Trivia

As a tribute, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law helped Terry Gilliam complete L'Imaginarium du docteur Parnassus (2009) by taking over Ledger's unfinished role. Thus the public was able to watch his last performance. The three actors donated their salaries to his daughter.

In an interview shortly before his death, he stated that his favorite role so far in his career had been his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight : Le Chevalier noir (2008).

Met up with Christopher Nolan to exchange ideas about how he was going to play the Joker before there was even a script for The Dark Knight : Le Chevalier noir (2008). He was Christopher Nolan's first and only choice for the Joker.

Was a great admirer of Johnny Depp's work. Like Depp, Ledger worked hard to avoid being typecast as a teen heartthrob early on, in the hopes of expanding his career options. Both actors enjoyed taking risky, physically unappealing roles that surprised audiences. Depp was one of the three actors who filled in for Ledger's last unfinished role after his death, in L'Imaginarium du docteur Parnassus (2009).

He directed both homemade videos made by the Joker in The Dark Knight : Le Chevalier noir (2008) himself.

In 2006, took a year off from acting to raise his daughter Matilda Ledger while his fiancée at the time, Michelle Williams, worked.

Was offered the role of Peter Parker in Spider-Man (2002) which he turned down.

Was awarded the 2009 Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his work as the Joker in The Dark Knight : Le Chevalier noir (2008). This made him the first person to win a posthumous acting Oscar in this category, and the second person to win a posthumous Oscar.

Won almost every award in which he was nominated for his performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight : Le Chevalier noir (2008) including the quintuple crown (a Golden Globe, BAFTA, SAG, Critics' Choice Award, and Oscar).

As a child, he owned a pet kangaroo that was found by his mother.

He said the most difficult aspect of his performance as The Joker was getting the voice and laugh right.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Busy Philipps are his daughter's godparents.

Was good friends with Jake Gyllenhaal, Joel Edgerton, Christian Bale, Joaquin Phoenix and Matt Damon.

Never attended Drama school and had no formal training when he decided to pursue an acting career.

The day after he died, he was supposed to meet with Steven Spielberg to explore the idea of playing Tom Hayden in a movie about the Chicago 7.

Very first performer to win an Oscar for acting in a comic movie-adaptation.

He and his older sister, Kate Ledger, are named after the two main romantic characters of the Emily Brontë novel, "Wuthering Heights".

Was painfully shy.

Received his Oscar-nomination for The Dark Knight : Le Chevalier noir (2008) on the first anniversary of his death, January 22, 2009.

Had been set to star in Baz Luhrmann's pre-WWII drama Australia (2008), but backed out to play The Joker in The Dark Knight : Le Chevalier noir (2008).

Became a father for the 1st time, at age 26, when his fiancée Michelle Williams gave birth to their daughter, Matilda Ledger (Matilda Rose Ledger), on October 28, 2005.

After his death his body was returned to Perth, Western Australia, where his body was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery, with his ashes to be "scattered in a family plot at Karrakatta Cemetery, next to two of his grandparents.

His daughter Matilda Ledger will be the recipient of his Oscar for The Dark Knight : Le Chevalier noir (2008) when she turns 18. Up until then the statuette will be in custody of his father Kim Ledger, mother Sally Bell and sister Kate Ledger, per Academy rules.

First acting role was as "Peter Pan", at age 10, at a local theater company.

Liked to write poetry.

In both his first and final complete roles, he portrayed a clown.

Was encouraged by then girlfriend Naomi Watts to accept the role of Ennis Del Mar in Le secret de Brokeback Mountain (2005).

Was only 4 years older than Kate Mara who plays his teenage daughter in Le secret de Brokeback Mountain (2005).

Was the first non-American actor to portray the Joker.

Was planning to direct his first feature film based on the Walter Tevis 1983 novel "The Queen's Gambit".

Ang Lee offered him the role of 'Ennis Del Mar' after being impressed with his performance in À l'ombre de la haine (2001).

In an interview, he admitted that he disliked his portrayal of the titular character in Casanova (2005), saying he took the wrong approach to the role.

Was found dead in his apartment at 421 Broome Street in the SoHo neighborhood in New York City at 3:26 p.m. EST by his housekeeper and a massage therapist, finding him face down and unconscious in his bed with sleeping pills on a nearby table. (January 22, 2008)

Did some of the stunts in his movies by himself; in Frères du désert (2002) he leaps onto a horse at full gallop; in Le secret de Brokeback Mountain (2005) he jumps off a high cliff into icy water.

According to the 10th Anniversary commentary by his co-stars for 10 bonnes raisons de te larguer (1999), he and Julia Stiles began a relationship during the filming. They broke up in January 2000.

Pulled out of The Tree of Life (2011) before he died.

Among his hobbies were surfing, skateboarding, chess, photography, directing.

The second person to win a posthumous acting Oscar. The first was Peter Finch.

Was the first actor to secure an acting nomination for a Batman film up until Joaquin Phoenix got an acting nomination for Joker (2019).

Concentrated on drama and sports in school. When asked to choose between the two, he picked drama. Attended a private all-boys school called Guildford Grammar.

He initially met with Christopher Nolan about taking on the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Begins (2005) but turned the part down. He later regretted his decision after seeing the film and immediately signed on to play The Joker.

He was five years younger than Christian Bale, making him the first actor to play The Joker who was younger than the actor playing Batman.

On February 9, 2008, a memorial service attended by several hundred invited guests was held at Penhros College in Perth, Western Australia followed by a private wake on Cottesloe Beach with his family and friends.

Was in a relationship with Lisa Zane, Julia Stiles, Christina Cauchi, Heather Graham, Naomi Watts, Michelle Williams, Gemma Ward.

Actor Daniel Day-Lewis made a dedication to him at the SAG Awards 2008. Ledger was one of Day Lewis' favorite actors.

Was friends with Russell Crowe.

Was one of seven godparents of Elizabeth Hurley's son Damien.

Lived in a house in the forest while filming The Patriot : Le Chemin de la liberté (2000).

Is one of 15 actors to have won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for the same performance. The others in chronological order are Geoffrey Rush for Shine (1996), Jamie Foxx for Ray (2004), Philip Seymour Hoffman for Truman Capote (2005), Forest Whitaker for Le Dernier Roi d'Écosse (2006), Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men (2007), Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood (2007) and Lincoln (2012), Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009), Colin Firth for Le Discours d'un roi (2010), Christopher Plummer for Beginners (2010), J.K. Simmons for Whiplash (2014), Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant (2015), Sam Rockwell for 3 Billboards : Les Panneaux de la vengeance (2017), Gary Oldman for Les Heures sombres (2017), and Rami Malek for Bohemian Rhapsody (2018).

Has co-starred with a Gyllenhaal sibling in his two most acclaimed roles: as Ennis Del Mar with Jake Gyllenhaal in Le secret de Brokeback Mountain (2005), and as the Joker with Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Dark Knight : Le Chevalier noir (2008).