Heath Ledger was born on the fourth of April 1979, in Perth, Western Australia. He was not an exceptional student but showed real talent in his drama classes. Aged 17, left school and headed to Sydney, arriving with a purported 69 cents to his name. His first real acting job came in a low budget movie called Blackrock (1997), which was followed by the equally minor Sweat (1996). He had a short stint in the teledrama Home and Away in (1998) Two Hands (1999) offered him a more challenging role and led to higher profile lead roles in bigger budget films such as 10 things I Hate About You (1999) and The Patriot (2000). He was on his way with the starring role in A Knights Tale (2000) a suitable vehicle for his appealing boyish looks. Ned Kelly (2003) his next big film, flopped badly, which led distributors hesitant to even release it outside Australia. Heath recovered with his role in Brokeback Mountain (2005), for which he was nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA. Ledger was found dead on January 22, 2008 in his apartment.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2020
Accession number: 2020.20
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On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves: who we read, who we watch, who we listen to, who we cheer for, who we aspire to be, and who we'll never forget. The Companion is available to buy online and in the Portrait Gallery Store.
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