Heath Ledger starred in several box-office bonanzas, including The Patriot (2000) with Mel Gibson, A Knight's Tale (2001) with Shannyn Sossamon, Monster's Ball (2001), which won Halle Berry an Oscar, and The Lords of Dogtown (2005) with Nikki Reed.

But Heath Ledger's heartbreaking, Oscar-nominated performance as gay cowboy Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain (2005) raised his profile exponentially.Other Heath Ledger flicks included Candy (2006) and I'm Not There (2007) and of course, The Dark Knight (2008).

Successes...Despite his unfortunately short life, Heath Ledger was a pretty successful actor. He was nominated for an Oscar as well as Golden Globe for his role in Brokeback Mountain, and worked with some pretty big names in Hollywood including Mel Gibson, Halle Berry, Cate Blanchett and Christian Bale.

If this young actor's life hadn't been cut so short, we're sure he would have grown to become one of Tinseltown's biggest A-listers.

• Full Name: Heath Andrew Ledger
• Date of Birth: April 4, 1979
• Astrological Sign: Aries
• Place of Birth: Subiaco Hospital, Perth, Australia
• Height: 6 Feet 3 Inches
• Eye color: Brown
• Hair Color: Light brown/blonde
• High School: Guilford Grammar School
• Parents: Sally Ledger Bell (née Ramshaw), a French teacher, and Kim Ledger, a race car driver and mining engineer
• Siblings: Three sisters; Kate, Olivia, and Ashleigh
• Grandparents: Colin and Es Ledger, and great-grandfather Sir Frank Ledger; John and Jackie Ramshaw
• Heritage: 1/2 Irish and 1/2 Scottish
• Secret Passion: Photography
• Hobbies: Hockey, horseback riding, playing tennis, snowboarding, photgraphy, writing poetry, surfing
• Piercings: One in each ear
• Tattoos: Of Course...
• Children: Matilda Rose Ledger, born Friday 5pm, 28 October 2005 in New York
• Pets: Yorkshire Terrier named Bob and a Cocker Spaniel named Ned

More Interesting Heath Facts...
• Before becoming an actor, Heath held a job washing cars to make money
• Heath's parents divorced when he was 10 years old.
• He loved rainy days and black-and-white movies
• Heaths favorite film choreographer was Bob Fosse
• 1996 :: appointed the captain of the drama team at Guildford Grammar school

• Action/Adventure, Crime/Gangster, Adaptation and Sequel
• July 18th, 2008
• MPAA Rating:PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace.
• STARRING: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman
• SYNOPSIS: The Caped Crusader returns, protecting Gotham City from the mad criminal mastermind, The Joker. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.
• Also Known As: Batman Begins Sequel The Dark Knight
• Production Status: Released
• Genres: Action/Adventure, Crime/Gangster, Adaptation and Sequel
• Running Time: 2 hrs. 32 min.
• Release Date: July 18th, 2008 (wide)
• Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace.

The Dark Knight

• A re-enactment of the life of musician, Bob Dylan, with multiple actors embodying different stages in the singer's life.
• Also Known As: I'm Not There, I'm Not There: Suppositions on a Film Concerning Dylan
• Production Status:  Released
• Genres: Drama, Musical/Performing Arts and Biopic
• Running Time: 2 hrs. 15 min.
• Release Date: November 21st, 2007 (limited)
• Rating: R for language, some sexuality and nudity.
• U.S. Box Office: $4,001,121

Heath Ledger stars as Dan, a charming but reckless young poet who has fallen in love with Candy (Cornish), a beautiful young art student from a comfortable middle-class family who is attracted to the bohemian lifestyle that Dan has long since embraced. In order to get closer to Dan, Candy, whose previous drug use has been casually experimental, starts shooting up. Their passionate relationship then alternates between bursts of ecstatic oblivion and bouts of despair and self-destruction. Hooked as much on heroin as one another, their story becomes a love triangle -- a boy, a girl, and a drug.

• Production Status: Released


• Genres: Art/Foreign, Drama and Adaptation


• Running Time: 1 hr. 48 min.


• Release Date: November 17, 2006 (limited)


• Rating: R for pervasive depiction of drug addiction, disturbing images, language, sexual content and nudity.


