Joaquin Phoenix to Heath Ledger: Actors who played the role of the Joker

The new 'Joker' trailer is here and it promises to be everything fans of the iconic supervillain hoped for. With a burst of pathological laughter that rings on long after the trailer has stopped playing, this film by Todd Phillips with its dark undertones seems to have what it takes to give fans a new look at the face of crime with a painted-on smile.

As we get ready to see Joaquin Phoenix bring his interpretation of the famed villain to the big screen, we take a look at the actors who have played the Joker over the years.

Joaquin Phoenix is all set to join the league of supervillains when the highly anticipated 'Joker' hits theatres on October 4. The trailer that was released on Wednesday, hints at the film delving into the backstory of the character to see all the circumstances that drove him off the rails from being a struggling stand-up comedian to transforming into the menacing and psychopathic villain Gotham city has ever seen. The film directed by Todd Phillips will also reportedly feature a young Bruce Wayne, however, it is still unclear if it will have the famed villain meet his arch-rival - the Batman.

Late actor Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in director Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight’, is hands down, one of the most iconic and memorable versions of the character in film history. If the line “Why so serious?” comes to mind, you are probably one of the many who ended up cheering for the dark, brooding and facially disfigured villain more than the beloved superhero Batman played by Christian Bale. Heath’s impressive act won him a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2009. He still remains the only actor thus far to win an Academy Award for his role as the Joker.

Heath Ledger left some big shoes to fill when the DC comics bosses decided to get back the Joker in their anti-hero film ‘Suicide Squad’ with Oscar winner Jared Letto donning the purple suit. Although menacing, wicked and vile, this tattooed and grill-tooted Joker didn’t seem to sit too well with fans who still seemed to be hung up on Ledger’s character. That said, ‘Suicide Squad’ didn’t really give the Joker enough time to let his sinister side shine through amidst the action-packed plot.

Long before the Joker became the stuff of teen frenzy, Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson played the Clown Prince of Crime in Tim Burton’s 1989 adaptation of the comic book ‘Batman’. The then 52-year-old surprised all by proving that he could still prance around the screen playing the zany, psychopathically irrational supervillain. Unlike the grungy characters that are now taking over the screen, Jack’s character stuck much closer to the comic book interpretation and had it all- from the bleached white skin to the powdery red lips and a bunch of gag weapons that were inevitably very lethal.

Known as the man with the moustache, Cesar Romero refused to shave it off when he took on the character of the Joker in the 1966 'Batman: The Movie'. This prompted the team to paint over it thus leading to the final output. While it does look like sort of a sore eye, it blended well with the character as it was perceived as something only a lunatic would do. However, like any other villainous character from the ’60s, this one didn’t particularly give the Joker a back story but simply portrayed him as a man who went from a killer to a wacky prankster.