Heath Ledger Biography
Heath Ledger was an enormously talented and charismatic film actor. However, his tragic death stemmed a blossoming career. Let us take a look at his checkered life.
Heath Ledger was born on April 4, 1979 in Perth, Australia. His father was Kim Ledger, a mining engineer. His mother was Sally Ledger Bell, a French teacher. As his parents were Wuthering Heights fans, they named their son Heathcliff and daughter Catherine after the star-crossed lovers in Emily Bronte's classic tearjerker. His full name was Heathcliff Andrew Ledger. His family owned a factory called Ledger Engineering Foundry. Heath studied at Mary's Mount Primary School in Gooseberry Hill and Guildford Grammar School. He had an early interest in acting and performed onstage with the Guildford Theatre Company at a relatively young age of ten. He was also a chess champion and won the state junior chess championship at age ten. His parents got divorced when Heath was eleven years old.
In 1992, he got a role in an obscure film 'Clowning Around'. He played the role of a gay cyclist in the 1996 series 'Sweat'. In 1997, he played the role of warrior hero Conor in the Dark Ages TV series 'Roar'. He starred with Julia Stiles in 1999 in the teen movie 'Ten Things That I Hate About You' which was a loose version of William Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew. The movie was a hit and made him a teenage heartthrob. In1999, Ledger starred in the crime thriller "Two Hands" (1998) directed by Gregor Jordan and earned a Best Actor nomination from the AFI (American Film Institute) Film Festival. Heath had several romantic relationships with actresses like Naomi Watts, Lisa Zane and Heather Graham.
He starred with Mel Gibson in the film 'The Patriot' in 2000. In 2001, he received a fair amount of praise for his supporting role as a deeply depressed prison employee in the Oscar-winning 2001 film Monster's Ball. In 2003, Australia's Ned Kelly featured him in the title role of sixteen-year-old outlaw Ned Kelly, and placed him among a skilled cast consisting of the likes of Six Feet Under star and fellow Australian Rachel Griffiths, the Oscar-winning Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Nao. In 2005, Ledger caught the imagination of the film world with his sensitive role as Ennis Del Mar in the gay-themed modern western 'Brokeback Mountain'. Enchanting audiences with his portrayal of the soft-spoken and tortured character struggling with his love for fellow cowboy Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), he went on to win multiple awards for the role, including Best Actor wins from numerous film critics associations, as well as an Oscar nomination. His final film was the 2005 film 'Casanova' directed by Lasse Hallstrom. His engagement to Brokeback costar Michelle Williams made media headlines. A daughter was born to them in late 2005. The two ended their relationship in 2006. In 2007, he starred as the 'egomaniac superstar' incarnation of Bob Dylan in the film 'I'm Not There'.
On January 22, 2008, he was found unconscious at his fourth floor apartment at 421 Broome Street in SoHo, Manhattan. Medical personnel who arrived, failed to revive him. The cause of his death was acute intoxication resulting from an abuse of prescription medication. A final memorial service was held on February 9, 2008, which was attended by several hundred invited guests. Heath's mortal remains were cremated at Fremantle Cemetery. He had already finished filming his role as 'The Joker' in 'The Dark Knight', a Batman film released in July 2008.
In 1992, he got a role in an obscure film 'Clowning Around'. He played the role of a gay cyclist in the 1996 series 'Sweat'. In 1997, he played the role of warrior hero Conor in the Dark Ages TV series 'Roar'. He starred with Julia Stiles in 1999 in the teen movie 'Ten Things That I Hate About You' which was a loose version of William Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew. The movie was a hit and made him a teenage heartthrob. In1999, Ledger starred in the crime thriller "Two Hands" (1998) directed by Gregor Jordan and earned a Best Actor nomination from the AFI (American Film Institute) Film Festival. Heath had several romantic relationships with actresses like Naomi Watts, Lisa Zane and Heather Graham.
He starred with Mel Gibson in the film 'The Patriot' in 2000. In 2001, he received a fair amount of praise for his supporting role as a deeply depressed prison employee in the Oscar-winning 2001 film Monster's Ball. In 2003, Australia's Ned Kelly featured him in the title role of sixteen-year-old outlaw Ned Kelly, and placed him among a skilled cast consisting of the likes of Six Feet Under star and fellow Australian Rachel Griffiths, the Oscar-winning Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Nao. In 2005, Ledger caught the imagination of the film world with his sensitive role as Ennis Del Mar in the gay-themed modern western 'Brokeback Mountain'. Enchanting audiences with his portrayal of the soft-spoken and tortured character struggling with his love for fellow cowboy Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), he went on to win multiple awards for the role, including Best Actor wins from numerous film critics associations, as well as an Oscar nomination. His final film was the 2005 film 'Casanova' directed by Lasse Hallstrom. His engagement to Brokeback costar Michelle Williams made media headlines. A daughter was born to them in late 2005. The two ended their relationship in 2006. In 2007, he starred as the 'egomaniac superstar' incarnation of Bob Dylan in the film 'I'm Not There'.
On January 22, 2008, he was found unconscious at his fourth floor apartment at 421 Broome Street in SoHo, Manhattan. Medical personnel who arrived, failed to revive him. The cause of his death was acute intoxication resulting from an abuse of prescription medication. A final memorial service was held on February 9, 2008, which was attended by several hundred invited guests. Heath's mortal remains were cremated at Fremantle Cemetery. He had already finished filming his role as 'The Joker' in 'The Dark Knight', a Batman film released in July 2008.
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