Cruella de Vil, Voldemort and the 25 greatest movie villains of all-time

22. Sheriff of Nottingham

Whenever Alan Rickman graced our screens he was a scene stealer, and in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, his villainous Sheriff of Nottingham was truly the ultimate villain. Considering we have long known that the sheriff was the bad guy of this story, it makes sense he would be known as a villain, but thanks to Rickman, we have a truly legendary take on the character.

What makes the Sheriff of Nottingham such an interesting villain is the fact that he relished in being a bad guy. He was a truly unjust tyrant, he has no problem mistreating the people who rely on him, and even though he is the sheriff and should be upholding laws, he is one of the primary people destroying them.

His mistreatment of the people included forcing them to pay ridiculous taxes that they can not afford, and honestly he could care less that he was essentially ruining their lives. And while all of this is enough to prove that the Sheriff of Nottingham is a villain worth taking note of, Alan Rickman’s portrayal is what pushes him into greatest movie villains territory.

Thanks to the actor, we got a character who was willing to roll his eyes, be over the top, and basically do everything with a flourish that is simply hard to ever top. There will never be another Sheriff of Nottingham quite like him and that’s okay.