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Heath Ledger's haunting Joker has been voted as the second greatest movie character in a new poll.
Compiled by Empire magazine, the list of the top 100 characters gives top spot to Indiana Jones with Darth Vader, Captain Jack Sparrow and Hannibal Lecter rounding out the top five.
Empire Editor Rod Yates said it was no surprise that Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, took the top spot, but said the late Ledger's Joker in the Dark Knight was also impressive.
More than 80 per cent who voted for the Joker chose Ledger's interpretation over Jack Nicholson's, the magazine said.
Its defining moment was: "Ledger's Joker taunting Batman in the interrogation room - You're just a freak like me".
"A fitting tribute to a much-missed actor," Yates said.
Among other characters to make the list were Michael Caton's Darryl Kerrigan from the iconic Australian hit The Castle (72) and Mel Gibson for his roles in Mad Max (49) and Braveheart (34).
Crocodile Dundee was 78th, followed by Wolverine from X Men, played by Hugh Jackman, while Russell Crowe's Maximus from Gladiator came in at number 90.
Star Wars movies had the most characters in the list.
Seventeen per cent of characters are psychos while seven per cent are cops.
The special edition of Empire features all the 100 characters on the cover.
Here's the top ten from Empire magazine's 100 greatest characters of all time list:
1. Indiana Jones
2. The Joker
3. Darth Vader
4. Captain Jack Sparrow
5. Hannibal Lecter
6. James Bond
7. Tyler Durden (Fight Club)
8. Han Solo
9. Forrest Gump
10. The Terminator
- AAP
