Heath Ledger

Profile
Name: Heath Ledger
Birth Name: Heathcliff Andrew Ledger
Height: 6' 1"
Sex: M
Nationality: Australian
Birth Date: April 4, 1979 in Subiaco Hospital
Birth Place: Perth, Western Australia
Profession: actor
Education: Guilford Grammar School
Relationship: Michelle Williams (actress; b. September 9, 1980), Naomi Watts (actress; b. September 18, 1968; split), Heather Graham (actress; b. January 29, 1970; together as of 2000), Lisa Zane (actress; b. April 5, 1964; met while they were filming ROAR - 1997)
Father: Kim Ledger (mining engineer; divorced in 1989)
Mother: Sally Bell
Sister: Catherine Kate Ledger (older)
Half Sister: Olivia Ledger (born in 1997; mother: Emma Brown) and Ashleigh Bell (born in 1989; father: Roger Bell)
Step Father: Roger Bell
Step Mother: Emma Brown
Daughter: Matilda Rose Ledger (born on October 28, 2005 in Brooklyn, New York; mother: Michelle Williams)
Claim to fame: as Gabriel Martin in The Patriot (2000)

Biography
Heath Ledger was captain of the drama team in high school - but Ledger also won several awards for hockey and he even coordinated a group of guys to compete in a dance competition - and won. This Aussie hottie decided to take up acting as his main profession. After graduating high school a year early (at age 16) Heath Ledger and his best bud, Tony DiCarlo, drove 2600 miles from Perth, Australia to Sydney. Ledger began his acting career in his hometown of Perth, enrolling in a local theater company at age ten. He soon began to appear on several Australian television series. He continued his stage work as a member of both the Globe Shakespeare Company and the Midnight Youth Acting Company. He subsequently completed co-starring roles in several independent films, including "Black Rock," "Paws" and "Two Hands," which screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

Heath Ledger got his first break with the Australian teen flick Blackrock in 1997. The role gained him a lot of positive attention and Ledger soon snagged the part of an olympic hopeful on the Australian TV show Sweat. For the show, Heath Ledger had the option of playing either the straight swimmer or the gay bicyclist and he chose the gay role because it would require more "acting" and probably give him more recognition. It was a smart move that led to Heath Ledger's fist US gig, as a Celtic Prince in the Fox drama Roar. Still, Heath Ledger was a relative unknown until he finally landed the male lead inTen Things I Hate About You costarring Julia Stiles. More than a year later Heath Ledger landed the role of Gabriel, Mel Gibson's oldest son in The Patriot. Heath Ledger went on to star in movies like A Knight's Tale and Monster's Ball.

Filmography
Actor
2008 The Dark Knight
2007 I'm Not There: Suppositions on a Film Concerning Dylan
2005 Candy
2005 Brokeback Mountain
2005 Lords of Dogtown
2005 Casanova
2005 The Brothers Grimm
2003 Ned Kelly
2003 The Order
2002 The Four Feathers
2001 A Knight's Tale
2001 Monster's Ball
2000 The Patriot
1999 Two Hands
1999 10 Things I Hate About You

Awards
Academy
2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

British Academy Awards
2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

Broadcast Film Critics Association
2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

Chicago Film Critics Association
2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

Golden Globe
2005 Best Actor - Drama Brokeback Mountain

Independent Spirit Award
2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

L.A. Film Critics Association
2005 Best Actor - Runner-up Brokeback Mountain

Las Vegas Film Critics Association
2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

London Film Critics Association
2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

National Society of Film Critics
2005 Best Actor - Runner-up Brokeback Mountain

New York Film Critics Circle
2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

Online Film Critics Association
2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

Phoenix Film Critics Association
2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

San Francisco Film Critics Circle
2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

Screen Actors Guild
2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Associate
2005 Best Actor Brokeback Mountain

Trivia

Refused to confirm or deny rumors that he’s married Michelle Williams because they prefer to keep their relationship private. (April 11, 2007)

Reportedly married his fiancee Michelle Williams in a secret wedding. (January 24, 2007)

Ledger and Michelle Williams are reportedly getting married, after they were was spotted picking up a marriage license in Brooklyn. (November 30, 2006)

Rumored to have been offered the role of the Joker in the upcoming sequel to BATMAN BEGINS. (July 25, 2006)

His father said Heath cried all night after being attacked with water pistols by paparazzi pests at the Sydney premiere of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. (June 8, 2006)

