Heath Ledger

Synopsis

Heath Ledger was an Australian actor and director. He was known for his role as Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain. He earned ma s sive popularity for his portrayal of Joker in the 2008 hit movie, The Dark Knight. He won several awards for the movie.

Early Life and Education

Ledger was born on 4 April 1979 in New York, U.S. He holds an American nationality and belongs to White American ethnicity. His parents were Kim Ledger and Sally Ledger. His mother was a French teacher and his father was a race car driver.

Ledger attended primary education at institutions including Mary’s Mount Primary School and Guildford Grammar School. When he was just 10 years old he acted in one of the plays with a role of Peter Pan.

At the age of 17, he discontinued his education in order to pursue his career in acting and bagged the role of gay man in 1996  television series entitled Sweat.

Career

When Ledger was just 17 years old, he left his school in order to pursue his career in acting. Along with his best friend, Trevor DiCarlo he traveled to Sydney and pursued his acting career. He has worked in several small roles and his debut came in the emotional drama Blackrock.

Ledger was fully exposed to an international audience with his role opposite Julia Stiles in 10 Things I Hate About You. Furthermore, he was cast as Gabriel Martin, the son of Mel Gibson in The Patriot. Altogether he acted in 19 movies which include Lords of Dogtown, The Patriot, and Broke Back Mountain.

Ledger has featured a small role in Clowning Around one of the first parts of two-part television series. He also featured on the famous TV series entitled Sweat with a role of a gay cyclist.

Additionally, Ledger co-starred along with an Australian actor, Abbie Cornish in the movie Candy, The movie was an adaptation of the 1998 novel Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction. The novel was based on young he r o i n addicts in love attempting to break free of their addiction whose mentor is also acted by Geoffrey Rush.

Besides, Ledger has made some music videos which was praised by a director Todd Haynes.

Moreover, Ledger played the Joker in the movie, The Dark Knight directed by Cristopher Nolan in 2008. The movie was released nearly six months after his death.

Ledger earned ma s sive popularity from his performances as a Joker in that movie. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work on The Dark Knight, which was accepted by his family members on his behalf.

Ledger also won several other awards including Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. The award was accepted by Christopher Nolan on his behalf after his death.

Personal Life

Ledger was a devoted Chessplayer and has won Western Australia's junior chess championship at the age of 10. He also had a keen interest in the football. He played for the West Coast Eagles team in Australian Football League.

Ledger was in a relationship with well-known actresses such as Naomi Watts, Lisa Jane, and Heather Graham. In 2004, he dated actress Michelle Williams. He met her on the set of Brokeback Mountain.

The couple had a daughter named Maltida Rose. Michelle gave birth to their daughter, Maltida on October 28, 2005, in New York City. Ledger resided in Bronte, New South Wales and moved to the house in the United States after selling his house in Bronte.

The couple had a break up in late 2007after an affair for several years. After his breakup with his girlfriend, Michelle, he was romantically linked with supermodels such as Helena Christensen and Gemma Ward. On January 30, 2011, Gemma announced that they started dating in November 2007 and their families spent Christmas in their hometown, Perth.

Death

Ledger died on January 22, 2008. At about 2:45 pm (EST), he was found unconscious in his bed by his housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, and his ma s seuse, Diana Wolozin.

Ledger was addicted to drugs and died due to the combined drug intoxication. After his death, his sister claimed that he was a very funny person who never used to be sad and unhappy. Further, she explained that her brother has an amazing sense of humor.

Net Worth and Salary

Ledger had earned a huge amount of money from his successful acting career. His movie, The Dark Knight made a gross of $1 billion worldwide. His net worth was reported to be around $16.3 million.

His movie, Brokeback Mountain was a great success. However, the movie made a gross of $178 million worldwide.