Heath Ledger Joker

Heath Ledger plays the villainous role of The Joker in the latest Batman film, The Dark Knight. Heath fully completed his work on the film before he died in January of 2008.

Fast Facts

1. The Joker appears as a disfigured clown
2. The character of the Joker debuted in 1940 in Batman #1
3. Jack Nicholson played The Joker in the 1989 Tim Burton Batman film
4. Christian Bale described Ledger's Joker as a Clockwork Orange edginess to the classic character¹
5. The Dark Knight opens July 18, 2008
6. Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Ledger's Joker Lines

• "I don't want to kill you. You complete me." — Joker to Batman²

• "I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you stranger." — Joker to an accomplice³

Quotes

"The most extreme form of anarchist, a force of chaos, a purposeless criminal who can't be understood." — Christopher Nolan on describing the Joker

Reviews

"I can only speak superlatives of Ledger, who is mad-crazy-blazing brilliant as the Joker. Miles from Jack Nicholson's broadly funny take on the role in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman, Ledger takes the role to the shadows, where even what's comic is hardly a relief. No plastic mask for Ledger; his face is caked with moldy makeup that highlights the red scar of a grin, the grungy hair and the yellowing teeth of a hound fresh out of hell." — Rolling Stone²

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