Joker in other media City villains the Penguin, the Riddler and Catwoman. Jack Nicholson played the Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 film "Batman". The "Newsweek" review of the film stated that the best scenes are due to the surreal black comedy portrayed in the Joker. In 2003, American Film Institute ranked Nicholson's performance #45 on their list of 50 greatest film villains. Hugo Blick and David U. Hodges play younger versions of the character in flashbacks in "Batman" and "Batman Forever", respectively. In the film, Jack Napier is the right-hand man of mob boss Carl Grissom prior to his transformation into the Joker. During
Joker (The Dark Knight) performance; he himself regarded it as his most enjoyable. When the film was released in July 2008, six months after the actor had died from an accidental prescription drug overdose, the performance caused a sensation, receiving widespread acclaim and numerous posthumous accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The character is indirectly referenced at the end of "Batman Begins", when Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) describes to Batman (Christian Bale) a suspect wanted in connection with an armed robbery and double homicide. Gordon shows Batman a joker playing card left at the crime scene. The Joker (Heath Ledger)