Why Dr. Roth From Premonition Looks So Familiar

2007's supernatural thriller "Premonition" had a lot going for it when it hit theaters. The film was full of twists and turns as Linda (Sandra Bullock) attempted to save her husband, Jim (Julian McMahon), from dying in a fiery car crash. This was made more complicated due to the fact that it apparently hadn't happened yet and Linda was only operating on information she had been receiving from a prophetic vision.

The film suffers from a low score on Rotten Tomatoes, but it had many interesting aspects. Not only was the twist ending of "Premonition" compelling, but the performances from the main actors were as well. One of Linda's antagonists is Dr. Roth. Linda seeks help from a professional while she's trying to piece together the truth of her nonlinear experience, and Roth proves to be unhelpful, instead having Linda committed. But fans may recognize that there is something familiar about the actor who plays the thankless role.

Though Peter Stormare had a prolific acting career starting in his native country of Sweden, he found his breakout role in the Coen brothers' classic crime drama "Fargo" after moving to America in the '90s (via Empire). Stormare plays the sociopathic killer Gaear Grimsrud alongside partner-in-crime Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi).

The two accept money from Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) to kidnap his wife, Jean (Kristin Rudrüd), in order to bankroll his parking lot deal. Things go sour when Grimsrud kills Jean and throws Showalter into a wood chipper. "Fargo" is a feat in noir filmmaking and is still heralded as a masterpiece to this day (via The Guardian). Stormare's performance is an amazing feat for being one of his first American films. Grimsrud is not gregarious, but Stormare demonstrates his acting ability by conveying his entire character with just one look. This role is one that the actor continues to be remembered for and will continue to be for years to come.

Stormare's talent for playing disconcerting characters continued with "Minority Report." The Steven Spielberg film starring Tom Cruise is a sci-fi adventure set in a world where crime is minimal due to the Precrime unit. This department enlists the help of three "precogs," who can predict murders before they happen. When Chief John Anderton (Cruise) discovers that the process is not as foolproof as he once thought, he becomes wrapped up in a conspiracy that forces him to evade his own department.

In order to escape, Anderton must change his identity, which involves getting illegal eye surgery from Dr. Solomon Eddie, played with chaotic glee by Stormare. Anderton has no choice but to enlist the help of this shady doctor, and there is no one better to play the part. Dr. Eddie does not hide his questionable practices. In fact, he gladly admits to Anderton that they know each other from a previous life. Anderton was responsible for imprisoning the doctor after finding that he was burning his patients on purpose. Despite this conflict, Dr. Eddie performs the surgery on Anderton to replace his eyeballs, thus giving him a new identity. Though Stormare does not appear in "Minority Report" for very long, the role is memorable nonetheless.

The fight between good and evil is hard-fought in the 2005 film "Constantine." Based on the Vertigo graphic novel "Hellblazer," the film depicts the trials of John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) as he resists being pulled into eternal hellfire. Though the film did not follow the comic explicitly, there were many aspects of it that did well (via /Film).

One of the best elements of "Constantine" was the portrayal of Satan, also known as Lucifer. Stormare's performance as Satan is one that is not often seen. Neither a trickster nor inherently evil, Satan comes to collect Constantine's soul in person after the latter attempts suicide. Satan arrives barefoot and oily in a white suit, off-putting with his sweaty complexion and mocking tone. More than anything, Satan refuses to be outwitted by Constantine again. But at the end of the film, that's exactly what happens. He is forced to free Constantine from being condemned to hell for eternity. Stormare portrays the well-known villain with grace and personality.

Fox's "Prison Break" depicted the outrageous story of a man getting sent to prison so he can break his brother out. Michael (Wentworth Miller) knows his brother Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) is innocent of killing the vice president's brother and the only way to save him from death row is pulling off an escape plan. To do this, he has to enlist the assistance of crime mafioso John Abruzzi (Stormare).

Though Stormare is Swedish, he pulls off the Italian mob boss surprisingly well and was one of the more appreciated characters on "Prison Break" (via The Hollywood Reporter). Abruzzi is at times impulsive and cannot be trusted in many ways. His brutality knows no bounds, even chopping off one of Michael's toes to get answers. But Michael needs his access to air travel once they escape from Fox River. Abruzzi makes it out of prison with Michael and Lincoln but not much further, sadly. He dies in a blaze of glory in a police shootout, refusing to go back behind bars.

Stormare returns to television in Starz's "American Gods." The Bryan Fuller series was adapted from Neil Gaiman's famous novel of the same name about old and new gods in a contemporary battle. On Wednesday (Ian McShane) and Shadow's (Ricky Whittle) journey to find old gods to come to their aid, one of the first on the list is Czernobog. Stormare calls the character a "Slavic Thor," but that may have to do with the big sledgehammer he likes to wield (via Entertainment Weekly).

Czernobog has assimilated to modern life in Chicago, but there is something he misses about the old world. The character is dichotomous, having dark impulses and even a darker sense of humor. He and Shadow come to an understanding, commiserating with each other on having had prejudices against them. Stormare tapped into the darkness of the bloodthirsty character, also known as "the Black God," well (via Radio Times). Even though Bryan Fuller did not continue "American Gods" after Season 1, Stormare appeared intermittently in all three seasons.