Patrick Wilson has a career that most would be envious of, and he has acted in a variety of roles that span a multitude of genres. No matter if he is acting in a horror, musical, superhero, or drama film, he easily embodies his role and brings a flare to his performances. His movies with James Wan, of which there are many, have produced some of the most successful and terrifying horror films of recent years, from The Conjuring franchise to the Insidious movie series, the latter of which marked his directorial debut when he both directed and starred in 2023's Insidious: The Red Door.

Most recently, Wilson can be seen in the superhero extravaganza Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. As well as conquering the big screen, of course, Wilson has starred in some of the most successful TV series, such as Fargo and Angels in America. He has shown time and time again that his success spans multiple genres, and he can bring life to any character thrown his way. Here’s a look at Patrick Wilson's best performances, ranked.

Updated January 10, 2024: Following Wilson's impressive 2023 that saw him both direct Insidious: The Red Door and reprise his role as well as returning for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, this article has been updated with even more great Patrick Wilson roles and where to stream each title.

12 Midway (2019)

Patrick Wilson in Midway
Lionsgate 

Patrick Wilson tried his hand at the war genre when he appeared in the star-studded 2019 film Midway, which recounts the harrowing Battle of Midway in World War II, a major naval battle that occurred six months after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. With the additional talents of stars like Ed Skrein, Luke Evans, Woody Harrelson, and Mandy Moore, the big-screen extravaganza features Wilson as Lieutenant Commander Edwin Layton, an intelligence officer who played a crucial role in the winning of the deadly showdown that took place between June 4-7 in 1942.

A Costly Financial Gamble

Director Roland Emmerich had trouble getting the project greenlit due to its lofty budget of $100 million, with the sweeping drama going on to become one of the most expensive independent films ever made. Despite ultimately being a box office bomb, Midway still earned praise for its stunning cinematography and visuals, with Wilson and Skrein being singled out for their fearless performances. While critical reaction was mixed, audiences were impressed by the picture and awarded Midway an impressive A CinemaScore. Rent/Buy on Prime Video

11 The A-Team (2010)

Patrick Wilson The A-Team
Dune Entertainment/Scott Free Productions/Top Cow Productions

An adaptation of the popular 80's series of the same name, The A-Team focuses on a special forces team who, after being framed for a crime they did not commit, break out of the military to prove their innocence. The titular team consists of Liam Neeson as John "Hannibal" Smith, Bradley Cooper as Templeton "Face" Peck, Rampage Jackson as B.A. Baracus, and Shartlo Copley as "Howling Mad" Murdock. Their mission finds them uncovering a government conspiracy and finding out they were set up by an agent named Lynch, played by Patrick Wilson.

Patrick Wilson Excells as a Villain

While Wilson is often cast as a normal guy, he has also dipped his toe into a variety of villain roles. In The A-Team, he is having a blast playing a corrupt government agency and enjoys playing up the part. He gets to play a more by-the-numbers ally to the team in the beginning until the mid-point, where he enjoys chewing the scenery as a more over-the-top foe, but still a dangerous one. While The A-Team was a box office disappointment when it came out, the film has gained a cult following, and Wilson is certainly a standout in a movie with an impressive cast. Stream on Max.

10 Lakeview Terrace (2008)

Chris (Wilson) & Lisa (Washington) are terrorized by their prejudiced neighbor
Sony Pictures Releasing

Wilson shared the screen with Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson when he appeared in the 2008 taut crime thriller Lakeview Terrace, centering on newlyweds Chris and Lisa Mattson, an interracial couple who move into their dream home and are targeted by their prejudiced next-door neighbor Abel Turner (Jackson), an African-American police officer who is vehemently against their marriage and terrorizes the pair. As Abel's harassment intensifies, Chris begins to retaliate which leads to a shocking showdown between the two men.

Wilson & Jackson Winningly Face-Off

The intense and gripping film offers a disturbing look at the hate and racial resentment that runs rampant in the world as Wilson and Jackson fiercely squared off against one another in a pulse-pounding fashion. Wilson holds his own against Hollywood veteran Jackson, as the two men struggle for power and the upper hand as tensions threaten to violently boil over. Lakeview Terrace was a modest success with both critics and moviegoers and remains an underrated entry in Wilson's illustrious film resume. Rent/Buy on Apple TV+

9 Young Adult (2011)

A woman stares intensely at a man
Paramount Pictures

Charlize Theron stars as a struggling ghost writer who decides to return to her hometown of Mercury, Minnesota to reclaim the life she believes she's entitled to in the 2011 dramedy Young Adult, which follows 37-year-old Mavis Gary as she makes it her mission to be reunited with her high school boyfriend Buddy (Patrick Wilson) and steal her now-married former flame back while revisiting her teenage glory years. Patton Oswalt and Elizabeth Reaser also co-star in the flick with the former actor portraying Mavis' old classmate whom she strikes up a unique friendship with.

