Heath Ledger Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Heath Ledger was one of the brilliant Australian actors who made a significant impact in Hollywood. He was known for his roles in 10 Things I Hate About You, The Patriot, A Knight’s Tale, The Brothers Grimm, Brokeback Mountain, Casanova, and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. However, he will always be remembered for his iconic role as The Joker in the 2008 Batman series, The Dark Knight. He was also an aspiring film director as he had directed a few music videos.

Born Name

Heath Andrew Ledger

Nick Name

Heathy

Birth Date

Heath Ledger was born on April 4, 1979.

Died

On January 22, 2008, he was found dead in his apartment in the Manhattan neighborhood of SoHo in New York City, New York, United States.

He died due to a cardiac arrest caused by the accidental overdose of prescription drugs that included pain-killers, sleeping pills, and anti-anxiety medication. His dead body was discovered by the housekeeper and masseuse therapist in his bedroom.

Sun Sign

Aries

Born Place

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Resting Place

His ashes were scattered in a family plot at Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth, Western Australia, next to those of his grandparents.

Nationality

Education

Heath Ledger attended Guildford Grammar School in Guildford, Perth.

Occupation

Actor, Director

Family

• Father – Kim Ledger
• Mother – Sally Bell née Ramshaw
• Siblings – Kate Ledger (Older Sister)
• Others – John Ramshaw (Maternal Grandfather), Jackie Ramshaw (Maternal Grandmother), Colin Ledger (Paternal Grandmother), Es Ledger (Paternal Grandfather), Roger Bell (Stepfather), Emma Brown (Stepmother), Sir Frank Ledger (Great Grandfather), Edson Ledger (Great Great Grandfather), Lillian May Solomon (Great Great Grandmother), Luke Ledger (Cousin), Olivia Ledger (Half-Sister), Ashleigh Bell (Half-Sister), Nathan Buckey (Brother-In-Law)

Manager

Not Applicable

Build

Athletic

Height

6 ft 1 in or 185.5 cm

Weight

77 kg or 169.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Heath Ledger had dated –

1. Lisa Zane (1997-1998) – From 1997 to 1998, Heath dated actress and singer-songwriter, Lisa Zane.
2. Julia Stiles (1999-2000) – In 1999, Heath was rumored to be in a relationship with his American co-star, Julia Stiles, during the filming of the movie, 10 Things I Hate About You. They broke off in 2000.
3. Christina Cauchi (2000-2002) – In 2000, Heath started dating model Christina Cauchi. Their relationship lasted for about 2 years.
4. Heather Graham (2000-2001) – Heath was in a relationship with American actress Heather Graham from October 2000 to June 2001.
5. Naomi Watts (2002-2004) – In August 2002, Heath began dating British actress Naomi Watts. They acted in the movie, Ned Kelly (2003), together. Naomi even encouraged Heath to take up the role of Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain (2005). However, they separated in May 2004.
6. Michelle Williams (2004-2007) – In June 2004, Heath started a relationship with American actress Michelle Williams. They met while filming Brokeback Mountain (2005). On October 28, 2005, they were blessed with a daughter, Matilda Rose, who was born in New York City. However, in 2006, Heath’s drug abuse started to annoy Michelle. Eventually, Heath moved out of their apartment in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. Later, they separated amicably but their split was only confirmed in September 2007 by Michelle’s father.
7. Helena Christensen (2007) – In 2007, it was claimed that Heath hooked up with Danish model Helena Christensen.
8. Lindsay Lohan (2007-2008) – Heath was rumored to be in a relationship with American actress Lindsay Lohan from November 2007 to January 2008. Reportedly, Lindsay broke down in the middle of a Los Angeles restaurant upon hearing about Heath’s death.
9. Kate Hudson (2007) – In November 2007, Heath was reported to have had an encounter with American actress Kate Hudson. They had previously starred together in the movie, The Four Feathers.
10. Gemma Ward (2007-2008) – In November 2007, Heath was said to be in a relationship with model Gemma Ward. Heath, reportedly, spent Christmas with Gemma at their place in Perth. However, the relationship tragically ended with Heath’s death.
11. Mary-Kate Olsen (2007-2008) – In late 2007, Heath was alleged to be casually dating American actress Mary-Kate Olsen. At the time of Heath’s death, the masseuse who found him unresponsive on his bed called Mary-Kate before calling the authorities.

