Died at 47
male
Heath Andrew Ledger (April 4, 1979 – January 22, 2008) was an Australian actor and music video director. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career further. His work consisted of twenty films, including 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), The Patriot (2000), A Knight's Tale (2001), Monster's Ball (2001), Lords of Dogtown (2005), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Candy (2006), I'm Not There (2007), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), the latter two being posthumous releases. He also produced and directed music videos and aspired to be a film director. For his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain, Ledger won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and the Best International Actor Award from the Australian Film Institute; he was the first actor to win the latter award posthumously. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming the eighth-youngest nominee in the category at that time. Posthumously, he shared the 2007 Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award with the rest of the ensemble cast, the director, and the casting director for the film I'm Not There, which was inspired by the life and songs of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. In the film, Ledger portrayed a fictional actor named Robbie Clark, one of six characters embodying aspects of Dylan's life and persona. Ledger died on 22 January 2008 as a result of an accidental overdose of medications. A few months before his death, Ledger had finished filming his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight. At the time of his death, The Dark Knight was in post-production, and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, in which he was playing his last role as Tony, was in the midst of filming. His death affected the subsequent promotion of The Dark Knight. His performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight earned him universal acclaim and popularity from fans and critics alike. Ledger also received numerous posthumous awards for his work on The Dark Knight, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, a Best Actor International Award at the 2008 Australian Film Institute Awards, the 2008 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor, the 2009 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, and the 2009 BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Heath Ledger
Anakin Skywalker
for Anakin Skywalker in The Star Wars - Part One: The Chosen One (1999)
Suggested by themightylorog
The Galactic Republic is in quiet collapse. Systems fracture under the weight of corruption, the Outer Rim seethes with rebellion, and a new militaristic faction — led by former Jedi Count Dooku — threatens galactic peace. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, a maverick within the Order, is sent alongside his restrained and disciplined apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi to mediate a dispute between the Trade Federation and the neutral world of Shakka Prime. But after a botched assassination attempt on Senator Padmé Naberrie, their path leads them to the outlawed slums of Mos Vaerra, deep in the Tatooine wastes. There, Qui-Gon meets Anakin Skywalker, an 18-year-old enslaved mechanic and racer with uncanny reflexes, subconscious Force use, and haunting dreams of fire and destruction. Hardened, quiet, and intense, Anakin is fiercely protective of his mother, Shmi, and hides his abilities to avoid suspicion. Qui-Gon believes Anakin is the Chosen One — the subject of an ancient Force prophecy said to bring balance between light and dark. But Anakin resents the Jedi, viewing them as the elite who abandoned the Outer Rim to rot. It’s only after Shmi is nearly killed by a brutal slave owner backed by the Hutt Cartel that Anakin agrees to flee with Qui-Gon, longing to protect her and wield power to change his fate. As political tensions escalate, Darth Sidious manipulates events behind the scenes, orchestrating a crisis on Naboo to test the Republic’s response and the Jedi's limits. Meanwhile, the Council, led by Mace Windu and Yoda, refuses to train Anakin, sensing deep anger and fear within him. Obi-Wan disapproves of Qui-Gon’s obsession. Padmé, on the run from political execution, bonds with Anakin — they clash ideologically but connect through mutual defiance and yearning for freedom. When the Sith assassin Darth Maul ambushes the Jedi on Naboo, Qui-Gon is killed in a brutal duel. Obi-Wan defeats Maul, but at great cost. Dooku vanishes into the Outer Rim. Palpatine ascends to Chancellor. War looms. And Anakin — scarred by loss, full of fury, and isolated from both the Jedi and his mother — accepts his place in the Order. But beneath his promise... lies something fractured.
