Heath Ledger (b. April 4, 1979 – d.January 22, 2008) was an Australian actor best known for his award-winning portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight.
- Pictured: Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight
Professional History
Heath Ledger was an Australian character actor. He performed in many films in a variety of genres, including 10 Things I Hate About You, The Patriot, A Knight's Tale, and Brokeback Mountain.
In 2006, Ledger was cast as the Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. He filmed all his scenes a year later, and began working on his next film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Unfortunately, in January of 2008, Ledger died from an accidental medication overdose. The Dark Knight was released months later to universal praise, with the most lauded performance being Ledger's Joker. His portrayal of the character quickly became iconic, being declared one of the great cinematic villains, and won Ledger the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor posthumously at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009.
Doctor Parnassus was completed, with Ledger's character transforming into different actors in a dream sequence, and years later, Christopher Nolan decided to be respectful of Ledger and not bring back or even reference his Joker in his third Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. To this day, Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is still an icon, and is regarded by many as the best version of the character.
Work History
Acting Credits
| The Dark Knight | July 18, 2008 | Joker |
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