Why He's No. 8

Heath Ledger starred in several box-office bonanzas, including The Patriot (2000) with Mel Gibson, A Knight’s Tale (2001) with Shannyn Sossamon, Monster’s Ball (2001), which won Halle Berry an Oscar, and The Lords of Dogtown (2005) with Nikki Reed. However, Heath Ledger’s heartbreaking, Oscar-nominated performance as gay cowboy Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain (2005) raised his profile exponentially. Other Heath Ledger flicks included Candy (2006) and I'm Not There (2007).

Back Stage

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. Since then he has starred in The Patriot, Monster's Ball, A Knight's Tale, Ned Kelly, The Order, and The Brothers Grimm. 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 Spring 2006, it was announced that Ledger would portray Bob Dylan in the film I'm Not There. Although not actually playing Dylan himself, Ledger along with several other actors will portray different sides of the singer. Ledger started a record company with singer Ben Harper. His first step in the music business was directing Harper's video " Morning Yearning ". Ledger has 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 denies 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 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. In August 2007, Us Weekly reported that Ledger and Williams ended their relationship because of their busy schedule. Neither Ledger nor Williams has confirmed the rumor at the time of this writing. On September 4, 2007, Williams' father, Larry, confirmed to Sydney Daily Telegraph that Ledger & Williams have indeed split. In September 2007, it was reported that Ledger began dating Helena Christensen. She has denied the rumor.



On Tuesday the 22 of January, 2008 Heath Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment, face down and naked at the foot of his bed with prescription pills nearby. He died at the age of twenty eight. His last movie would be ' Dark Knight ', where he would play the brooding Joker to Christian Bale's Batman. It turned out that his final performance would be the most celebrated of his career. His turn as Gotham City's most deranged criminal helped make The Dark Knight one of the biggest box office hits in movie history, and earned him posthumous nominations for Best Supporting Actor from both the Screen Actors Guild and the Academy. Posthumously won the Best Supporting Actor award from the Screen Actors Guild for performance in The Dark Knight (2008). His co-star, Gary Oldman accepted on his behalf. His ' The Dark Knight ' (2008) costar Gary Oldman accepting the Screen Actors Guild award on behalf of him on January 27th, 2009.

Forcaste

When a young, hunky 20 year old heart-throb Heath Ledger first came to the attention of the public in 1999, it was all too easy to tag him as a "pretty boy" and an actor of not much depth. He has spent the past five years trying desperately to sway this image away, but this has indeed been a double-edged sword. But that comes much later in his story. Heath Ledger was born on the fourth of April 1979, in Perth, Western Australia.