Every Joker Movie Performance EVER Ranked From Worst To Best

4. Jack Nicholson (Batman 1989)

Though there are certainly issues with Tim Burton's 1989 Batman - the excess of camp, making The Joker the killer of Bruce Wayne's (Michael Keaton) parents and actually killing the villain - Jack Nicholson's thermonuclear performance is basically beyond reproach.

In 1989, audiences hadn't ever seen a supervillain performance like this - dynamic, unpredictable and, yes, terrifying.

It's tough to imagine any other actor filling Nicholson's shoes here, because he made the final role so intimately his own, stealing the film away from Keaton's Caped Crusader in the process.

Between the disturbingly visceral make-up job, nifty duds and his fantastic banter opposite Keaton and Kim Basinger, the film got out of the way of Nicholson and allowed him to dominate the screen with his mesmerising performance.

Three decades on it may seem like a fairly daft portrayal to some - especially those young enough to be reared on post-9/11 Hollywood grit - but its free-wheeling daring makes it quite unforgettable.