Everyone Loves... Ron Rifkin

If they gave out Oscars for shifty-looking, small-faced, beardy men, then surely Ron Rifkin would have a mantelpiece crammed with golden trinkets.

For years he was the duplicitous, terror-group leader Arvin Sloane in Alias. From day one we knew he was up to no good, but we just wanted him to prove he wasn't out-and-out evil. We thought his love for his wife might stop him committing atrocities, but he gladly sacrificed her to save himself. When he inexplicably became head of the World Health Organisation, we hoped he would finally turn over a new leaf - only to be disappointed to find out he was involved with the evil Covenant. In season four's ill-advised reboot, even the CIA appeared to give him another chance and put in charge of a new spec-ops unit - but he ended up sacrificing his long-lost daughter to achieve immortality using an ancient prophecy. What a guy.

And now Ron's back on TV in Brothers & Sisters and we still don't know whether he's really a good guy. It does seem like he isn't responsible for stealing the family firm's pension fund, but he's just so darn shifty looking, he could well be sleeping with his sister Sally Field or something even seedier. Which is why we love him.

And isn't it about time some US network brought us the Alias spin-off The Continuing Adventures of Arvin Sloane and Jack Bristow? Victor Garber is the only other silver-fox actor who can out-shift Rifkin.