All of Christopher Nolan's movies, ranked | Digital Trends
11. Following (1998) · 10. Insomnia (2002) · 9. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) · 8. Tenet (2020) · 7. Memento (2000) · 6. Inception (2010) · 5.
The Joker
The film, like any great Hitchcockian thriller, rides high purely on its own attitude and craftsmanship. It is, consequently, the perfect home for Heath Ledger’s astonishing, Oscar-winning performance as <anchor>The Joker</anchor>, which is itself a bundle of psychotic, thorny energy that The Dark Knight not only embraces, but mirrors and adopts. There aren’t many modern crime thrillers that move or work as well as this film, which pulses with Nolan’s own fervent desire to, once and for all, prove his own worth. To say he did so would be a colossal understatement.
Who is the best Joker ever? All the Joker actors, ranked | Digital Trends
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# Who is the best Joker ever? We rank all the actors who have played Batman’s No. 1 enemy

By
[Anthony Orlando](https://www.digitaltrends.com/users/aorlando/)
Updated May 8, 2023

Eighty years after he debuted in _Batman No. 1_, the Joker remains one of the most iconic villains in popular culture. The Clown Prince of Crime has long tormented Batman and the people of Gotham City, seeing the morals and society the world is built on as nothing but a joke.

Contents

- [8\. Cesar Romero](#dt-heading-8-cesar-romero)
- [7\. Jared Leto](#dt-heading-7-jared-leto)
- [6\. Barry Keoghan](#dt-heading-6-barry-keoghan)
- [5\. Cameron Monaghan](#dt-heading-5-cameron-monaghan)
- [4\. Jack Nicholson](#dt-heading-4-jack-nicholson)
- [3\. Joaquin Phoenix](#dt-heading-3-joaquin-phoenix)
- [2\. Mark Hamill](#dt-heading-2-mark-hamill)
- [1\. Heath Ledger](#dt-heading-1-heath-ledger)
Show 3 more items

Many gifted actors have portrayed the Joker over the years, and despite how they capture the heart of the character, each one of them is different in their own way. Take a look at all the best Jokers and see who has the last laugh.

Recommended Videos

## 8\. Cesar Romero

![Joker in "Batman" (1966-1968).](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)Image used with permission by copyright holder

Character actor Cesar Romero was the first person to play the Joker in live-action with his role in 1966’s _Batman_, and his character ate up the wackiness of his comic book counterpart. Unlike his successors, who went full-method to play the Joker, Romero never took his character too seriously and just enjoyed himself as the Joker would. He even refused to shave his mustache to play the character, and it is clearly visible despite his white makeup. However, due to the show’s campy and child-friendly nature, Romero’s Joker acts more like a silly prankster looking for a laugh, with no desire to kill people or create havoc, which doesn’t quite hold up in the age of modern comic book stories.

## 7\. Jared Leto

![Joker in "Zack Snyder's Justice League."](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)Image used with permission by copyright holder

Jared Leto’s Joker was soured by his questionable character design, limited screen time, and somewhat cringey dialogue. His character can be somewhat forgiven due to  studio interference in the production of _Suicide Squad_. Fortunately, Leto’s Joker displayed a drastic improvement in the “Knightmare” epilogue in _[Zack Snyder’s Justice League](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/zack-snyders-justice-league-review/)._

Referencing how he killed Robin, this scene saw the Joker exploit all the Dark Knight’s failures and losses in a fierce psychological brawl before surprising everyone and teaming up with him. This scene proved there is more to Leto’s character than just style and flair, and that with the right material, he can be the farthest thing from a bad joke.

## 6\. Barry Keoghan

![A close-up shot of Barry Keoghan's Joker in The Batman.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)Warner Bros. Pictures

There hasn’t been much of Barry Keoghan’s Joker in Matt Reeves’s new Gotham, but this fresh new talent showed great promise as the Clown Prince of Crime. Appearing in the epilogue and a [deleted scene](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/batman-deleted-scene-joker/) of _[The Batman](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/the-batman-review/)_, this Joker is born with a disease that has left him with a permanent grin and spends most of his screen time imprisoned in Arkham Asylum.

His backstory may rub some audiences the wrong way, but this Joker has proven himself to be a master manipulator in the vein of Hannibal Lecter, as he manages to make the Riddler his ally and get under Batman’s skin. It’s unknown what Reeves has in store for audiences with this new Joker, but the villain has left people grinning and gawking in anticipation.

## 5\. Cameron Monaghan

![The Joker in "Gotham."](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)Fox / Fox

Cameron Monaghan stands out in that he has played not one, not two, but _three_ different Jokers in the same series. In the underrated TV show _Gotham_, Monaghan plays twin brothers Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska, the latter of whom becomes a villain after Jerome posthumously sprays him with a special laughing toxin, bringing his evil out for the world to see.

While Jerome is an anarchist who seeks to spread chaos and hatred throughout Gotham, Jeremiah is a calculating criminal mastermind obsessed with torturing Bruce Wayne. But both versions seem to come together to form something new after Jeremiah falls into a vat of chemicals and returns to villainy years later, transforming into the Joker many fans know and love.

## 4\. Jack Nicholson

![The Joker laughs in Batman.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)Image used with permission by copyright holder

As one of the few Jokers to be given a first and last name, Jack Napier is a vile mobster responsible for the murders of Bruce Wayne’s parents in Tim Burton’s _Batman_. But in an ironic twist of fate, Napier becomes the Joker after he falls into a vat of chemicals during an encounter with Batman, the hero he inadvertently created, many years later.

