingly. He'd have Columbo feeling sorry for him. 

10. Richard Todd. Another gentleman who could portray charming with a hint of danger. Columbo would take a while to fathom this gentleman killer out. 

So, here are my first 10. Let me know what you think. 

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