If you've seen the news in roughly the last 24 hours, then you most likely know. Actor Heath Ledger, only 28 years old, has passed away. His body was found in the bedroom of his New York apartment at around 3:30 PM on Tuesday afternoon, and investigators are saying that it looks to be an accidental overdose of sleeping pills, though an autopsy will show the final cause in the next few weeks. Ledger was to have had a massage appointment, and when the masseuse came, the housekeeper went to wake him, where he was found on his bed. Heath leaves behind a 2-year old daughter, Matilda, as well as legions of devoted fans and admirers of his work.
Heath Ledger left his native Australia for the US when he was 19, where he got his first taste of commercial exposure in the teen dramedy "10 Things I Hate About You". In 1999, Mel Gibson took notice of him and cast him alongside himself in "The Patriot", playing Gibson's son. After that film's success, Ledger soon started to receive leading roles, and became widely noticed by fans in the movie "A Knight's Tale" in 2001. From there, Ledger continued climbing the ladder of Hollywood success, bringing an uncanny realism to many roles he took and researching his characters inside and out. Many films which helped establish Heath's credibility and popularity include "Monster's Ball", "The Four Feathers", "Lords Of Dogtown" and "The Brothers Grimm", in which he co-starred with Matt Damon.
It was in 2005 that Ledger starred in arguably his greatest work, the Oscar-winning "Brokeback Mountain". Ledger received a Best Actor nomination for his role as Ennis Del Mar, a low-spoken farm hand who establishes a controversial gay relationship with fellow ranch hand Jack Twist, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Their relationship spans a course of roughly 20 years before coming to an end, and both actors were highly commended on their performances. A role such as Ennis Del Mar solidifed Ledger's status as an actor who wasn't afraid to push the envelope, and never one to back down from a challenging character study.
While "Brokeback" may have been his greatest performance, millions of fans have been eagerly anticipating Ledger's portrayal of The Joker in this summer's "The Dark Knight", a sequel to 2005's "Batman Begins". While Ledger had completed his work on the film, it is still all the more sad that he will not be here to see its impending success, which would have no doubt propelled him into superstardom. Hopefully, Warner Bros will dedicate the film to Heath because its his presence as The Joker that has millions of us salivating for "The Dark Knight" to hit theaters in July.
Heath Ledger will be undoubtedly be remembered for his unselfish, giving nature, as well as his tendencies as a ridiculously hard-working, dedicated actor who always wanted to breathe new life into the characters he portrayed on the big screen.
My deepest condolences go out to Heath's family and friends. Fans everywhere are still absolutely shocked at this young, superstar-bound man's life coming to such an abrupt, tragic end.
I know I am.
R.I.P Heath Ledger
April 4, 1979 - January 22, 2008
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