Heath Ledger, an Australian actor, is well-known for portraying the role of Joker in the 2008 superhero movie "The Dark Knight". Released around six months after Ledger's untimely passing, the film was a massive box-office success, grossing over $1 billion worldwide, half of which was made in North America alone. Ledger's performance was effusively celebrated, winning him a surfeit of posthumous awards including the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Following Peter Finch's win for "Network," Ledger became only the second actor to win a posthumous Academy Award.
Heath Ledger was an Australian actor and music video director. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actowhich was awarded to him after his death.
Ledger made his acting debut with a small role in the 1992 Australian family film "Clowning Around". After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, he had his big breakthrough in 1999 when he starred in the crime film "Two Hands" and the teen comedy "10 Things I Hate About You".
Following his success with "Brokeback Mountain," Ledger starred opposite Abbie Cornish in the Australian romantic drama "Candy," in which he played a heroin addict. Next, he appeared in the musical drama biopic "I'm Not There," embodying one of the many sides of Bob Dylan's personality. Ledger's most iconic role came in 2008 when he portrayed the supervillain Joker in Christopher Nolan's Batman sequel "The Dark Knight."
When he passed in 2008, Ledger had already completed around half of his performance in what would become his final film, Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus." Gilliam finished the film by having some of Ledger's actor friends – among them, Jude Law and Colin Farrell – play different magical incarnations of his character. The film was released in 2009.
Heath Ledger was born on 4th April 1979 in Perth, the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. His birthname was Heath Andrew Ledger. He holds an Australian nationality and belonged to the mixed caucasian ethnicity (English, Irish, and Scottish). His star sign is Aries. He was a follower of Christianity.
Ledger was born into a middle-class family. His father, Kim Ledger, was a racing car driver and mining engineer while his mother, Sally Ramshaw, was a teacher. He grew up with his biological older sister Kate and has two younger half-sisters: Ashleigh Bell and Olivia Ledger from his parent's second marriage.
Ledger attended Mary's Mount Primary School in Gooseberry Hill, a suburb of Perth. Then, he studied at Guildford Grammar School, where he had his first acting experience. In 1995 aged 16 he quit his diploma education to pursue an acting career.
Ledger's most renowned romance was with an American actress, Michelle Williams. From 2004 to 2007, the pair lived as romantic partners. The beautiful couple met for the first time during the filming set of "Brokeback Mountain" in the summer of 2004. While never married, they became the parents of their beautiful daughter, Matilda Rose born on 28th October 2005, in New York City.
After his breakup with Williams, the tabloid press and other public media linked Ledger romantically with supermodels Helena Christensen and Gemma Ward. In 2011, Ward stated the pair had begun dating in November 2007 and that their families had spent that year's Christmas together in their hometown of Perth.
On 22nd January 2008, Ledger was found unconscious in his bed by his housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, and his massage therapist, Diana Wolozin, in his apartment in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. He was 28. He died as a result of an accidental overdose of medications. The postmortem report concluded that Ledger died "as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine".
At the time of his death on 22nd January 2008, the net worth of Heath Ledger was around $16 million. Ledger had managed to earn such a huge fortune through his successful acting career. During his lifetime, Ledger played his role in more than 20 films and a number of TV series too. He used to earn around $2 million annually as an actor.
He was paid a whopping $5 million for his role in the DC superhero movie "The Dark Knight". The 28-year actor also left a vast real estate property with his family and daughter: a $2.1 million home in the Hollywood Hills and a luxurious apartment in New York City.
Heath Ledger was 6 ft 1 inch tall and his body weight was 84 Kg. He was a very handsome man with a formal dressing style. He used to look sexy and attractive in his short raised hair cut which was dark brown in color. He had a pair of mesmerizing Light Brown-colored eyes.