Mark Hamill's 5 Best Movie Roles (Not Including Luke Skywalker), Ranked

Mark Hamill's breakthrough role came in 1977 in a galaxy far, far away — and honestly, he could've done the two sequels that followed and called it a day with his acting career there and then. And yet, ever the thespian, and determined not to be remembered only as the son of a wheezing intergalactic warlord, Hamill made sure to throw in some performances that didn't always require him to wield a lightsaber or talk to a robot that spoke in whistles and beeps. Over the years, he's stretched himself beyond the moon of Endor and the barren wastelands of Tatooine, and in doing so, handled some roles that have become equally synonymous with him as the legendary Jedi.

Besides some big hits and some cult classics (like the forgotten gem, "Guyver") Hamill made some appearances before and after his time in the "Star Wars" universe, some of which didn't hesitate to give a nod to his world-famous farmboy with special powers. Some roles required his unmistakable voice to portray characters that were as beloved as Master Skywalker, while others, in recent years, have demanded a screen presence that has become a highlight of the film. With that, here are five of Mark Hamill's best performances, and none of them required him to use the Force to get the job done.

Before he briefly popped back to "Star Wars," Mark Hamill had spent plenty of time poking fun at it while sharing scenes with everyone from the Simpsons to the Muppets. In 2001, though, he went for an R-rated roasting of his beloved character and himself, under the direction of the master of his own Askewniverse, Kevin Smith, in "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back."

Just like every other star who shows up in the stoner sequel, Mark Hamill makes a meta move in Kevin Smith's movie, playing himself, who is also playing the role of C**knocker in "The Bluntman and Chronic Movie." Cut from the same cloth as Luke Skywalker and his fan-favorite "The Flash" villain, The Trickster, C**knocker is an unashamedly spiky-haired loon with a comic-sized mitt and a knock-off lightsaber. From there, a slapstick fight ensues that shows Hamill having heaps of fun, and as a result, so do we for having made it this far into the movie.

Does it demand a lot from Hamill? Not really, but the same can be said of the appearances of Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Chris Rock in this film. Ultimately, a knock-off Darth Vader punches Jason Mewes in the crotch, and honestly, that's more than audiences deserved from Hamill in a movie that's aged as questionably as a Mooby milkshake.

Hamill might be forever known as one of the most legendary heroes in film history, but in 2025, he took on the role of a mean piece of work in Francis Lawrence's adaptation of Stephen King's story, "The Long Walk." In Lawrence's film, he leans into the worst version of a crotchety old man in a dystopian future where young men go on a deadly race to win the prize of a lifetime. Hamill played the hard-faced Major, watching their every step, and had no issue with gunning down stragglers and pushing the buttons to push them forward.

While the film relied on the incredible performances and searing chemistry between David Jonsson and Cooper Hoffman as the story's toughest walkers, Hamill haunted the film with his few appearances. Flitting in and out of the race for life and death like a Grim Reaper, he's one of the few actors beyond their twenties who are part of this traumatic trek, serving as a great foil right up until the home stretch. Prior to this, Hamill had certainly given us a great go at villains (some of which are on this list), but the Major really feels like the right kind of soulless performance in one of the most underappreciated movies of 2025.

If you've ever read a Batman comic and heard the late Kevin Conroy's voice when reading the Caped Crusader's speech bubbles, chances are you've heard Hamill's maniacal laugh on the same page as the Joker. Hamill might have spent some time in the Marvel universe as Arnim Zola, but his take on the Clown Prince of Crime was just as essential in "Batman: The Animated Series" as his co-star tasked with taking on the Dark Knight. It's why it came as no surprise that he appeared in "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" and gave us some of his best.

While the Phantasm might be the new foe facing off against Batman, directors Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski spend some time fleshing out the lore of his arch-nemesis, which naturally allows Hamill to have a ball as usual as the smiling psychopath.

Even with a small amount of screen time, spending most of it stirring the pot of Bats' latest conflict is a treat. It's a great reminder that just like Batman and the Joker, you really can't have Conroy without Hamill, which makes it completely understandable that the man behind the face-painted maniac refused to reprise his role after his co-star's passing in 2022 (via ScreenRant). Nevertheless, this film still stands as one of the best Bat-stories to go back to, especially thanks to the added jokes thrown in for good measure.

Some might see it as sacrilege that "Mask of the Phantasm" isn't Hamill's highest turn as the Joker appearing on this list. Well, after repeated viewings, it's clear that while "Phantasm" might still be hailed as the best animated Batman movie to date, "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" is the one that unexpectedly houses Hamill's best run at the character that he made his own, even if it's not the original article.

The futuristic chapter, which follows Terry McGinnis as the new Batman, sees Tim Drake getting "activated" by the Joker's DNA that had been implanted into his brain. The scientific babble allows us to be reunited with a far more wicked Mr. J. — one who is riding high on evading death itself. What truly makes this Hamill's best bout with the legendary DC villain, though, is when he comes up against the new Bat that isn't in on the joke.

Dishing out the usual wicked punchlines as the legendary foil of Bruce Wayne is one thing, but Hamill's best work comes when he starts to lose his grip against his old foe's successor. For the briefest of moments, it shows us a version of the Joker Hamill had never given us before — one who hates to be the punchline and, out of frustration and rage, becomes a far more monstrous version of the character we'd become accustomed to, proving that a serious Joker isn't something to laugh about.

In the same year Mark Hamill was yelling at desperate young men to keep moving in "The Long Walk," he was also being an estranged grandfather in yet another Stephen King adaptation, only this time under the direction of Mike Flanagan. "The Life of Chuck" marked another effort by the director to adapt a King story to the screen, following the likes of "Doctor Sleep" and the survival horror story, "Gerald's Game." Hamill played Albie Krantz, the tortured and cynical "zayde" (paternal grandfather) to Chuck, who struggles to endure the immense grief that tears through his family. In a movie all about cherishing the precious moments in life, Albie is battling the tragedies that have befallen him, with only the past to dwell on and the bottle to keep him company.

And yet, even with this sorrow that haunts him and is often taken out on Chuck (played here by Benjamin Pajak and Jacob Tremblay, respectively), Albie shows glints of hope for his grandson, albeit in the wrong direction. It's this that makes Hamill's performance a partially painful watch. In Flanagan's immensely overlooked movie about life, death, and everything in between, "Life of Chuck" contains multitudes. It also provides a brilliant platform for Hamill to deliver what is arguably the best performance of his career.