Gary Oldman’s stage presence in films is extraordinarily powerful, no matter what role he embodies. One could go on about any one of his performances, but I’ve chosen four of my particular favorites.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Dracula)

Even though Gary Oldman had already established himself in gritty films such as Sid & Nancy and State of Grace, my fascination with his acting began with Francis Ford Coppola’s film Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

We can debate some of the other questionable casting choices later (Winona shouldn’t do accents and Neo shouldn’t either).

My fascination with this film is all about Oldman.

The striking visual beauty of the film combined with Oldman’s multiple chameleon turns throughout the film, beginning with the young Vlad the Impaler and transforming into the aged vampire in kabuki dress, the young dashing vampire elegantly vaunting about London while teaching unschooled virgins the fairy delights of absinthe, and a vampire bat. Watching this film was also a master class in watching an actor wear the costumes, rather than the costumes wearing the actor.

Oldman’s vocal range and transformation has never ceased to amaze and delight me; his performance in Bram Stoker’s Dracula was a study in what an actor can do with body and voice, taking us into realms never before experienced.

The Professional (Norman Stansfield)

Ah, The Professional. Yes, his character was horrible, he did truly awful things. And that was before we found out he was DEA and corrupt to boot. However, the juxtaposition of the character’s violent acts and the nuances of Oldman’s performance is what makes this movie fascinating for me. The man loves his music. The scene where he chats up Matilda’s terrified, clueless father about Mozart and Beethoven is a perfect fusion of words, sound, eyes and madness.

I admit the scene is more resonant if one knows at least little bit about Mozart and Beethoven. Part of what I found funny and only slightly disturbing was that I agreed with him about Mozart – that once the overtures are over, to be honest, he does tend to get a little……boring.

True Romance (Drexl Spivey)

Oldman’s role in True Romance was literally something never seen before. His turn as this sociopathic, violent pimp again shows us his chameleon-like ability to disappear into a character through movement and voice.

This character was similar to his role in The Professional in that you literally didn’t know what he was going to do next. Oldman’s character didn’t have much screen time in this film, but he didn’t need it.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (George Smiley)

Oldman’s performance as George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was, as with so many of his roles, completely different. His performance in this role was powerful because of its measured and understated nature; it is a wonderful character study. The tone of the movie is painted with silence and foreboding because of the nature of the story; it is a spy story, but so much of the intrigue is imagining the unknown and what we think we know about the characters.

Oldman performs several monologues in this film which are riveting, including one spellbinding sequence which includes one other character, Peter Guillam (played by Benedict Cumberbatch).

In this film you see the silence and smell the smoke through shadows.