His name is Conrad Veidt. Hans Walter Konrad Weidt, to be exact. He was a German silent film actor that emigrated to England just as the Nazi regime began taking over his country.
He appeared in well over 100 movies, but his must notable can be argued is, The Man Who Laughs (1928). According to the Los Angeles Times, "Conrad Veidt starred in this semi-silent film based on Victor Hugo's novel in which the son of a lord is punished for his father's disrespect to the king by having his face carved into a permanent grin."
Comic book artist Bob Kane, writer Bill Finger and artist Jerry Robinson used stills of Veidt in The Man Who Laughs as inspiration for the iconic supervillain The Joker. The creators have long disputed which one of them actually came up with the character.
But now you know.
Through The Memories Of Others May We Achieve Immortality
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