• U.S. Box Office: $44,720


• Filming Locations: Sydney, Australia


• Produced in: Australia

Early one morning in Signal, Wyoming, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist meet while lining up for employment with local rancher Joe Aguirre. The world which Ennis and Jack have been born into is, at once, changing rapidly and yet scarcely evolving.
Both young men seem certain of their set places in the heartland--obtaining steady work, marrying, and raising a family--and yet they hunger for something beyond what they can articulate.

When Aguirre dispatches them to work as sheepherders up on the majestic Brokeback Mountain, they gravitate towards camaraderie and then a deeper intimacy.

At summer's end, the two must come down from Brokeback and part ways.

Remaining in Wyoming, Ennis weds his sweetheart Alma, with whom he will have two daughters as he ekes out a living.

Jack, in Texas, catches the eye of rodeo queen Lureen Newsome. Their courtship and marriage result in a son, as well as jobs in her father's business.

Four years pass. One day, Alma brings Ennis a postcard from Jack, who is en route to visit Wyoming. Ennis waits expectantly for his friend, and when Jack at last arrives, in just one moment it is clear that the passage of time has only strengthened the men's attachment.

In the years that follow, Ennis and Jack struggle to keep their secret bond alive. They meet up several times annually. Even when they are apart, they face the eternal questions of fidelity, commitment, and trust. Ultimately, the one constant in their lives is a force of nature--love.

• Production Status: Released
• Logline: Set against the sweeping vistas of Wyoming and Texas, the story of two young men--a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy--who meet in the summer of 1963, and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection that provides a testament to the endurance and power of love.
• Genres: Drama, Romance and Western
• Running Time: 2 hrs. 14 min.
• Release Date: December 9th, 2005
• Rating: R for sexuality, nudity, language and some violence.
• U.S. Box Office: $83,025,853

For the first time in his life, the legendary Casanova is about to meet his match with an alluring Venetian beauty, Francesca, who does the one thing he never thought possible: refuse him. Through a series of clever disguises and scheming ruses, he manages to get ever closer to Francesca. However, he is playing the most dangerous game he has ever encountered--one that will risk not only his life and reputation, buthis only chance at true passion.

• Also Known As: Untitled Casanova Project
• Production Status: Released
• Genres: Comedy, Drama and Romance
• Running Time: 1 hr. 48 min.
• Release Date: December 25, 2005
• Rating: R for some sexual content.
• U.S. Box Office: $11,294,832
• Filming Locations: Venice, Italy
• Produced in: United States

The tough, gritty streets of "Dogtown" in Venice, The tough, gritty streets of "Dogtown" in Venice, California didn't look like much to outsiders, but to a handful of teenage surfers in the 1970s they were the hard, winding, sloping inspiration for a revolutionary style of skateboarding. Transferring the aggressive wave-riding moves to concrete from their death-defying surf skills at the Pacific Ocean Park pier, the Z-Boys--mostly kids with rough home lives and rougher attitudes--became sensations, local legends. They were freestyle wizards on urethane wheels, turning empty pools into arenas of wild, beautiful athleticism, the genesis of today's "extreme sports." Skating competitors didn't know what to make of them, girls threw themselves at them, and suddenly marketers and promoters wanted to grab a piece of them and what was fast becoming a worldwide counterculture phenomenon. But would the friendships of this tightly knit group last as a teenage pastime turned into big business, and energetic personalities became out-of-control celebrities?

• Genres: Drama and Sports
• Running Time: 1 hr. 45 min.
• Release Date: June 3rd, 2005 (wide)
• Rating: PG-13 for Drug and alcohol content, sexuality, violence, language, and reckless behavior--all involving teens.
• U.S. Box Office: $11,008,432

Legendary fairytale scribes, brothers Will and Jake Grimm, travel around the Napoleonic countryside vanquishing monsters and demons in exchange for quick money. But when the French authorities figure out their scheme, the con men are forced to contend with a real magical curse when they enter an enchanted forest where young maidens keep disappearing under mysterious circumstances.

