Heathcliffe Andrew Ledger (1979 - 2008)

Heathcliffe Andrew "Heath" Ledger was born April 4, 1979 in Perth, Western Australia.^[1] He was a son of Kim Ledger and Sally Ramshaw.^[1]

Heath attended Mary's Mount Primary School in Gooseberry Hill, and later Guildford Grammar School, where he had his first acting experiences, starring in a school production as Peter Pan at age ten.

After sitting for early graduation exams at age 16 to get his diploma, Ledger left school to pursue an acting career. Ledger drove across Australia from Perth to Sydney, returning to Perth to take a small role in Clowning Around (1992), the first part of a two-part television series, and to work on the TV series Sweat (1996).^[1]

Ledger was an avid chess player, playing some tournaments when he was young. As an adult, he often played with other chess enthusiasts at Washington Square Park. Ledger also had a keen interest in the West Coast Eagles. Ledger was also an avid photographer.

From 1993 to 1997, Ledger also had parts in the Perth television series Ship to Shore (1993); Ledger also had parts in the short-lived Fox Broadcasting Company fantasy-drama Roar (1997); in Home and Away (1997) and in the Australian film Blackrock (1997), his feature film debut. In 1999, he starred in the teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You and in the acclaimed Australian crime film Two Hands.

In the early 2000s, he starred in supporting roles in The Patriot (2000), and Monster's Ball (2001); as well as leading or title roles in A Knight's Tale (2001), The Four Feathers (2002), The Order (2003), Ned Kelly (2003), Casanova (2005), The Brothers Grimm (2005), and Lords of Dogtown (2005). In 2001, he won a ShoWest Award as "Male Star of Tomorrow".

In 2004, he began a relationship with actress Michelle Williams after meeting on the set of Brokeback Mountain. Their daughter, Matilda Rose, was born on 28 October 2005 in New York City. ^[1]

In January 2006, Ledger put his residence in Bronte, New South Wales up for sale and returned to the United States, where he shared a house with Williams in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn from 2005 to 2007. In September 2007, Ledger and Williams broke up.^[1]

Ledger received "Best Actor of 2005" awards from both the New York Film Critics Circle and the San Francisco Film Critics Circle for his performance in Brokeback Mountain. He also received the nominations for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor — Motion Picture Drama, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and an Academy Award for Best Actor for this performance.

After Brokeback Mountain, Ledger costarred in the 2006 Australian film Candy. Ledger was nominated for three "Best Actor" awards, including one of the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, which both Cornish and Rush won in their categories. Shortly after the release of Candy, Ledger was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As one of six actors embodying different aspects of the life of Bob Dylan in the 2007 film I'm Not There, Ledger "won praise for his portrayal of 'Robbie [Clark].' Posthumously, on 23 February 2008, he shared the 2007 Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award.^[1]

Ledger stated that he often could not sleep when taking on roles, and that the role of the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008) was causing his usual insomnia. In January 2008, while he was suffering from a respiratory illness, he reportedly complained that he was continuing to have difficulty sleeping and taking pills to help with that problem.

Heath died January 22, 2008 in New York City, New York, United States from accidental overdose of medications. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered the the site of his grandparent's gravesite at Karrakatta Cemetery and Crematorium in Karrakatta, Nedlands City, Western Australia, Australia.^[2]

In his penultimate film role, Ledger played the Joker in Christopher Nolan's 2008 film The Dark Knight, which was released nearly six months after his death. For his performance in The Dark Knight, Ledger posthumously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} Wikipedia Heath Ledger.
2. ↑ Find A Grave, memorial page for Heath Ledger (4 Apr 1979–22 Jan 2008), Find a Grave Memorial ID 24102296, citing Karrakatta Cemetery and Crematorium, Karrakatta, Nedlands City, Western Australia, Australia.

• FC00052109 Fremantle Cremation