Heath Ledger Career

Fallen Knight

Some people can remember where they were the day President Kennedy was assassinated and most can remember every detail of September 11, 2001, but the most vivid memory I have is the day Heath Ledger died. I know it sounds a little dramatic, but I swear my heart was ripped from my throat and I cried like a baby. I was in shock and to tell you the truth, I still am. Knights aren’t supposed to die; they are supposed to live forever. I know now that it was all a fairy tale because my knight died January 22, 2008.

The first time I saw Heath he played Mel Gibson’s son in The Patriot. As I watched him I felt his passion for his character. He was so believable and it didn’t hurt that he was incredibly good looking. Yes, I know he is ten years younger than me, but that didn’t stop me from developing the hugest school girl crush, and for the next ten years I followed his career and unfortunately, his love life. I watched every movie he played in, though I must have been extremely dedicated because some were not that great. His love life was also not so hot, which I actually enjoyed. He had his ups and downs but for the most part, he was extraordinary. I truly loved him.

Heathcliff Andrew Ledger was born in Perth Australia April 4, 1979. Heath was of Irish and Scottish decent which was displayed in his glowing olive skin, golden blond hair, and dreamy brown eyes. As a child Heath excelled in sports but when he was ten years old the acting bug bit him when he played Peter Pan at a local theater. In Junior High he began taking drama classes which led to his dream of one day becoming an actor. When Heath turned seventeen he decided to pack up his car and move to Sydney. He arrived in Sydney with sixty-nine cents to his name. He was determined to make it and that he did. He made it all the way to Hollywood, CA with an Oscar nomination for his most controversial movie, Brokeback Mountain (Wikipedia).

Back in Sydney acting roles came easily but they were not huge paychecks or anything more than a brief cameo in a low budget movie. Heath’s first movie was Blackrock. Though he didn’t get much screen time it opened a door for him to be cast in Sweat where he played a gay cyclist who was an Olympic hopeful. Though Heath was not gay in real life, he wanted to choose roles which were unique and that would get him noticed. A few minor roles emerged from his performances such as Far and Away, and Roar.

Things were happening fast for Heath and he knew in order to really make it he had to make the move to Hollywood. Once he arrived he signed with the powerbroker Creative Artists Agency and he immediately began filming the movie Two Hands in which he played the lead in this Australian gangster comedy (IMDB). Though the movie was barely worth mentioning his real big break was on the horizon. In 1999 Heath landed the role in 10 Things I Hate About You opposite Julia Stiles. Although I did not see this movie until much later, it launched his career in America and labeled him as a teen hunk. Heath hated this title and spent the next ten years trying to shake that label and prove that he was much more than a pretty face.

In 2000, Mel Gibson cast Heath in the Patriot, beating out heartthrob Ryan Phillipe, in the $150 million dollar production. Heath played Gibson’s son, a rebellious young patriot that died for his beliefs in freedom. Heath delivered a fantastic performance and secured his place in Hollywood. Health often talked about his experience of working with Gibson and described him as his “idol” (Urban Cinefile).

Heath’s next movie was Monster Ball. I remember not caring to see the movie until I heard about Heath’s role. I was so disappointed when I discovered that it was Billy Bob Thorton that was naked instead of Heath. It was truly scary. In Monster Ball, Heath played a very distraught young man who worked corrections in a maximum security jail in Louisiana. Heath’s character Sonny shoots himself way too early in the film causing me to lose interest and fall asleep. Halle Berry won an Oscar for her performance in the movie. I think anyone who has to make love to Billy Bob on set, and off for that matter, should win an award.

It was Heath’s next movie that sealed my devotion. A Knight’s Tale, a romantic comedy which was set in 1360’s Medieval Europe, was released in 2001. A Knight’s Tale was actually the first book of The Canterbury Tales written by Jeffrey Chaucer in the 1370’s (IMDb). The movie was filmed in Prague in the Czech Republic. Add some 70’s music and Heath in a set of armor, and I was hooked. I have watched this movie at least twenty five times and I know most of the lines by heart. Heath captured the spirit of a knight and made me wish I could be there to cheer his triumph. This is still my all time favorite movie of Heath’s.

After A Knight’s Tale, Heath’s next three movies were different, and I hate to say, not that great. The Four Feathers, Ned Kelley, and The Order did very little to boost his career. In 2005, The Lords of Dogtown was released and in my opinion was enough to disappoint even the most faithful Heath Ledger fan; however to my surprise he was nominated for the Teen Choice Award, Golden Trailer Award, and actually won the COFCA Award for Actor of the Year (IMDb). The fact that the movie was a true story about the surf and skateboarding trends that originated in Venice, CA during the 1970’s probably boosted the movie’s popularity and made the movie bearable.

2005 turned out to be a banner year for Heath. He completed and released three additional movies: The Brother’s Grimm, Brokeback Mountain, and Casanova. The Brother’s Grimm co-starring Matt Damon portrayed the pair as two traveling con-artists who stumble upon a genuine fairy-tale curse which required authentic courage instead of their phony exorcisms. The Brother’s Grimm and Casanova