Heath Ledger

By Mary Joah on January 22nd, 2008

Heath LedgerHeathcliff Andrew Ledger (April 4, 1979 – January 22, 2008) was an Academy Award-nominated Australian actor. After appearing in television roles during the 1990s, Ledger developed a Hollywood career. He starred in both critical and financial successes, including The Patriot, Monster’s Ball and Brokeback Mountain, and completed the role of The Joker in the forthcoming The Dark Knight. Ledger was found dead in a New York City apartment on January 22, 2008.

Early life and family

Ledger was born in Perth, Western Australia, the son of Sally Ledger Bell (née Ramshaw), a French teacher, and Kim Ledger, a race car driver and mining engineer. Ledger’s mother is descended from the Clan Campbell of Scotland and his father comes from a family known in Perth for their ownership of the Ledger Engineering Foundry. Heath (Heathcliff) and his sister Katherine were named after the two main characters in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. The Sir Frank Ledger Charitable Trust was named after his great-grandfather. Ledger attended Marys Mount Primary School, in Gooseberry Hill, and later Guildford Grammar School and its preparatory school of the same name.

Career

Early career

At sixteen, Ledger sat for early graduation exams, and left school to pursue an acting career with girlfriend Jenna Sorrell. With his best friend, Trevor DiCarlo, Ledger made the cross-country drive to Sydney. He returned to Perth for the TV series Sweat (1996), in which he played a gay cyclist.

In 1996, prior to his film debut in the 1997 Australian movie Blackrock, Heath Ledger was involved in the short lived Fox Broadcasting Company fantasy-drama Roar. In 1999, Ledger starred in the teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You and also had the lead role in the acclaimed Australian movie Two Hands, directed by Gregor Jordan.

2000-2008

He starred in The Patriot, Monster’s Ball, A Knight’s Tale, Ned Kelly, The Order, and The Brothers Grimm. In 2001, he won a ShoWest Award for the Male Star of Tomorrow based on his performance in The Patriot, and worldwide release of A Knight’s Tale. In 2003, he was named one of Australian GQ’s Men of the Year for acting.Heath Ledger

In 2005, Ledger received a Best Actor in a Drama Golden Globe nomination for his acclaimed performance in Brokeback Mountain, in which he plays Wyoming ranch hand Ennis Del Mar, who has a love affair with aspiring rodeo rider Jack Twist, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. In the New York Times review of the film, critic Stephen Holden wrote:

“Both Mr. Ledger and Mr. Gyllenhaal make this anguished love story physically palpable. Mr. Ledger magically and mysteriously disappears beneath the skin of his lean, sinewy character. It is a screen performance, as good as the best of Marlon Brando and Sean Penn.”

In another review in Rolling Stone, Peter Travers wrote:

“Ledger’s magnificent performance is an acting miracle. He seems to tear it from his insides. Ledger doesn’t just know how Ennis moves, speaks and listens; he knows how he breathes. To see him inhale the scent of a shirt hanging in Jack’s closet is to take measure of the pain of love lost.”

Ledger received “Best Actor of 2005″ awards for Brokeback Mountain from both the New York Film Critics Circle and the San Francisco Film Critics Circle. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance. In the same year, Ledger played a fictionalized version of Giacomo Casanova in Casanova. The film, a romantic comedy which co-starred Sienna Miller, drew mixed reviews from critics and failed to find a significant audience among general moviegoers, though it fared better on DVD.

In 2006, Ledger was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2007, he was one of six actors to portray different sides of singer Bob Dylan in the film I’m Not There.

On July 21, 2006, Ledger was officially confirmed to play iconic comic book villain The Joker in The Dark Knight, the sequel to the 2005 film Batman Begins, opposite fellow I’m Not There star Christian Bale. The film is set to debut on July 18, 2008.

Music

Ledger started a record company with singer Ben Harper. His first step in the music business was directing Harper’s music video for “Morning Yearning”.

He had directed and produced Australian artist N’Fa’s work, including his video “Seduction is Evil”.

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 a turbulent relationship with paparazzi photographers. It is alleged that he spat at and assaulted a photographer in Sydney in 2004, while a relative also is alleged to have spat on a photographer in 2005. Ledger strongly denied the accusation. On January 13, 2006, several photographers retaliated, squirting Ledger with water pistols as he walked the red carpet for the Sydney premiere of Brokeback Mountain.

