Heath Ledger
Ledger at the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival
Born	Heath Andrew Ledger (1979-04-04)4 April 1979 Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Died	22 January 2008(2008-01-22) (aged 28) New York City, US
Cause of death	Accidental poisoning from prescription medicine
Occupations	Actor music video director
Years active	1991–2008
Partner	Michelle Williams (2004–2007)
Children	1
Awards	Full list
Signature

Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, he moved to the United States in 1998 to further develop his film career. His work consisted of 20 films in a variety of genres, including 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), The Patriot (2000), A Knight's Tale (2001), Monster's Ball (2001), Casanova (2005), Lords of Dogtown (2005), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Candy (2006), I'm Not There (2007), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), the latter two of which were posthumously released.^[1] He also produced and directed music videos and aspired to be a film director.^[2]

For his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, he received nominations for the BAFTA Award,^[3] Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming the eighth-youngest nominee in the category at that time.^[4] In 2007, he played a fictional actor, Robbie Clark, one of six characters embodying aspects of Bob Dylan's life and persona in Todd Haynes' I'm Not There.^[5]

Ledger died in January 2008^[6]^[4] from an accidental overdose as a result of prescription drug abuse.^[7]^[8]^[9] A few months before his death, he had finished filming his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight; the performance brought him praise and popularity, and numerous posthumous awards, including the Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and a Critics' Choice Award, all for Best Supporting Actor.^[10]^[3]^[11]

Early life and education

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Ledger was born on 4 April 1979 in Perth, Western Australia, to Sally Ramshaw, a French teacher, and Kim Ledger, a racing car driver and mining engineer whose family established and owned the Ledger Engineering Foundry.^[12] The Sir Frank Ledger Charitable Trust is named after his great-grandfather Frank Ledger.^[12] He had English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.^[13] Ledger attended Mary's Mount Primary School in Gooseberry Hill,^[14] and later Guildford Grammar School, where he had his first acting experiences, starring in a school production as Peter Pan at age ten.^[4]^[12] His parents separated when he was ten and divorced when he was eleven.^[15] Ledger's older sister Kate, an actress and later a publicist, with whom he was very close, inspired his acting on stage; and his love of Gene Kelly inspired his successful choreography, leading to Guildford Grammar's 60-member team's "first all-boy victory" at the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge.^[12]^[16] Ledger's two half-sisters are Ashleigh Bell (born 1990), his mother's daughter with her second husband Roger Bell; and Olivia Ledger (born 1996), his father's daughter with his second wife Emma Brown.^[17]

Acting career

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1990s

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After sitting for early graduation exams at age 16 to get his diploma, Ledger left school to pursue an acting career.^[15] With Trevor DiCarlo, his best friend since the age of three, Ledger drove across Australia from Perth to Sydney, returning to Perth to take a small role in Clowning Around (1991), the first part of a two-part television series, and to work on the TV series Sweat (1996), in which he played a cyclist.^[12] From 1993 to 1997, Ledger also had parts in the Perth television series Ship to Shore (1993); Ledger also had parts in the short-lived Fox Broadcasting Company fantasy-drama Roar (1997); in Home and Away (1997), one of Australia's most successful television shows; and in the Australian film Blackrock (1997), his feature film debut.^[12] In 1999, he starred in the teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You and in the acclaimed Australian crime film Two Hands, directed by Gregor Jordan.^[12]

2000s

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In the early 2000s, he starred in supporting roles as Gabriel Martin, the eldest son of Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson), in The Patriot (2000), and as Sonny Grotowski, the son of Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton), in Monster's Ball (2001); as well as leading or title roles in A Knight's Tale (2001), The Four Feathers (2002), The Order (2003), Ned Kelly (2003), Casanova (2005), The Brothers Grimm (2005), and Lords of Dogtown (2005).^[18] In 2001, he won a ShoWest Award as "Male Star of Tomorrow".^[19]

Ledger received "Best Actor of 2005" awards from both the New York Film Critics Circle and the San Francisco Film Critics Circle for his performance in Brokeback Mountain,^[20]^[21] in which he plays Wyoming ranch hand Ennis Del Mar, who has a love affair with aspiring rodeo rider Jack Twist, played by Jake Gyllenhaal.^[22] He also received the nominations for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor — Motion Picture Drama, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and an Academy Award for Best Actor for this performance,^[23] making him, at age 26, the eighth-youngest nominee in the category.^[24] In The New York Times review of the film, critic Stephen Holden writes: "Both Mr. Ledger and Mr. Gyllenhaal make this anguished love story physically palpable. Mr. Ledger magically and mysteriously disappears beneath the skin of his lean, sinewy character. It is a great screen performance, as good as the best of Marlon Brando and Sean Penn."^[25] In a review in Rolling Stone, Peter Travers states: "Ledger's magnificent performance is an acting miracle. He seems to tear it from his insides. Ledger doesn't just know how Ennis moves, speaks and listens; he knows how he breathes. To see him inhale the scent of a shirt hanging in Jack's closet is to take measure of the pain of love lost."^[26]

After Brokeback Mountain, Ledger costarred with fellow Australian Abbie Cornish in the 2006 Australian film Candy, an adaptation of the 1998 novel Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction, as young heroin addicts in love attempting to break free of their addiction, whose mentor is played by Geoffrey Rush; for his performance as sometime poet Dan, Ledger was nominated for three "Best Actor" awards, including one of the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, which both Cornish and Rush won in their categories. Shortly after the release of Candy, Ledger was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[27] As one of six actors embodying different aspects of the life of Bob Dylan in the 2007 film I'm Not There, directed by Todd Haynes, Ledger "won praise for his portrayal of 'Robbie [Clark],' a moody, counter-culture actor who represents the romanticist side of Dylan, but says accolades are never his motivation".^[28] Posthumously, on 23 February 2008, he shared the 2007 Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award with the rest of the film's ensemble cast, its director, and its casting director.^[29]

In his penultimate film role, Ledger played the Joker in Christopher Nolan's 2008 film The Dark Knight, which was released nearly six months after his death. While working on the film in London, Ledger told Sarah Lyall in their New York Times interview that he viewed The Dark Knight's Joker as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy".^[30] For his performance in The Dark Knight, Ledger posthumously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (becoming the fourth-youngest winner of the award) which his family accepted on his behalf, as well as numerous other posthumous awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, which Nolan accepted for him.^[31]^[32] At the time of his death on 22 January 2008, Ledger had completed about half of the work for his final film role as Tony in Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.^[33]^[34] Gilliam chose to adapt the film after his death by having fellow actors (and friends of Ledger) Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell play "fantasy transformations" of his character so that Ledger's final performance could be seen in theatres.^[35]

Directorial work

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Ledger had aspirations to become a film director and had made some music videos with his production company The Masses, which director Todd Haynes praised highly in his tribute to Ledger upon accepting the ISP Robert Altman Award, which Ledger posthumously shared, on 23 February 2008.^[29]^[36] In 2006, Ledger directed music videos for the title track on Australian hip hop artist N'fa's CD debut solo album Cause An Effect^[37] and for the single "Seduction Is Evil (She's Hot)".^[38]^[39] Later that year, Ledger inaugurated a new record label, The Masses Music, with singer Ben Harper and also directed a music video for Harper's song "Morning Yearning".^[30]^[40]

At a news conference at the 2007 Venice Film Festival, Ledger spoke of his desire to make a documentary film about the British singer-songwriter Nick Drake, who died in 1974, at the age of 26, from an overdose of an antidepressant.^[41] Ledger created and acted in a music video set to Drake's recording of the singer's 1974 song about depression, "Black Eyed Dog" — a title "inspired by Winston Churchill's descriptive term for depression" (black dog);^[42] it was shown publicly only twice, first at the Bumbershoot Festival, in Seattle, held from 1 to 3 September 2007; and secondly as part of "A Place To Be: A Celebration of Nick Drake", with its screening of Their Place: Reflections On Nick Drake, "a series of short filmed homages to Nick Drake" (including Ledger's), sponsored by American Cinematheque, at the Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, in Hollywood, on 5 October 2007.^[43] After Ledger's death, his music video for "Black Eyed Dog" was shown on the Internet and excerpted in news clips distributed via YouTube.^[41]^[44]^[45]^[a]

