Batman (1989) cast: Where are they now?

Jack Nicholson

By the time that he played The Joker / Jack Napier in 1989’s Batman, Jack Nicholson was already considered one of the greatest actors in the history of film. His eccentric performance as the DC Comics villain added to that legacy, and Nicholson would go on to captivate us for two more decades.

Immediately after Batman, he directed his third film (which he also starred in) The Two Jakes. Throughout that decade, he would appear in multiple revolutionary and acclaimed movies, including A Few Good Men (which earned him his 10th Oscar nomination), Mars Attacks (which reunited with him Batman director Tim Burton), and As Good As It Gets (which earned him his third Oscar win).

After the turn of the century, Nicholson leaned into his comedy chops a lot more, appearing in the comedies About Schmidt, Anger Management, Something’s Gotta Give, and The Bucket List. That said, he did return to his thriller roots in The Departed, for which he received acclaim for his performance.

He stepped away from acting in 2010 after his final film, the star-studded comedy How Do You Know, but he reportedly doesn’t consider himself retired and very nearly returned to the big screen for a movie that was ultimately abandoned. He has been approached to cameo in a few projects over the years and has declined, but who knows, maybe we’ll see him on the silver screen again one day.

Either way, what a legendary career he has had.