Complete List of Movie Jokers and Films
The character Joker has appeared in numerous live-action and animated films, portrayed by multiple actors across different studios and timelines. This list covers every major theatrical and streaming release where a character identified as the Joker appears as a named or clearly defined antagonist or protagonist. The data reflects films released up to the most recent public information available, including theatrical releases and major streaming premieres with confirmed cast and studio details.
Notable portrayals include Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, Joaquin Phoenix in Joker, Jack Nicholson in Batman, and Mark Hamill as the voice of the Joker in multiple animated features. Each performance is tied to a specific film, production company, and release window, with box office and critical reception data tracked by industry sources such as Box Office Mojo and The Numbers.
Key Actors and Their Joker Roles
Heath Ledger posthumously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal in The Dark Knight, a Warner Bros. Pictures release that grossed over $1 billion worldwide. Joaquin Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his lead role in Joker, a Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures co-production that earned over $1 billion globally. Mark Hamill voiced the Joker across numerous animated series and films, including Batman: The Animated Series and multiple Lego Batman titles, under the Warner Bros. Animation banner.
Other actors include Jack Nicholson as the Joker in Tim Burton's Batman for Warner Bros., Jared Leto in Suicide Squad and Zack Snyder's Justice League for Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films, and Cesar Romero in the 1966 Batman film for 20th Century Fox. Each performance is documented in studio press materials and credited on the respective film's official page, with additional details available on the Internet Movie Database.
Box Office and Production Data
Joker, directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, was produced on a reported budget of $55 million and earned over $1.07 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing R-rated film at the time of its release. The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Heath Ledger, had a reported budget of $185 million and earned over $1 billion worldwide, with Ledger's performance widely cited in industry analyses of the film's commercial success.
Suicide Squad, featuring Jared Leto as the Joker, was produced with a reported budget of $175 million and earned over $746 million worldwide. Batman, featuring Jack Nicholson as the Joker, was produced with a reported budget of $35 million and earned over $400 million worldwide. These figures are sourced from public studio disclosures and third-party tracking services such as Box Office Mojo and The Numbers.
Studios and Distribution
Warner Bros. Pictures has been the primary studio behind most Joker-centric films, including The Dark Knight, Joker, Batman, and Suicide Squad. DC Films and DC Studios, divisions of Warner Bros., have overseen the production of multiple films featuring the character within the DC Extended Universe and standalone releases. Other studios involved include 20th Century Fox for the 1966 Batman film and Village Roadshow Pictures as a co-producer on several Warner Bros. releases.
Distribution for these films has been handled through theatrical release and streaming platforms, with Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO Max serving as key streaming distributors for several DC titles. The production companies, distributors, and release formats are documented in public filings, studio announcements, and industry databases such as the Internet Movie Database and Box Office Mojo.
Rankings, Reception, and Industry Impact
Heath Ledger's portrayal in The Dark Knight is frequently ranked among the greatest film performances by publications and industry bodies, including the American Film Institute and the Academy of