From Isla Sorna to Boston, Massachusettes, Pete Postlethwaite appeared all over the map in his long and celebrated movie career. Born in Lancashire, England to a working-class family, Postlethwaite started his career on the stage, but quickly made his way into movies beginning in the middle of the 1970s. At first working under his full name, Peter Postlethwaite, Postlethwaite eventually shortened his credited name to "Pete Postlethwaite" after appearing in Ridley Scott's debut, The Duellists and Waterland.

With a face that looks like it was carved out of stone, flinty eyes that seem to glow in the dark, and a rough but crystal clear voice, Postlethwaite provides a screen presence few others have ever been able to match or mimic. He can play a frightening villain as well as he can a loving father. He's appeared in tiny independent films, large franchise fare, and plenty of odd, but fantastic movies in between. Sadly, Postlethwaite ed away on January 2, 2011, but thankfully, he left an incredible legacy of performances behind for fans to him by.

15 The Last Of The Mohicans (1992)

Pete Postlethwaite Plays Captain Beams

Michael Mann's Last of the Mohicans is an epic and sweeping war film based on the 1826 novel of the same name. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Nathaniel "Hawkeye" Poe, the adopted white son of a Mohican Indian, who falls in love with the commander of Fort William Henry in the Adirondack Mountains. Pete Postlethwaite plays Captain Beams, a commander at the fort who is stabbed to death while trying to protect the commander's daughters. As always, Postlethwaite is an intimidating presence and his death signals a real loss of safety for the two girls.

14 Amistad (1997)

Pete Postlethwaite Plays William S. Holabird

Stephen Spielberg's Amistad is based on the true story of the Spanish slave ship, La Amistad, in the early 19th century when African men bound for slavery in America took control of the boat and nearly escaped. The film primarily deals with the legal case that developed afterward. Pete Postlethwaite plays William S. Holabird, the U.S. Attorney who brings charges of piracy and murder against the slaves. Postlethwaite is far from a sympathetic character in Amistad, but he makes Holabird's evil feel human, and therefore more sinister, rather than cartoonish and arch.

13 Alien 3 (1992)

Pete Postlethwaite Plays David

One of the first movies to bring Pete Postlethwaite to the attention of mainstream audiences was Alien 3, David Fincher's ill-fated entry in a franchise that is still going almost half a century later. Postlethwaite plays David, one of the inmates at the foundry and prison planet, Fiorina "Fury" 161. David is notably more intelligent than some of the other men locked up with him, which makes his confrontation with the Xenomorph all the more shocking. There's a lot wrong with Alien 3, but David is a high point, and Postlethwaite's announcement that he was ready for more blockbuster roles.

12 The Usual Suspects (1995)

Pete Postlethwaite Plays Mr. Kobayashi

The Usual Suspects may be best known for the now legendary twist at the end of the film, but the rest of the movie has plenty to offer as well. This crime thriller depicts the interrogation of Roger "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey), who tells a winding story of why he and his crew were at the site of a massacre and fire. His story involves a mysterious lawyer named Kobayashi (Pete Postlethwaite). Postlethwaite appears intermittently throughout the story, and his memorable face is critical to the end of the film, and ensures he's enshrined in film history forever.

11 Dragonheart (1996)

Pete Postlethwaite Plays Brother Gilbert Of Glockenspur

Dragonheart is a 1996 fantasy adventure that follows Sir Bowen (Dennis Quaid), a disgraced knight who forms a bond with the last dragon, Draco (Sean Connery). Together, the pair set out to stop the evil King Einon (David Thewlis), who has half of Draco's heart inside him. Bowen is aided by Brother Gilbert of Glockenspur (Pete Postlethwaite), a monk and aspiring poet. Dragonheart has grown in estimation over the years, and Postlethwaite's performance has not needed to age, considering how great it was to begin. He brings charm and humor to the movie every time he appears.

10 James And The Giant Peach (1996)

Pete Postlethwaite Plays Magic Man/Narrator

For a certain age group of movie lovers, James and the Giant Peach was their first introduction to Pete Postlethwaite. His frightening, magical, and inspiring arrival in the movie as a narrator and the architect of James' (Paul Terry) escape from his evil aunts cemented the actor as a legendary figure in many young minds. Henry Selick strikes the perfect tone with his stop-motion adventure, dabbling in the creepy and the heartwarming, and Postlethwaite's powerful and almost otherworldly narration makes for a true children's classic.

9 Closing The Ring (2007)

Pete Postlethwaite Plays Michael Quinlan

Pete Postlethwaite plays Michael Quinlan in Closing the Ring, a romantic war film that takes place over many years. In it, a newly widowed Ethel Ann Harris (Shirley MacLaine) reflects on the complicated love life of her past. While her love was overseas during the war, his plane crashed, and the ring he promised Ethel was picked up by Michael, who failed to return it. It's a bit of a convoluted and operatic film, but the actors are all wonderfully pitched for the moving drama. Postlethwaite's sad acknowledgment of his failures at the end may be the best scene.

8 The Omen (2006)

Pete Postlethwaite Plays Father Brennan

2006's The Omen may not be as shocking and game-changing as the original film, but it is still one of the better horror remakes to come out in the 21st century. Pete Postlethwaite plays Father Brennan in this version, the priest who claims to have been there when Damien (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick) was born, eventually revealing the mother was a jackal and that Damien is the Antichrist. It takes a strength of delivery and a powerful voice to say a line like that and make it as terrifying as the original, and Postlethwaite plays it completely straight, heightening the horror.

7 Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)

Pete Postlethwaite Plays Father/Tommy Davies

Distant Voices, Still Lives is made up of two separate films, shot two years apart, but with the same cast and crew. Postlethwaite plays the father of the Davies family at the center, Tommy Davies. It's a beautifully and unusually constructed film that manages to weave two separate stories into one coherent whole. Postlethwaite is violent and abusive as Tommy, a scourge upon his whole family, and his acting is almost alarming in its rawness. As the film goes on to their later years, Tommy's inability to contend with his past actions is painfully written across Postlethwaite's face.

6 The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

Pete Postlethwaite Plays Roland Tembo

Jurassic Park: The Lost World is an underrated entry in the Jurassic Park and World franchise, which takes place a few years after the events of the first film and features some of the best action in the franchise, as well as a swash-buckling story that never stops. Pete Postlethwaite costars as Roland Tembo, whose name alone puts him in the highest echelons of "cool" characters. He's capable and smart, and much more complex than his drive to hunt animals for sport would suggest. When he stands up against a roaring T. rex, the audience believes Roland will get out alive.