Heath Ledger

Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor. Known for his versatility across independent and major studio films, his work consisted of 20 films in a variety of genres. He received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. After playing roles in Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, he moved to the United States in 1998 to further develop his film career. His film breakthrough came as the lead in the romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You (1999). He gained further recognition for his roles in films such as The Patriot (2000), A Knight's Tale, Monster's Ball (both 2001), and Lords of Dogtown (2005). For his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain (2005), he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He followed this by starring in Candy (2006) and as a composite of Bob Dylan's life and persona in Todd Haynes's I'm Not There (2007). In January 2008, Ledger was found dead from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. A few months before his death, he had finished filming his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008); the film became his first posthumous release, while his performance garnered widespread media attention and universal acclaim, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His final film performance in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was released posthumously in 2009.