Heath Ledger Biography
Heath Ledger’s career was short but despite this he gained fame for appearing in highly publicised American films towards the end of his career, these included roles in A Knight's Tale, Monster's Ball and Brokeback Mountain in 2005, 2001 and 2008 respectively. Originally named Heath Andrew Ledger after his birth on April 4 1979 in Perth, Western Australia, his presence in showbiz lasted for sixteen years from 1992 to 2008 and shortly afterwards he passed away on January 22 2008 at the age of 28.
Ledger’s life begun in a wealthy family that was headed by Kim and Sally Ledger, parents who had initially expected their son to continue in the family’s engineering business as the manager, but on realising that his sights were set elsewhere they had no choice but to support him. Ledger went to school at the Guildford Grammar School and the Mary's Mount Primary School, in Gooseberry Hill, as a student he was very active and his intelligence led made him an all-rounder with participation in the drama and chess clubs.
This enabled Ledger to maintained friendships with both the popular kids and the school nerds, a balance that worked for him as he was a winner not only in the national chess championships but also in inter-school dance, acting and singing contests.
Ledger went professional in 1992 when he formed part of the cast of a popular series that was named Clowning Around, this proved to be a successful effort that opened doors to bigger roles in more teen series. He became a common figure on television in the early 90’s with shows like Sweat, Ship to Shore, Roar and Home and Away in 1997. Home and Away enjoyed attention in Australian television and soon enough it was featuring in television sets in Europe and America, Ledger became a household name and his looks made him an instant sex symbol among the female fans.
A move to the American film scene saw the actor’s career rise in the 2000’s decade he landed several lead roles in many films including The Patriot in 2000, A Knight's Tale in 2001, The Four Feathers in 2002, The Order in 2003, Casanova and The Brothers Grimm, both in 2005. The best welcomed film by the act was Monster's Ball in 2001, this became a sold out film that went on to top positions in movie charts that year.
The next popular and highly publicized role was in 2005 when Ledger appeared alongside Jake Gyllenhaal as Ennis Del Mar in the film Brokeback Mountain, this was both a criticised and praised film as many were torn between its story-line that aired the difficulties faced by same sex couples while others felt that such issues were not to be shown on film, still Brokeback Mountain grossed millions after it went to box offices. His other successful appearance was in the 2008 film titled The Dark Knight.
The actor often portrayed controversial roles that left audiences questioning his sexuality, after his appearance in productions like Clowning Around and Brokeback Mountain many were confused as the actor’s active dating life with celebrity females was a sharp contrast to his screen presence that depicted him as an openly gay man.
Ledger is remembered for having several romantic relationships with Hollywood celebrities including Mary-Kate Olsen, Naomi Watts, Julia Stiles, Michelle Williams and Gemma Ward, from his encounters he became a father of one.
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