• Genres: Comedy, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Suspense/Horror and Thriller
• Running Time: 1 hr. 58 min.
• Release Date: August 26th, 2005 (wide)
• Rating: PG-13 for violence, frightening sequences and brief suggestive material.
• U.S. Box Office: $37,899,638

In the latter part of the 19th century, Australia is still largely untamed. The former penal colony's first-generation Irish immigrant population lives in poverty. Having already experienced police brutality and the death of his father, bushranger Ned Kelly is wrongfully imprisoned on the trumped-up charge of stealing a horse. Emerging a few years later, in 1874, Ned is hardened but vows to stay straight. Rejoining his widowed mother and younger siblings, he makes money for his family as a champion bare-knuckle boxer. He also toils as a farmhand on the estate of an English landowner--with whose beatuiful wife Ned shares a mutual attraction. But the British colonial system and its Victorian English enforcers remain prejudiced against Australia's working people, and the struggling Kelly family is no exception. When, in 1878, a bullying police officer is rebuffed by Ned's younger sister Kate and targets the family for harassment, Ned and his mother are unjustly charged with attempted murder. Ned is determined to avenge his family's name and strike back against his people's oppressors. While hiding in the bush, he forms a loyal Gang that includes his best friend Joe Byrne. When a chance encounter with the police culminates in three officers killed, the Kelly Gang is forced to go on the run. They blaze a trail through the Outback, robbing banks to fund themselves and giving police the runaround. The Kelly Gang's reputation as invincible outlaws grows, as does nationwide support from their immigrant countrymen. To the masses, Ned is a hero. To lawmen, he is the most wanted man in Australia. When the authorities bring in the formidable Superintendent Francis Hare to capture and/or kill the outlaws, Ned strategizes a risky showdown at the Glenrowan Inn. It is this event which will seal his fate--and his legend.

• Also Known As: Our Sunshine, The Kelly Gang
• Production Status: Released
• Genres: Action/Adventure, Western, Crime/Gangster, Adaptation and Biopic
• Running Time: 1 hr. 50 min.
• Release Date: March 26th, 2004 (select cities)
• Rating: R for for violence and brief nudity.
• U.S. Box Office: $74,864

For centuries a secret Order has existed within the Church. Following a series of unexplained murders, renegade priest Father Alex Bernier begins an investigation that hurls him into a maelstrom of unimaginable evil, murder and the knowledge that there is a fate worse than death. Father Bernier's search takes him to The Sin Eater--a key figure in this mysterious and ancient Order. The immortal Sin Eater's role is nothing less than playing God on earth by absolving the unforgiveable of their sins outside the Church, allowing greater evil to go unpunished. Burdened by centuries of evil, the Sin Eater craves the luxury of death. But who will eat his sins and grant eternal peace? Who will carry on his dark tradition and continue the work of the Order? As the young priest uncovers the answers and pursues these paragons of evil, he fights to save his own soul and that of troubled artist Mara, the woman he loves.

• Also Known As: The Orders, The Sin Eater
• Production Status: Released
• Genres: Drama, Romance, Suspense/Horror and Thriller
• Running Time: 1 hr. 42 min.
• Release Date: September 5th, 2003 (wide)
• Rating: R for violent images, sexuality and language.
• U.S. Box Office: $7,659,747

The story, set in 1898, follows a British officer who resigns his post when he learns of his regiment's plans to ship out to the Sudan for the conflict with the Mahdi. His friends and fiancee send him four white feathers which symbolize cowardice. To redeem his honor he disguises himself as an Arab and secretly saves the lives of those who branded him a coward.

• Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Adaptation and War
• Running Time: 2 hrs. 5 min.
• Release Date: September 20th, 2002 (wide release)
• Rating: PG-13 for intense battle sequences, disturbing images, violence and some sensuality.
• U.S. Box Office: $18,306,166

Hank, an embittered prison guard, lives with his aging racist father, Buck, and his own twentysomething son, Sonny. Hank and Sonny work for the local prison where they are preparing the electric chair for a black inmate. After the man is executed, Hank falls in love with Leticia, the inmate's widow. This emotionally-charged affair forces Hank to re-evaluate how deeply prison work and his father's infectious hatred have affected his soul.

