My Favorite Actors (part 1)

"Mitch, there's something you need to know. Compared to you, most people have the IQ of a carrot." William Atherton as Professor Jerry Hathaway in Real Genius.

"Fine. Done. I accept that. But why in hell can't I get the first class meal my network paid for. Do you know who I am?" William Atherton as Richard Thornburg in Die Hard 2

"Because I'm curious. I wanna know more about what you do here! Frankly, I've heard alot of wild stories in the media and we want to assess any possibility of dangerous and possibly hazardous waste chemicals in your basement. Now you either *show me* what is down there, or I come back with a court order. " William Atherton as Walter Peck in Ghostbusters

He's never the villain. He's never never evil. He's usually just being ambitious and doing his job, and yet he's played some of the most disliked characters in movie history. There are other actors that I like more and other actors that are a lot more talented, but there are few I find more compelling in the role of the Jerk.
As Agent Peck in Ghostbusters he's a dedicated civil servant who only wants to make sure the Ghostbusters aren't damaging the environment and defrauding people. As viewers we side with the Ghostbusters, but Dr. Venkman in particular had already proved that he was capable of exactly the types of behaviors that Peck was accusing the Ghostbusters of.

In the first two Die Hard movies, he's more motivated by personal fame, but he's still serving a noble purpose as a member of the fourth estate. In the second movie especially he's revealed to be a nationally known investigative reporter; the kind of guy that exposes poor airline maintainance. Yes, in the first movie he needlessly, but unknowingly exposes John and Holly McClane to a a little more danger than they would have been in, but he had no way to know that his broadcast would cause the danger.

In Real Genius, Professor Hathaway is greedy and unscrupulous, but he didn't design or approve of the super weapon. He just wants a nicer house than his professorial salary can provide and is willing to damage or destroy the academic careers of students who he feels aren't advancing his goals. He plays favorites, but he also recognizes and rewards genius. His motives are less than pure, but you can tell that at some point he was a dedicated professor and physicist.

As Dr. Noah Faulkner in Bio Dome Atherton plays the idealistic genius professor in charge of running and maintaining the mini-world. When two idiots nearly destroy the project and then get hailed as heroes Faulkner snaps. He attempts to kill the idiots and destroy the bio-dome in the process. In the end Faulkner loses, but escapes into the desert presumably to live out the rest of his life as a deranged eco-terrorist. But once again, it's not the fault of Faulkner. His life work and his dream are damaged, he believes beyond repair. It's a psychological blow that would threaten anyone's sanity.

While, Faukner, Hathaway, Peck and Thornburg are all insensitive and arrogant, none of them are inherently evil. All of them are antagonists to the movies' heroes without being the real villains. Atherton is one of my favorite actors because he is so adept at playing characters who should be liked in a way that makes them unlikable.