Heath Ledger not there anymore

Last week the news that Australian actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his New York apartment, was immediately met with surprise, shock and a sense of despair. Soon his family stressed that their son's death wasn't suicide or drug-related


Last week was packed with action in Hollywood but the news that silenced everyone came Wednesday morning: Heath Ledger's untimely death.

The news of the young Australian actor's death was immediately met with surprise, shock and a sense of despair, reminding some of his two-year-old daughter and some of the scene where Ennis Del Mar breaks down, clenching at the love of his life in the last minutes of Brokeback Mountain.

The news that his dead body was found in his New York apartment on Jan. 22 brought a feeling of disbelief. To a text message coming to his mobile, “Heath Ledger is dead,” a studio executive answered, “His career?” Soon his family spoke out to the press, adding ''accidental'' in front of ''untimely passing,'' to stress that their son's death wasn't suicide or drug-related. His ex-girlfriend, mother of his daughter Matilda and his co-star in Brokeback Mountain, Michelle Williams, received the news in Sweden, where she was on location for a film.

Heath Ledger's family had more to say about their son's “untimely and accidental passing:” “Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life but few had the pleasure of truly knowing him.”

A true artist

On grounds that “he didn't care for comics” and that it “would be stealing someone else's dream,” Ledger refused to be Spider Man. Ironically, his last role would be the Joker in the Batman Returns sequel The Dark Knight. He refused to be part of the ambitious Hollywood circle, not caring for more money or blockbuster films. He chose to make his way around different genres and chose roles that would stretch his acting capabilities.

His acting career began in Australia and eventually lead him to the United States upon his role as a young warrior in the TV series Roar. His first feature film was a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, 10 Things I Hate About You. Ledger didn't want to be typecast. In a period of six years, he played in romantic comedies (Casanova), epics (The Patriot), action (A Knight's Tale), and drama (Monster's Ball and Candy).

Following a haphazard selection of movies, director Terry Gilliam's specific interest in him boosted his ego. And soon after his role in Gilliam's The Grimm Brothers, Ledger starred in what would be his most important performance in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain. The movie not only brought him his first and only Oscar nomination at 26, but also a sense of confidence that he could do anything. Heath Ledger was one of those stars who exuded both melancholy and mischief. He was vulnerable, yet tough at the same time. As his director in the upcoming I'm Not There, Todd Haynes said, “Heath was a true artist, a deeply sensitive man, an explorer, gifted and wise beyond his years.'

Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News on 26 Jan. 2008