50 YEARS OF JOKERS
CESAR ROMERO Batman
(TV, 1966-68)
Endless re-runs of the campy television show made Romero’s playful, giggly peformance the definitive screen Joker for multiple generations. The actor famously refused to shave his moustache for the role, so they applied the white makeup over it.
JACK NICHOLSON Batman (1989)
Producer Michael Uslan had dreamed of casting Nicholson in the role ever since seeing the actor’s unhinged performance in The Shining (1980). Nicholson went even bigger here, bringing genuine menace to the character for the first time, arguably overshadowing the film’s title character.
MARK HAMILL
Batman: The Animated Series (TV, 1992-95)
Hamill has long been celebrated for his gloriously demented vocal take on the Clown Prince of Crime in the landmark 90s Batman cartoon. He continued the role across several other animated shows and movies and more recently in the acclaimed Arkham video games.
HEATH LEDGER
The Dark Knight (2008)
Despite initial scepticism over his casting, the Aussie star managed to outshine even Nicholson with an instantly iconic display of articulated chaos. Ledger sadly died before the film was released and received a posthumous Oscar for the performance.
JARED LETO Suicide Squad (2016)
As the most recent bigscreen Joker, Leto (right) went in a very different direction to Ledger, embracing the role wholeheartedly, all in the name of only a couple of minutes of screentime.