10 Iconic Actors Who Almost Played Batman Villians
9. Frank Sinatra As The Joker - Batman 1966
Although Batman purists deride its campiness, the Batman TV from the sixties was a huge cultural touchstone at the time and helped Batman become an icon. The show had some big guest names come on to play villains, like Vincent Price or Roddy McDowall.
Frank Sinatra was a fan of the show and got in touch about playing the Joker, but was crushed to discover another actor – Cesar Romero – had already been cast. This story was a rumour for years until Robin actor Burt Ward confirmed it. Since Frank couldn’t play the role he really wanted, he never appeared on the show.
Romero is really good in the role, so the production probably made the right choice here. Still, we wonder what Sinatra would have done if he could do it his way (sorry).