He was working with Scottish screenwriter and producer Allan Scott on an adaptation of the 1983 novel The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis, which would have been his first feature film as a director. He also intended to act in the film, with Canadian actor Elliot Page proposed in the lead role.^[2]^[46]^[47] Ledger's final directorial work, in which he shot two music videos before his death, premiered in 2009.^[48] The music videos, completed for Modest Mouse and Grace Woodroofe,^[49] include an animated feature for Modest Mouse's song "King Rat", and the Woodroofe video for her cover of David Bowie's "Quicksand".^[50] The "King Rat" video premiered on 4 August 2009.^[51]

Personal life

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Ledger was an avid chess player, and had participated in tournaments when he was young.^[52] As an adult, he often played with other chess enthusiasts at Washington Square Park in Manhattan.^[53] He was a fan of West Coast Eagles, an Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL) and is based in his hometown of Perth.^[54]

Ledger was an "obsessive" photographer who loved taking stills, then drawing over them with paint, markers or nail polish.^[55]

Relationships

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Ledger dated Lisa Zane, Christina Cauchi, Heather Graham, and Naomi Watts.^[56]^[57]

In 2004 he began a relationship with actress Michelle Williams after meeting her on the set of Brokeback Mountain. Their daughter, Matilda Rose, was born on 28 October 2005 in New York City.^[58] Matilda's godparents are Brokeback Mountain co-star Jake Gyllenhaal and Williams's Dawson's Creek co-star Busy Philipps.^[59] In January 2006, Ledger listed his residence in Bronte, Sydney, for sale^[60] and returned to the US, where he shared a house with Williams in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn from 2005 to 2007.^[61] In September 2007, Williams's father confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that Ledger and Williams had broken up.^[62]

After his breakup with Williams the tabloid press and other public media linked Ledger romantically with supermodels Helena Christensen and Gemma Ward. In 2011, Ward stated that the pair had begun dating in November 2007 and that their families had spent that year's Christmas together in their hometown of Perth.^[63]^[64]^[65]^[66]^[67]^[68]

Press controversies

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Ledger's relationship with the Australian press was sometimes turbulent, and it led to his abandonment of plans for his family to reside part-time in Sydney.^[69]^[70] In 2004, he strongly denied press reports alleging that "he spat at journalists on the Sydney set of the film Candy", or that one of his relatives had done so later, outside Ledger's Sydney home.^[69]^[70] On 13 January 2006, "Several members of the paparazzi retaliated ... squirting Ledger and Williams with water pistols on the red carpet at the Sydney premiere of Brokeback Mountain".^[71]^[72]

After his performance on stage at the 2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards, when he had giggled in presenting Brokeback Mountain as a nominee for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, the Los Angeles Times referred to his presentation as an "apparent gay spoof".^[73] Ledger called the Times later and explained that his levity resulted from stage fright, saying that he had been told that he would be presenting the award only minutes earlier; he stated: "I am so sorry and I apologise for my nervousness. I would be absolutely horrified if my stage fright was misinterpreted as a lack of respect for the film, the topic and for the amazing filmmakers."^[74]^[75]

After learning that two cinemas in Utah refused to show Brokeback Mountain, Ledger said: "I don't think the movie is [controversial] but I think maybe the Mormons in Utah do. I think it's hilarious and very immature of a society".^[76] In the same interview with the Herald Sun newspaper, Ledger mistakenly claimed that lynchings had occurred in West Virginia as recently as the 1980s; state scholars disputed his statement, asserting that no documented lynchings had occurred in West Virginia since 1931.^[77]

Health problems and drug use

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In an interview with Sarah Lyall, published in The New York Times on 4 November 2007, Ledger stated that he often could not sleep when taking on roles, and that the role of the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008) was causing his usual insomnia: "Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night. ... I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."^[78] At that time, he told Lyall that he had taken two Ambien pills, after taking just one had not sufficed, and those left him in "a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing".^[30]

Prior to his return to New York City from his last film assignment in London, in January 2008, while he was apparently suffering from some kind of respiratory illness, he reportedly complained to his The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus co-star Christopher Plummer that he was continuing to have difficulty sleeping and taking pills to help with that problem: "Confirming earlier reports that Ledger hadn't been feeling well on set, Plummer said: 'we all caught colds because we were shooting outside on horrible, damp nights. But Heath's went on and I don't think he dealt with it immediately with the antibiotics.... I think what he did have was the walking pneumonia.' [...] On top of that, 'He was saying all the time, 'dammit, I can't sleep'... and he was taking all these pills to help him'".^[79]

Speaking to Interview magazine after Ledger's death, Michelle Williams confirmed reports that the actor had experienced trouble sleeping: "For as long as I'd known him, he had bouts with insomnia. He had too much energy. His mind was turning, turning, turning – always turning".^[80]

Ledger was "widely reported to have struggled with substance abuse".^[81] Following Ledger's death, Entertainment Tonight aired video footage from 2006 in which Ledger stated that he "used to smoke five joints a day for 20 years" (which would mean he started doing so at the age of just six)^[82]^[83] and news outlets reported that his drug abuse had prompted Williams to request that he move out of their apartment in Brooklyn.^[84] Ledger's publicist asserted that reports of Ledger's alleged drug use had been inaccurate.^[82]

Death

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At around 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, 22 January 2008, Ledger was found naked and lying face down unresponsive in his bed by his housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, and his massage therapist, Diana Wolozin, in his loft at 421 Broome Street in the SoHo neighbourhood of Manhattan.^[6]^[4]^[85]

According to police, Wolozin, who had arrived early for a 3 p.m. appointment with Ledger, telephoned his friend Mary-Kate Olsen for help. Olsen, who was in Los Angeles at the time, directed her New York City private security guard to go to the scene. At 3:26 p.m., "less than 15 minutes after she first saw him in bed and only a few moments after the first call to Ms. Olsen", Wolozin dialed 911 "to say that Mr. Ledger was not breathing". At the urging of the 911 operator, Wolozin administered CPR, which was unsuccessful in reviving him.^[86]

Paramedics and emergency medical technicians arrived seven minutes later, at 3:33 p.m. but were also unable to revive him.^[6]^[86]^[87] At 3:36 p.m., Ledger was pronounced dead, and his body was removed from the apartment.^[6]^[86] He was 28 years old.

Autopsy and toxicology report

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On 6 February 2008, the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York released its conclusions. Those conclusions were based on an initial autopsy that occurred 23 January 2008, and a subsequent complete toxicological analysis.^[7]^[88]^[89] The report concluded that Ledger died "as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine". It added: "We have concluded that the manner of death is accident[al], resulting from the abuse of prescribed medications."^[7]^[9]

Although the Associated Press and other outlets reported that police estimated Ledger's death occurred between 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. on 22 January 2008,^[90] the Medical Examiner's Office announced that it would not publicly disclose the official estimated time of death.^[91]^[92] The official announcement of the cause and manner of Ledger's death heightened concerns about the growing problems of prescription drug abuse or misuse and combined drug intoxication (CDI).^[8]^[89]^[93]

In 2017, Jason Payne-James, a forensic pathologist, asserted that Ledger might have survived if hydrocodone and oxycodone had been left out of the combination of drugs that the actor took just prior to his death. He furthermore stated that the mixture of drugs, combined with a possible chest infection, caused Ledger to stop breathing.^[94]

Federal investigation

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Late in February 2008, a DEA investigation of medical professionals relating to Ledger's death exonerated two American physicians, who practice in Los Angeles and Houston, of any wrongdoing, determining that "the doctors in question had prescribed Ledger other medications – not the pills that killed him."^[95]^[96]

On 4 August 2008, Mary-Kate Olsen's attorney Michael Miller issued a statement denying that Olsen supplied Ledger with the drugs causing his death and asserting that she did not know their source.^[97]^[98] In his statement, Miller said specifically, "Despite tabloid speculation, Mary-Kate Olsen had nothing whatsoever to do with the drugs found in Heath Ledger's home or his body, and she does not know where he obtained them."^[99]

