10. JACK FORREST-Maniac Cop/ Maniac Cop 2 (1988-1990)

Far removed from the dark forests that surround the Evil Dead cabin, the Chin found himself pounding a beat on the mean streets of New York City in the first two installments of William Lustig and Larry Cohen’s Maniac Cop franchise. As a dedicated cop framed for the murder of his wife Bruce keeps his own in a cast of exploitation gods among insects including William Smith, Richard Roundtree, Robert Z’Dar, and the one and only Tom Atkins and manages to create a cool and relatable hero without the brilliant cheeseball one-liners of his previous characters. Further proof of Bruce Campbell’s ever increasing versatility as an actor.

9. JACK STILES-Jack of All Trades (2000-2001)

Reaching into his massive bag of tricks Campbell was able to play an endearing hero who was both a dashing rogue and a clueless buffoon as the fearless American secret agent sent to a South Pacific island in the early 1800’s to stop Napoleon Bonaparte’s conquest of the region with the assistance of a fetching British colleague. To keep his agenda covert in the face of the French army Jack commits acts of sedition under the guise of a famous hero known as the Daring Dragoon. Jack of All Trades bit the dust too soon because it’s a heady brew of everything we could ever want from a Bruce Campbell TV series. An entertaining guilty pleasure.

8. AUTOLYCUS, KING OF THIEVES-Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-1999)

For many their first exposure to the greatness of Bruce Campbell came courtesy of his recurring appearances on the hit syndicated series executive-produced by Sam Raimi and Evil Dead producer Robert Tapert. Playing the charming rogue Autolycus Bruce got to charm the ladies and embody the dashing swashbuckler every guy likes to daydream of being. He also got his first taste of directing by helming several episodes of both shows, and as a result he eventually turned to features with Man with the Screaming Brain and My Name is Bruce.

7. THE SURGEON GENERAL OF BEVERLY HILLS-Escape from L.A. (1996)

Sure we all love Bruce as the hero, but most times the villains are way cooler to play from an actor’s standpoint. In the belated sequel to his post-apocolyptic action classic Escape from New York director John Carpenter gave the Chin a great twisted baddie to play even if it was for only a single scene. The Surgeon General of Beverly Hills is a complete freak and sadist mutated by his own cosmetic procedures into resembling those hopeless fools with too much money endlessly seeking perfection until they look like horrific parodies of their former selves. Bruce gets to flash that sick little smile as he fondles women and aims a scapel at Snake Plissken’s one good eye. This is a monster you’ll find yourself alternately creeped out and amused by.

6. CARL-Running Time (1997)

You won’t find the pratfalling goofball Bruce we all know and love as the mastermind behind an intricately-planned heist in this entertaining experimental crime drama that was directed by his old friend from Michigan Josh Becker (who would later direct Bruce in the immortal bad movie classic Alien Apocalypse). The entire movie takes place in real time with a series of ten-minute-long takes that require Campbell and his fellow actors to be on their game all the time, and like the seasoned badass he is Bruce more than adequately rises to the challenge with a solid and sympathetic performance as the master thief who must think fast when his plan for the perfect crime goes wrong in every conceivable way.