Batman may have one of the deepest collections of villains in comic book history, but one has always managed to laugh louder than the rest.Since his comic book debut in 1940, the Joker has evolved from a theatrical criminal with a twisted sense of humor into something far more unpredictable. DC describes the ‘Clown Prince of Crime’ as Batman’s ideological opposite: Where the Dark Knight represents order, the Joker thrives on absolute chaos. That flexibility has made the character well-suited to reinvention on the big screen. One actor played him as a flamboyant prankster. Another transformed him into a mobster with an enormous personality. Later versions turned him into an anarchist, a tattooed gangster and even the central character of his own psychological drama. With every new iteration, the character has proven that there is no single way to portray cinema’s most unpredictable criminal. Here’s every actor who has brought Batman’s most infamous enemy to life in a live-action movie.Related: Holy Movie Marathon, Batman! Here’s How To Watch All the Batman Movies in Order, From 1966 to Now
How Many Actors Have Played the Joker in Live-Action Movies?
So far, five actors have played the Joker in live-action feature films. This includes Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Jared Leto and Joaquin Phoenix.
There’s also Barry Keoghan, whose brief appearance in 2022’s The Batman makes the count a little more complicated.
Keoghan is officially credited in the film as the “Unseen Arkham Prisoner,” rather than the Joker. However, director Matt Reeves subsequently confirmed that the character is his universe’s version of the famous villain. For that reason, we’re including him here—with an asterisk.
Note: Animated performances, including Mark Hamill’s celebrated interpretation of the character, aren’t included since this list is limited to live-action movies.
List of Actors Who Have Played the Role of ‘Joker’ in Movies
20th Century Fox
1. Cesar Romero — Batman (1966)
Before Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger or Joaquin Phoenix ever put on the makeup, Cesar Romero brought the Joker to movie theaters.
Romero had already begun playing the villain opposite Adam West on the Batman television series when the cast made the jump to the big screen for 1966’s Batman. The film assembled several of the Caped Crusader’s most recognizable enemies, with Romero’s Joker joining Burgess Meredith‘s Penguin, Frank Gorshin‘s Riddler and Lee Meriwether‘s Catwoman.
His performance bears little resemblance to the increasingly dark Jokers that followed. Romero’s version is colorful, energetic and proudly over-the-top, perfectly matching the playful tone of West’s Batman. There’s even a famous detail hiding beneath the makeup: Romero declined to shave his mustache for the role, leaving it visible underneath the Joker’s white face paint.
He may not be the darkest Joker on this list, but he was the first one audiences saw in a live-action feature film.Related: We Ranked Every Batman Movie, From ‘The Dark Knight’ to ‘The Batman’
Warner Bros.
2. Jack Nicholson — Batman (1989)
More than two decades later, Jack Nicholson helped introduce moviegoers to a much different Clown Prince of Crime.
Directed by Tim Burton, 1989’s Batman starred Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne and Nicholson as Jack Napier, a Gotham gangster whose transformation creates the Joker.
Nicholson’s performance walks a fine line between the character’s comic-book theatricality and something considerably more sinister. This Joker cracks jokes, dances to Prince and carries increasingly ridiculous weapons—but he’s also genuinely dangerous. The movie also made another major change to Batman mythology by directly linking Jack Napier to the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, something DC notes was unique to Burton’s version of Batman’s origins.
Following the movie’s release, Nicholson’s performance became one of the defining screen portrayals of the character and helped set a formidable standard for those who came next.
Warner Bros. Pictures
3. Heath Ledger — The Dark Knight (2008)
Then came Heath Ledger.
Nearly 20 years after Burton’s Batman, director Christopher Nolan introduced his own Joker in The Dark Knight, the second movie in his Batman trilogy.
Ledger’s Joker doesn’t need a vat of chemicals or a definitive origin story. Instead, he’s an unpredictable criminal mastermind who arrives in Gotham and begins systematically pushing Batman, Harvey Dent and the city itself toward their breaking points. His shifting stories about the scars on his face only add to the mystery.
