Actors Who Played The Joker: PICS

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April 3, 2019 12:53PM EDT

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Actors Who Played The Joker

Actors Who Played The Joker — When Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robison created The Joker in 1940, who knew he would become one of cinema’s most iconic villains? Many have given life to “the Clown Prince of Crime” by portraying him in film and television. From Cesar Romero painting over his mustache in 1966’s ‘Batman’ to Jack Nicholson’s sinister take on the character in 1989’s ‘Batman’ to Joaquin Phoenix’s broken psychopath in 2019’s ‘Joker,’ Batman’s arch-enemy has seen plenty of action on the silver screen.

While there are arguments that Mark Hamill’s take on The Joker, first in ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ and then in the 1993 feature film ‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm,’ he hasn’t appeared in FRONT of the camera as the villainous clown. Neither did Zack Galifianakis, who voiced the character in 2017’s ‘The Lego Batman Movie.’ While their contributions to the character’s legacy should not be ignored, for this gallery, here are those actors who portrayed the character in live-action films. Some were critically acclaimed, like Heath Ledger’s transformation in ‘The Dark Knight,’ and some…like Jared Leto….were not.

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Actors Who Played The Joker

Actors Who Played The Joker — Cesar Romero, a well-respected actor known for his singing skills, brought the Clown Prince of Crime to life on both the ‘Batman’ television series and in 1966’s ‘Batman: The Movie.’ As the first actor to portray the character on-screen, Ceaser famously refused to shave his moustache for the part. Instead, he painted over it. It didn’t matter, as his high energy made the character an instant hit among young Bat-fans.

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Actors Who Played The Joker

Actors Who Played The Joker — Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker in 2008’s ‘The Dark Knight’ is considered THE version of the character for a whole generation. As an avid method actor, he spent several weeks getting into the mindset of the character. “I sat around in a hotel room in London for about a month, locked myself away, formed a little diary and experimented with voices,” he told Empire Online. Sadly, his death in January 2008 prevented him from basking in this cinematic triumph, as he was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in the film.

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Actors Who Played The Joker

Actors Who Played The Joker — More than thirty years after Cesar Romero played him in ‘Batman: The Movie,’ Jack Nicholson brought The Joker to the big screen in 1989’s ‘Batman.’ The movie, directed by Tim Burton, has been credited with the birth of the modern super hero movie, no doubt in part to Jack’s version of the character.

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Actors Who Played The Joker

Actors Who Played The Joker — Jared Leto’s version of The Joker, seen in 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad,’ was a radical departure from previous incarnations of the character. The many tattoos, metallic teeth, and slimy demeanor set Leto’s version apart from Ledger’s. Though the movie was a success at the box office, many thought Leto’s version was a joke that fell flat.

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Actors Who Played The Joker

Actors Who Played The Joker — Joaquin Phoenix was tasked with playing titular character of 2019’s ‘Joker,’ which was no easy feat considering the actors who portrayed the character in the past. However, after the first trailer was a released, fan response was mostly positive. The movie earned comparisons to ‘Falling Down,’ ‘Taxi Driver,’ and ‘Dog Day Afternoon,’ and anticipation for the film was higher than expected.

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