7. HE REFUSED TO SHAVE HIS MUSTACHE FOR THE JOKER.
The upper lip was covered in white clown paint, though the hair can still be clearly seen in most shots. The look became so associated with the character, it has even been reproduced in modern action figures. It makes the character appropriately demented, in a way. Looking at his grandfather, we can understand why he was so proud of the ‘stache.
8. HE IS THE ONLY ACTOR TO PORTRAY THE JOKER WHO DID NOT RECEIVE AN OSCAR.
Warner Baxter won an Oscar for the Cisco Kid, and Romero did not. To rub salt in that wound, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger and Jared Leto all scored a little golden man trophy, too. (Albeit, only Ledger won for the Joker, while Nicholson was nominated.) Give respect where it is due!
9. HE WAS ALSO THE CRIMINAL MASTERMIND A.J. ARNO IN THREE DISNEY FILMS.
The younger siblings of Batman fans likely grew up watching Romero as another dastardly villain, A.J. Arno, in Disney’s madcap Medfield College comedies, all starring a young Kurt Russell. The first arrived in 1969, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, which spawned the sequels Now You See Him, Now You Don’t and The Strongest Man in the World. In each of the movies Russell’s Dexter character somehow gets superpowers (memory, invisibility, strength) to thwart Arno.
