Remembering Late Actor Heath Ledger: Let’s Look Back At His Life And Career!

Known for his iconic role as the Joker, Heath Ledger’s sudden death in 2008 left the world in mourning when he was on the peak of his career. Over a decade has gone by, but Heath Ledger still lives on in our hearts and in the memories of those who had the honour of knowing him.

On the day what would have been his 40th birthday, let’s remember our beloved star by looking back at his life and career.

Early life

Heath Ledger was born on 4^th April 1979 in Australia. The late actor decided to move to the United States to pursue an acting career in 1998.

Acting Career

His breakout role came in 1999 when he played the role of Patrick Verona in the teen movie ‘10 Things I Hate About You’, opposite actress Julia Stiles.

Ledger then went on acting in Two Hands, The Patriot, A Knight’s Tale and Monster’s Ball. As his career progressed, he chose to play challenging roles, and one of those was a homosexual cowboy in Brokeback Mountain in 2005 for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

His role as the menacing Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is considered to be one of the greatest performances of all time which posthumously earned him several awards, including the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Young Love

He met Heather Graham in Prague while the two were filming different movies.

A Special Soul

Ledger dated Naomi Watts for a couple of years after working together on the sets of ‘Ned Kelly’ and their relationship attracted lots of attention from the press. When asked about Heath Ledger in an interview in 2011, Naomi said that he was a ‘very special soul’ to her and they had ‘a beautiful relationship’ with ‘lots of affection and laughing'.

Starting A Family 

The beloved actor fell in love with Michelle Williams after meeting on the sets of Brokeback Mountain in 2004. They made headlines in April 2005 when announcing they were expecting a child.

The lovebird also got engaged in August that year and was spotted getting a marriage license in NY in November 2016. While some rumours made the rounds that they secretly got married in 2007, the pair never officially tied the knot. The late actor once said that it was not necessary.

Matilda’s Father

The lovebird welcomed their adorable daughter Matilda on 28^th October 2005.

Life As A Public Figure

His agent Steve Alexander once talked about how Ledger felt about fame in ‘I Am Heath Ledger’ documentary:

Oscar Nominee 

Heath and Michelle walked the 78th Oscar’s red carpet together. The couple were both nominated for 2005’s Brokeback Mountain with Michelle for Best Supporting Actress and Heath for Best Actor.

Admired By His Peers 

Bromance

Jake Gyllenhaal, who is also godfather to his daughter, once opened up about his passing.

Gone Too Soon

The world went into mourning after the news broke that Heath Ledger tragically passed away in 22^nd January 2008 due to prescription overdose drugs. According to the autopsy report, he died of “acute intoxication by the combined effects of hydrocodone, oxycodone, diazepam, alprazolam, doxylamine and temazepam.”

Big Win

He won over 30 posthumous awards for his brilliant performance as the Joker in “The Dark Knight,” including the Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA. When accepting the Oscar award on behalf of his son, Kim Ledger said,