Ledger's Joker in top ten film villians poll

Heath Ledger’s role as The Joker has made it into the top 10 of a poll of UK film fans to find the ultimate villain.

Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter came in at number one in the poll by Lovefilm.com, an online rental and entertainment site that surveyed more than 2,500 members.

With a penchant for fava beans and chianti, Hopkins’s unnerving Oscar-winning performance scared fans rigid with nearly a quarter of the votes.

In ninth place was Ledger’s performance in the new Batman film 'The Dark Knight', which has seen calls for a posthumous Oscar.

'Star Wars' Darth Vader, played by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones was second in the poll.

Joe Pesci’s turn as 'Goodfellas' quick-tempered mobster Tommy DeVito came third while Javier Bardem was fourth for his role as 'No Country for Old Men' hitman Anton Chigurh.

Alan Rickman as German antagonist Hans Gruber in 1988’s 'Die Hard' came fifth.

The only female to make the list was nurse Annie Wilkes played by Kathy Bates in 'Misery'.

Kevin Spacey’s turn as John Doe, a killer intent on ridding the world of the seven deadly sins, in 'Se7en', saw him in seventh place.

Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance in 'The Shining' came eighth.

Robert De Niro as gang leader Al Capone in 'The Untouchables', running the show across a corrupt Chicago, sealed the top 10 list.

Here is the list of the ultimate villains in film and the percentage of votes they received:

1 Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) 'The Silence of the Lambs' 23%

2 Darth Vader (David Prowse) 'Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back' 20%

3 Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) 'Goodfellas' 11%

4 Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) 'No Country for Old Men' 8%

5 Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) 'Die Hard' 7%

6 Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) 'Misery' 6%

7 John Doe (Kevin Spacey) 'Se7en' 5%

8 Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) 'The Shining' 4%

9 The Joker (Heath Ledger) 'The Dark Knight' 3%

10 Al Capone (Robert De Niro) 'The Untouchables' 2%