Heath Ledger Through the Years: From ’10 Things I Hate About You’ to ‘The Dark Knight’

Credit: Sarah Rhodes/Newspix/Getty Images

Heath Ledger Through the Years: From '10 Things I Hate About You' to 'The Dark Knight'

Before he won a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of Joker in The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger was just a wide-eyed young actor trying to make it big in Hollywood. Born in Australia in April 1979, Ledger appeared in a handful of Australian TV shows and movies before becoming a household name for his role as Patrick Verona in 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You. He went on to star in a number of memorable projects, such as The Patriot, Monster’s Ball, A Knight’s Tale and Brokeback Mountain, the latter of which scored him a 2006 Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Ledger met actress Michelle Williams filming Brokeback Mountain, and they began dating in 2005 before welcoming their daughter, Matilda, that same year. They called it quits in September 2007, less than one year before Ledger died of an accidental overdose in January 2008. Despite their split, Williams — who was married to Phil Elverum from 2018 to 2019 before marrying Thomas Kail in 2020 — continues to keep Ledger’s memory alive for their daughter. “I always say to Matilda, ‘Your dad loved me before anybody thought I was talented, or pretty, or had nice clothes,’” she told Vanity Fair in July 2018. Keep scrolling to see highlights from Ledger’s life:

Credit: Sarah Rhodes/Newspix/Getty Images

Heath Ledger Through the Years: From '10 Things I Hate About You' to 'The Dark Knight'

Before he won a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of Joker in The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger was just a wide-eyed young actor trying to make it big in Hollywood. Born in Australia in April 1979, Ledger appeared in a handful of Australian TV shows and movies before becoming a household name for his role as Patrick Verona in 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You. He went on to star in a number of memorable projects, such as The Patriot, Monster’s Ball, A Knight’s Tale and Brokeback Mountain, the latter of which scored him a 2006 Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Ledger met actress Michelle Williams filming Brokeback Mountain, and they began dating in 2005 before welcoming their daughter, Matilda, that same year. They called it quits in September 2007, less than one year before Ledger died of an accidental overdose in January 2008. Despite their split, Williams — who was married to Phil Elverum from 2018 to 2019 before marrying Thomas Kail in 2020 — continues to keep Ledger’s memory alive for their daughter. “I always say to Matilda, ‘Your dad loved me before anybody thought I was talented, or pretty, or had nice clothes,’” she told Vanity Fair in July 2018. Keep scrolling to see highlights from Ledger’s life:

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Up-and-Comer 

Ledger scored his first acting gig as an uncredited clown in the 1992 indie drama Clowning Around. Before moving to the U.S. in 1998 to pursue a film career, he appeared in a number of Australian TV shows and movies, such as Ship to Shore, Sweat, Blackrock, Replica Luxury Handbag and Away and Paws. He also starred as Conor on the 1997 Fox series Roar, which was canceled after one season.

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Making Movies

Ledger landed two of his first big roles in 1999 — 10 Things I Hate About You and the critically acclimated Two Hands. He filmed the latter at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Ledger’s 10 Things costar Julia Stiles spoke exclusively to Luxury Handbag Shopping back in 2014 about what it was like to work with the late actor on the iconic teen film: “Amazing, amazing he was so nice. He was such a force; he was…even at that age a very very powerful, lovely human being.”

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Young Love

Ledger dated Heather Graham in the early 2000s. He visited her in Prauge on the set of the film From Hell in 2000.

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A Special Soul

The beloved star also dated Naomi Watts. The actors stepped out together at the Old Melbourne Gaol for a cocktail party for his new film Ned Kelly in 2003. “We had a beautiful relationship, only a couple of years, but he was a man who was completely full of joy, and there was a lot of laughing and affection,” Watts told More Magazine about Ledger in October 2011. “He was really a very special soul and made a great impact on my life. And a great actor, but I know there was so much more to come. And it's such a tragedy for his little daughter.”

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Starting a Family 

Ledger met Michelle Williams on the set of Brokeback Mountain in 2004. In April 2005, news broke that the pair were expecting a child together. The parents-to-be attended The Brothers Grimm Los Angeles premiere in August 2005.

