Entertainment
The 'Gotham' Villains In Real Life Aren't So Scary
One of the best things about the stylized, thrilling, easily addicting FOX series Gotham is that the show finds incredible people to play some of DC Comics' best villains, both before and after they become the evil masterminds we know and love (or perhaps more accurately, love to hate). We get a glimpse into the minds of characters like Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin, and Edward Nygma, who will soon become The Riddler. But what's really interesting is seeing the actors who play the Gotham villains in real life. Newsflash: They're really not so scary. In fact, they all seem quite pleasant, which just speaks to the talent of the actors who portray them.
Here's how some of the best Gotham villains — and soon-to-be villains — compare on and off screen.
Images: Screenshot/FOX
Jerome aka The Joker? Maybe?
Is Jerome the Joker? That’s one of the biggest questions of Gotham’s first season. I hope he is, because man, was he creepy in the episode “The Blind Fortune Teller.” His real-life persona however, is not nearly as scary.
Image: FOX
Cameron Monaghan
See? Monaghan seems like someone you’d totally want to hang out with. He also stars in Showtime’s Shameless and has landed lead roles in big-budget films like The Giver and the newest installment in the Amityville horror film series.
Oswald Cobblepot aka Penguin
Gotham’s Cobblepot is basically the most perfect Penguin ever, but his offscreen persona is completely different.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Robin Lord Taylor
In reality, Robin Lord Taylor is a great actor (with much less strange hair) who has appeared in other hit shows like The Walking Dead. Plus he seems like a nice person!
Edward Nygma
Sure, he’s not officially the Riddler yet, but he’s getting there.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Cory Michael Smith
In real life, however, Smith doesn’ have that creepy, riddle-obsessed streak.
Harvey Dent
Again, Harvey is not yet Two-Face so he’ll be a relatively good guy for quite a while I’m sure. But eventually, the darkness will take over and it’ll be interesting to see how and when that happens.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Nicholas D'Agosto
D’Agosto may actually look the most like his character, and is an accomplished actor in drama and comedy, appearing in films like Fired Up and shows like Heroes, among many others.
Victor Zsasz
This dude is intensely creepy.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Anthony Carrigan
Not so much in real life. In fact, Carrigan is pretty adorable with more hair and less terrifying scars.
The Dollmaker
The Dollmaker, an ominous foe for Fish Mooney, is played by a versatile actor.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Colm Feore
Even though Dr. Dulmacher doesn’t have an outlandish, comic look like other villains, Feore looks pretty different off screen. He has also appeared in dozens of great films and shows including The Insider, Chicago, 24, Thor, The Borgias, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Jack Gruber aka Electrocutioner
The actor who plays Jack Gruber has played quite a few creepy characters in his time.
Images: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Christopher Heyerdahl
From The Hunger, to Blade: Trinity, Supernatural, True Blood and a few of the Twilight Saga films, with or without a beard, Heyerdahl is well-known in the horror and thriller worlds of film and TV.
Black Mask aka Roman Sionis
You may not see his face here, but you’ll recognize the actor behind Black Mask.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Todd Stashwick
You may recognize Stashwick as Malia’s father on Teen Wolf, Father Kieran on The Originals, or Eli on Heroes. This actor has been consistently working in television for years.
Gerald Crane
A truly accomplished actors plays the future Scarecrow’s evil father, and you might’ve actually recognized him on Gotham.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Julian Sands
If you looked beyond the glasses, you may have remembered seeing the respected British actor in such great projects as The Killing Fields, A Room With A View, 24, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Dexter. He also played the iconic Jor-El in the series Smallville.
Jonathan Crane
The soon-to-be Scarecrow spent most of his Gotham screentime being absolutely terrified.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Charlie Tahan
Don’t worry — he’s not always that scared. Tahan may be only 17 years old, but already he’s appeared alongside Will Smith in I Am Legend, Zac Efron in Charlie St. Cloud, and John Lithgow and Alfred Molina in the wonderful independent film Love Is Strange. He currently also stars in FOX’s Wayward Pines.
Stan Potolsky
You might not have recognized this actor from a ’90s Robin Williams film.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Daniel London
A long-haired London co-starred in Patch Adams, as well as Minority Report and the movie adaptation of Rent.
Image: Universal Pictures
Carmine Falcone
It’s hard for me to think of anyone other than Tom Wilkinson as Carmine Falcone thanks to his amazing potrayal in Batman Begins, this portrayal from Gotham comes pretty darn close.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
John Doman
That’s all thanks to Doman’s intimidating presence on the FOX series. He is probably most famous for his work on the incredible HBO series The Wire, but also brought excellent performances to FX’s Damages, Showtime’s The Affair, and Netflix’s House of Cards, among other projects.
Fish Mooney
Her style may change on a weekly basis, but onscreen and off, I think we all know who this is.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Jada Pinkett Smith
There’s no mistaking Jada Pinkett Smith.
Salvatore Maroni
Not only does Maroni look very similar outside of Gotham,but he even tends to hang out with TV criminals.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
David Zayas
If you’re a Dexter fan, you know Zayas as Angel Baptiste, who he played on the Showtime series for its entire run.
Balloonman
It’s not this villain’s appearance that changed for his Gotham role, but his demeanor.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Dan Bakkedahl
Usually, Bakkedahl is making you laugh on shows like The Mindy Project and Veep.
The Ogre
Come on, no matter how scary he is on Gotham we all know who this is.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Milo Ventimiglia
Jess Mariano is a serial killer! It’s unnerving to watch a Gilmore Girls fan favorite, Milo Ventimiglia, play such a villainous role — especially because, unlike many other Gotham bad guys, he’s completely recognizable.
Richard Gladwell
This Gotham hitman has quite the resume.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Coming To America, Hotel Rwanda, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 24. Ring any bells? Kae-Kazim had important roles in each of these projects, so if you thought he looked familiar, you were right.
Patti
If you can imagine her without the glasses and odd hair style, you’ll know this associate of The Dollmaker’s from some incredible dramas, thrillers, and horror films.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Lili Taylor
Taylor, who kind of looks like a whole different person away from Gotham, will always be Maris Conner from Ransom to me, but she was quite awesome in the brilliant 2013 film The Conjuring. She is also set to play important roles in the upcoming Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel Leatherface, as well as The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials .
Doug
The other associate of the Dollmaker is pretty good at playing creepy, and manages to look a little different every time.
Image: Jessica Miglio/FOX
Frank Whaley
Whaley has played some memorable characters, such as Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK and Brett in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.
