I was saddened to read of the death of Heath Ledger, who had become one of my favorite actors.
On the very day of the Oscar nominations being announced for 2007, the Australian actor Heath Ledger was found dead in a Manhattan apartment. Born in Perth, in Western Australia, Heathcliff Andrew Ledger would have been 29 this April 4th. First reports of his death mentioned drugs in evidence, but no one really knows enough yet to say anything except how great the loss is. Ever since he played Mel Gibson’s son in The Patriot (2000), it was apparent that his striking handsomeness went hand-in-hand with high ambitions as an actor, courage in the roles he took and a fierce intelligence. He is likely now to be known forever for his cowboy, Ennis, in Brokeback Mountain… At his death he had just finished playing the Joker in a new version of Batman – The Dark Knight – and that may reveal fresh sides to what was a developing career.
A year and a half ago, I wrote:
Previously I predicted that I wouldn’t think much of Brokeback Mountain, the gay cowboy movie. What I did not anticipate was Heath Ledger’s hauntingly sorrowful performance. Yes, the movie is beautifully directed and the rest of the cast is very good, but it is Ledger who makes it a memorable movie. I’ve always enjoyed Ledger’s movies, but his performance in Brokeback is amazing. …
An aside. It occurred to me that, if somebody wanted to spend a lot of money and make even more, they’d hire a competent writer to turn Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead into a full season of television (roughly 22 episodes each 45 minutes in length), then hire Ledger to play Howard Roark…
I also enjoyed Ledger’s Casanova, even though the story of the movie spins a bit out of control.
The movie I’ve been most looking forward to is Dark Knight. Judging from the previews, Ledger’s performance is stunning. I’m still looking forward to the movie, but now I’ll have to watch it with more than an undercurrent of sorrow.