10 Greatest Jack Nicholson Performances Of All Time
4. The Joker - Batman
Before Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix took home Oscars for their interpretations of the Clown Prince of Crime, and before Jared Leto tried put his own ineffective spin on the role, Jack Nicholson portrayed The Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman.
Keaton makes for a spectacular Batman in the film (and its sequel), but it is without question Nicholson's Joker which sealed the overall success of the movie.
As the Joker, the by-now well-established actor added yet another level to his resume, giving audiences a look at the villain like never before. Threatening, creepy, funny and dark in both appearance, voice and motive, Nicholson is a revelation, using his trademark grin and prominent eyebrows to make the complex character both scary and the perfect level of weird.
Even his laugh - the hardest part of the character to get right, it could be argued - was brilliantly realised, and from the very first frame to the last Nicholson never falters. Still seen as one of the best renditions of the clown, it's also a performance which gets better and better with every fresh viewing.