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In Love With Love

“Unlike my character, I’m a huge fan of love. And I’m in love with love and I’ve investigated love.” Ledger told E! News while promoting Brokeback Mountain in 2005. “[Michelle] is a phenomenal actress … she’s incredibly talented and beautiful and her performance in this movie is incredibly controlled and deep and full of emotion. I’m incredibly proud of her.”

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Life as a Public Figure  

Ledger’s agent Steve Alexander opened up about how he felt about fame in the 2017 documentary I Am Heath Ledger. “He was getting very uncomfortable and fidgeting; he finally whispered to me that he needed to leave and get out of the room for a second … Selling [films] was the part of the business he was least comfortable with,” Alexander shared.

Despite his struggles with fame, Ledger made some public appearances. He attended the Marc Jacobs Spring 2008 Collection fashion show in New York City with actor Vincent Gallo in 2007.

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Oscar Nominee 

Ledger and Williams attended the The 78th Annual Academy Awards together in 2006. The lovebirds were both nominated for Brokeback Mountain — Ledger for Best Actor and Williams for Best Supporting Actress — but were beaten by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel Weisz, respectively. 

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Living with Michelle 

Williams opened up to to the Wall Street Journal about moving out of the New York home she shared with Ledger after his death in January 2017: “At that time, I was inconsolable, because I felt, 'How will he be able to to find us?' This is where we lived, and he won't know where we are. And now I can't believe I thought that. Maybe that's what's making me cry is I feel sad for the person who thought he won't be able to locate [us]."

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Matilda’s Dad 

The duo welcomed Matilda on October 28, 2005. "I watched [Matilda] warm in the sun, in her swimsuit, get on her bicycle and smile and wave as she rode off to go meet her friends," Williams recalled in an interview with Net-a-Porter in 2016. "I went back into the house and sobbed because of this incredibly simple moment – common everyday happiness. I really felt like in that moment, like wow, we’ve done it. Not only are we OK, she’s happy."

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Admired by His Peers 

“He was too bright for this world,” Matt Damon said of Ledger in the July 2016 issue of GQ. “Coming off [The Brother’s Grimm, I was] telling everybody that I just worked with the best actor I’ve ever seen. And people were like, ‘What are you talking about? The guy from A Knight’s Tale?’ And I was like, ‘You just wait. And wait until you see what kind of director he’s gonna be.’ There were things that he did where I couldn’t have got there in three lifetimes.”

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Bromance

His friend and costar Jake Gyllenhaal also opened up about his passing. “Personally, it affected me in ways I can't necessarily put in words or even would want to talk about publicly," the actor told Entertainment Weekly in 2016. "In terms of professionally, I think I was at an age where mortality was not always clear to me … "I think it [gave me] the experience of, 'This is fleeting.' And none of the attention or synthesized love that comes from the success of a film really matters at all. What matters is the relationships you make when you make a film and the people you learn from when you're preparing for a film. That changed a lot for me." 

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Gone Too Soon

One of Ledger’s final red carpet appearances was in November 2007 at a screening of his film I’m Not There in New York City. Ledger was found dead on January 22, 2008. According to the toxicology report that was released following an autopsy, he passed away from “acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine.” 

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Big Win

Ledger won a posthumous best supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal of Joker in The Dark Knight at the 2009 Academy Awards. The late actor’s father, Kim, said while accepting the trophy on his son's behalf: “This award tonight would’ve humbly validated Heath’s quiet determination to be truly accepted by you all here, his peers within an industry he so loved.” Ledger’s mom, Sally, added, “Heath was such a compassionate and generous soul who added so much excitement and inspiration to our lives. We have been truly overwhelmed by the honor and respect being bestowed upon him with this award. Tonight, we are choosing to celebrate and be happy for what he has achieved.”  

His sister Kate continued, “Heath, we both knew what you had created in the Joker was extraordinarily special, and had even talked about being here on this very day. We really wish you were, but we proudly accept this award on behalf of your beautiful Matilda.”