Sadly, Ledger died in January 2008, months before The Dark Knight opened in theaters that July. His performance went on to earn him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which was accepted by members of his family at the 2009 ceremony.
Like Nicholson before him, Ledger’s role became one of the most celebrated comic book movie performances ever—and dramatically changed expectations for what actors could do with Batman’s greatest enemy.
Warner Bros.
4. Jared Leto — Suicide Squad (2016)
Jared Leto had the unenviable task of becoming the next live-action Joker after Ledger. His version debuted in director David Ayer’s Suicide Squad in 2016.
DC officially announced Leto’s casting as the Joker in 2014, alongside Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Will Smith as Deadshot.
Visually, Leto’s take immediately distinguished itself from earlier versions. His Joker had tattoos, metallic teeth and the appearance of a flashy modern gangster, with much of his role revolving around his relationship with Robbie’s Harley. Leto later returned to the role for Zack Snyder’s Justice League in 2021, appearing in a newly filmed sequence created specifically for Snyder’s version of the movie. Related: 80 Best ‘Batman’ Quotes From Comics, TV and Film
Warner Bros. Pictures
5. Joaquin Phoenix — Joker (2019) and Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
Instead of introducing another Joker as Batman’s supporting villain, director Todd Phillips did something different in 2019: He made the Joker the protagonist.
Joaquin Phoenix stars in Joker as Arthur Fleck, a struggling Gotham City clown and aspiring comedian whose life gradually spirals toward violence. The movie exists outside the continuity of the other films of its era. DC described it from the beginning as an “original, standalone” story centered on the iconic villain.
Phoenix’s performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 2020 Oscars. That made Phoenix the second actor to win an Oscar for playing the character, following Ledger.
Phoenix returned as Arthur in 2024’s Joker: Folie à Deux, opposite Lady Gaga as Lee Quinzel. DC’s official synopsis finds Arthur institutionalized at Arkham while awaiting trial for crimes committed as the Joker.
6. Barry Keoghan — The Batman (2022)
And then there’s Barry Keoghan.
Near the end of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, Paul Dano‘s Riddler speaks with a mysterious neighboring prisoner inside Arkham. The man’s face is mostly hidden, but his laugh and dialogue immediately led viewers to one conclusion.
Keoghan is officially credited as the “Unseen Arkham Prisoner,” not the Joker. The character isn’t listed among the principal cast on DC’s official page for The Batman, either. But Reeves later removed much of the ambiguity.
The director confirmed that Keoghan’s character is a version of the man who will eventually become the Joker, although Reeves stressed that he isn’t necessarily the fully formed villain yet. Warner Bros. also released a deleted scene in which Robert Pattinson‘s Batman visits Keoghan’s Arkham prisoner while investigating the Riddler, providing a much clearer look at the character.
So, has Keoghan technically played the Joker in a live-action movie? Not exactly. But it’s still reasonable to include him.
Which Actors Won Oscars for Playing the Joker?
Two actors have won Academy Awards for playing versions of the Joker. Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight at the 81st Academy Awards. Eleven years later, Joaquin Phoenix won Best Actor for Joker.
Those victories are particularly remarkable considering how different both performances are. Ledger’s Joker arrives almost fully formed, with little interest in explaining who he used to be. In contrast, Phoenix’s movies build their entire story around Arthur Fleck and the circumstances surrounding his transformation.
That contrast may be the best explanation for the character’s longevity.
Related: 150 Joker Quotes to Make You Appreciate the Madness and Put a Smile on That Face
This article was drafted with the assistance of AI and thoroughly reviewed, edited and fact-checked by Parade editors. See our complete AI Policy.
Hence then, the article about every actor who has played the joker in a live action movie was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Every Actor Who Has Played the Joker in a Live-Action Movie )
Also on site :
- Steven R. McQueen Sends Direct Message in First Social Media Selfie in 5 Years After Rare Public Return Sparks Buzz Over His Changed Appearance
- What were Trump operatives doing for pro-Russian politician Dodik in Bosnia?
- Why ‘You Can See Everything Everything’ Could Make Oscars History as First Doc Nominated for Best Picture