Filmstalker: Closing Credits: Heath Ledger

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Closing Credits: Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger, playing the Joker in the upcoming Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight, has been found dead.

He was found unconscious in an apartment in Manhattan at about 20:30 GMT/UTC, 15:30 local time, and police say that his death may be drug related.

I'm truly shocked by the news from the Associated Press through the BBC and when I was told I had to ask them to repeat the name.

Heath Ledger was at the peak of his career and a superb actor. He won an Oscar for his role in Brokeback Mountain and film fans are eagerly awaiting his appearance in the upcoming Batman film The Dark Knight.

Other memorable roles from the actor included A Knight's Tale and Monster's Ball.

He'll be sorely missed by film fans and our thoughts are with his family.

Actor
Heath Ledger

Written by Richard Brunton on January 22, 2008 | Permalink

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Comments

I'm truly shocked. He was right on the cusp of becoming a true superstar, as I'm sure his upcoming role in The Dark Knight would certainly have pushed him further up the ladder.

I said it after the first trailer and I'll say it again, I believe his portrayal of The Joker will leave Nicholson's far behind. Such a great shame that we'll never get to marvel at any of his future work.

Heath Ledger
R.I.P.

Posted by: James | January 22, 2008 10:54 PM

Shocking news indeed. I admired all his work. Even when the film was bad ("Brothers Grimm" anyone) his work was above reproach. A sad day for movie fans.

Posted by: Ian Smith | January 22, 2008 11:24 PM

Ditto Ian. It's a sad day indeed.

Posted by: Simone | January 22, 2008 11:36 PM

So sad. -sigh-

Posted by: Meli | January 23, 2008 12:08 AM

i'm beyond words...when all was said and done, i think we were all amazed by his work. seriously underrated talent.

Posted by: mogulus | January 23, 2008 7:00 AM

Well said all. I do believe that we would have been seeing more awards and definitely more Oscars for the star, and his varied choice of roles would have been defining him as a true Hollywood superstar.

What's going to be more stunning for film fans is that he had entered such a popular and iconic role that no one could really believe he could take over, but he's been winning over fans minds since the first shot. His Joker is going to be an iconic part of Batman now.

Posted by: Richard Brunton | January 23, 2008 7:26 AM

Can't believe it, what a waste...

Posted by: Big Al | January 23, 2008 7:41 AM

I'm completely shocked about the whole thing. He was such a talented man who made some very good films and looked as though he was improving on that. There is a wide gap left in Hollywood.

Such a shame...

Posted by: Billy | January 23, 2008 8:07 AM

I'm still in shock! He was a great actor.

It's unbelievable really.

RIP Ledger.

Posted by: Kate | January 23, 2008 8:59 AM

Such a shock, he was such a private person and was never one of those falling out of nightclubs and seen partying the night away. His roles were so varied and you could tell how dedicated he was to each one. His role in Batman surely would have rocketed him into the big league.

So sad..R.I.P Ledger

Posted by: Michelle | January 23, 2008 9:08 AM