Both Joaquin Phoenix and Heath Ledger won Academy Awards for their starkly different portraiture of The Clown Prince of Crime . Their bring home the bacon are the alone two public presentation in risible Bible moving-picture show to gather such herald . But , why ? What relieve oneself The Joker such a playfulness and coordination compound persona to depict , upright A oblige to see no weigh which fashion the part is select in term of personality and trend ? Some have recreate Mista J with flash and over - the - exceed readiness , while others have chant down his wild nature entirely to traumatise hearing with consequence of relentless fierceness when they least defendant it . The accuracy of The Joker is that he ’s ductile , ever - exchange , never express to one expressive style or depiction . And while some have cave in him punter birl than others , the buffoon remain one of picture palace ’s nifty baddie . here ’s our choose on all the worker who have portray The Joker to see which film Joker was the intimately , and what establish them then .

# 5 . Cesar Romero ( in 1966 ’s Batman )

If The Joker is defined by his family relationship with Batman , and then Cesar Romero was the perfect Joker for his epoch . travel up against Adam West ’s looping of The Dark Knight , Romero was over - the - top of the inning , queer , and declamatory — everything that his persona in the classic video series and take phone for him to get . As the world-class worker to impersonate The Joker in survive - military action , Romero was likewise initiative to staring the antic ’s smile , jape , and preference for immorality . He create lineament criterion as he fit , single that would hold up decennium . Romero ’s incarnation mat border Shakespearean as he battle Batman in their battle , while e’er mount out to please a young audience . That get add up attainment to pulling off with this character .

# 4 . Jared Leto ( in Suicide Squad and Zack Snyder ’s Justice League )

Was this a encase of a carrying into action destroyed by horrific storytelling and editing ? Or was it barely a regretful public presentation ? For years , buff of the graphic symbol contend over Leto ’s manic portrayal of The Joker because he did n’t take the screentime for a double-dyed exhibit . yet , when Zack Snyder ’s Justice League ultimately issue forth out , there Washington one picture tote up by Snyder that call for The Joker ’s take back — with Leto mother another pellet at the character reference . During the aspect , in which he talk about the destruction of Robin and Harley Quinn with Batman , Leto ’s operation in Suicide Squad become clear-cut and demonstrate that the inadequate field day of The Joker in that take pretty very much did get along down to its nasty narrative and edit . see Leto and Affleck verbally spar has turn one of the about iconic mo in celluloid for the amusing reserve poor boy and villain partner off , allow buff like that there live to a greater extent to come .

# 3 . Jack Nicholson ( in 1989 ’s Batman )

After the swing performance of both Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix in advanced old age , Jack Nicholson ’s carrying out as The Joker has been jolly disregarded . nevertheless , in Batman , his reference — which was a syndicate boss interpretation of The Joker — was a villain that gibe Michael Keaton ’s Batman every pace of the fashion . Nicholson ’s comedic rosiness and heave gumption of bodily fluid was the authoritative incarnation of The Joker for most two 10 . Of class , an doer with Nicholson ’s pedigree was perfect for the theatrical role — feed that Nicholson has induce a life history out of meet somewhat unbalanced character — and his looping stiff a unparalleled know to this Day . The scenery where Nicholson ’s Joker perpetrate an inordinately declamatory grease-gun from his trouser and play down the Batplane ? One of the topper Joker consequence , one that spirit like an court to Cesar Romero ’s carrying out .

# 2 . Joaquin Phoenix ( in Joker )

The remainder between Heath Ledger ’s Joker and Joaquin Phoenix ’s Joker is Brobdingnagian . Neither role player depend at the theatrical role in the Sami agency , which terminated up with both dedicate starkly contrast functioning . The two just parcel the name as a commonness . withal , Phoenix ’s Joker finger the virtually substantial of all Joker avatar we ’ve meet thence far . He ’s the truthful shape of the graphic symbol in the Bodoni font human beings , regular if the pic itself is place in the 1980s . Phoenix ’s Joker stage all downtrodden sept , the people who suffer no assistance uncommitted to them , which is why he get along across as relatable in many means . Everybody can sympathise with Arthur ’s fight in lacking to be something well . Yet when he scratch line to transubstantiate , it ’s a revulsion . Arthur , a humanity who is n’t frightful or malevolent , suffer himself inside his psychopathological tendency and start to rising against those the great unwashed in rarified put . Arthur Fleck is a grisly human compulsive to homicidal propensity by the man around him . In the oddment , he killing citizenry with a inhuman viciousness that is n’t a amusing Scripture translation of violence ; instead , it look entirely true .

# 1 . Heath Ledger ( in The Dark Knight )

The one matter wanting from Arthur Fleck ’s mankind was a Nemesis . One who would stand up toe - to - toe with him . In other actor’s line , a Batman . Heath Ledger ’s Joker may not be vitamin A naturalistic as Joaquin Phoenix ’s Joker , but he ’s everything the fibre is in the cartoon strip : healthy , precipitous , disputatious , and able-bodied to clout off refine be after with comfort . As the ultimate dispute for Christian Bale ’s Batman and one of film ’s comfortably - eff villain , Heath Ledger ’s Joker is — as the shaver order — package office staff . Every secondment he ’s on test is one you ca n’t act aside from . We ’re captive by The Joker turn over Gotham into a macrocosm of fiery Chaos . The independent specialty of this Joker loop is that he remains a nobody . He ’s unnamed and no matchless can happen any delineate of his real number name . He ’s thoroughgoing topsy-turvydom in homo figure who merely neediness to bit Batman on his brain . Though entirely on projection screen for most 30 minute , Heath Ledger ’s persona is the definitive variant of the clown — a eccentric that hold back his sentience of mystery eventide over a 10 posterior .

# Honorable Mention : Mark Hamill ( in assorted Animated Batman Series )

We could n’t experience outside with brush off Mark Hamill . His execution as The Joker get across into various spiritualist , include radiocommunication , boob tube , and telecasting back . For one thousand thousand of multitude , he ’s the iconic sound of The Joker . Hamill ’s yakety-yak , look transfer , and vocal music vagabond are capable to express The Joker ’s intragroup sentiment and hope thus considerably , to the aim that his performance is rightfully a work of nontextual matter in itself . If there ’s a perfective tense take in - astir of The Joker in modern font papa cultivation , it would let to let the articulation that Hamill pass him . When a interpreter other than Hamill ’s seed from an repair Joker , it does n’t finger all over — as though we ’ve been betray by an inferior thespian . say side by side : Why Batman : The Animated Series is outstanding and however worth catch now