Ledger was also subject to criticism in the press following his performance on stage at the 2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Ledger was seen giggling when presenting Brokeback Mountain as a nominee for Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The Los Angeles Times described his behavior as “some kind of gay spoof.” Ledger later called the Times to explain that his actions were the result of stage fright, saying that he was only told he would be presenting the award minutes beforehand. “I am so sorry and I apologize for my nervousness,” Ledger told the newspaper.

Ledger also came under fire after he was quoted in January 2006 in Australia’s Herald Sun as saying that West Virginia had banned Brokeback Mountain (which it had not). He also referred to the state as having had lynchings as recently as the 1980s. These statements have been roundly disputed by archivists and historians, who have found that the last extra-legal public hanging in West Virginia occurred in 1931.

Personal life

Ledger had a relationship with Naomi Watts, whom he met in 2002 during the filming of Ned Kelly. They started dating in August 2002. The couple ended their relationship in April 2004. Previously, he had dated actresses Lisa Zane and Heather Graham.

Ledger was engaged to actress Michelle Williams, whom he met on the set of Brokeback Mountain. Their daughter, Matilda Rose was born on October 28, 2005. The child’s godparents are Ledger’s Brokeback costar Jake Gyllenhaal and Williams’ Dawson’s Creek castmate Busy Phillips.

Ledger and his family divided their time between Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Sydney. Ledger sold his Australian residence in Bronte, New South Wales, for A$7 million.

In August 2007, Us Weekly reported that Ledger and Williams ended their relationship because of their busy schedules. Neither Ledger nor Williams had confirmed the rumor at that time. On September 4, 2007, Williams’ father, Larry, confirmed to Sydney Daily Telegraph that Ledger and Williams had indeed split.

In early 2008, Ledger was reported to be seeing model Gemma Ward after media articles linked the two together at end of 2007 holiday celebrations.

He was filming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus at the time of his death.

Death

Ledger was found dead in an apartment in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City on January 22, 2008. Ledger’s body was found around 3:26pm EST by a housekeeper and a massage therapist, who entered the bedroom to find him unconscious in bed with sleeping pills nearby. Police do not suspect foul play and have not ruled out suicide or an accidental overdose.

Filmography

  1. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) (filming)
  2. The Dark Knight (2008) (post-production) …. The Joker
  3. I’m Not There. (2007) …. Robbie Clark
  4. Candy (2006) …. Dan
  5. Casanova (2005) …. Casanova
    … aka Femur (Philippines: English title)
  6. Brokeback Mountain (2005) …. Ennis Del Mar
  7. The Brothers Grimm (2005) …. Jacob Grimm
  8. Lords of Dogtown (2005) …. Skip
    … aka American Knights (Philippines: English title)
    … aka Dogtown Boys (Germany)
  9. The Order (2003) …. Alex Bernier
    … aka The Sin Eater (Australia) (Singapore: English title) (UK) (USA: working title)
    … aka Sin Eater - Die Seele des Bösen (Germany)
  10. Ned Kelly (2003) …. Ned Kelly
    … aka Ned Kelly: Public Enemy No. 1 (Philippines: English title: poster title)
  11. The Four Feathers (2002) …. Harry Faversham
  12. Monster’s Ball (2001) …. Sonny Grotowski
    … aka Bal du monstre, Le (Canada: French title)
  13. A Knight’s Tale (2001) …. Sir William Thatcher / Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein of Gelderland
  14. The Patriot (2000) …. Gabriel Martin
    … aka Patriot, Der (Germany)
  15. “Roar” …. Conor (13 episodes, 1997-2000)
    - Sweet Bridget (2000) TV episode …. Conor
    - The Cage (2000) TV episode …. Conor
    - Daybreak (2000) TV episode …. Conor
    - Traps (2000) TV episode …. Conor
    - Tash (2000) TV episode …. Conor
    (8 more)
  16. Two Hands (1999) …. Jimmy
  17. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) …. Patrick Verona
  18. “Home and Away” (1988) TV series …. Scott Irwin (unknown episodes, 1997)
  19. Paws (1997) …. Oberon
  20. Blackrock (1997) …. Toby Ackland
  21. “Sweat” …. Snowy Bowles (1 episode, 1996)
    - Just Good Friends (1996) TV episode …. Snowy Bowles
  22. “Ship to Shore” (1993) TV series …. Cyclist (unknown episodes)
  23. Clowning Around (1992)

Awards and nominations

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