A star is born
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Heath Ledger
Heathcliff Andrew Ledger was born in Perth, Australia on 4 April 1979. He was the son of Sally, a French teacher, and Kim Ledger, a racing car driver and mining engineer. He and his sister Katherine were named after the main characters in the romantic novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.
The early years
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Heath Ledger
Heath\'s first taste of fame came at the age of 10 when he starred in a school play as Peter Pan. Six years later, young Heath decided to leave school in order to pursue an acting career in Sydney.
Moving on up
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Heath Ledger
His first professional acting job came in 1996 for a TV series called Sweat, in which he played a gay cyclist. After the series was cancelled Heath took on several more TV roles including a short stint in Home And Away. His first film was a low budget teen movie called Blackrock.
Hollywood calling
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Heath Ledger
After starring in the acclaimed Australian crime drama Two Hands, Heath was soon picked up by Hollywood and in 1999, he starred in the hit teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, alongside Julia Stiles.
Hollywood fling
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Heath Ledger
Not long after setting up in the States, Heath began dating Heather Graham who was at that time riding on the success of Austin Powers. The relationship didn\'t last however and was over within a year, possibly due in part to the 11-year age difference.
Trying new things
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Heath Ledger
Not wanting to be typecast as a teen heartthrob, Heath passed up on many scripts before accepting a part in the American Revolution drama The Patriot (2000) alongside Mel Gibson.
Heath the heart-throb
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Heath Ledger
In 2001 Heath found mass appeal through A Knight\'s Tale, in which he played the part of William Thatcher, a sexy peasant who cheats nobility by becoming a knight, thanks to his jousting skills.
Man of the year
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Heath Ledger
Following a supporting role in the Oscar-winning Monster\'s Ball, Heath took on a variety of film roles, most notably the biopic Ned Kelly in 2003 in which he played the lead and starred alongside Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Naomi Watts. Later that year, Heath was named as Australian GQ\'s Man Of The Year for acting.
Ladies man
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Heath Ledger
After meeting Heath while filming Ned Kelly in 2002, Naomi Watts at first resisted her fellow Australian\'s charms, but eventually gave in and the pair dated on and off for almost three years. According to reports at the time, it was Heath\'s roving eye and a refusal to settle down that eventually led to the end of their relationship.
A big year
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Heath Ledger
2005 was a rather prolific year for Heath, who starred in no less than four films including Lords Of Dogtown, The Brothers Grimm, Cassanova and Brokeback Mountain, the latter of which brought him the biggest success of his short-lived career. His portrayal of gay cowboy Ennis Del Mar earned him several award nominations, including the Oscar for best actor.
Brokeback baby
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Heath Ledger
And critical acclaim wasn\'t the only the only thing Heath got that year. Two months after finding love with his Brokeback Mountain co-star, Michelle Williams in 2004, she fell pregnant and their daughter, Matilda Rose was born on 28 October 2005. Heath named his other Brokeback co-star, Jake Gyllenhaal as godparent, while Michelle chose her old Dawson\'s Creek co-star, Busy Phillipps.
Music man
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Heath Ledger
In 2006 Heath began following a new passion and set up his own record company with singer Ben Harper. During that year he also directed three music videos, two for Australian hip-hop artist N\'fa and one for his pal Ben Harper. At the Venice Film Festival in 2007, Heath revealed during an interview that he had wanted to direct a music video for Nick Drake but had long since given up on the idea. In an eerie coincidence, during his final days, Heath recorded a music video for Nick Drake\'s 1974 song, Black Eyed Dog, which shows Heath drowning in a bath.
The end of the affair
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Heath Ledger
In August 2007 Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger ended their relationship, citing conflicting filming schedules as the main reason for the end of their three year romance. Soon after the split, Heath moved out of the couple\'s Brooklyn home to a new apartment in New York\'s Greenwich Village.
Getting serious
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Heath Ledger
In 2007 Heath appeared in the Bob Dylan biopic, I\'m Not There alongside Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale and Richard Gere. He was one of six actors to portray different sides of the legendary singer.
A freaky farewell
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Heath Ledger
The Dark Knight, in which Heath plays a rather frightening new incarnation of the Joker, will be presumably be Ledger\'s final appearance on film. Heath was set to star in Terry Gilliam\'s new movie, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, which began filming in December 2007, but it is not yet known whether or not Heath had recorded any of his scenes prior to his death. The Dark Knight is set for release later this year.
Heath Ledger 1979 - 2008
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Heath Ledger
On 22 January 2008, Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment by his cleaner. The cause of his death was announced as an accidental drug overdose. He was just 28 years old.
In 2009 Heath received a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe award for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight, it has been announced that the award will finally pass to his daughter, Matilda Rose.
