It is the most dangerous role in Hollywood. Honestly, when you look at the lineage of who played as the joker, it’s less of a casting list and more of a psychological case study. Most actors want to play the hero because heroes are relatable, but the Joker? That’s a career-ender or a legacy-maker. There is no middle ground. You don’t just put on the face paint; you basically have to invite a certain kind of madness into the room with you.
We’ve seen it happen time and again. From the campy giggles of the 1960s to the gritty, sweat-stained realism of the modern era, the Clown Prince of Crime has evolved into something much darker than a comic book villain. He’s a mirror.
The First Laugh: Cesar Romero and the Painted Mustache
Before the Joker was a nihilist, he was a prankster. Cesar Romero was the first to really show the world who played as the joker on a massive scale in the 1966 Batman series.
Here’s the thing about Romero: he refused to shave his mustache. If you look closely at the high-definition remasters today, you can literally see the white greasepaint caked over his facial hair. It’s hilarious. It’s absurd. But it worked because the 1960s didn't need a domestic terrorist; they needed a foil for Adam West’s straight-laced Bruce Wayne. Romero brought a high-pitched, theatrical energy that set the foundation. He wasn't trying to win an Oscar; he was trying to have a blast, and that glee is still infectious fifty years later.
Jack Nicholson and the Power of the Movie Star
By 1989, the vibe changed. Tim Burton was at the helm, and he didn't want a prankster. He wanted a gangster. Jack Nicholson took the mantle, and for a long time, he was the definitive answer for anyone asking who played as the joker with the most gravitas.
Nicholson’s Jack Napier was vain. He was a criminal egoist who fell into a vat of chemicals and came out looking like a nightmare version of a silent film star. What people often forget is how much leverage Nicholson had. He didn't just play the role; he owned a piece of the movie. He got top billing over Michael Keaton. His performance was a masterclass in controlled explosion—he could be terrifyingly still one second and screaming about "rubbing out" the Batman the next. It was the first time we saw the Joker as a legitimate threat to society rather than just a nuisance to the GCPD.
Heath Ledger: The Performance That Changed Everything
Then came 2008.
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If you were online back then, you remember the backlash. People hated the casting. "The guy from Brokeback Mountain? Really?" But Heath Ledger didn't just play a character in The Dark Knight; he reinvented the entire concept of a screen villain.
Ledger's Joker wasn't interested in money or vanity. He was a "dog chasing cars." He had those greasy, stringy locks of green hair and makeup that looked like it had been applied by a shaking hand in a basement. The licking of the lips? That was a practical habit Ledger developed because the prosthetic scars kept coming loose. He turned a technical flaw into a character trait that made your skin crawl.
The tragedy of Ledger’s passing before the film’s release added a layer of haunting mystique to the performance. He won a posthumous Academy Award, forever cementing his place in the history of who played as the joker. He proved that this role could be high art. It wasn't just "comic book stuff" anymore. It was Shakespearean.
The Divisive Years: Leto and the Tattooed Anarchy
We have to talk about Jared Leto in Suicide Squad. It’s unavoidable.
Leto’s approach was... a lot. The "Damaged" tattoo on the forehead, the silver grills, the method acting stories about sending dead pigs to castmates. It was a radical departure. While some fans appreciated the "modern cartel" aesthetic, others felt it was trying too hard to be edgy.
Interestingly, Leto’s Joker is one of the few we haven't seen fully explored. Most of his scenes were famously cut from the theatrical release of Suicide Squad, leaving us with a fragmented version of a character that seemed more like a fashion icon than a mastermind. He did get a moment of redemption in Zack Snyder's Justice League, showing a more weary, apocalyptic version of the clown that sat much better with the hardcore fanbase.
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Joaquin Phoenix and the Golden Lion
In 2019, Todd Phillips decided to strip away the capes and the gadgets entirely. When we look at who played as the joker, Joaquin Phoenix stands alone because he played Arthur Fleck—a man the world simply broke.
This wasn't a superhero movie. It was a character study influenced by Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. Phoenix lost 52 pounds. He looked skeletal, his ribs poking out as he danced on those now-famous Bronx stairs. He brought a sense of profound sadness to the role. For the first time, you almost felt bad for the monster, right up until the moment he stopped being a victim and started being the spark for a riot.
Phoenix’s Joker is about systemic failure. It’s about what happens when you ignore the marginalized. It resonated so deeply that it became the first R-rated movie to hit a billion dollars. It also made Phoenix the second actor to win an Oscar for the same character, a feat previously only accomplished by Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro as Vito Corleone.
The Voices in the Dark: Mark Hamill
It would be a crime to discuss who played as the joker without mentioning the man who never showed his face on screen. Mark Hamill.
For an entire generation that grew up on Batman: The Animated Series, Hamill is the Joker. His voice is a symphony of madness. He can go from a low, gravelly whisper to a piercing, operatic laugh in a single breath. He’s played the role for decades across cartoons and the Arkham video game series.
There’s a specific kind of theatricality Hamill brings that live-action often misses. He captures the "funny" part of the Joker—the part that actually makes jokes—which makes the sudden shifts into violence even more jarring. Without Hamill, the character’s DNA would be missing a vital strand of DNA.
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The New Blood: Barry Keoghan
Most recently, we caught a glimpse of the future in Matt Reeves' The Batman. Barry Keoghan appeared in a deleted scene and a brief cameo as "Unseen Arkham Prisoner."
This version looks like something out of a body-horror film. Heavy scarring, clumps of hair, a voice that sounds like it's coming through a throat full of glass. It’s a reminder that as long as there is a Batman, there will be someone reinventing the Joker.
Why the Role Consumes the Actor
Why do we care so much?
Because the Joker is the ultimate "no" to society's "yes." Every actor who takes the role has to find their own version of that rebellion.
- Physicality: Whether it’s Phoenix’s dance or Ledger’s slouch, the body comes first.
- The Laugh: Every actor develops a signature cackle that usually takes months to perfect.
- The Philosophy: Is he a nihilist? A victim? A bored billionaire’s shadow?
Actionable Takeaways for the Superfan
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the history of these performances, don't just watch the clips.
- Watch the Documentaries: Search for the "Behind the Scenes" features on The Dark Knight and Joker. Seeing the makeup application process alone explains a lot about the performances.
- Read "The Killing Joke": This graphic novel by Alan Moore is the primary source material for almost every actor listed here. It’s where the "one bad day" philosophy comes from.
- Listen to the Voice Work: If you’ve only seen the movies, go back and watch Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. It features Mark Hamill's best work and is arguably one of the best Joker stories ever told.
- Compare the Themes: Notice how Nicholson’s Joker is about greed, Ledger’s is about chaos, and Phoenix’s is about isolation.
The lineage of who played as the joker will only continue to grow. With sequels on the horizon and new cinematic universes constantly being spun up, the greasepaint isn't drying anytime soon. Each actor leaves a piece of themselves in that purple suit, and in return, the character leaves a permanent mark on their career. It’s a cycle of creative destruction that keeps us coming back to the theater every single time.
To truly understand the evolution, start by watching the 1989 Batman and the 2019 Joker back-to-back. The contrast in how society views "villainy" over those thirty years is staggering. You’ll see exactly how we went from a colorful criminal to a haunting reflection of our own world.