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CommmentsIn this week's blue scifi babe poll, some have already requested a little sci-fi beefcake. Perhaps I could interest you in some fruit cake?
Pictures are starting to emerge from the filming of The Dark Knight, in which our caped crusading hero fights the clown prince of crime, The Joker, played by Heath Ledger.
Here's a quick glimpse at some of the more famous Jokers:
Who's your favorite...Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill or Heath Ledger?
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| Posted by John on Tuesday December 04, 2007 - 12:25 AM
| Category: Movies, TV
| © 2007 SF Signal
Mark Hamill. His rants in Return of the Joker are among the finest Joker renditions in any medium.
Posted by Jeff P on Tuesday December 04, 2007 at 12:39 AM
Hail Cesar. The rest are shmucks in comparrison
Posted by Jim Shannon on Tuesday December 04, 2007 at 3:45 AM
Hmmmm...so far it is Mark Hamill, I'll reserve judgement on Heath until after the movie comes out.
Posted by Carl V. on Tuesday December 04, 2007 at 7:02 AM
Mark Hamill is the best. I can't believe that voice comes out of him.
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday December 04, 2007 at 8:17 AM
Cesar all the way - Hamill is darn good, but I hear him reprising Cesar and that says to me that he is bowing to the master. Cesar had insane-evil down.
Posted by Scottsh on Tuesday December 04, 2007 at 8:32 AM
Cesar is the benchmark of course, but you missed "The Batman"'s bouncy, antic rendition. Kevin Michael Richardson's voice work is quite understated, but his Joker seems the most dangerous of the bunch.
Posted by Jeff on Tuesday December 04, 2007 at 11:35 AM
I would say Nicholson, but only because I haven't actually heard or seen any of the others.
However, I heard in a preview for the new movie a short section where Ledger talks like the Joker and I have to say...it sounds so amazingly awesome...creepy and Jokerish even. I like Ledger, I think he is a great actor, so if he can pull this off and make the Joker so interesting to me I can get past the fact that I hate Christian Bale as Batman, then he may take the top position.
Posted by SMD on Tuesday December 04, 2007 at 12:03 PM
I think that its a toss up between Hamill and Nicholson for me. I loved Cesar Romero, but it was just as cheesy as the rest of the show. Nicholson put that manic edge the Joker really needed. Hamill offers consistency and shows what he is really capable of. I have seen them all except Heath Ledger and worry that Heath's version will be a shadow of the other three.
Posted by Tim on Tuesday December 04, 2007 at 2:30 PM
The thing is, I didn't see all the actors in the Batman TV series as cheesy. Adam West and Burt Ward for sure were as was Burgess Meredeth and Lee Meriwether. But Julie Newmar, Cesar Romero, and Frank Gorshin never came across that way to me.
Posted by Scottsh on Tuesday December 04, 2007 at 2:42 PM
Frank Gorshin in his skin tight body suit? Not cheesy? I guess we agree to disagree. I never said that I didn't enjoy the performance, but I felt that others were better representation of the Joker for me.
Posted by Tim on Tuesday December 04, 2007 at 4:18 PM
Heath Ledger looks like an alcoholic trying to make a few bucks as a street fortune teller.
Posted by Matte Lozenge on Tuesday December 04, 2007 at 5:42 PM
I didn't know Heath Ledger played an undead zombie version of the Joker. When did he do that?!?!?
I assume the Hamil is the cartoon Joker? Does that really count? It's just voice acting -- to paraphrase Jessica Rabbit, he's not bad, he's just drawn that way!
That leaves Joker Classic (Romero) and New Joker (Nicholson). It's really hard to choose between -- they're both diabolically maniacal! But I guess Joker Classic is slight less evil due to its campiness.
So the final tally goes to Nicholson!! 
Posted by PeterY on Tuesday December 04, 2007 at 6:05 PM
Mark Hamill thus far. And of course voice acting counts.
I expect Ledger to give him a run for his money though.
Posted by Lou Anders on Tuesday December 04, 2007 at 9:21 PM
are you kidding, nicholson is the best joker ever.
Posted by Rabbit on Monday December 17, 2007 at 5:49 PM
it is Heath because he is the most realistic joker out of them all.