Ledger and Rachel Weisz are considering co-starring together in Phillip Noyce's drama DIRT MUSIC, based on the novel by Tim Winton. (June 3, 2006)

Is still steamed about the behavior of Australian paparazzi he may skip the Sydney premiere of his film CAND. He also intends to sale his Australia home and told friends he planned to move abroad permanently. (April 5, 2006)

Asked BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN co-star Jake Gyllenhaal to be Godfather to his daughter Matilda. (February 22, 2006)

Will be taking a year off from life in front of the camera to spend time at home looking after his baby daughter, Matilda. (February 21, 2006)

Is convinced he won't win the Best Actor Oscar in March, because the other nominees are too good. (February 18, 2006)

Found filming BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN so emotionally draining, he agreed to star in comic period drama CASANOVA to aid his recovery.

Spent hours seriously researching his role for new film CASANOVA - before realizing it was just a comic period drama.

Has hit back at two theaters in Utah and Washington that banned the film, warning opponents of the gay romance that the controversy would only aid its success. (January 12, 2006)

Reveals that his waking hours are now devoted to preparing food and washing up since the birth of his four-week-old baby Matilda – and he actually loves it. (November 30, 2005)

Has apologized to the presenters of Australian TV show Sunrise after he ignored reporters' questions and focused on peeling an orange during an interview. (September 3, 2005)

Throws eggs at the paparazzi when he catches them staking him out. (August 24, 2005)

Has escaped charges after allegedly tackling a photographer on the set of CANDY due to lack of witnesses. (May 10, 2005)

Is finding his role as a gay cowboy in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN to be his most challenging because he's been ordered to work out for the part. (March 24, 2004)

Heath Ledger and Naomi Watts have split, blaming their hectic work schedules. (October 1, 2003)

Ledger has sparked a debate in Australia about the controversial outlaw Ned Kelly, whom he portrays as a romantic, pistol- wielding hero in his latest film -- Kelly has been hailed in the movie as the champion of the Irish underdog, fighting an unjust British colonial system that favored the wealthy over the poor; to some historians, however, he was nothing more than a horse-thieving murderer. (April 8, 2003)

20th Century Fox found its occult thriller SIN EATERS, starring Heath Ledger, so unpalatable the studio sent it back to the kitchen -- the movie was due in theaters January 17, but after test audiences screamed--with laughter--at what were supposed to be chilling special effects, the studio pulled the project for some serious retooling. (January 4, 2003)

Ledger and his fellow Hollywood star girlfriend Naomi Watts argued with Sean 'P Diddy' Combs's bodyguards - because they were warned for dancing too close to the rapper at a night club. (October 18, 2002)

Auditioned for the role of Max Evans in ROSSWELL (1999).

He was the contender to play Christan in MOULIN ROUGE!.

Knocked out one of director Brian Helgeland's front teeth with a broomstick when the two were demonstrating a jousting move. It was several months before Helgeland's mouth had healed enough to repair the damage. He says it was the only jousting injury during filming. (KNIGHT'S TALE, A (2001))

Performed his own stunts in THE PATRIOT.

The initial scene of the two knight's jousting in the first scene of A KNIGHT'S TALE is actually footage of his stunt double in an accident. During filming of a later scene in the movie, the lance of the stunt double's opponent moved off target and hit him in the head. The double fell to the ground unconscious. The entire footage was used for the introduction. Filmmaker's were hoping that no one would notice that the knight that hit the ground had the same shield crest as Sir Ulric (three phoenixes) used later in the movie.

WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN? (2001) oringally was a project for him.

Finished high school a year early at age 16.

First got his start in the Globe Shakespeare Company in Perth, Australia.

He made his movie debut in 1997 Australian teen drama

He actually wanted to be a teacher

His parents divorced when he was 10.

He got held back in his 2nd year

His step mother has diabetes

He suffered a major change when his aunt died of lung cancer on april 13, 1992

He is a self taught tap dancer

His main passion in life apart from acting is photography

He has a small strawberry birthmark on his inner left thigh

Nominated for Best Kiss at MTV Movie Awards for A KNIGHT'S TALE (2002) - shared with Shannyn Sossamon

Nominated for Best Musical Sequence at MTV Movie Awards for A KNIGHT'S TALE (2002) - shared with Shannyn Sossamon

Was nominated MTV Movie Award for Best Musical Performance in 2000 for 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU and AFI Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in 1999 for TWO HANDS.