Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger rose to Hollywood stardom after appearing in the 1999 teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You. His performance as the guarded cowboy Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain drew both acclaim and controversy, and it earned him a place among the great actors of his generation. He was among the youngest performers ever nominated for an Academy Award. During filming of Brokeback, he began a relationship with his co-star Michelle Williams, and the two had a daughter in 2005.

At the height of his career, Ledger had just finished shooting a leading part in the Batman film The Dark Knight. On January 22, 2008, he was found dead in his New York apartment, and the news stunned fans and colleagues around the world. Prescription medication discovered beside his body was believed to be the cause, yet the exact circumstances remained unclear. Was the death an accident, or had the demands of fame become impossible to carry?

This biography traces the life of an actor whose career was brief but intensely bright, from his rise to his untimely death.