7. Jack Nicholson: The Joker in Batman (1989)
When Tim Burtons Batman was released in 1989, it was accompanied by an incredible amount of hype, curiosity, and expectation. In most peoples minds, Batman was the 1960s TV series starring Adam West. It was deliberately camp, jokey, with lots of colours and silly costumes. Kids and parents loved it, but it was very much of its time, and a movie in that vein would have almost certainly bombed. Nonetheless, there were lots of comparisons between the forthcoming movie and the TV series, so Burton had a lot of convincing to do. Burton himself is known for creating stylish, quirky, dark movies. But despite all that, he needed some heavy hitters to carry the weight of the potential prejudice against a camp Bat-movie. Sometimes its not just the quality of the actor, its their reputation. Nicholson was an Oscar-winning actor with a string of critically acclaimed roles to his name, and was known as something of a hell raiser. To have him associated with the film was a clear sign that Burton meant business with Batman. With his devilish eyes and manic smile, Nicholson looked born to play the Joker. Indisputably he was the star of the movie. He got higher billing and a higher payday than Michael Keaton. There was almost as much news coverage about Nicholson himself and his astounding salary (plus share of revenue and merchandise) as there was about the rest of the film. And he did indeed steal the show.