Tribute To Heath Ledger

Heath Andrew Ledger
Born in Perth, Australia
April 4 1979 - January 22 2008


    Heath Ledger was already during his lifetime one of the biggest talents in Hollywood. Today, 4 years after his death he can be considered a legend. Though while not making the best role choices he has left behind a great legacy and millions of fans. This all is proof of his undeniable charm and warmness he always seemed to put out and his declinement to sell out.
    Born in Australia to a family of Kim Ledger, a racing-car driver and mining engineer, and Sally Ledger, a French teacher. Heath received his first acting experience at the age 10 in a school play as Peter Pan. About that time his parents also separated.
    His acting career first started out in Australia with small feature films and parts in television shows like Home And Away. In 1999 he starred in the teen comedy called 10 Things I Hate About You with Julia Stiles. From there one came supporting roles next to A list actors like Mel Gibson in The Patriot (2000) and Billy Bob Thornton in The Monster's Ball (2000); leading or title roles like A Knight's Tale (2001), Ned Kelly(2003), Casanova (2005).
    Ledger's career's one of the most scandalous moments is marked as the critically acclaimed  Brodeback Mountain (2005) where he co-starred with Jake Gyllenhaal and partner Michelle Williams. After some other various projects Ledger was casted as The Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. Unfortunately Ledger died in his New York apartment due to accidental prescription drug overdose before the movie was complete. The Joker was his career highlight bringing him an Oscar posthumously. Heath was aspiring to become a film director and even did some music videos.
    In 2005 Ledger had a daughter with his partner Michelle Williams who he met in the summer of 2004.  After break-up from Williams Heath was linked to several women including Mary-Kate Olsen.

Quotes of Heath:

• I'm not good at future planning. I don't plan at all. I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow. I don't have a day planner and I don't have a diary. I completely live in the now, not in the past, not in the future.

• I'm in control of my life, not anyone in Hollywood. I only do this because I'm having fun. The day I stop having fun, I'll just walk away. I wasn't going to have fun doing a teen movie again. I don't want to do this for the rest of my life. I don't. I don't even want to spend the rest of my youth doing this in this industry. There's so much more I want to discover.

• I'm the worst auditioner, really, really bad. I mean, you're being judged and I'm just so aware of it that it consumes me. I can't relax, I'm tied in knots, so the voice is very taut and tense. You're so aware that you're acting 'cause you're sitting across from this lady with a piece of paper who's going, I'm. Going. To. Shoot. You. If. You. Don't. Blah, blah, blah, in this emotionless voice. It's foul. I hate it.

• No amount of money changes what I do between 'action' and 'cut'... Before I got into the industry, I never imagined I'd have anywhere near the money I have now... I don’t need any more. It's not that I don’t want the money, it's just that I would have been really happy sitting on a beach or surfing every morning... I never had money, and I was very happy without it. When I die, my money's not gonna come with me. My movies will live on – for people to judge what I was as a person. I just want to stay curious.

• I actually hate comic book movies, like fucking hate them, they just bore me shitless and they're just dumb. But I thought what Chris Nolan did with Batman was actually really good, really well directed, and Christian Bale was really great in it.

• It's like anything in life, visualizing the old man you're going to become: As long as you have a clear picture of that — the life you want to lead — eventually you'll probably get there.