After a flurry of further media speculation, on 6 August 2008, the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan closed its investigation into Ledger's death without filing any charges and rendering moot its subpoena of Olsen.^[100]^[101] With the clearing of the two doctors and Olsen, and the closing of the investigation because the prosecutors in the Manhattan US Attorney's Office "don't believe there's a viable target," it is still not known how Ledger obtained the oxycodone and hydrocodone in the lethal drug combination that killed him.^[101]^[102]

Controversy over will

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After Ledger's death, in response to some press reports about his will, filed in New York City on 28 February 2008,^[103]^[104] and his daughter's access to his financial legacy, his father, Kim Ledger, said that he considered the financial well-being of Heath's daughter Matilda Rose an "absolute priority," whilst also stating that her mother, Michelle Williams, was "an integral part of our family". He added, "They will be taken care of and that's how Heath would want it to be".^[105] Some of Ledger's relatives may be challenging the legal status of his will signed in 2003, prior to his involvement with Williams and the birth of their daughter and not updated to include them, which divides half of his estate between his parents and half among his siblings; they claim that there is a second, unsigned will, which leaves most of that estate to Matilda Rose.^[106]^[107] Williams' father, Larry Williams, has also joined the controversy about Ledger's will, as it was filed in New York City soon after his death.^[108]

On 31 March 2008, stimulating another controversy pertaining to Ledger's estate, Gemma Jones and Janet Fife-Yeomans published an "Exclusive" report, in The Daily Telegraph, citing Ledger's uncle Haydn Ledger and other family members, who "believe the late actor may have fathered a secret love child" when he was 17, and stating that "If it is confirmed that Ledger is the girl's biological father, it could split his multi-million dollar estate between ... Matilda Rose ... and his secret love child."^[109]^[110]^[111] A few days later, reports citing telephone interviews with Ledger's uncles Haydn and Mike Ledger and the family of the other little girl, published in OK! and Us Weekly, "denied" those "claims", with Ledger's uncles and the little girl's mother and stepfather describing them as unfounded "rumors" distorted and exaggerated by the media.^[112]^[113]

On 15 July 2008, Fife-Yeomans reported further, via Australian News Limited, that "While Ledger left everything to his parents and three sisters, it is understood they have legal advice that under Western Australia law, Matilda Rose is entitled to the lion's share" of his estate; its executors, Kim Ledger's former business colleague Robert John Collins and Geraldton accountant William Mark Dyson, "have applied for probate in the West Australian Supreme Court in Perth, advertising for 'creditors and other persons' having claims on the estate to lodge them by 11 August 2008 ... to ensure all debts are paid before the estate is distributed...."^[114] According to this report by Fife-Yeomans, earlier reports citing Ledger's uncles,^[105] and subsequent reports citing Ledger's father, which do not include his actual posthumous earnings, "his entire fortune, mostly held in Australian trusts, is likely to be worth up to $20 million."^[114]^[115]^[116]

On 27 September 2008, Ledger's father Kim stated that "the family has agreed to leave the US$16.3 million fortune to Matilda," adding: "There is no claim. Our family has gifted everything to Matilda."^[115]^[116] In October 2008, Forbes estimated Ledger's annual earnings from October 2007 through October 2008 — including his posthumous share of The Dark Knight's gross income of "US$1 billion in box office revenue worldwide" — as "US$20 million".^[117]

Legacy

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Memorial tributes and services

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Dark doorway and doorstep with section of footpath. On the lower part of the dark door is a partly obscured Australian flag with dark blue background; red and white crosses on top left, large white star underneath and three white stars at the right with others obscured. Obscuring the right side of the flag is a white sheet with light blue writing, "Love + Miss You Always Heath" with two red hearts nearby, other writing includes "I'll never quit you" in darker blue, more writing is indistinct. This sheet also has six photos of a man. Above the flag, on the door is a smaller sheet with a photo of a man and indistinct writing below. On the doorstep and section of footpath are some 14 groups of flowers wrapped in plastic or paper, together with nine or so cards, five or six lit candles, and more photos. On the right side is a straw hat. — Memorial for Ledger, outside 421 Broome Street, SoHo, Manhattan, 23 January 2008

As the news of Ledger's death became public, throughout the night of 22 January 2008, and the following day, media crews, mourners, fans, and other onlookers began gathering outside his apartment building, with some leaving flowers or other memorial tributes.^[118]^[119]

The following day, at 10:50am AWST, Ledger's parents and sister appeared outside his mother's house in Applecross, a riverside suburb of Perth, and read a short statement to the media expressing their grief and desire for privacy.^[120] Within the next few days, memorial tributes were communicated by family members; Kevin Rudd (then-Prime Minister of Australia); Eric Ripper (then-Deputy Premier of Western Australia); Warner Bros. (distributor of The Dark Knight) and thousands of Ledger's fans around the world.^[121]^[122]^[123]^[124]

Several actors made statements expressing their sorrow at Ledger's death, including Daniel Day-Lewis, who dedicated his Screen Actors Guild Award to him, saying that he was inspired by Ledger's acting; Day-Lewis praised Ledger's performances in Monster's Ball and Brokeback Mountain, describing the latter as "unique, perfect".^[125]^[126] Verne Troyer, who was working with Ledger on The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus at the time of his death, had a heart shape, an exact duplicate of a symbol that Ledger scrawled on a piece of paper with his email address, tattooed on his hand in remembrance of Ledger because Ledger "had made such an impression on [him]".^[127] On 1 February, in her first public statement after Ledger's death, Michelle Williams expressed her heartbreak and described Ledger's spirit as surviving in their daughter.^[128]^[129]

After attending private memorial ceremonies in Los Angeles, Ledger's family members returned with his body to Perth.^[130]^[131] On 9 February, a memorial service attended by several hundred invited guests was held at Penrhos College, attracting considerable press attention; afterward Ledger's body was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery,^[132] followed by a private service attended by only 10 of his closest family members,^[133]^[134]^[135] The ashes were taken from Fremantle for interment at an unspecified location.^[136] Later that night, his family and friends gathered for a wake on Cottesloe Beach.^[137]^[138]^[139]

The Eskimo Joe song "Foreign Land" was written as a tribute to Ledger.^[140] The band were in New York at the time of his death.

In January 2011, the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia in Ledger's home town of Perth named a 575-seat theatre the Heath Ledger Theatre after him. For the opening of the theatre, Ledger's Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor was on display in the theatre's foyer along with his Joker costume.^[141]

Bon Iver's "Perth" was inspired by Heath Ledger.^[142] Justin Vernon, the lead singer and songwriter of the American indie folk band, revealed in 2011 that he had begun working on the song in 2008 and was scheduled to meet with a music video director who was good friends with Ledger, Matt Amato. "The first thing I worked on, the riff and the beginning melodies, was the first song on the record, 'Perth,'" Vernon told Exclaim!.^[143] Amato was directing the band's "The Wolves (Act I & II)" music video the day that Ledger died. "It was no longer about just making a Bon Iver music video anymore," Vernon says. "This was now our chance to be there with Matt as he grieved. It was a three-day wake." Amato told Vernon stories about Ledger that eventually became the inspiration for "Perth," the opening track to the band's second studio album Bon Iver, Bon Iver (2011).^[142]

Method and style

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"You know when you see the preachers down South? And they grab a believer and they go, 'Bwoom! I touch you with the hand of God!' And they believe so strongly, they're on the ground shaking and spitting. And fuck's sake, that's the power of belief... Now, I don't believe in Jesus, but I believe in my performance. And if you can understand that the power of belief is one of the great tools of our time and that a lot of acting comes from it, you can do anything."

—Ledger, during the interview with Rolling Stone in 2006, on belief, power and acting^[144]

Portraying a variety of roles, from romantic heroes to tragic characters, Ledger created a hodgepodge of characters that are deliberately unlike one another, stating: "I feel like I am wasting my time if I repeat myself". He also reflected on his inability to be happy with his work, "I feel the same thing about everything I do. The day I say, 'It's good' is the day I should start doing something else."^[145] Ledger liked to wait between jobs so that he would start creatively hungry on new projects.^[146] In his own words, acting was about harnessing "the infinite power of belief,"^[144] thus using belief as a tool for creating.

