He's one of the most infamous comic book villains of all time, and for good reason! Joker is a violent and murderous psychopath, obsessed with bringing down Batman whenever he gets the opportunity, and leaving a path of destruction in his wake. Whilst Mark Hamill's unforgettable voice work bringing Joker to life has been a real treat throughout the years in animated features, he's actually never had the opportunity to bring the Clown Prince of Crime to the big screen, or elsewhere, physically.
Instead, it's been left to 10 other actors to-date, all of whom have left their own stamp on the character. Here, we take a look back at all of those who have played Joker
Cesar Romero (1966-68)
The very first person to bring Joker to the real world was Cesar Romero, who tackled the role in the 1966 television series, also bringing him to cinemagoers when the movie was released in the same year. For a certain generation, he was one of the most recognisable faces of the time. Though his portrayal was a little goofier than the Joker we're used to seeing in comic books and in live-action nowadays, it's still one that sticks in the mind and will forever live on.
Jack Nicholson (1989)
Many say that Jack Nicholson is the best live-action version of Joker that the world has ever seen. In Tim Burton's movie, he managed to steal the spotlight from Michael Keaton's titular hero, giving a performance that would make history as nothing short of legendary.
Curtis Armstrong (2000-02)
You may not recognise Curtis Armstrong as a live-action Joker, and that's because he only took on the role of the Batman villain for a single Batman OnStar commercial, which aired between 2000-02. Not exactly something we can judge his performance on!
Roger Stoneburner (2002-03)
Fans got excited when they heard Mark Hamill's voice booming as Joker in the television series Birds of Prey, but for some strange reason, those in charge of casting decided that Roger Stoneburner would be the one to physically portray him on the small screen.
Heath Ledger (2008)
Another actor who has been credited by many as being the best live-action portrayal of Joker ever, is Heath Ledger. The late star was a real treat to behold on the big screen, thrilling audiences with a terrifying comic book villain who we believed was actually capable of taking down the World's Greatest Detective. Every move he made was unpredictable, and that's one of Joker's defining personality traits.
Mark Frost (2011)
Batman is so popular, that the Dark Knight made his way to the live stage in Manchester, complete with actors taking on some of the most recognisable characters from comic books. Mark Frost was the man to step into the shoes of Joker here, and was praised for his genuine and believable portrayal of the villain.
Jared Leto (2013)
Though his portrayal is one that not everybody enjoyed, Jared Leto is sure to go down in history following his time in 2013's Suicide Squad. Whilst many of his scenes were cut, and we may not actually see him make another return to the big screen as the villain, the impact Leto made during his sequence of scenes may just go unrivalled for the years to come.
Cameron Monaghan (2014-19)
There were a lot of 'Will they? Won't they?' murmurs, surrounding Gotham writers when the show was still on the air. Cameron Monaghan played a young, psychotic man called Jerome, and whilst his transformation into the Joker looked inevitable, it was only in the show's final season when the move was made official. Monaghan was undeniably brilliant in the role, and we'd love to see him pick it back up at some point in the future!
Unknown - Titans (2018)
We only saw the Joker in a very short scene in the first season of Titans, and the person playing him went uncredited! Still, the door's now been left open for the character to come back in the future, despite him dying (killed by Batman) in the version of events we saw...
Joaquin Phoenix (2019)
We've not seen Joaquin Phoenix take on Joker yet, in the film which will finally give an origin story to the clown, but judging by his past performances, he's going to make everybody's jaws drop with a stunning portrayal. Coming to cinemas in October of this year, we've not got too long to wait before checking him out!
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