Much like Nicholson’s version of Jack Torrance in _The Shining_, this Joker deviates from the comics by being an evil man who only becomes more dangerous after becoming a supervillain. While this might not be as terrifying as some other Jokers’ origin stories, Nicholson still delivers a delightfully wicked performance as the Clown Prince of Crime, blending the villain’s sadism and theatricality to create “the world’s fully functioning homicidal artist.”

## 3\. Joaquin Phoenix

![Joaquin Phoenix in clown makeup as Joker in the 2019 movie.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)Warner Bros. Pictures

Taking inspiration from _Taxi Driver_ and _The King of Comedy_, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker (aka Arthur Fleck) is a sympathetic and tragic villain due to how he is wronged by society at a young age. Orphaned, abused, and poverty-stricken since day one, Fleck is left to simmer in his misery without proper care and support until it all boils to the surface in an explosion of anger and violence.

The Joker is meant to reflect the absolute darkest of humanity, and Joaquin Phoenix’s iteration of the character embodies all the rage and sadness that many people secretly carry within themselves over how the world has failed them.

## 2\. Mark Hamill

![Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne seeing Joker on TV.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)Image used with permission by copyright holder

Who would’ve thought Luke Skywalker would be such a great villain? The legendary Mark Hamill found his breakout role voicing the Clown Prince of Crime in the ’90s cartoon [_Batman: The Animated Series_](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/best-batman-the-animated-series-episodes-hbo-max/). In this series, the Joker features the perfect blend of silliness and darkness to stick in the minds of audiences young and old. Also, his hoarse voice as the Joker is arguably the villain’s most distinctive one yet.

Since then, Hamill went on to reprise his role in DC’s greater animated universe, with appearances in many films and spinoff shows. He also voiced the villain in the acclaimed Arkham video games, which made his character far darker and even more memorable.

## 1\. Heath Ledger

![Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)Warner Bros. / Image via Warner Bros.

Heath Ledger’s Joker is the absolute embodiment of chaos, as well as a tour-de-force of acting. Ledger’s delivery of his lines, as well as his movements and mannerisms, made him such an unsettling presence on-screen that legendary actor Michael Caine [claimed](https://www.liveabout.com/michael-caine-discusses-the-dark-knight-2430503) to have forgotten his lines while filming with him. But part of what makes this Joker terrifying is that pretty much nothing is known about his past, as he changes the story about how he got his scars each time he tells it.

This ambiguity in his backstory implies that even the Joker doesn’t know it anymore, encapsulating his belief that absolutely anyone can become like him. And he very much succeeds in his plan to spread this idea by turning Harvey Dent into the villainous Two-Face. This Joker set a new standard not just for villains in comic book films, but for cinema in general.

#### Editors’ Recommendations

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Topics

- [Comic Book Movies](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/comic-book-movie-news/)
- [DC Comics](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/dc/)
- [Features](https://www.digitaltrends.com/topic/features/)

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[Anthony Orlando](https://www.digitaltrends.com/users/aorlando/)

Writer

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Anthony Orlando is a writer/director from Oradell, NJ. He spent four years at Lafayette College, graduating CUM LAUDE with a…

- [Entertainment](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/)

3 rom-coms on Netflix you need to watch in September 2024

![A woman holds onto a man's shoulder as they walk.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)

The summer movie season has ended on Netflix. The streamer released several high-profile romance films over the last few months. Hit Man, Richard Linklater's latest film starring Glen Powell as a fake gun-for-hire, and A Family Affair, a rom-com with Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron, were both two of the most popular Netflix movies of the summer.

Just because the season changes doesn't mean rom-coms have to stop. Netflix offers hundreds of romantic comedies for subscribers to stream right now. This September, watch these three rom-coms on Netflix: a Ben Stiller comedy, a high school dance film, and a teen romance.

Along Came Polly (2004)

[Read more](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/watch-rom-coms-netflix-in-september-2024/)

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Like the Netflix hit series The Accident? Then watch these 3 shows right now

![The cast of The Accident.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)

Thanks in part to the fact that Netflix has grown almost as much as it can in the United States, the streaming service has become much more international in recent years. Now, along with all the great shows produced in the U.S. that are available on the service, Netflix has also introduced several international series that have become popular across the globe.

One of those shows, The Accident, is a Spanish-language series that tells the story of a horrific accident and the way its aftershocks ripple out across three different families. If you watched that show and are hungry for something similar, we've pulled together a list of three shows that might just fit the bill.

Mare of Easttown (2021)

Mare of Easttown: Official Trailer \| HBO

[Read more](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/shows-like-netflix-series-the-accident/)

- [Entertainment](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/)

5 most popular Netflix shows of summer 2024, ranked

![Luke Newton and Nicola Coughla in Bridgerton season 3.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)

Although it has plenty of competitors these days, Netflix remains the place most people think of first when they think of streaming. Over the summer of 2024, the service debuted plenty of great shows, but it can be hard to determine what the service's biggest hits actually were.

Thankfully, we've crunched some numbers and delivered that info. Using their publicly available list of the top 10 shows each week, we've determined which shows were the most watched this summer between June 1 and August 31. These shows dominated the top 10 for multiple weeks, and racked up views over the course of their dominance. Without further ado, these are the most popular Netflix shows of the summer.

5\. American Murder: Laci Peterson -- 27.1 million viewers

American Murder: Laci Peterson \| Official Trailer \| Netflix

[Read more](https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/most-popular-netflix-shows-summer-2024/)

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