His "Joker"-inspiring performance came from a 1928 German flick titled The Man Who Laughs. In this, Conrad portrayed the role of Gwynplaine, a quirky (and scary) circus actor who falls for a blind woman. Though the movie was meant to be viewed as a romantic drama, some viewers saw it as a horror film due to Conrad's creepy character...
Gwynplaine's Grin
His smile made the character go from romantic love interest to eerie villain easily. Gwynplaine wears a wide, spooky smile throughout the film. This happened as a result of a childhood accident resulting in deformity. His grim grin wasn’t applauded back in 1928, but when applied to the right character, American pop culture knew he could be a star...