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday December 22, 2007 at 2:39 AM
First, I think we can all agree that all have their pros and cons. Second, it is difficult to determine who is the best because all emerged at different time periods. (Just as it is difficult to debate whether someone like Barry Bonds was a better baseball hitter than Hank Aaron or Babe Ruth)
In my personal opinion, I loved Tim Burton and Jack Nicholson's take on the Joker in the original Batman movie. (all sequels thereafter were crap) But Burton made it dark enough that a large number of us bought into it. And come-on, can you think of anyone better at that time to play the joker?
NOW, Nolan has given us a totally new spin on "The Dark Knight." And the way I see it, there couldn't have been a better name. The first of Nolan's Batman films was sensational. It was the darkness that we all loved in the Burton films without the "Campiness." To me, this was the ultimate rendition of the DC Comic. Now in the second installment of the Nolan series, we have Heath Ledger playing the Joker. As many, I was EXTREMELY Skeptic about this casting decision. Nolan had created something so sacred to me, that the choice for the Joker (my favorite villain of all time), HAD TO BE PERFECT! And now, after looking at the trailer, I am ecstatic. Heath still has to pass the test when I go to the release, but he's passed with flying colors so far. To me, the Joker must be funny, but more important, SCARY. There has to be a reason why he is Batman's Arch Enemy. Having some clown with a smiley face making jokes isn't scary. I want to feel scared whitless when he's on the screen. And to me, Nolan seems to have nailed by using Heath as his medium. I really think that Heath will deliver the edge that the Batman Franchise needs right now.
LONG-WINDEDLY YOURS,
A TRUE JOKER FAN
Posted by Matty B on Sunday December 23, 2007 at 11:04 PM
You know... my favourite joker had always been nicholson, but after seen the dark knight trailer, I've changed... health ledger is very good,too. Heath ledger has played a totally different joker... a joker that doesn't exist in comics... he's only a psicopath that only smile and kill people, he is ironic, he gets angry fast, and he's extremely dark...
But talking about the joker story, Nolan's joker is really a clown, the real comic's joker is not a clown... Jack Raipan or Napier as "Red Hood", falls into chemicals that burn his face... then his skin become white and he become crazy when he sees the changes. In the dark knight he's a psicopath guy with bad make up, extremely dark as I said before; this gives to the movie a more realist vission of the joker and makes people think that it's not a so imposible thing to happen....
Posted by Adrieen on Saturday December 29, 2007 at 5:34 PM
Lets c, heath ledger...., i never thot of it but it works out perfectly. I mean, joker is a true sadistic psychopath and the other jokers didnt even come close to it, yea matt hamill has the greatest voice to the joker, no question bout it, but u dont get to see matt hamills real movement. He's just a cartoon. U dont get to c the way Matt thinks. Jack Nicholson was a great, crazy joker. He was funny and still a psycho. But he just didnt do it for me. Thats my opinion tho. He needed more.
Cesar Romero. the original, classic joker. He had it and he was good, AT HIS TIME tho. Were 2008 now, cum on. He was good, but there was better. I give him props tho.
Now back to pretty boy, Heath Ledger, I swear man, who know. From my visual her looks just the right guy. The look is great, sketchy, but great. But other people have different styles from me. I mean, by the way he looks as joker. The pic on top, her looks like a crack head wanting someone to play cards with him. But has anyone seen the " Why so serious?" poster. It was brilliant. man. As joker, he seems, SEEMS, horrifying and semi funny too. Sarcastic, but still a we lil bit funny.
Hey, im just 14. U can decide to go my way or wat ever way. I dont care. I just saw " post a comment" thing and started writing. I dont think im for sure right. Im just saying wat i think i know bout joker. so.... ya
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday January 12, 2008 at 11:38 PM
I've actually never really liked Nicholson's take on the Joker. It didn't even really seem like he had a "take". It was more like he just put the make up on and played himself. And since he's pretty much played himself in every movie I've seen him in, it's gotten kinda old and obnoxious. I might even go so far as to say that he's the lowest on my list of Jokers.
Hamill, on the other hand, has always had that perfect balance of evil/funny/insane in his characterization. I remember when I was introduced to the DCAU, with Mask Of The Phantasm, and the first time someone laughed themselves to death because of the Joker, I was scared off my ass. And then in Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker when he messes with Robin, he gets so much glee out of it and the tone in his voice when he uses it to taunt Batman is about as evil as I've heard the character ever get.
