'Hannibal' worst screen bad-guy

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Just when they said he was beginning to lack bite, Hannibal Lecter has confounded the bad-mouths.

The "Silence of the Lambs" villain has been named the "best baddie" in cinema history in an Internet poll of more than 17,000 film fans.

Actor Anthony Hopkins' Oscar-winning portrayal of the serial killer with a taste for human flesh beat "Star Wars" bad boy Darth Vader and Norman Bates of Alfred Hitchcock's classic, "Psycho," to claim the title.

A spokesman for www.only-movies.com, the Web site that ran the poll, said it was Hannibal's wit that made him stand out in the public appetite.

"People love Hannibal's one-liners," he said.

(Remember at the end of the first film when he told FBI agent Clarice Starling: "I'm just having an old friend for dinner?")

Fourth was Alan Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham from "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves," followed by ankle-smashing Kathy Bates from Stephen King thriller "Misery."

Dracula will probably have a restless night to find himself a disappointing 10th in the poll, while Ben Kingsley as Don Logan ("Sexy Beast," 2000) improbably beats Jaws the shark into 30th place.

Though both these portrayals were trumped by the Child Catcher from Disney's "Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang" which makes an appearance at number 25. Glenn Closes's Cruella De Vil of "101 Dalmatians" comes in 12th.

The oldest villain to make the top 30 was Max Shreck's Nosferatu in the 1922 movie of the same name. Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey was the only actor to make two appearances on the list, for his roles in the "Usual Suspects" and "Se7en."

Sir Anthony Hopkins was once asked, what is the attraction of these characters?

"It's a classic mythological thing," he said as he reprised the Lecter role in "Hannibal."

"In a way it's like watching Houdini get out of the box. What's he going to do next?"