Wilson Shines Alongside Theron

Wilson usually appears in more dramas and horror pictures, so watching him let loose a bit and play a more laid-back, humorous role in the dark comedy was a warm welcome for his fans. Young Adult was written by Diablo Cody and was directed by Jason Reitman, and audiences couldn't get enough of Theron's wild and massively selfish efforts to win back her happily married beau. The cast garnered praise for their engaging portrayals, and Theron ended up nabbing a Golden Globe nomination for her daring and wonderfully melodramatic performance. Stream on Prime Video

8 The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

Raoul (Patrick Wilson) and Christine (Emmy Rossum) attend a grand party together
Warner Bros. Pictures

The classic musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Phantom of the Opera, was brought to life on the big screen in 2004 by director Joel Schumacher. The film follows Christine (Emmy Rossum), who sings Opera and is reunited with her childhood sweetheart, Raoul (Patrick Wilson). Gerard Butler plays the phantom, who becomes enchanted by the alluring Christine and her stunning voice and subsequently wreaks havoc on the Paris Opera House.

A Breathtaking & Lively Adaptation

The three brilliant lead actors share a strong chemistry and seeing Wilson in a musical role is very different to his usual acting style. However, he succeeds in playing his character in a way that captivates the audience. Wilson proved he truly is a jack-of-all-trades and showed off both his acting and vocal skills, performing numerous musical numbers and a romantic duet with Rossum with the stunning song "All I Ask of You." Rent/Buy on Prime Video

Related: Explained: Why Movie Musicals Are So Popular

7 Aquaman (2018)

Patrick Wilson as Orm in Aquaman
Warner Bros. Pictures

Aquaman was another collaboration between Patrick Wilson and director James Wan following their work on Insidious and The Conjuring. The movie is based on the popular DC comic of the same name. Jason Momoa is sensational as the titular character, Arthur Curry, who is also known as Aquaman. Wilson plays his half-brother, Orm Marius, the King of Atlantis. His role in the movie is to return to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis in order to settle the people who live there, who are gearing up to go to war with the people on the surface.

A Major Cinematic Spectacle

Wilson and Momoa have good chemistry together, and it’s an example of how well Wilson succeeds in a variety of different roles, easily excelling as a supervillain. He can take any character (both good, bad, and everything in between) and truly make them his own, and the intense rivalry between the brothers helped propel the story forward and resulted in some epic action sequences. Wilson gives the character a sense of gravitas, treating what could be a very silly part with incredible sincerity and seriousness. Wilson ended up reprising the role of Orm in 2023's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which put him more front and center and a bigger part of the film as it was clear he and Momoa were the best parts of the first film. Stream on Max

6 Insidious (2011)

Patrick Wilson as Josh Lambert and Joseph Bishara as Lipstick-Face Demon in Insidious
FilmDistrict

James Wan and Patrick Wilson collaborated for another successful horror film with 2010’s Insidious, which took the horror genre in new directions, blending a classic haunted house story with a genuinely moving family dynamic. Wilson starred as Josh Lambert, the father of the Lambert family. He stars alongside Rose Byrne and Ty Simpkins, and the story focuses on Dalton (Ty Simpkins), who is haunted by malevolent forces.

A Lucrative Horror Hit

Insidious is a chilling horror film that stands in a league of its own and produced several successful sequels, with Wilson returning for two of them. The talented performer even tried his hand at working behind the camera as well as in front of it, making his directorial debut for the franchise's fifth entry, 2023's The Red Door. Insidious grossed over $100.1 million on a modest budget of $1.5 million and helped launch a massively successful and enduring partnership between Wilson and Wan. Stream on Netflix

5 Hard Candy (2005)

Hayley (Page) angrily confronts a tied-up Jeff (Wilson)
Lionsgate 

Hard Candy was directed by David Slade and released in 2006. It follows 14-year-old Hayley Stark (Elliott Page), who exacts revenge on someone she has found out to be a pedophile and murderer (Patrick Wilson). It’s a high-intensity film that is difficult to watch at times, but both actors deliver knockout performances while dealing with a difficult subject matter.

