Heath Ledger

The late Heath Ledger, born in 1979, hailed from Perth, Australia, where he discovered his gift for acting in high school.

Throughout his career, he appeared in many films including 10 Things I Hate About You and Monster’s Ball. In 2005, Ledger’s notoriety was increased when he accepted his Oscar nominated role as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain. Ledger’s final role was as the Joker in The Dark Knight, a summer 2008 Batman film. He was posthumously honored with a Golden Globe for the role in 2009.

Ledger dated Michelle Williams–whom he met on the set of Brokeback—but they amicably split in August 2007. The duo had a daughter, Matilda Rose, born in 2005.

On January 22, 2008, Ledger was found dead in a New York City apartment. The cause of this venerated star’s untimely death? An accidental overdose on prescription drugs.