Directors who have worked with the actor praised him for his creativity, seriousness, and intuition. "I've never felt as old as I did watching Heath explore his talents," The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan has written, expressing amazement over the actor's working process, genuine curiosity and charisma.^[146] Marc Forster, who directed Ledger in Monster's Ball, complimented him as taking the job "very seriously", being disciplined, observant, understanding, and intuitive. In 2007, director Todd Haynes compared Ledger's presence to actor James Dean, casting Ledger as Robbie Clarke, a fictive personification of Bob Dylan in I'm Not There. Drawing on the similar characteristics between the actors, Haynes further highlighted Ledger's "precocious seriousness" and intuition. He also felt that Ledger had a rare maturity beyond his years."^[145] Ledger, however, disconnected himself and acting from perfectionism. "I'm always gonna pull myself apart and dissect [the work]. I mean, there's no such thing as perfection in what [actors] do. Pornos are more perfect than we are, because they're actually fucking."^[144]

"Some people find their shtick," Ledger reflected on the categorisation of style. "I never figured out who 'Heath Ledger' is on film: 'This is what you expect when you hire me, and it will be recognisable'... People always feel compelled to sum you up, to presume that they have you and can describe you. That's fine. But there are so many stories inside of me and a lot I want to achieve outside of one flat note."^[145]

Posthumous films and awards

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Ledger's death affected the marketing campaign for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008)^[11]^[33] and also both the production and marketing of Terry Gilliam's film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, with both directors intending to celebrate and pay tribute to his work in these films.^[33]^[34]^[147]^[148] Although Gilliam temporarily suspended production on the latter film,^[34] he expressed determination to "salvage" it, perhaps using computer-generated imagery (CGI), and dedicated it to Ledger.^[79]^[149]^[150] In February 2008, as a "memorial tribute to the man many have called one of the best actors of his generation," Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell signed on to take over Ledger's role, becoming multiple incarnations of his character, Tony, transformed in this "magical re-telling of the Faust story".^[151]^[152]^[153] The three actors donated their fees for the film to Ledger's and Williams's daughter.^[154]

Speaking of editing The Dark Knight, on which Ledger had completed his work in October 2007, Nolan recalled, "It was tremendously emotional, right when he passed, having to go back in and look at him every day. ... But the truth is, I feel very lucky to have something productive to do, to have a performance that he was very, very proud of, and that he had entrusted to me to finish."^[148] All of Ledger's scenes appear as he completed them in the filming; in editing the film, Nolan added no "digital effects" to alter Ledger's actual performance posthumously.^[155] Nolan dedicated the film in part to Ledger's memory, as well as to the memory of technician Conway Wickliffe, who was killed during a car accident while preparing one of the film's stunts.^[156]

Released in July 2008, The Dark Knight broke several box office records and received both popular and critical accolades, especially with regard to Ledger's performance as the Joker.^[157] Even film critic David Denby, who does not praise the film overall in his pre-release review in The New Yorker, evaluates Ledger's work highly, describing his performance as both "sinister and frightening" and Ledger as "mesmerising in every scene", concluding: "His performance is a heroic, unsettling final act: this young actor looked into the abyss."^[158] Attempting to dispel widespread speculations that Ledger's performance as the Joker had in any way led to his death (as Denby and others suggest), Ledger's co-star and friend Christian Bale, who played opposite him as Batman, has stressed that, as an actor, Ledger greatly enjoyed meeting the challenges of creating that role, an experience that Ledger himself described as "the most fun I've ever had, or probably ever will have, playing a character".^[11] Terry Gilliam also refuted the claims that playing the Joker made him crazy, calling it "absolute nonsense" and going on to say, "Heath was so solid. His feet were on the ground and he was the least neurotic person I've ever met."^[159]

Ledger received numerous awards for his Joker role in The Dark Knight. On 10 November 2008, he was nominated for two People's Choice Awards related to his work on the film, "Best Ensemble Cast" and "Best Onscreen Match-Up" (shared with Christian Bale), and Ledger won an award for "Match-Up" in the ceremony aired live on CBS in January 2009.^[160]

On 11 December 2008, it was announced that Ledger had been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight; he subsequently won the award at the 66th Golden Globe Awards ceremony telecast on NBC on 11 January 2009, with Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan accepting on his behalf.^[10]^[31]

Film critics, co-stars Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Caine and many of Ledger's peers in the film community joined Bale in calling for and predicting a nomination for the 2008 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in recognition of Ledger's achievement in The Dark Knight.^[161] Ledger's subsequent nomination was announced on 22 January 2009, the anniversary of his death.^[162]

Ledger went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, becoming the second person to win a posthumous Academy Award for acting (after fellow Australian actor Peter Finch, who won for 1976's Network), as well as the first comic-book movie actor to win an Oscar for their acting. Ledger's family attended the ceremony on 22 February 2009, with his parents and sister accepting the award onstage on his behalf.^[163]^[32] Following talks with the Ledger family in Australia, the academy determined that Ledger's daughter, Matilda Rose, would own the award. However, due to Matilda's age, she would not gain full ownership of the statuette until her eighteenth birthday in 2023.^[164] Her mother, Michelle Williams, would hold the statuette in trust for Matilda until that time.^[165]

On 4 April 2017, a trailer was released for the documentary I Am Heath Ledger, which was released on 3 May 2017.^[166] It features archival footage of Ledger and interviews.^[167]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Blackrock	Toby Ackland
1997	Paws	Oberon
1999	10 Things I Hate About You	Patrick Verona
1999	Two Hands	Jimmy
2000	The Patriot	Gabriel Martin
2001	A Knight's Tale	William Thatcher
2001	Monster's Ball	Sonny Grotowski
2002	The Four Feathers	Harry Faversham
2003	Ned Kelly	Ned Kelly
2003	The Order	Alex Bernier
2005	Brokeback Mountain	Ennis Del Mar
	The Brothers Grimm	Jacob Grimm
	Casanova	Giacomo Casanova
	Lords of Dogtown	Skip Engblom
2006	Candy	Dan Carter
2007	I'm Not There	Robbie Clark / Bob Dylan
2008	The Dark Knight	The Joker	Posthumous release
2009	The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus	Tony Shepard	Posthumous release; final film role

Television

[edit]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991	Clowning Around	Orphan clown	TV movie; debut role (uncredited)
1993	Ship to Shore	Cyclist	Seasons 1–2 (3 episodes)
1996	Sweat	Snowy Bowles	Season 1 (26 episodes)
1997	Home and Away	Scott Irwin	Season 10 (9 episodes)
1997	Roar	Conor	Season 1 (13 episodes)
2017	I Am Heath Ledger	Himself	Posthumous release; archive footage

Music videos

[edit]

Year	Title	Performer	Notes
2006	"Cause an Effect"	N'fa	Also director
	"Seduction is Evil (She's Hot)"	N'fa
	"Morning Yearning"	Ben Harper
2007	"Black Eyed Dog"	Nick Drake	Also director and featuring himself^[41]
2009	"Quicksand"	Grace Woodroofe	Also director
2009	"King Rat"	Modest Mouse	Animated video; conceived by himself^[49]

Accolades

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

^ Drake's song "Black Eyed Dog" is featured as track number five on the soundtrack album for the 1998 film Practical Magic, directed by Griffin Dunne and starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.

