Heathcliff Andrew Ledger (
April 4,
1979 –
January 22,
2008) was an
Academy Award-nominated
Australian actor and one of the great actors of his generation. After appearing in television roles during the 1990s, Ledger developed a
Hollywood career. He starred in both critical and financial successes, including
The Patriot,
Monster's Ball, Casanova, and
Brokeback Mountain, and completed the role of
The Joker in the forthcoming
The Dark Knight. On
January 22,
2008, Ledger was found dead in his fourth-floor apartment at 421 Broome Street in the
SoHo neighborhood of
New York City. He was found at 3:26 p.m. by a housekeeper and a massage therapist, who entered the bedroom to find him face down and unconscious at the foot of his bed with
sleeping pills on a nearby night table.
Police said that they also found prescription medication in the bathroom and that there were "no obvious signs" of suicide, nor did they suspect foul play. He is survived by his parents, three sisters, and daughter Matilda Rose.
Heath as "The Joker" on a Empire Magazine Cover promoting the sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, The Dark Knight
Heathcliff Andrew Ledger (April 4, 1979 – January 22, 2008) was an Academy Award-nominated Australian actor and one of the great actors of his generation. After appearing in television roles during the 1990s, Ledger developed a Hollywood career. He starred in both critical and financial successes, including The Patriot, Monster's Ball, Casanova, and Brokeback Mountain, and completed the role of The Joker in the forthcoming The Dark Knight. On January 22, 2008, Ledger was found dead in his fourth-floor apartment at 421 Broome Street in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. He was found at 3:26 p.m. by a housekeeper and a massage therapist, who entered the bedroom to find him face down and unconscious at the foot of his bed with sleeping pills on a nearby night table. Police said that they also found prescription medication in the bathroom and that there were "no obvious signs" of suicide, nor did they suspect foul play. He is survived by his parents, three sisters, and daughter Matilda Rose.
Heath as "The Joker" on a Empire Magazine Cover promoting the sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, The Dark Knight