I can't pass judegement on Heath yet, but from what I've seen of the trailer it looks like he'll do a fine enough job of carrying on the legacy. He's certainly got the evil/insane bit down, but I worry that maybe he'll pull it off a just a tad too dark. What I love about the Joker is that I actually LIKE him. Hamill's version is just so FUN and funny that you can't help but want more of him, but at the same time you wouldn't want to be caught in the same room as him for fear of being murdered when you least expect it.
Posted by A Tierney on Sunday January 13, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Ceaser was the first...but he didn't have that phycotic side that a character like the joker needs.
Hamill played a great joker...but he didn't really stand out.
Ledger, from the looks of it can play a nasty joker...but he dosent have what a joker needs.
If i had to pick the joker it would be Jack all the way. he has a twisted side that cant be repeated.
Posted by Joe on Thursday February 14, 2008 at 3:21 PM
Which joker played by a dead actor or actor with a dead career is your favorite?
BTW, Jack Nicholason doesn't count -- neither he nor his career is dead...
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday February 14, 2008 at 8:19 PM
We love Heath Ledger dont diss him!
he is an awsum actor probably better than what you'll ever be!
♥ Kelly and Ellie
Posted by Ellie and Kelly on Thursday February 14, 2008 at 10:56 PM
Hamill's Joker all the way. Depending on the story he could make Joker insane, funny, or just plain evil. Plus his laugh is THE Joker laugh, the mad cackle of man that has gone completely off the deep end and enjoys the pain and suffering of others.
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 4:09 AM
Come on now...jack wasnt that good...he doenst fit joker at all...Heath pulled it off just from the previews :P but i think the guy from hanibel rising would make a better joker...he looks just like the cartoon
Posted by Derrickson on Friday March 14, 2008 at 3:11 AM
some of you are retarded you really dont understand the story the joker, he is an insane-sadistic-clown with zero empathy and his jokes are scary....Heath Leadger is the only joker i see up there
Posted by bobby on Tuesday May 13, 2008 at 5:09 AM
Nobody can show the joker's madness and humor like Hamill.
Posted by Anonymous on Monday June 23, 2008 at 2:17 PM
Mark Hamill IS the true Joker and no one can be compare to him as the Joker... However, The new Joker, Ledger, seems ... Amazingly INSANE ! I think he will show us an even more cruel personality of the Joker and that's really awesome...Can't wait to see the movie !
Posted by Joker4life on Monday June 23, 2008 at 6:59 PM
I totally agree with the long winded 'true joker fan'; personally while I was reading all the other comments, I was truly surprised by all the negativity and negative comments by some people about the actors, come on now, given the time that they performed, they were probably the best choices at the time. And given the time, technology, and audience that these actors had to work with, I think they all did (and hopefully will do) a damn good job.
And like most products and producers, you have to conform your final product to the audience range, and you can see how the edginess, creepiness,and a lot of other components that make up the joker have changed for the times.
(haha)
The Mark Hamill voice was awesome, and jack nicholson as the joker was a really good choice (HE'S INSANE enough anyways), I can never look at him without thinking back to the movie.
Now to Heath (I have not seen the Cesar original), his costume (depending on how he works with it) can either create a real modern edge and almost 'shark like' presence, at least from the pictures I've seen, he's been doing well with that. I'm hoping this version is scarier and edgier than the more cartoony versions of the past.
CAN'T W8 FOR JULY 18!!!
Second in long winded-ness (hope u don't mind me stealing the half title),
Billy
Posted by Billy on Saturday June 28, 2008 at 10:09 PM
C'est exelent ! Je suis content vraiment copntent ! ha ha ha ha ha ah ha ha ha !
La petite merveille de la nature que voilà je suis de plus en plus remonté ! je ne vais pas tarder à claquer ! Zut Zut !
Posted by geratre on Sunday June 29, 2008 at 12:57 PM
Jack Nicholson is a classical joker just like cesar romero. mark hammil is a littlebit more crazy than romero and nicholson and heath ledger is totally mad and crazy but heath ledger is a good actor.
but i most vote for jack nicholson
Posted by loveharleyquinn on Friday July 04, 2008 at 11:11 AM