Jack Nicholson yes, but not so sure about McDowell. Regardless, I still have at the top characters like Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in the West, the kid who played Damien in The Omen (creepiest kid ever!), Linda Blair in the Exorcist, Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs.
However, Bardem did go into this imaginary list of mine... somewhere in the top positions. I'm pretty sure his haircut is partially responsible. Not just the damn good acting.