Who is the best Joker onscreen?

The Joker is an iconic character, one who has been immortalised on the big (and small) screen multiple times including Joaquin Phoenix who will soon portray the Clown Prince of Crime once more in Joker: Folie à Deux.

Batman's arch-nemesis has appeared in both live-action and animated form, and has long been seen as one of the greatest villains of all time, so the person playing him is often scrutinised by critics and fans alike. Everyone has their favourite, but who can really be considered the best Joker onscreen?

Who is the best Joker onscreen?

The Joker has been portrayed by a number of actors, with even more names linked to the character at one time or another in Hollywood's history.

Read more: Meet The Sinister Inspiration For Batman’s Joker

Barry Keoghan might have briefly cameoed as The Joker in Robert Pattinson's The Batman, for example, but since he hasn't really had the chance to embody the character outside a five-minute scene it feels too soon to judge his take. But, there are plenty of others who have epitomised the character before.

Joaquin Phoenix

The man of the moment is of course Phoenix, who will soon reprise his role as Arthur Fleck opposite Lady Gaga's Lee —not Harley— Quinn in Folie a Deux. Phoenix was lauded with praise for his performance in his first Joker film, with his erratic, boisterous take on the character earning him numerous awards including a BAFTA and Oscar.

Phoenix's Joker certainly feels the most relevant to present day, with critics citing his obsessive and violent behaviour to current incel culture — with some even fearing it'd lead to real-life riots. That didn't end up happening, but it was a testament to the actor's performance that it convinced some people it might.

Jared Leto

The 30 Seconds to Mars singer took a shot at portraying the Joker in Zack Snyder's Suicide Squad film, and his heavily tattooed Clown Prince was seen more as a pauper when the movie arrived to terrible reviews. It didn't help that the actor engaged in odd pranks with the cast with method acting as his reason behind the behaviour.

Heath Ledger

The first person to receive an Oscar for playing the Joker is of course Heath Ledger, who won the award posthumously for his portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight. The actor's performance in Christopher Nolan's film is legendary for how grounded and terrifying it was.

Ledger's gritty take on the maniacal villain is nothing short of legendary, and he most certainly deserved that Oscar nomination.

Jack Nicholson

Another memorable take on The Joker was Jack Nicholson's portrayal in 1989's Batman, the character had largely been shown as a comedic figure (more on that later) so Nicholson's ruthless take came as a pleasant surprise to fans. There's a lot of Nicholson in his performance as The Joker, but that's also what made it so great because viewers never quite knew what to expect.

Batman is arguably one of the best comic book movies ever made, and this is certainly thanks, in part, to Nicholson's performance.

Cesar Romero

The first live-action Batman TV series is iconic in its own right, but it is a far cry away from what we know and expect of the character now. Even so, Cesar Romero was the first to portray the Joker in live-action form and his fun, camp performance is just as iconic as the darker versions that came after.

Cameron Monaghan

One take on The Joker too often overlooked is that of Cameron Monaghan, who played the character in Fox's Gotham TV series. Monaghan's Jerome Valeska wasn't originally credited as the Joker —in fact, the actor wasn't allowed to call the villain by that moniker— and it proved how effective a slow-burn reveal can be.

Gotham being a Batman prequel allowed Valeska's descent into madness to take place in real time, with the character being revealed as the Joker in his most recognisable form in the show's fifth season. Monaghan himself has weighed in on the different iterations of The Joker, telling IGN in 2019: "Performances exist on this continuum, the performance needs to be right for the material that it is in."

Mark Hamill

The actor to have played The Joker the longest is Mark Hamill, who played the Clown Prince of Crime opposite Kevin Conroy in over 20 projects including TV shows, movies and games. Being the Joker gave Hamill the vehicle he needed to be something other than Luke Skywalker, and it is clear from his unhindered performance that he relished in the opportunity.

He was the voice of the character for many people's childhoods, and for that reason is often regarded as the best there is — just like his co-star Conroy is regarded as the best Batman.

Troy Baker

Veteran voice actor Troy Baker began voicing the character since 2013's Arkham Origins, taking over from Hamill and doing a fantastic job of it. Baker had big shoes to fill and he delivered with a different take on the character, whose maniacal nature was expressed through the ebbs and flows of his voice.

Zach Galifianakis

Another great voice acting performance of The Joker is Zach Galidianakis' portrayal of the character in the Lego Batman Movie, a fun, higher-pitched take. It's cooky and silly, and exactly what the performance needed to be for the tongue-in-cheek humour of the Lego movie.