A Tribute to Heath Ledger
The Aussie Brokeback Mountain Star Who Died Tragically Young
Australian Heath Ledger passed away on January 22nd 2008. He will be sadly missed by family, friends and fans the world over.
The results of the autopsy toxicology tests, released Feb 6th 2008, reveal that the death of Heath Ledger was almost certainly a tragic accident. The tests uncovered a dangerous mix of sleeping tablets, anxiety medication and painkillers in his system, combining to bring about the actor's sad and untimely death.
Heath's Problems Sleeping
Heath Ledger was a remarkable talent, but in interviews he often revealed a crippling self doubt and an obsessive desire for perfection. When channeled into research for roles this attentiveness paid off with unique, fully rounded characterization, but when his analytical mind turned to self examination it seems to have had a detrimental effect on his health. Heath was suffering from debilitating sleep problems, the extent of which quite possibly no-one had realized. Outwardly at least, Heath was coping and appeared to be fine. However, in a revealing interview conducted with New York Times journalist Sarah Lyall, shortly before his death, Heath mentioned that he was only getting a couple of hours sleep a night. (The Last Interview, The Observer, Review, 27/01/08). Lyall reports that at the time this revelation was nothing more than a throwaway line in the middle of a down-to-earth conversation with the actor. It is only in retrospect that the information becomes in any way portentous.
Heath Ledger - Family Connections
Heath was born in Perth, Australia, on April 4th 1979. His book loving parents named him and his sister after the characters from Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff and Cathy. His Father, Kim Ledger, was a mining engineer and Mother, Sally Ramshaw, a French teacher. Heath also had two half sisters, Olivia and Ashleigh, and leaves behind a young daughter, Matilda. Actress Michelle Williams, Matilda's mother, and Heath met whilst working together on Ang Lee's Oscar winning Brokeback Mountain. They embarked on a very public whirlwind romance, but after a brief engagement, they parted in September 2007. Despite this, the pair remained on very good terms, and praised each other's work vehemently at all given opportunities.
Ledger's Films And Career
Heath Ledger's early career took off with a regular part in popular Aussie soap Home And Away. His transition to America, at the age of 20, was marked by a notable performance in the clever high school comedy 10 Things I Hate About You (1999). This modern twist on Shakespeare's Taming Of The Shrew was an important role in establishing Heath's popularity, further amplified by the medieval romp A Knight's Tale (2001) which followed shortly after. Heath then made a conscious effort to leave the teenage heart-throb roles behind him and find more discerning film parts. It is to his eternal credit that the work he pursued and the characters he embodied served only to grow his audience rather than shrink it. A small part in Monster's Ball (2001) and the lead role in the Australian film Ned Kelly (2003) showcased a new found maturity. Unfortunately, Ned Kelly was widely panned on release, and Heath's performance was hugely overlooked. Heath also starred with Matt Damon in Terry Gilliam's fantastical The Brothers Grimm (2005). He was working on his second film for Gilliam, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, when he died.
Ledger's career was set to continue on it's stratospheric course with another intriguing performance this Summer as the Joker in Christopher Nolan's second Batman film The Dark Knight. Ledger brought a twitching, nervous energy to the Joker, befitting the dark vision of Nolan's Gotham city. However, the roles for which Ledger will probably be most widely remembered are as Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain (2005) and as Bob Dylan in Todd Haynes' I'm Not There (2007). These performances sealed his reputation as a dedicated, versatile young actor. The fragile portrayal of forbidden love between two cowboys, in Brokeback Mountain, gave Ledger the chance to truly test his acting prowess. It brought him his first Academy Award nomination, and surely it would not have been his last, were it not for his unfortunate death.
Read a Heath Ledger filmography at the tiscali film and tv site.
