Heath Ledger

Despite a short-lived start on series television, Academy Award-winning actor Heath Ledger moved into features as a heartthrob in teen films, quickly developing into one of Hollywood's most prominent and gifted talents. After a notable turn in his native Australia's "Blackrock" (1997), Ledger went on to stardom by way of leading roles in "10 Things I Hate About You" (1999), "The Patriot" (2000) and "A Knight's Tale" (2001). Though he languished a bit in little-seen features like "The Four Feathers" (2002) and "Ned Kelly" (2004), Ledger exploded into a bona fide star with his Oscar-nominated turn as a closeted gayl ranch hand in Ang Lee's acclaimed "Brokeback Mountain" (2005). Building off the enormity of his "Brokeback" success, Ledger landed the role of a lifetime, playing The Joker in "The Dark Knight" (2008) and setting the stage for becoming a huge international star. But unfortunately - and quite shockingly - tragedy struck in early 2008, when Ledger was found dead in his apartment of an accidental prescription drug overdose, ending one of the most promising careers of his generation.