Interviewees: Heath Ledger and Ang Lee
Interviewer: Charlie Rose
Date: December 7, 2005

Heathcliff Andrew Ledger was born on April 04, 1979 in Perth, Western Australia. In junior high, Heath tried his hand at drama. At the age of 17, he left for Sydney with a friend, hoping to get into the serious world of acting. He landed a very small role in Blackrock, a low budget movie which came out in 1997. Soon after that, Heath auditioned for and was asked to choose from among 2 roles in a television show called Sweat. He chose the more challenging role of a gay cyclist. This marked the beginning of a remarkable career that saw many similarly odd choices in roles.

Throughout his Hollywood career, Heath Ledger made sure that he took on a variety of roles that wouldn’t get him typecast as a teen hunk. Heath’s career began to flourish as he was given a big role in the famous Australian television series, Home and Away. This led to roles in films like Paws and Two Hands, an Australian crime thriller which came out in 1999. His work in this movie gave him the role of Julia Stiles’ object of interest in Ten Things I Hate About You.

Fellow actors describe Heath Ledger as an intense and passionate performer. He made waves for his sterling performances in the movies The Patriot and Monster’s Ball. Aside from his Golden Globe nomination, Heath’s performance in Brokeback Mountain also earned for him nominations from the Academy Awards and BAFTA.

Heath Ledger died on January 22, 2008 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. His remarkable and mesmerizing performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight earned his a Best Supporting Actor Award in the 2008 Academy Awards. The award was accepted by Heath Ledger’s family.

More information about Heath Ledger:

Details about Heath Ledger’s last role.

People Magazine profile of Heath Ledger.

A fansite and tribute to the life of Heath Ledger.