Mark Hamill Sends Out the Clown, For Real This Time
Mark Hamill may have gotten famous portraying Luke Skywalker, but his acting career never quite took off afterward. Hamill found another route to the hearts and minds of a new generation, though — portraying the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series. Say what you want about Nicholson’s or Ledger’s or even Romero’s Joker, but TAS Joker is the defining Joker for most people my age, and at the very least the very first voice that comes to mind when someone says “The Joker.” Now, Hamill’s ready to say goodbye to the role after his performance as the Clown Prince of Crime in the recently-released video game Batman: Arkham City. For those who’ve been following along at home, Hamill also said this after he wrapped up Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009, but he ended up sticking around for the sequel after its developers promised him that this Joker role would be something special. Everyone give Joker a nice buzzer handshake on his way out.
Michael Sacco is a freelance writer and editor.