In the wake of Tim Curry's tragic passing, many of us have been celebrating his enormous range and incredibly varied career. Though one of his most famous roles was in the 1990 It miniseries as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, he almost played another iconic (and murderous) clown in one of the best superhero shows of all time, animated or otherwise.
According to Men's Journal, Curry originally signed on to voice the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series back in 1992. He was eventually replaced by Mark Hamill, but not because his version of Mista J wasn't good. In fact, it was the opposite.
"He was terrifying, and like, lock up the children and don't let them watch," late Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy said in a 2021 documentary about the show. "Tim was just a little like a horror movie… crazy scary." In the clip shared below, you can hear exactly what Conroy means. The animation paired with Curry's demonic take on the character makes for an even scarier TV show (because let's face it, some of us had nightmares for days while watching Batman: The Animated Series when we were kids).
Before Mark Hamill was cast as the Joker in BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, the role belonged to Tim Curry.Here's a compilation of clips from his recording sessions before the recast.RIP to a legend. pic.twitter.com/xzztiqv8mVAugust 26, 2026
Some of Curry's most notable voiceover work includes explorer-dad Nigel Thornberry in the early 2000s Nickelodeon show The Wild Thornberrys, the villainous Hexxus in FernGully: The Last Rainforest, and the Sumo Singer in Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, who sings that Donna Summer song for some reason.
Batman: The Animated Series is streaming now on HBO Max. The Wild Thornberrys and Rugrats in Paris: The Movie are both available on Paramount Plus. FernGully can be viewed for free on Tubi. For more, check out our list of the best animated shows of all time.