References

[edit]

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^ ^a ^b Joyce Eng (29 September 2008). "Heath Ledger's Daughter to Inherit Estate". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
^ ^a ^b "Ledger's Daughter to Inherit Late Actor's Estate". AOL Australia Celebrity Channel. Associated Press. 29 September 2008. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
^ Nichols, Michelle (29 October 2008). "Elvis Ranked Top-earning Dead Celebrity". Reuters. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2008. Forbes.com said it spoke to experts and sources inside the dead celebrities' estates and researched gross earnings, before taxes, management fees and other costs, from the period of October 2007 to October 2008 to come up with the rankings. Based on its estimates, Nichols reports, Forbes.com ranks Ledger as third among the world's highest-earning deceased celebrities for that year, following Elvis Presley (1) and Charles M. Schulz (2).
^ Boucher, Geoff; Gold, Matea; Lieberman, Paul (23 January 2008). "Ledger's death is a shock to Hollywood, fans". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2009. Minutes after the news of Ledger's death broke, several hundred people gathered outside the Broome Street apartment building where Ledger had been living ... television crews and area residents were joined by fans, including some Brooklyn acting students.
^ "Stars pay tribute to Heath Ledger". BBC News. 23 January 2008. Archived from the original on 27 January 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2009. Fans have been leaving flowers and candles outside Ledger's apartment in the SoHo district.
^ "Heath Ledger Loved Life, Family Tell". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. 23 January 2008. Archived from the original on 28 January 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2008.
^ Office of the Prime Minister of Australia (22 January 2008). "Media Release". Archived from the original on 10 February 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
^ Pendrill, Lisa (25 January 2008). "Heath's Family Writes of Heartache". The Sunday Telegraph. Australia. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2008.
^ Warner Bros. (25 January 2008). "Heath Memorial". Warner Brothers. Archived from the original on 28 January 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
^ "Online Community Pays Tribute to Heath Ledger". 901am.com. 25 January 2008. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
^ Diluna, Amy; Neumaier, Joe (27 January 2008). "Daniel Day-Lewis Honors Heath Ledger during Screen Actors Guild Awards". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2008.
^ Elsworth, Catherine (28 January 2008). "Daniel Day Lewis, Julie Christie win at Screen Actors Guild Awards". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
^ "Celebrity Big Brother". Celebrity Big Brother 2009. Season 2009. Episode Day 4. 6 January 2009. Archived from the original on 10 February 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
^ "Michelle Williams: Heath Ledger Has Broken My Heart". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. 1 February 2008. Archived from the original on 6 February 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
^ "Michelle Williams Breaks Silence on Heath's Death". People. 1 February 2008. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
^ Silverman, Stephen M. (4 February 2008). "Heath Ledger's Family Heads Home". People. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
^ Rodriguez, Brenda (5 February 2008). "A Sorrowful Return to Australia for Heath Ledger's Family". People. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
^ "Heath Ledger's death record". Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
^ Kent, Melissa (9 February 2008). "Tears, Tributes Accompany Heath Ledger to His Final Rest". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on 20 August 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
^ "Heath Ledger Farewelled at Perth Funeral". news.com.au. 9 February 2008. Archived from the original on 12 February 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2008.
^ "Reports: Michelle Williams Arrives in Perth for Heath Ledger's Funeral". International Herald Tribune. Associated Press. 6 February 2008. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2008.
^ "Summary of Record Information: Heath Andrew Ledger". Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, Western Australia. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
^ Cazzulino, Michelle; Corby, Stephen (10 February 2008). "Star Swim at Heath Ledger's Farewell: Ledger Wake Held in Perth". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 11 February 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2008.
^ Caccetta, Wendy; Cox, Nicole (10 February 2008). "Beach Tribute to Heath Ledger". The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 10 February 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2008.
^ Cazzulino, Michelle; Corby, Stephen (10 February 2008). "Michelle Williams Swims at Heath Ledger's Wake". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. Archived from the original on 11 February 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
^ Te Koha, Nui (19 August 2009). "Eskimo Joe write Foreign Land as a tribute to Heath Ledger". News.com.au. Retrieved 15 May 2020.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Act of love for Ledger theatre". Herald Sun. 28 January 2011. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012.
^ ^a ^b Newman, Jason (18 May 2017). "'I Am Heath Ledger': 10 Things We Learned From Spike TV Doc". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
^ Brayson, Johnny (25 April 2017). "Bon Iver's 'Perth' Was Inspired By Heath Ledger & It Makes The Song So Much More Poignant". Bustle. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lipsky, David (23 March 2016). "Heath Ledger's Lonesome Trail". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lyall, Sarah (4 November 2007). "Heath Ledger – I'm Not There -". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
^ ^a ^b Nolan, Christopher (26 January 2008). "Charisma as Natural as Gravity". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
^ "Ledger's Death Puts Last Films in a Bind". CNN. 24 January 2008. Archived from the original on 3 January 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2008.
^ ^a ^b Carroll, Larry (18 March 2008). "'Dark Knight' Stars, Director Want Film To 'Celebrate' Heath Ledger's Work". MTV. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
^ WENN (World Entertainment News Network) (28 January 2008). "Gilliam Trying to Save Last Ledger Film". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2008.
^ Brady, Matt (23 January 2008). "Heath Ledger Dies". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
^ "AICN exclusive! We Know Who's Paying Tribute To Heath Ledger in Dr. Parnassus Now!". Ain't It Cool News. 15 February 2008. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
^ Adler, Shawn (15 February 2008). "Heath Ledger's Final Film To Go Forward – With Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell in His Role". MTV. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
^ "Arts Briefly: Three Actors Replace Heath Ledger". The New York Times. 19 February 2008. Archived from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2008.
^ "Trio Give Fees to Ledger's Child". BBC News. 19 August 2008. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
^ Brown, Scott (23 June 2008). "Dark Knight Director Shuns Digital Effects for the Real Thing". Wired. No. 24 June 2008. Archived from the original on 27 June 2008. Retrieved 24 June 2008.
^ "Dark Knight Dedicated to Ledger". BBC News. 27 June 2008. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2008. The special tribute reads: 'In memory of our friends Heath Ledger and Conway Wickliffe'.
^ Gray, Brandon (23 July 2008). "News: 'Dark Knight' Begins Smashingly". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 17 December 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
^ Denby, David. "The Current Cinema: Past Shock: 'The Dark Knight' and 'WALL-E' ". The New Yorker. No. 21 July 2008. pp. 92–93. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2008. When Ledger wields a knife, he is thoroughly terrifying (do not, despite the PG-13 rating, bring the children), and, as you're watching him, you can't help wondering—in a response that admittedly lies outside film criticism—how badly he messed himself up in order to play the role this way. (Postdated)
^ "Terry Gilliam – The Talks". the-talks.com. 7 March 2012. Archived from the original on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
^ Herndon, Jessica (10 November 2008). "Britney Spears, Heath Ledger Get People's Choice Nods". People. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
^ Smith, Nina Hämmerling (28 July 2008). "Movie News: Ledger's Knight Costars Call for Posthumous Oscar". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 12 December 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
^ Kreps, Daniel (22 January 2009). "Heath Ledger Remembered on First Anniversary of His Death". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 27 January 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
^ Johnson, Reed (23 February 2009). "For Heath Ledger, a bittersweet salute". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
^ Pond, Steve (18 February 2009). "If Ledger Wins, Oscar Goes To Daughter". CBS News. Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
^ Gornstein, Leslie (19 February 2009). "Why Can't Li'l Matilda Have Heath's (Potential) Oscar?". E!. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
^ France, Lisa Respers (5 April 2017). "Heath Ledger as you've never seen him". CNN. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
^ Lee, Ashley (5 April 2017). "Heath Ledger Documentary Trailer Previews Footage Shot by Late Actor". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.

