In the 1989 Batman film, which actor played the Joker?

Jack Nicholson played the Joker in the 1989 film Batman.

Nicholson’s Joker is the criminal Jack Napier, who becomes disfigured and adopts the Joker identity after falling into a chemical vat. The film presents him as Batman’s principal enemy and links his history to the Wayne family in a major change from many earlier versions of the character.

Tim Burton directed Batman, with Michael Keaton playing Bruce Wayne and Batman. Nicholson’s performance combined dark comedy, theatrical menace and extravagant costumes, helping make the film a major pop-culture event before its release.

The film is often distinguished from later Batman movies because Heath Ledger played the Joker in The Dark Knight, while Joaquin Phoenix played a different version in Joker. Batman was based largely on the DC Comics character but was not a direct adaptation of one single comic-book storyline.