Wilson's Dark & Disturbing Performance

Page and Wilson masterfully tackled the heavy and controversial subject matter with sensitivity and respect, and it was startling for audiences to see the latter star take on such a disturbing and menacing persona. The deeply unsettling cat-and-mouse psychological thriller was awarded Overlooked Film of the Year at the Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards, with The Denver Post calling the intense picture " tantalizing, brutal, fetishistic, gripping and exhausting, with plenty of moments for movie patrons to shout advice at the screen." Buy/Rent on Prime Video

4 Watchmen (2009)

Nite Owl II stands stoically in Watchmen
Warner Bros. Pictures 

2009’s Watchmen was directed by Zack Snyder and is based on the DC comic of the same name. The movie follows a group of superheroes in an alternate history of the 1980s when America was engaged in a Cold War with Russia. A group of these retired heroes come out of retirement to solve the case of a murder of one of their own. Patrick Wilson plays Nite Owl II, a skilled fighter with a technological expertise who is reunited with his former superhero allies in order to solve a deadly conspiracy.

An Underrated Superhero Extravaganza

Wilson was cast as Nite Owl II/Dan Dreiberg after Snyder watched Little Children and was blown away by his portrayal, and he put on 25 pounds in order to play the overweight Dreiberg. He gives a complex performance as the retired hero, even though the movie itself received mixed reviews and polarized both critics and audiences. Wilson reflected on the film in 2023 and told CinemaBlend:

"Watchmen might be – I would probably put a large amount of money on this – the only movie of mine that I have watched front to back since a premiere...It's weird to say that audiences weren't ready for it, but you need a movie like that. You need movies to go so dark that then Avengers can go so light. I do believe in that."

Stream on Max

3 Little Children (2006)

Sarah and Brad share a romantic moment at the pool
New Line Cinema

In 2006’s Little Children, Patrick Wilson stars alongside Kate Winslet in the Todd Field-directed psychological drama. The story focuses on these characters' lives and how their relationships with both of their significant others have fallen apart. After they meet, they are attracted to each other and begin an affair, which quickly becomes complicated and leads to a chain of shocking events that will forever change their lives.

A Poignant Masterpiece

Both lead stars deliver excellent performances, and Wilson succeeds in a dramatic role focused on human emotions and relationship problems. His character Brad is a stay-at-home-father who refreshingly defied male stereotypes often depicted on screen and the drama itself provided a piercing look at modern-day suburbia. Little Children topped countless critics' lists for best films of the year and received three Academy Award nods, with Wilson receiving a Best Actor nomination at the Satellite Awards. Rent/Buy on Apple TV+

2 Fargo (2015)

Lou Solverson (Wilson) investigates a homicide
FX

Fargo is a TV series which premiered on FX in 2014 and exists in the same universe as the 1996 black comedy film of the same name. Patrick Wilson stars in season two of the crime drama, which focuses on the lives of young couple Peggy (Kirsten Dunst) and Ed Blumquist (Jesse Plemons) as they attempt to cover up the hit-and-run and homicide of Rye Gerhardt (Kieran Culkin). Wilson is Lou Solverson, the younger version of the character played by Keith Carradine in season 1.

Related: The 10 Best Episodes of the Fargo TV Series, Ranked

Fargo & Wilson Dazzle Viewers

Wilson earned a Golden Globe nomination for his compelling portrayal of Solverson, proving his talent extends to television acting as well and further establishing himself as one of Hollywood's most dynamic actors. The second season of the program premiered to universal acclaim, garnering a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score and winning numerous accolades while also being named Television Program of the Year by the American Film Institute. Stream on Hulu

1 The Conjuring (2013)

Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga in The Conjuring
Warner Bros. Pictures

Arguably, James Wan and Patrick Wilson’s best collaboration was 2013’s The Conjuring. This marked the beginning of a wildly successful franchise, resulting in multiple spin-offs and ultimately becoming the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time. Patrick Wilson stars alongside Vera Farmiga as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as they investigate the haunting of the Perron Family.

A Trailblazing Horror Venture

The Conjuring was unlike anything that had been released previously at the time of its premiere, and Wilson gives a stellar performance and his chemistry with Farmiga is undeniable. Both a critical and commercial knockout, the spine-tingling flick caused a worldwide frenzy and had moviegoers flocking to theaters to witness Ed and Lorraine take on unspeakable evils. The inaugural film kicked off a lucrative horror series that continues to terrify the masses and definitely remains Wilson's most distinct and memorable role. Stream on Max

Watch MovieWeb's interview with Patrick Wilson regarding his directorial debut, Insidious: The Red Door.