Heath Ledger 1979 – 2008

Heath Ledger, the talented 28-year-old actor who gravitated toward dark, brooding roles that defied his leading-man looks, was found dead in a Manhattan apartment, facedown at the foot of his bed with prescription sleeping pills nearby, according to police

Heath Ledger 1979 – 2008

Heath had an appointment for a massage at his SoHo apartment. The massage therapist and a housekeeper found his naked body on Tuesday 22 January 2008. They tried to revive him, but he was already dead.

Heath Ledger 1979 – 2008

Ledger moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and starred opposite Julia Stiles in 10 Things I Hate About You. Offers for other teen flicks soon came his way, but Ledger turned them down, preferring to remain idle than sign on for projects he didn't like.

"It wasn't a hard decision for me," Ledger said in 2001. "It was hard for everyone else around me to understand. Agents were like, 'You're crazy,' my parents were like, 'Come on, you have to eat.'"

Heath Ledger 1979 – 2008

Heath's death is a shocking and unforeseen conclusion for one of Hollywood's bright young stars. Though his leading man looks propelled him to early stardom in films like 10 Things I Hate About You and A Knight's Tale, his career took a notable turn toward dramatic and brooding roles with 2001's Monster's Ball.

Heath Ledger 1979 – 2008

Mel Gibson, who played Ledger's vengeful father in The Patriot said: "I had such great hope for him. He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss." We think so too Mel!

Heath Ledger 1979 – 2008

Heath met his ex-fiancee, Michelle Williams while filming Brokeback Mountain. She played his wife in the film. The two had a daughter, now two-year-old Matilda, and lived together in Brooklyn until they split up last year.

Heath Ledger 1979 – 2008

Heath eschewed Hollywood glitz in favour of a bohemian life in Brooklyn, where he became one of the borough's most famous residents. Brokeback was his breakthrough role, establishing him as one of his generation's finest talents and an actor willing to take risks.

Heath Ledger 1979 – 2008

Heath and Naomi Watts had a relationship a few years ago. The couple apparently split up because of Heath's failure to commit to marriage. He met Watts while working on The Lords of Dogtown.

Heath Ledger 1979 – 2008

Heath's most recent film choices were arguably the boldest yet: He co-starred in I'm Not There, in which he played one of the many incarnations of Bob Dylan.

And in what may be his final finished performance, Heath proved that he would not be intimidated by taking on a character as iconic as Jack Nicholson's Joker. Heath's version of the Batman villain, glimpsed in early teaser trailers, made it clear that his Joker would be more depraved and dark.

Heath Ledger 1979 – 2008

Heath was born in 1979 to a mining engineer and a French teacher and got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 in a local theatre company. He began acting in independent films as a 16-year-old in Sydney and played a cyclist hoping to land a spot on an Olympic team in a 1996 television show, Seat.

Heath Ledger 1979 – 2008

While not a marquee movie star, Ledger was an award-winning actor who chose his roles carefully rather than cashing in on big-money parts. He was nominated for a best-actor Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain.

Here he is with his co-star, Jake Gyllenhaal.

Rest in peace Heath, we'll miss you!

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Images: Getty/Gallo