15 Times Comedians Played A Totally Convincing Bad Guy

Welcome to ComedyNerd, Cracked's new deep dive series on funny business. Today's topic: when good guys… turn bad.

There's a reason clowns are objects of both delight and terror. It's not surprising some of these comics play absolutely riveting villains--it seems behind the laughs, every funny man (and woman!) harbors a serious shadow. 

From Robin Williams in One Hour Photo (one word: yikes) to Steve Carrell in Foxcatcher, these comics absolutely nail the dark side of the role. 

Albert Brooks, who voices a talking fish in Finding Nemo, said, “The same 10 people always play the bad guy, so if you want everybody to think your movie’s old hat, cast them.” He may have been onto something. 

Tired of all the non stop punchlines? Want to learn about some performances that will really give you pause? Maybe you just want some examples of films that cast your favorite comics in a different sort of light…

Scroll down for 15 comedians who played great villains…