Further reading

[edit]

Adler, Shawn."Heath Ledger Said He Hoped to Evolve as an Actor and Person in 2005 Interview: Archived 25 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine Late Actor Was Intelligent, Self-Aware during 'Brokeback Mountain' Chat." MTV.com, 22 January 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2008. (Excerpts from transcript of interview with Heath Ledger conducted by John Norris in 2005.)
Arango, Tim. "Esquire Publishes a Diary That Isn't" Archived 17 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times, nytimes.com, 6 March 2008, Books. Retrieved 25 July 2008. (Rev. of Taddeo.)
"Death of a Star: Unsolved Mysteries" Archived 3 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Newsweek, 4 February 2008: 62, Newsmakers. Both Web and print versions. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
The Joker vs. The Real Heath: Entertainment Tonight Looks Back at the Career of Heath Ledger, etonline.com (CBS Studios Inc.), July 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008. ("ET takes a look back at Heath Ledger's career amid the hugely successful launch of 'The Dark Knight,' which features the late actor portraying the Joker"; includes photo album.)
McShane John. Heath Ledger: His Beautiful Life and Mysterious Death. London: John Blake, 2008. ISBN 1-84454-633-0 (10). ISBN 978-1-84454-633-6 (13). (Excerpt listed below.)
"Loves of Heath Ledger's Life" Archived 9 December 2012 at archive.today. The Courier-Mail, news.com.au, 20 April 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2008. (Book excerpt.)
Nolan, Christopher. "Transition: Charisma as Natural as Gravity Archived 11 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine: Heath Ledger, 28, Actor". Newsweek, 4 February 2008: 9, Periscope. Both Web (updated 26 January 2008) and print versions. Retrieved 5 August 2008. (Eulogy.)
Norris, Chris. "(Untitled Heath Ledger Project) Archived 7 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine: In Which the Protagonist Dies Mysteriously, and the Audience Analyzes His Final Days for Clues to His Real Character". New York, nymag.com, 18 February 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
Park, Michael Y. "Christian Bale on 'Kindred Spirit' Heath Ledger" Archived 5 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Web. People, 25 June 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2008. (See Wolf below.)
Robb, Brian J. Heath Ledger: Hollywood's Dark Star. London: Plexus Publishing Ltd, 2008. ISBN 0-85965-427-3 (10). ISBN 978-0-85965-427-2 (13).
Scott, A. O. "An Appraisal: Prince of Intensity with a Lightness of Touch" Archived 1 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times, nytimes.com, 24 January 2008, Movies. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
Sessums, Kevin, with photographs by Bruce Weber. "We're Having a Heath Wave" Archived 21 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Vanity Fair, August 2000, vanityfair.com, August 2008. Web. (4 pages.) Accessed 21 April 2008. (Interview with Heath Ledger; illustrations in "Perth Album", by Bruce Weber.)
Taddeo, Lisa. "The Last Days of Heath Ledger" Archived 15 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Esquire (April 2008), esquire.com, 5 March 2008. (Updated 21 July 2008.) Accessed 25 July 2008. (Fictional account; cf. rev. by Arango.)
Travers, Peter."Sundance: Shock". The Travers Take: News and Reviews from Rolling Stone's Movie Critic, Rolling Stone (Blog), rollingstone.com, 22 January 2008. Includes hyperlinked feature: Video Review: A Look at Heath Ledger's Best Performances Archived 28 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine (video by Jennifer Hsu, with audio commentary provided by Travers), 1 February 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
Wolf, Jeanne. "Christian Bale: 'Life Should Never Be Boring' ". Parade, 29 June 2008: 8–9. Both Web and print formats. Retrieved 3 August 2008. (See Park above.)

External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Heath Ledger.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heath Ledger.

Heath Ledger at IMDb

Awards for Heath Ledger

v t e Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1936–1950	Walter Brennan (1936) Joseph Schildkraut (1937) Walter Brennan (1938) Thomas Mitchell (1939) Walter Brennan (1940) Donald Crisp (1941) Van Heflin (1942) Charles Coburn (1943) Barry Fitzgerald (1944) James Dunn (1945) Harold Russell (1946) Edmund Gwenn (1947) Walter Huston (1948) Dean Jagger (1949) George Sanders (1950)
1951–1975	Karl Malden (1951) Anthony Quinn (1952) Frank Sinatra (1953) Edmond O'Brien (1954) Jack Lemmon (1955) Anthony Quinn (1956) Red Buttons (1957) Burl Ives (1958) Hugh Griffith (1959) Peter Ustinov (1960) George Chakiris (1961) Ed Begley (1962) Melvyn Douglas (1963) Peter Ustinov (1964) Martin Balsam (1965) Walter Matthau (1966) George Kennedy (1967) Jack Albertson (1968) Gig Young (1969) John Mills (1970) Ben Johnson (1971) Joel Grey (1972) John Houseman (1973) Robert De Niro (1974) George Burns (1975)
1976–2000	Jason Robards (1976) Jason Robards (1977) Christopher Walken (1978) Melvyn Douglas (1979) Timothy Hutton (1980) John Gielgud (1981) Louis Gossett Jr. (1982) Jack Nicholson (1983) Haing S. Ngor (1984) Don Ameche (1985) Michael Caine (1986) Sean Connery (1987) Kevin Kline (1988) Denzel Washington (1989) Joe Pesci (1990) Jack Palance (1991) Gene Hackman (1992) Tommy Lee Jones (1993) Martin Landau (1994) Kevin Spacey (1995) Cuba Gooding Jr. (1996) Robin Williams (1997) James Coburn (1998) Michael Caine (1999) Benicio del Toro (2000)
2001–present	Jim Broadbent (2001) Chris Cooper (2002) Tim Robbins (2003) Morgan Freeman (2004) George Clooney (2005) Alan Arkin (2006) Javier Bardem (2007) Heath Ledger (2008) Christoph Waltz (2009) Christian Bale (2010) Christopher Plummer (2011) Christoph Waltz (2012) Jared Leto (2013) J. K. Simmons (2014) Mark Rylance (2015) Mahershala Ali (2016) Sam Rockwell (2017) Mahershala Ali (2018) Brad Pitt (2019) Daniel Kaluuya (2020) Troy Kotsur (2021) Ke Huy Quan (2022) Robert Downey Jr. (2023) Kieran Culkin (2024)

BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

1968–2000

Ian Holm (1968)
Laurence Olivier (1969)
Colin Welland (1970)
Edward Fox (1971)
Ben Johnson (1972)
Arthur Lowe (1973)
John Gielgud (1974)
Fred Astaire (1975)
Brad Dourif (1976)
Edward Fox (1977)
John Hurt (1978)
Robert Duvall (1979)
Ian Holm (1981)
Jack Nicholson (1982)
Denholm Elliott (1983)
Denholm Elliott (1984)
Denholm Elliott (1985)
Ray McAnally (1986)
Daniel Auteuil (1987)
Michael Palin (1988)
Ray McAnally (1989)
Salvatore Cascio (1990)
Alan Rickman (1991)
Gene Hackman (1992)
Ralph Fiennes (1993)
Samuel L. Jackson (1994)
Tim Roth (1995)
Paul Scofield (1996)
Tom Wilkinson (1997)
Geoffrey Rush (1998)
Jude Law (1999)
Benicio del Toro (2000)

2001–present

Jim Broadbent (2001)
Christopher Walken (2002)
Bill Nighy (2003)
Clive Owen (2004)
Jake Gyllenhaal (2005)
Alan Arkin (2006)
Javier Bardem (2007)
Heath Ledger (2008)
Christoph Waltz (2009)
Geoffrey Rush (2010)
Christopher Plummer (2011)
Christoph Waltz (2012)
Barkhad Abdi (2013)
J. K. Simmons (2014)
Mark Rylance (2015)
Dev Patel (2016)
Sam Rockwell (2017)
Mahershala Ali (2018)
Brad Pitt (2019)
Daniel Kaluuya (2020)
Troy Kotsur (2021)
Barry Keoghan (2022)
Robert Downey Jr. (2023)
Kieran Culkin (2024)

Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor

Jason Robards (1980)
Jack Nicholson (1981)
Mickey Rourke (1982)
Jack Nicholson (1983)
John Malkovich (1984)
Ian Holm (1985)
Dennis Hopper / Ray Liotta (1986)
R. Lee Ermey (1987)
Dean Stockwell (1988)
Danny Aiello (1989)
Joe Pesci (1990)
Anthony Hopkins (1991)
Gene Hackman (1992)
Ralph Fiennes (1993)
Martin Landau (1994)
Kevin Spacey (1995)
Edward Norton (1996)
Kevin Spacey (1997)
William H. Macy / Billy Bob Thornton (1998)
Christopher Plummer (1999)
Fred Willard (2000)
Ben Kingsley (2001)
Alan Arkin (2002)
Peter Sarsgaard (2003)
Thomas Haden Church (2004)
Paul Giamatti (2005)
Mark Wahlberg (2006)
Javier Bardem (2007)
Heath Ledger (2008)
Christoph Waltz (2009)
Christian Bale (2010)
Albert Brooks (2011)
Ezra Miller (2012)
James Gandolfini (2013)
J. K. Simmons (2014)
Mark Rylance (2015)
Mahershala Ali (2016)
Willem Dafoe (2017)
Richard E. Grant (2018)
Brad Pitt (2019)
Paul Raci (2020)
Troy Kotsur (2021)
Ke Huy Quan (2022)
Ryan Gosling (2023)
Edward Norton (2024)

Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor

Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor

Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor

v t e Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem (2007) Heath Ledger (2008) Christoph Waltz (2009) Christian Bale (2010) Christopher Plummer (2011) Robert De Niro (2012) Jared Leto (2013) J. K. Simmons (2014) Liev Schreiber (2015) Jeff Bridges (2016) Willem Dafoe (2017) Josh Hamilton (2018) Joe Pesci (2019) Daniel Kaluuya (2020) Jon Bernthal (2021)

Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor

Edward Norton (1996)
Rupert Everett (1997)
Robert Duvall (1998)
Haley Joel Osment (1999)
Benicio del Toro (2000)
Ben Kingsley (2001)
Chris Cooper (2002)
Tim Robbins (2003)
Thomas Haden Church (2004)
Paul Giamatti (2005)
Jack Nicholson (2006)
Javier Bardem (2007)
Heath Ledger (2008)
Christoph Waltz (2009)
Christian Bale (2010)
Albert Brooks (2011)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (2012)
Jared Leto (2013)
J. K. Simmons (2014)
Oscar Isaac (2015)
Jeff Bridges (2016)
Sam Rockwell (2017)
Steven Yeun (2018)
Joe Pesci (2019)
Paul Raci (2020)
Kodi Smit-McPhee (2021)
Ke Huy Quan (2022)
Charles Melton (2023)
Jeremy Strong (2024)

v t e Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
1943–1975	Akim Tamiroff (1943) Barry Fitzgerald (1944) J. Carrol Naish (1945) Clifton Webb (1946) Edmund Gwenn (1947) Walter Huston (1948) James Whitmore (1949) Edmund Gwenn (1950) Peter Ustinov (1951) Millard Mitchell (1952) Frank Sinatra (1953) Edmond O'Brien (1954) Arthur Kennedy (1955) Earl Holliman (1956) Red Buttons (1957) Burl Ives (1958) Stephen Boyd (1959) Sal Mineo (1960) George Chakiris (1961) Omar Sharif (1962) John Huston (1963) Edmond O'Brien (1964) Oskar Werner (1965) Richard Attenborough (1966) Richard Attenborough (1967) Daniel Massey (1968) Gig Young (1969) John Mills (1970) Ben Johnson (1971) Joel Grey (1972) John Houseman (1973) Fred Astaire (1974) Richard Benjamin (1975)
1976–2000	Laurence Olivier (1976) Peter Firth (1977) John Hurt (1978) Melvyn Douglas / Robert Duvall (1979) Timothy Hutton (1980) John Gielgud (1981) Louis Gossett Jr. (1982) Jack Nicholson (1983) Haing S. Ngor (1984) Klaus Maria Brandauer (1985) Tom Berenger (1986) Sean Connery (1987) Martin Landau (1988) Denzel Washington (1989) Bruce Davison (1990) Jack Palance (1991) Gene Hackman (1992) Tommy Lee Jones (1993) Martin Landau (1994) Brad Pitt (1995) Edward Norton (1996) Burt Reynolds (1997) Ed Harris (1998) Tom Cruise (1999) Benicio del Toro (2000)
2001–present	Jim Broadbent (2001) Chris Cooper (2002) Tim Robbins (2003) Clive Owen (2004) George Clooney (2005) Eddie Murphy (2006) Javier Bardem (2007) Heath Ledger (2008) Christoph Waltz (2009) Christian Bale (2010) Christopher Plummer (2011) Christoph Waltz (2012) Jared Leto (2013) J. K. Simmons (2014) Sylvester Stallone (2015) Aaron Taylor-Johnson (2016) Sam Rockwell (2017) Mahershala Ali (2018) Brad Pitt (2019) Daniel Kaluuya (2020) Kodi Smit-McPhee (2021) Ke Huy Quan (2022) Robert Downey Jr. (2023) Kieran Culkin (2024)

v t e Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem (2007) Heath Ledger (2008) Christoph Waltz (2009) Christian Bale (2010) Albert Brooks (2011) Tommy Lee Jones (2012) Jared Leto (2013) J. K. Simmons (2014) Tom Hardy (2015) Jeff Bridges (2016) Sam Rockwell (2017) Mahershala Ali (2018) Brad Pitt (2019) Leslie Odom Jr. (2020) Kodi Smit-McPhee (2021) Ke Huy Quan (2022) Ryan Gosling (2023)

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor

Jason Robards (1977)
Robert Morley (1978)
Melvyn Douglas (1979)
Timothy Hutton (1980)
John Gielgud (1981)
John Lithgow (1982)
Jack Nicholson (1983)
Adolph Caesar (1984)
John Gielgud (1985)
Dennis Hopper (1986)
Morgan Freeman (1987)
Alec Guinness (1988)
Danny Aiello (1989)
Joe Pesci (1990)
Michael Lerner (1991)
Gene Hackman (1992)
Tommy Lee Jones (1993)
Martin Landau (1994)
Don Cheadle (1995)
Edward Norton (1996)
Burt Reynolds (1997)
Bill Murray (1998)
Christopher Plummer (1999)
Willem Dafoe (2000)
Jim Broadbent (2001)
Chris Cooper (2002)
Bill Nighy (2003)
Thomas Haden Church (2004)
William Hurt (2005)
Michael Sheen (2006)
Vlad Ivanov (2007)
Heath Ledger (2008)
Christoph Waltz (2009)
Niels Arestrup (2010)
Christopher Plummer (2011)
Dwight Henry (2012)
James Franco / Jared Leto (2013)
J. K. Simmons (2014)
Michael Shannon (2015)
Mahershala Ali (2016)
Willem Dafoe (2017)
Steven Yeun (2018)
Song Kang-ho (2019)
Glynn Turman (2020)
Vincent Lindon / Kodi Smit-McPhee (2021)

v t e MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Kiss
1990s	Anna Chlumsky & Macaulay Culkin in My Girl (1992) Christian Slater & Marisa Tomei in Untamed Heart (1993) Demi Moore & Woody Harrelson in Indecent Proposal (1994) Jim Carrey & Lauren Holly in Dumb and Dumber (1995) Natasha Henstridge & Anthony Guidera in Species (1996) Will Smith & Vivica A. Fox in Independence Day (1997) Adam Sandler & Drew Barrymore in The Wedding Singer (1998) Gwyneth Paltrow & Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1999)
2000s	Sarah Michelle Gellar & Selma Blair in Cruel Intentions (2000) Julia Stiles & Sean Patrick Thomas in Save the Last Dance (2001) Jason Biggs & Seann William Scott in American Pie 2 (2002) Tobey Maguire & Kirsten Dunst in Spider-Man (2003) Owen Wilson, Carmen Electra & Amy Smart in Starsky & Hutch (2004) Ryan Gosling & Rachel McAdams in The Notebook (2005) Heath Ledger & Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain (2006) Will Ferrell & Sacha Baron Cohen in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2007) Briana Evigan & Robert Hoffman in Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in Twilight (2009)
2010s	Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2010) Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2011) Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2012) Jennifer Lawrence & Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook (2013) Emma Roberts, Jennifer Aniston & Will Poulter in We're the Millers (2014) Ansel Elgort & Shailene Woodley in The Fault in Our Stars (2015) Rebel Wilson & Adam DeVine in Pitch Perfect 2 (2016) Ashton Sanders & Jharrel Jerome in Moonlight (2017) Nick Robinson & Keiynan Lonsdale in Love, Simon (2018) Noah Centineo & Lana Condor in To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2019)
2020s	No award (2020) Chase Stokes & Madelyn Cline in Outer Banks (2021) Poopies & the Snake in Jackass Forever (2022) Madison Bailey & Rudy Pankow in Outer Banks (2023)

MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Villain

Rebecca De Mornay (1992)
Jennifer Jason Leigh (1993)
Alicia Silverstone (1994)
Dennis Hopper (1995)
Kevin Spacey (1996)
Jim Carrey (1997)
Mike Myers (1998)
Matt Dillon / Stephen Dorff (1999)
Mike Myers (2000)
Jim Carrey (2001)
Denzel Washington (2002)
Daveigh Chase (2003)
Lucy Liu (2004)
Ben Stiller (2005)
Hayden Christensen (2006)
Jack Nicholson (2007)
Johnny Depp (2008)
Heath Ledger (2009)
Tom Felton (2010)
Tom Felton (2011)
Jennifer Aniston (2012)
Tom Hiddleston (2013)
Mila Kunis (2014)
Meryl Streep (2015)
Adam Driver (2016)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (2017)
Michael B. Jordan (2018)
Josh Brolin (2019)
No Award (2020)
Kathryn Hahn (2021)
Daniel Radcliffe (2022)
Elizabeth Olsen (2023)

v t e New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
1935–1950	Charles Laughton (1935) Walter Huston (1936) Paul Muni (1937) James Cagney (1938) James Stewart (1939) Charlie Chaplin (1940) Gary Cooper (1941) James Cagney (1942) Paul Lukas (1943) Barry Fitzgerald (1944) Ray Milland (1945) Laurence Olivier (1946) William Powell (1947) Laurence Olivier (1948) Broderick Crawford (1949) Gregory Peck (1950)
1951–1975	Arthur Kennedy (1951) Ralph Richardson (1952) Burt Lancaster (1953) Marlon Brando (1954) Ernest Borgnine (1955) Kirk Douglas (1956) Alec Guinness (1957) David Niven (1958) James Stewart (1959) Burt Lancaster (1960) Maximilian Schell (1961) No Award (1962) Albert Finney (1963) Rex Harrison (1964) Oskar Werner (1965) Paul Scofield (1966) Rod Steiger (1967) Alan Arkin (1968) Jon Voight (1969) George C. Scott (1970) Gene Hackman (1971) Laurence Olivier (1972) Marlon Brando (1973) Jack Nicholson (1974) Jack Nicholson (1975)
1976–2000	Robert De Niro (1976) John Gielgud (1977) Jon Voight (1978) Dustin Hoffman (1979) Robert De Niro (1980) Burt Lancaster (1981) Ben Kingsley (1982) Robert Duvall (1983) Steve Martin (1984) Jack Nicholson (1985) Bob Hoskins (1986) Jack Nicholson (1987) Jeremy Irons (1988) Daniel Day-Lewis (1989) Robert De Niro (1990) Anthony Hopkins (1991) Denzel Washington (1992) David Thewlis (1993) Paul Newman (1994) Nicolas Cage (1995) Geoffrey Rush (1996) Peter Fonda (1997) Nick Nolte (1998) Richard Farnsworth (1999) Tom Hanks (2000)
2001–present	Tom Wilkinson (2001) Daniel Day-Lewis (2002) Bill Murray (2003) Paul Giamatti (2004) Heath Ledger (2005) Forest Whitaker (2006) Daniel Day-Lewis (2007) Sean Penn (2008) George Clooney (2009) Colin Firth (2010) Brad Pitt (2011) Daniel Day-Lewis (2012) Robert Redford (2013) Timothy Spall (2014) Michael Keaton (2015) Casey Affleck (2016) Timothée Chalamet (2017) Ethan Hawke (2018) Antonio Banderas (2019) Delroy Lindo (2020) Benedict Cumberbatch (2021) Colin Farrell (2022) Franz Rogowski (2023) Adrien Brody (2024)

Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor

Burt Reynolds (1997)
Billy Bob Thornton (1998)
Haley Joel Osment (1999)
Benicio del Toro / Philip Seymour Hoffman (2000)
Steve Buscemi (2001)
Dennis Quaid (2002)
Peter Sarsgaard (2003)
Thomas Haden Church (2004)
Mickey Rourke (2005)
Jackie Earle Haley (2006)
Javier Bardem (2007)
Heath Ledger (2008)
Christoph Waltz (2009)
Christian Bale (2010)
Christopher Plummer (2011)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (2012)
Michael Fassbender (2013)
Edward Norton (2014)
Oscar Isaac (2015)
Mahershala Ali (2016)
Sam Rockwell (2017)
Michael B. Jordan (2018)
Brad Pitt (2019)
Leslie Odom Jr. (2020)
Kodi Smit-McPhee (2021)
Ke Huy Quan (2022)
Robert Downey Jr. (2023)
Kieran Culkin (2024)

San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor

Armin Mueller-Stahl (1996)
Burt Reynolds (1997)
Billy Bob Thornton (1998)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (1999)
Benicio del Toro (2000)
Ben Kingsley (2001)
Chris Cooper (2002)
Djimon Hounsou (2003)
Phil Davis (2004)
Jeffrey Wright (2005)
Ray Winstone (2006)
Tommy Lee Jones (2007)
Heath Ledger (2008)
Christoph Waltz (2009)
John Hawkes (2010)
Nick Nolte (2011)
Christoph Waltz (2012)
Jared Leto (2013)
Mark Ruffalo (2014)
Tom Noonan (2015)
Mahershala Ali / Ben Foster (2016)
Sam Rockwell (2017)
Timothée Chalamet / Richard E. Grant (2018)
Joe Pesci / Brad Pitt (2019)
Paul Raci (2020)
Jason Isaacs (2021)
Brendan Gleeson (2022)
Robert Downey Jr. (2023)
Kieran Culkin (2024)

San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor

San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor

Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor

Marty Feldman (1974/75)
Jay Robinson (1976)
Alec Guinness (1977)
Burgess Meredith (1978)
Arte Johnson (1979)
Scatman Crothers (1980)
Burgess Meredith (1981)
Richard Lynch (1982)
John Lithgow (1983)
Tracey Walter (1984)
Roddy McDowall (1985)
Bill Paxton (1986)
Richard Dawson (1987)
Robert Loggia (1988)
Thomas F. Wilson (1989/90)
William Sadler (1991)
Robin Williams (1992)
Lance Henriksen (1993)
Gary Sinise (1994)
Brad Pitt (1995)
Brent Spiner (1996)
Vincent D'Onofrio (1997)
Ian McKellen (1998)
Michael Clarke Duncan (1999)
Willem Dafoe (2000)
Ian McKellen (2001)
Andy Serkis (2002)
Sean Astin (2003)
David Carradine (2004)
Mickey Rourke (2005)
Ben Affleck (2006)
Javier Bardem (2007)
Heath Ledger (2008)
Stephen Lang (2009)
Andrew Garfield (2010)
Andy Serkis (2011)
Clark Gregg (2012)
Ben Kingsley (2013)
Richard Armitage (2014)
Adam Driver (2015)
John Goodman (2016)
Patrick Stewart (2017)
Josh Brolin (2018/19)
Bill Hader (2019/20)
Ke Huy Quan (2021/22)
Nicolas Cage (2022/23)
Hugh Jackman (2023/24)

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Martin Landau (1994)
Ed Harris (1995)
Cuba Gooding Jr. (1996)
Robin Williams (1997)
Robert Duvall (1998)
Michael Caine (1999)
Albert Finney (2000)
Ian McKellen (2001)
Christopher Walken (2002)
Tim Robbins (2003)
Morgan Freeman (2004)
Paul Giamatti (2005)
Eddie Murphy (2006)
Javier Bardem (2007)
Heath Ledger (2008)
Christoph Waltz (2009)
Christian Bale (2010)
Christopher Plummer (2011)
Tommy Lee Jones (2012)
Jared Leto (2013)
J. K. Simmons (2014)
Idris Elba (2015)
Mahershala Ali (2016)
Sam Rockwell (2017)
Mahershala Ali (2018)
Brad Pitt (2019)
Daniel Kaluuya (2020)
Troy Kotsur (2021)
Ke Huy Quan (2022)
Robert Downey Jr. (2023)
Kieran Culkin (2024)

St. Louis Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor

St. Louis Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor

Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor

Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor

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