To say that Heath Ledger is an acting legend would be, to put it mildly. Although the actor was only twenty-eight years old when he died, he had already achieved icon status by appearing as a cult figure in iconic films. His most famous role is undoubtedly his role as “The Joker” in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight versus Christian Bales Bruce Wayne/Batman. His portrayal of the crazy villain was widely and critically acclaimed and posthumously earned the actor an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first comic-film actor to win an Oscar. There is a reason why he was called one of the best actors of his generation.
He has also starred in several other films, including 10 Things I Hate About Youn (1999), Brokeback Mountain (2005), The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), I’m Not There (2007), Monster’s Ball (2001), Lords of Dogtown (2005), The Patriot and A Knight’s Tale (2003).
Although he was an actor, Heath Ledger aspired to the position of director later in his career. It is a great sadness that the world has lost such an amazing talent so early.
Heath Ledger Bio & Age
Heath Andrew Ledger was born in Perth, Western Australia, on April 4, 1979, the son of his mother Sally Ledger, a French teacher, and his father Kim Ledger, a racing car driver. Heath attended Guildford Grammar School and at the age of 10, he played in the school production of “Peter Pan”, which marked his first stage appearance. At the age of 10, Heath Ledger won a junior chess championship. Unfortunately, his parents, Sally and Kim Ledger separated and later divorced when he was 11 years old.
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Sally later married Roger Bell and had a daughter Ashleigh Bell, while Kim Ledger married Emma Brown and they had a daughter Olivia Ledger. Heath finally left his hometown in 1998 and went to the United States to further his career.
Ledger was 185 cm tall, had brown eyes, light brown hair, and perfectly carved jawlines that made him undeniably attractive. Heathy, as he was called by his family and close friends, had a secret passion for photography.
Career
The young Heath Ledger was inspired to act by his older sister Kate, an actress and publicist. Heath’s acting career began to flourish when he was ten years old, and his work includes nineteen award-winning films such as 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) in which he played a bad boy role, The Patriot (2000), A Knight’s Tale (2001), Lords of Dogtown (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and others. Heath Ledger was also a talented producer of music videos and wanted to become a director one day.
Heath Ledger’s Net Worth
At the time of his death, Heath Ledger had a total net worth of $16 million. Most of this money came from his posthumous share of the Dark Knight’s income. The rest was the result of his many years in the industry, accumulating the salaries of all his roles. By the end of the day, the lion’s share of his total assets was left to his daughter Matilda.
Family – Wife, And Daughter
Heath Ledger has fallen in love with actresses time and again in the past. In 2004 he started dating Michelle Williams after the couple met on the set of Brokeback Mountain. Together they have a daughter, Matilda Rose, who was born in New York City on October 28, 2005. Matilda Rose’s godfather is Brokeback Mountain’s co-star, Jake Gyllenhaal.
Heath and Michelle lived together in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn from 2005 to 2007. In September 2007 it was confirmed that the couple had ended their relationship. Some reports say that his drug abuse caused Michelle to ask him to move out of the apartment.
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How Did Heath Ledger Die?
On January 22, 2008, 28-year-old Heath Ledger was found stretched out on the floor of his apartment and at about 3:36 pm on that tragic day, he was pronounced dead.
There was no information for the public and agitating fans about the cause of his death until a few weeks later it was said that it was an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
A memorial service was held at Penrhos College on 9 February. There were several hundred invited guests and the attention of the press was great. Ledger’s body was cremated in Fremantle Cemetery and his ashes were buried on a family plot in Karrakatta cemetery.
He won several posthumous awards, one of which was given to his daughter Matilda Rose, who was raised by her mother until she was 18 years old.
