Heath Ledger died 15 years ago
The role of the Joker was his last...
He died of a heroin overdose at the age of 28. The cops eventually tracked him down in his midtown Manhattan residence.
I Am Heath Ledger, a documentary on the actor's private life, first aired five years ago. The documentary includes rare footage from his personal life as well as recollections from his family and friends. The actor shot many of these videos himself.
Heath Ledger was born on April 4, 1979, into one of Perth, Western Australia's most distinguished families. He dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to drive to Sydney with his girlfriend at the time and begin an acting career there.
Ledger had prior experience as a kid actor in a TV series made in Perth, which he put to good use in various Australian films and TV programs. His big Hollywood debut came in 1999, opposite Julia Stiles in the teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You.
Later, he co-starred with Mel Gibson in the historical drama Patriot, and in 2001, he was cast as the lead in the historical drama Legend of the Knight. In 2005, Ledger starred as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain, which became one of his most famous and controversial roles.
However, fans will remember him best for his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight, the second episode of the Batman trilogy, for which he also got an Oscar posthumously. It was the actor's final role.
Private life
In 2005, Ledger was married to Michelle Williams, with whom he had a daughter, Matilda Rose. The actor and Michelle divorced two years after their daughter was born.
Heath was discovered dead in his flat a few months after Williams and Ledger split up. Williams subsequently withdrew from the public eye and took a sabbatical from her work, moving to a quieter city with Matilda from New York.
She returned to the public eye after a few years and remarried, but the marriage did not last. She later married Thomas Kail in secret, with whom she had two children.
Post by Bryan C.
