Everyone gives credit to Tim Burton for being the first filmmaker to make superhero movies serious and grim, as 1989’s Batman is a stellar example of what a Batman film should be, but there’s another pioneer in there who goes uncredited: Jack Nicholson.

He was the first seriously psychotic Joker we saw on film and truly brought the menace of Joker to life. He also inspired Heath Ledger and Jared Leto, not to mention Mark Hamill’s portrayal of the Joker in the animated universe. He’s also the highest earning actor in any Batman movie, ever.

When he signed on for the role, Nicholson agreed to only be paid $6 million for the role, but wanted a share of the movie’s profits. After the film was a huge success, he netted an additional $44 million just off of his percentages of the film’s gross profit.