Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger

Birthdate
April 4, 1979 (45 years old)
Place of Birth
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Date of Death
January 22, 2008
Known For
Acting

Details

Birthdate
April 4, 1979 (45 years old)
Place of Birth
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Date of Death
January 22, 2008
Known For
Acting

Biography

Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor and music video director. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career further. His work consisted of twenty films, including 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), The Patriot (2000), A Knight's Tale (2001), Monster's Ball (2001), Lords of Dogtown (2005), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Candy (2006), I'm Not There (2007), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), the latter two being posthumous releases. He also produced and directed music videos and aspired to be a film director.

For his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain, Ledger won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and the Best International Actor Award from the Australian Film Institute; he was the first actor to win the latter award posthumously. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming the eighth-youngest nominee in the category at that time. Posthumously, he shared the 2007 Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award with the rest of the ensemble cast, the director, and the casting director for the film I'm Not There, which was inspired by the life and songs of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. In the film, Ledger portrayed a fictional actor named Robbie Clark, one of six characters embodying aspects of Dylan's life and persona.

Ledger died on 22 January 2008 as a result of an accidental overdose of medications. A few months before his death, Ledger had finished filming his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight. At the time of his death, The Dark Knight was in post-production, and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, in which he was playing his last role as Tony, was in the midst of filming. His death affected the subsequent promotion of The Dark Knight. His performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight earned him universal acclaim and popularity from fans and critics alike. Ledger also received numerous posthumous awards for his work on The Dark Knight, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, a Best Actor International Award at the 2008 Australian Film Institute Awards, the 2008 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor, the 2009 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, and the 2009 BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Heath Ledger's LGBTQ+ Titles

Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain
Ennis Del Mar

Acting (42)

2022
Heath Ledger: A Tragic Tale as self (Archive footage)
2020
Joker: Put on a Happy Face as Self (archive footage)
2017
I Am Heath Ledger as Self (archive footage)
2013
The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight Trilogy as Self (archive footage)
2012
Too Young to Die as Self (archive footage) (1 episode)
2012
Honest Trailers as Joker (archive footage) (1 episode)
2009
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus as Tony
2009
Heath Ledger: A Tribute as Self (archive footage)
2008
The Dark Knight as Joker
2007
I'm Not There as Robbie
2006
Candy as Dan
2005
Casanova as Casanova
2005
The Brothers Grimm: Bringing the Fairytale to Life as Self
2005
The Reichen Show as Self (1 episode)
2005
Brokeback Mountain as Ennis Del Mar
2005
The Making of 'Lords of Dogtown' as Self
2005
The Brothers Grimm as Jacob Grimm
2005
Lords of Dogtown as Skip
2003
The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self (1 episode)
2003
The Order as Alex Bernier
2003
Celebrities Uncensored as Self (1 episode)
2003
Ned Kelly as Ned Kelly
2002
The Four Feathers as Harry Faversham
2002
A Knight's Tale: Making Of as Self
2001
Monster's Ball as Sonny Grotowski
2001
A Knight's Tale as William Thatcher
2000
The Patriot: The Art of War as Self
2000
The Patriot as Gabriel Martin
1999
Rove as Self (1 episode)
1999
Teen Choice Awards as Self - Nominee (1 episode)
1999
Two Hands as Jimmy
1999
10 Things I Hate About You as Patrick Verona
1997
Paws as Oberon
1997
Roar as Conor (13 episodes)
1997
Blackrock as Toby Ackland
1996
E! True Hollywood Story as Self (archive footage) (1 episode)
1996
Sweat as Snowy Bowles (26 episodes)
1993
Ship to Shore as Cyclist (3 episodes)
1993
Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest (1 episode)
1992
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2 episodes)
1991
Clowning Around as Orphan Clown
1953
The Oscars as Self (1 episode)

Crew (1)

2008
The Dark Knight • In Memory Of
• In Memory Of