Heath Andrew Ledger (April 4, 1979 – January 22, 2008) was an Academy Award-winning Australian actor. Ledger started acting on television in the 1990s and then began working in Hollywood movies. He was an important actor in many movies, including The Patriot, Monster's Ball, and Brokeback Mountain. He acted as The Joker in The Dark Knight. Ledger died in New York City on January 22, 2008. His final movie, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, came out in 2009.

Early life and family 
Heath Ledger was born in Perth, Western Australia. Ledger's mother comes from the Clan Campbell of Scotland. Heath and his sister Katherine were named after the two main characters in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. Ledger went to Guildford Grammar School, where he had his first acting experiences. He starred in a school production as Peter Pan at age 10.

Career

Early career 
At sixteen, Ledger graduated school early to become an actor with girlfriend Jenna Sorrell. With his best friend, Trevor DiCarlo, Ledger drove across Australia to Sydney. He returned to Perth for the television series Sweat (1996). In this series, he played a gay cyclist.

In 1996, Ledger was involved in the short-lived Fox Broadcasting Company fantasy-drama Roar. In 1999, Ledger starred in the teen comedy movie 10 Things I Hate About You. He also had the lead role in the Australian movie Two Hands, directed by Gregor Jordan.

2000–2008 
From 2000 to 2005 he starred in The Patriot, Monster's Ball, A Knight's Tale, The Four Feathers, Ned Kelly, The Order, and The Brothers Grimm. In 2001, he won a ShoWest Award for the "Male Star of Tomorrow" for his work in The Patriot and A Knight's Tale. In 2003, he was named one of Australian GQ's "Men of the Year" for acting.

Ledger received the "Best Actor of 2005" award from both the New York Film Critics Circle and the San Francisco Film Critics Circle for his acting in Brokeback Mountain. In this movie, he plays Wyoming ranch hand Ennis Del Mar, who is in love with rodeo rider Jack Twist, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. He also received a nomination for a Golden Globe award "Best Actor in a Drama" and a nomination for Academy Award for Best Actor for this acting.

Also in 2005, Ledger played a version of Giacomo Casanova in the romantic comedy movie Casanova. It also starred Sienna Miller.

In 2006, Ledger was asked to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2007, he was one of six actors to play different sides of singer Bob Dylan in the movie I'm Not There.

Ledger played comic book villain The Joker in The Dark Knight. This is the sequel to the 2005 movie Batman Begins. The movie was released on July 18, 2008.

Music 
Ledger started a record company with singer Ben Harper. In 2006, Ledger directed three music videos: "Cause an Effect" and "Seduction Is Evil (She's Hot)" for Australian hip-hop artist N'fa, as well as "Morning Yearning" for Ben Harper.

Public image

Press reception 
Ledger had problems with paparazzi. It is said that he spat at and assaulted a photographer in Sydney in 2004. His relative is also said to have spat on a photographer in 2005. Ledger said this was not true.

Ledger caused problems after he was quoted in January 2006 in Australia's Herald Sun saying that West Virginia had banned Brokeback Mountain when it had not. He also said the state had lynchings as recently as the 1980s. These statements have been said to not be true by historians, who said that the last non-legal public hanging in West Virginia happened in 1931.

Personal life 
From August 2002 to April 2004, Ledger had a relationship with actress Naomi Watts. They met when they filmed Ned Kelly together. Before that, he had dated actresses Lisa Zane and Heather Graham.

Ledger was engaged to actress Michelle Williams, whom he met while filming Brokeback Mountain. Their daughter, Matilda Rose, was born on October 28, 2005 in New York City.

In August 2007, Us Weekly said that Ledger and Williams ended their relationship. Neither Ledger nor Williams said the rumor was true at that time. In September 2007, Williams' father, Larry, told the Sydney Daily Telegraph that Ledger and Williams had separated.

Death 
Ledger was found dead in his apartment  in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City on January 22, 2008. Ledger's body was found by a housekeeper and a massage therapist, who entered the bedroom to find him face down on the floor with sleeping pills on a nearby table. Police said that there were "no obvious signs" of suicide. They also did not think his death was caused by someone else.

On January 23, 2008, Ledger's parents and sister appeared outside Ledger's mother's house in Applecross, a Perth suburb, and read a short statement to the media:

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd released a statement saying, "It was with great sadness that I have learned of the passing of Heath Ledger... It is tragic that we have lost one of our nation's finest actors in the prime of his life."

Filmography

Awards and nominations 
 Academy Awards
 2009 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, The Dark Knight (Won)
 2006 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Brokeback Mountain (Nominated)
 Australian Film Institute Awards
 1999 - Best Actor in a Leading Role, Two Hands (Nominated)
 2003 - Best Actor in a Leading Role, Ned Kelly (Nominated)
 2006 - Best Actor in a Leading Role, Candy (Nominated)
 2008 - Best Actor in a Supporting Role, The Dark Knight (Won)
 BAFTA
 2009 - Best Actor in a Supporting Role, The Dark Knight (Won)
 2006 - Best Actor in a Leading Role, Brokeback Mountain (Nominated)
 Golden Globe Awards
 2009 - Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, The Dark Knight (Won)
 2006 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, Brokeback Mountain (Nominated)
 Independent Spirit Awards
 2008 - Robert Altman Award, I'm Not There. (Won) *shared w/ cast and crew.
 2006 - Best Actor, Brokeback Mountain (Nominated)
 MTV Movie Awards
 2008 - Best Villain, The Dark Knight (Won)
 2008 - Best Fantasy Actor, The Dark Knight (Won)
 2006 - Best Kiss, Brokeback Mountain (Won) *shared w/ Jake Gyllenhaal
 2002 - Best Kiss, A Knight's Tale (Nominated) *shared w/ Shannyn Sossamon
 2002 - Best Musical Sequence A Knight's Tale (Nominated) *shared w/ Shannyn Sossamon 
 2000 - Best Musical Sequence 10 Things I Hate About You (Nominated)
 Screen Actors Guild Awards
 2009 - Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, The Dark Knight (Won)
 2006 - Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Brokeback Mountain (Nominated)
 2006 - Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, Brokeback Mountain (Nominated)

References

Other websites 

 
 Heath Ledger comprehensive profile 
 Heath Ledger at Notable Names Database
 
 Heath Ledger comprehensive news & profile at Daily Telegraph (Australia)
 www.gmanews.tv, Timeline of Heath Ledger's career

1979 births
2008 deaths
Actors who played the Joker
Academy Award winning actors
Satellite Award winners
Accidental deaths in New York City
Actors from Perth, Western Australia
Australian movie actors
Australian television actors
BAFTA Award winning actors
Drug-related accidental deaths in the United States
Golden Globe Award winning actors
Screen Actors Guild Award winners