• Also Known As: A l' Ombre de la haine, Monster, Monster Ball, Monsters Ball
• Production Status: Released
• Genres: Drama, Romance and Thriller
• Running Time: 1 hr. 51 min.
• Release Date: December 26, 2001
• Rating: R for strong sexual content, language and violence.
• U.S. Box Office: $31,252,964

When his master dies unexpectedly, Medieval squire William Thatcher decides to try his luck at jousting. Lacking an acceptable pedigree, he enlists the help of his friend Chaucer, who, in his pre-"Cantebury Tales" days, supplements his income by forging genealogy papers. With his newly-minted history in hand, young William sets out to prove himself a worthy knight at the country's jousting competition and finds romance along the way.

• Also Known As: Chevalier, In Shining Armor
• Production Status: Released
• Logline: In 14th century France, a commoner disguises himself as a nobleman to compete in jousting tournaments.
• Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama and Romance
• Running Time: 2 hrs. 12 min.
• Release Date: May 11, 2001 Nationwide
• Rating: PG-13 for action violence, some nudity and brief sex-related dialogue.
• U.S. Box Office: $56,083,966

A former hero of the French/Indian War, Benjamin Martin has renounced fighting forever to raise his family in peace. Although once a wily and ferocious soldier, he marries a fine woman who bears him seven children and, under her influence, trades his violent past for a peaceful future on his sprawling plantation. But rebellion is brewing--another conflict with Britain is inevitable. Recently widowed, his goals change. He's the sole caretaker of his brood, and the horrors of past combat haunt him still. Benjamin's eldest son, Gabriel, harbors no doubts about going to war: the radical speeches and newsletters that began in the cities and traverse the Colonies have made an impression on him. War is coming, and Gabriel feels the cause is just. In defiance of his father, he joins the fight. Benjamin is conflicted--as stalwart as he is in his opposition to the war, he believes in the cause. When the British arrive, the reluctant hero discovers that he must join the nation's war to protect his family.

• Also Known As: Patriot, The Patriot (Chemin de la liberte)
• Production Status: Released
• Logline: A peace-loving Patriot seeks revenge against the British for the muder of his son.
• Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama and Biopic
• Running Time: 2 hrs. 38 min.
• Release Date: June 28, 2000 Nationwide
• Rating: R for strong war violence.
• U.S. Box Office: $113,330,342

Bianca Stratford is pretty and popular, but her strict family won't allow her to date until her older sister does: the problem is that sister Kat is an outsider who tries to alienate any guy who might be interested in her. So Bianca's would-be boyfriend bribes fellow outsider Patrick to ask out Kat, thinking that this sullen young man with a mysterious past might tempt Kat to rise to the challenge.

• Also Known As: TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU
• Production Status: Released
• Logline: Teen version of 'Taming of the Shrew.'
• Genres: Comedy, Romance, Adaptation and Teen
• Running Time: 1 hr. 37 min.
• Release Date: March 31, 1999 Nationwide
• Rating: PG-13 for crude sex-related humor and dialogue, alcohol and drug-related scenes, all involving teens.
• U.S. Box Office: $38,176,108

Jimmy is a 19-year-old ex-street kid, an aspiring young hooligan who loses ten thousand gangster dollars and has to pull his first bank job to avoid the bullet. Jimmy works as a Kings Cross strip club bouncer when he gets his big break into the world of crime and meets Alex, the girl of his dreams. The local drug dealing gangster, Pando, asks Jimmy to act as a 'courier.' He is sent out on what seems to be a simple job. However it all goes wrong when a twist of fate sees two street kids, Helen and Pete, stealing the cash.

• Production Status: Released
• Logline: A young man goes on the run after getting into debt with the local gangsters, and finds love while on the run.
• Genres: Drama and Suspense/Horror
• Running Time: 1 hr. 44 min.
• Filming Locations: Sydney, Australia
• Produced in: Australia

When a teenage girl is found raped and murdered after a welcome home party at a local surf club, the teenager who threw the party begins to suspect his friend.

• Production Status: Released
• Logline: After a schoolgirl is raped and murdered, the friendship between a group of surfers is put to the test.
• Genres: Drama and Adaptation
• Running Time: 1 hr. 40 min.
• Rating: Not Rated
• Filming Locations: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
• Produced in: Australia