Heath Ledger (The Joker), speaking in August 2007: I was a huge fan of Jack Nicholson’s Joker, but, you know, ... while the black-and-white makeup gave the ragged clown look.

The heavy-breathing buzz, pre-release patter and potent publicity has primarily spotlighted Heath Ledger's Joker. And that was before Ledger died last January of an accidental drug overdose at 28.

Heath Ledger’s frenzied reinvention of the Joker had fans and colleagues buzzing. His dreadful clown face was seen online by millions, and stood as the goosebump-raising image upon which nearly ...