Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

GONE TOO SOON
"Heath Ledger was a courageous actor, and a great soul," James Schamus, CEO of Focus Features and producer of Brokeback Mountain said of the star, who was found dead Tuesday in New York City. "He gave us the gift of sharing his fearless and beautiful love – of his craft, and of all who worked with him –for which all of us will be eternally grateful."





FAMILY LIFE
At 28, Ledger was already an Oscar-nominated actor – and a father. Daughter Matilda (with actress Michelle Williams) was born Oct. 28, 2005. "It's what I've always wanted," the self-proclaimed Mr. Mom told Entertainment Weekly in 2006. "She's just adorable. A beautifully observant, wise little kid."







DARK SIDE
More recently, Ledger had caused a stir, stepping into the macabre role of the Joker in this summer's The Dark Knight, the sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. "It's the most fun I've had with a character and probably will ever have," he said. "The movie itself is far exceeding my expectations. I think it's going to be a really fun movie to watch."








CHASING A DREAM
Ledger's rise on the screen started as a teen: At 16, he left his hometown of Perth, Australia, and headed to Sydney, where he appeared on the Aussie TV show Sweat and made his feature film debut in Blackrock. He then took the lead in the FOX series Roar(left), a warrior drama that filmed in Queensland and costarred Keri Russell.




HEARTTHROB STATUS
Ledger landed his first Hollywood lead in 1999's 10 Things I Hate About You, opposite Julia Stiles. The teen comedy raked in more than $50 million, but Ledger admitted he was unhappy being labeled a heartthrob. "I was a young kid from Australia, and that was the only movie someone was willing to put me in, so what do you do?" he told the Houston Chronicle.








NEARLY GOLDEN
By the time he starred in 2005's Brokeback Mountain (left), Ledger had already worked opposite Billy Bob Thornton (Monster's Ball) and Mel Gibson (The Patriot). In his Oscar-nominated role of Ennis Del Mar, director Ang Lee gushed to PEOPLE that Ledger's performance was reminiscent of "a young [Marlon] Brando."







DEFINING ROLE
"I would have been crazy to turn it down," Ledger (with his Brokeback costars Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal) told Entertainment Weekly of breaking barriers in the gay cowboy drama. "Any anxiety toward doing it was manufactured through the industry. It obviously wasn't as big a deal for us, because we did it."






GOOD SPORT
Ledger (kissing the air vacated by Michelle Williams at the post-Oscars Governor's Ball) kept a sense of humor despite losing out on Best Actor to Philip Seymour Hoffman in 2006. He once said, "I think that flattery is just as dangerous or destructive as criticism. I think it's all one thing."






HOLLYWOOD ROMANCE
On the Brokeback set, Ledger started a three-year romance with costar Williams, producing a daughter, Matilda. Of an early encounter, he told Rolling Stone, "On the fifth take, Michelle and I [are] tobogganing down the hill, and Michelle ... twisted her knee –she was pretty much on crutches for the rest of the shoot. And I felt I always had to look after her after that."




'SO PROUD'
Ledger (with a radiant Williams at the New York premiere of Brokeback) called meeting the actress the turning point of his career. "I'm so proud," he told Oprah Winfrey in 2006. "I just fall deeper and deeper in love with both my girls."









NEIGHBORHOOD GUY
Ledger and Williams planted their new family in Brooklyn, where the actor easily blended with the locals. Ledger, who moved to Manhattan after their split, was an unassuming fixture in his brownstone neighborhood, often spotted taking the baby for walks, skateboarding or stopping by local restaurants.






LOVE LOST
Ledger and Williams (at the 2007 Film Independent's Spirit Awards in Santa Monica) called it quits in September. "It was rocky for a while," a source told PEOPLE. "They did what they could to make it work." Ledger later became a regular at New York City nightclubs and was even spotted with model Helena Christensen, but another source said he was "bummed" about the breakup.





TRAVELING MAN
In September, Ledger traveled to the Venice Film Festival to promote his Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There. Relating to the film, he said: "I feel like I live a kind of gypsy type lifestyle ... struggling with keeping consistency with a family life, a social life and a professional life."




HARD AT WORK
Since the split, Ledger had been working often and recently wrapped The Dark Knight. He was last spotted out Saturday in London, where he was dressed in a clown suit to film Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and in street clothes chatting up the film crew.






'A TRAGIC LOSS'
"I had such great hope for him," said former costar Mel Gibson, a fellow Australian. "He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss."

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

wonderful pictures. I know a lot of people in Brooklyn say he was always out at the park with Matilda. A very easy guy to talk to. just so sad.

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

This is so sad! I cant believe that he is dead!

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

so so sad. I really feel for Michelle Williams and his daughter who is left without a daddy

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

VERY sad.....

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

so sad. He was such a talent.

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

so sad...so much potential and I feel terrible for his daughter

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

It's just so tragic!

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

very sad story

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

So sad. I remembering seeing him and Michelle when she was preggo at a Barnes and Nobles in NYC.

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

looking at the pictures gave me chills so sad for his family

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

I am so sad for his family and the talent we have lost.

It will be hard to watch the batman movie this summer.

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

It's very sad, all of that potential now lost.

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

just a terrible thing

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

So sad

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

I'm so upset about his death. My heart goes out to his daughter and family

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos

Re: Heath Ledger: Life in Photos