Joaquin Phoenix becomes the 2nd actor to win an Oscar for playing the Joker

Joker
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Looking to win an Academy Award? Playing the Joker is becoming a pretty decent shot at one.

Joaquin Phoenix on Sunday took home the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in Joker, becoming the second person to win an Oscar for portraying the Batman villain. The first, of course, was Heath Ledger, who in 2009 posthumously won Best Supporting Actor for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.