"Joker" Was Based On This True Story of an Unhinged Man

The Killing Joke

Conrad's influence didn't stop there. His film, The Man Who Laughs, inspired The Killing Joke, a graphic novel which was the jumping-off point for Joaquin Phoenix in his performance of Joker (2019). Both the novel and film are directly drawn from Gwynplaine and even Conrad’s life, depicting both people as tragic outcasts...

Best Joker

People were impressed and amazed by Joaquin Phoenix’s incredible characterization of the villain. He was praised for his dedication to the role, but as his history can attest, Joaquin and the Joker actually have more in common than most people realize. If Conrad was the distant inspiration, Joaquin was the parallel to this comic book part...

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Post originally appeared on Upbeat News.