Gary Oldman has, for five decades, been one of the greatest performers in the film industry, 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 prosthetics -- in some brilliant films, Oldman has demonstrated an impressive range rivaled by few. Whether he's playing the role of a cartoonish villain or a nuanced political figure, he has shown he can take on just about any persona.

Gary Oldman's career spans various genres, characters, and personalities, and has helped make the actor arguably the most talented of his generation. The icon has appeared in everything from big-budget franchises to smaller projects, and his roles can range from primary antagonist to a short cameo. Oldman's presence is a gift to the films in which he appears, and he's almost always the most captivating person in any scene in which he acts.

10 Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg Is A Great Campy Villain

The Fifth Element takes place in the year 2236, at a time when a great evil approaches Earth. An alien race, the Mondoshawans, hold the key to defeating this approaching evil but are shot down by mercenaries acting at the behest of the wealthy Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg. When the remains of one of the aliens are cloned, they produce Leeloo, a humanoid woman who turns to Dallas, a former special forces soldier turned cabbie, for help.

Zorg stands out as perhaps the campiest role Oldman has ever played, and the actor chews the scenery every time he's on the screen. With a costume evocative of 1950s science fiction movies and an unpredictable personality, Zorg is a menace to all.

9 Mason Verger Is The Most Disturbing Part Of Hannibal

Hannibal takes place a few years after the events of The Silence of the Lambs and follows Clarice Starling as she continues her hunt for the elusive serial killer, Hannibal Lecter. The film introduces Mason Verger, a former patient of Lecter who the psychiatrist manipulated, and encouraged him to mutilate himself. Now confined to a wheelchair and requiring around-the-clock medical attention, Verger harbors a grudge against his therapist and aids Starling in the hopes of kidnapping and killing the fugitive.

It would be easy to watch Hannibal and never realize that Gary Oldman was the man behind one of cinema's most disturbing characters. For the entirety of the actor's time on screen, he appears as a frail, elderly, horribly scarred man with his mind on revenge. The movie even stands out as some of Oldman's best voice work.

8 Jim Gordon Is A Vital Part Of The Batman Mythos

Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy has been praised by Batman fans for, among other things, its perfect casting of DC characters. One of the best was Oldman's performance as Jim Gordon, one of Gotham's few honest cops who moves up the ranks from detective to commissioner. During Bruce Wayne's journey from orphan child to caped vigilante, Gordon is one of the few men he can trust.

Jim Gordon is one of the most important characters in Batman's lore, and Gary Oldman made for the best casting for his comic book counterpart. Though the character has been played by many people for almost eighty years, Oldman looked like something ripped from the pages of Batman: Year One.

7 Ivan Korshunov Seized Air Force One

Air Force One follows Harrison Ford in the role of fictional US President James Marshall, who makes waves in the international community by announcing a zero-tolerance policy on terrorism. Shortly after, his flight aboard Air Force One is hijacked by a small team of terrorists, led by the hot-headed but intelligent Ivan Korshunov. However, when he can stay hidden on the plane, Marshall takes on the terrorists himself.

Air Force One casts Oldman in the role of Ivan Korshunov, and the actor turns in one of his most believable roles as a bad guy. Intent on freeing a neo-Soviet officer from prison, Korshunov ebbs and flows between focus and rage during the film -- which Oldman pulled off to great effect.

6 Drexl Spivey Is True Romance's Weirdest Character

True Romance tells the story of Clarence and Alabama, an unlikely pairing of a store employee and call girl, who fall passionately in love after their first night together. When Clarence learns that his new love works for a shady criminal named Drexl Spivey, he confronts the crook, telling him that Alabama is now free of him. From the outset, Drexl establishes himself as the film's most over-the-top character and is very much a caricature of his ilk.

Drexl Spivey is one of Oldman's roles that is least reflective of the man behind the character, with an impressively subtle make-up job turning him into the seedy gangster that he played. Oldman helped make the film all the more memorable, and the brief role remains one of his most iconic.

5 Sirius Black Became A Mentor To Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban follows Harry and his friends in their third year at Hogwarts. After encounters with the soul-sucking Dementors, Harry learns that the alleged murder of his parents, Sirius Black, has escaped Azkaban prison, and is a threat to the chosen one. For much of the movie, Harry's paranoia about his godfather intensifies, especially when a magical map shows the presence of people believed dead.

While Gary Oldman did mellow in his performance as Sirius Black in subsequent movies, his performance in Prisoner of Azkaban was the perfect entrance for the character. As a fugitive from the Ministry of Magic, Black appears disheveled, still in his prison garb, and desperate for revenge. While Oldman himself looks back on the role as an easy one, it's hard to deny just how memorable his first outing as the character was. Whether the actor saw it as a tough job or not, it's certainly one of his most recognizable roles.

4 Harry Truman Made The Toughest Call In American History

Oppenheimer tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, often cited as the father of nuclear physics, in his role in developing the atomic bomb for the United States during World War II. The film balances the science behind the bomb with Oppenheimer's own ethical qualms and doubts about its use, as well as his political persecution. After the weapon is used, the scientist meets with President Harry Truman, the man who ordered its use.

Oldman's role as Harry Truman makes for one of the best depictions of an American president in modern film, and the actor is practically unrecognizable. His short scene sees him mock Oppenheimer for his concerns, as did the real Harry Truman, leaving the scientist disillusioned. It's a brief moment, but the actor sells it as one of the film's best.

3 Oldman Turned In A Unique Dracula

The role of Dracula has been portrayed by countless actors for more than a century, from Bela Lugosi to Leslie Nielsen. In Francis Ford Coppola's version of the story, Gary Oldman was cast as the bloodthirsty Transylvanian count. The film takes viewers on the character's journey from a Christian knight to his curse to wander the Earth as a creature of the night. It begins with the arrival of Jonathan Harker to Dracula's castle. There, the monster imprisons his guest and travels to England to seduce and vampirize Harker's fiancé, Mina.

Coppola's movie was mostly loyal to the basic plot of the novel, although it did introduce some unique and original alterations. Oldman's performance as Dracula features some of the actor's best range in a single film, as viewers see him as a noble knight, an elderly recluse, and a monstrous killer. The actor's best work in the film comes towards the end, as the villain's humanity begins to resurface in the face of Mina's affection.

2 Stansfield Was A Ruthless And Corrupt DEA Agent

Leon: The Professional tells the story of the titular assassin, Leon, who is forced to care for Matilda, a teenage girl orphaned by the corrupt DEA agent, Stansfield. When Matilda is left with nowhere to go, she turns to Leon in the hopes that he will train her as an assassin, with the desire to seek revenge on Stansfield and his team.

Gary Oldman's performance as Stansfield has remained one of his most quoted characters, and the actor brought a unique intensity to the drug-addled villain. Despite the role being one of the actor's least intensive make-up jobs, the British actor's performance as the murderous American agent is a truly separate persona, something that reels in viewers who want more.

1 Winston Churchill Remains Britain's Greatest Figure

Winston Churchill is often held up as one of the greatest Britons to have ever lived, as well as arguably the most important figure of the 20th century. In Darkest Hour, the story of the wartime prime minister was told in the lead-up to the UK's war against Germany, as well as its early military operations, such as Dunkirk. The biopic is carried by Gary Oldman's fantastic performance as Churchill, one of the best practical effects transformations in cinema.

Gary Oldman's transformation into the role of Winston Churchill is arguably his most immersive, leaving the actor completely beyond recognition. Darkest Hour follows Churchill through some of his most emotional, impassioned moments, culminating in his enduring "We shall fight them on the beaches" speech to Parliament.