This chap is Conrad Veidt, whose appearance as Gwynplaine in The Man Who Laughed (1928) - based on the novel by Victor Hugo - served as the model for Batman's arch-enemy, The Joker.
Batman first appeared in Detective Comics, in 1939, as did The Joker and Catwoman. Veidt must have made quite an impression on Kane's assistant, Bill Finger, to inspire the creation of the Joker character, a decade later.
He's creepy alright.