Vernon Wells

Australian character actor Vernon Wells built a lasting career playing tough-guy parts, including memorable villains in such films as "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" and "Commando." As a teenager, he was the lead singer for a band while he studied telecommunications. Upon graduation, he abandoned technical pursuits to become a model before moving into acting, first for commercials and then on Australian television shows. A starring role in a successful run of the play "Hosanna" led to an interview with director George Miller and Wells' most popular role, as the nefarious biker Wez who pursues Mel Gibson in "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior."

Due to the popularity of his character, he earned the chance to parody the part a few years later in the science-fiction comedy "Weird Science," directed by John Hughes. For "Commando," he played another villain, this time opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger, cementing his status in the '80s action-movie pantheon. Wells invaded the body of Martin Short in "Innerspace" before moving on to less memorable fare, such as "Circuitry Man" and its sequel. He has worked on several films with director Stuart Gordon of "Re-Animator" fame, and held a recurring role on the popular science-fiction series "Power Rangers Time Force."