Race / Ethnicity

White

He was of English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh descent.

Hair Color

Light Brown

He used to dye his hair ‘blonde’.

Eye Color

Hazel

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Squared jawline
• Often wore a pair of small earrings

Best Known For

• His versatile roles in numerous films like 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) as Patrick Verona, The Patriot (2000) as Gabriel Martin, A Knight’s Tale (2001) as William Thatcher, Monster’s Ball (2001) as Sonny Grotowski, Lords of Dogtown (2005) as Skip Engblom, The Brothers Grimm (2005) as Jacob Grimm, Brokeback Mountain (2005) as Ennis Del Mar, Casanova (2005) as Giacomo Casanova, and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) as Tony Shepard
• His role as The Joker in Christopher Nolan‘s movie, The Dark Knight (2008), is considered as one of his best performances for he brought to life a very intricate, schizophrenic clown, and a psychopathic character

First Film

In 1992, Heath Ledger made his feature film debut in the drama film, Clowning Around, as an orphan clown. However, his role went uncredited.

In 1997, he made his credited theatrical film debut as Toby in the thriller drama film, Blackrock.

First TV Show

In 1993, he made his first TV show appearance in the comedy series Ship to Shore as the cyclist.

Heath Ledger Favorite Things

• Australian Bands – Spiderbait, Powderfinger, Silverchair
• Actors – Gene Kelly, Bob Fosse, Jack Nicholson, Mel Gibson
• Actress – Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Meryl Streep
• Director – Stanley Kubrick, Marcel Cann, Terrence Malick
• Role In His Career – The Joker in The Dark Knight (2008)

Source – IMDb

Heath Ledger Facts

1. He and his sister Kate were named after the characters of Emily Brontë’s novel, Wuthering Heights.
2. When he was a child, he had a kangaroo for a pet.
3. At the age of 10, he gave his first performance in the play “Peter Pan” at a local theater company.
4. In 2001, he appeared in People magazine’s list of 50 Most Beautiful People.
5. He was a member of the Kalamunda Field Hockey team in 1990.
6. He was selected for the State U17 field hockey squad but he opted out to pursue a career in acting.
7. In November 2001, he judged the men’s fashion contest at the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
8. Martin Henderson mentored him in the early days of his acting career.
9. Heath became the first non-American actor to play the role of The Joker.
10. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal and actress Busy Philipps were named as his daughter’s godparents.
11. He was also one of the 7 godparents of Elizabeth Hurley‘s son Damien Hurley.
12. In 2007, Empire magazine named him as one of the 100 Sexiest Movie Stars in the world.
13. Along with singer Ben Harper, he co-founded the record label Music Masses Co.
14. He had directed various music videos including Morning Yearning by Ben Harper, Cause an Effect and Seduction is Evil by N’fa Forster Jones, King Rat by Modest Mouse, and Black Eyed Dog by Nick Drake.
15. He had been featured on the covers of numerous magazines like Vanity Fair, People, Rolling Stone, Entertainment, Empire, GQ, Who, and Movieline.
16. His hobbies included surfing, skateboarding, playing chess, photography, directing, and writing poetry.
17. While shooting for the film The Patriot (2000), he lived in a house in the forest.
18. In 2008, the annual ”Heath Ledger Scholarship” was established by the Australians in Film.
19. Heath had stated that the most challenging aspect of performing the role of The Joker was getting the perfect voice and laughter.
20. He became the 2nd person to win a posthumous acting Oscar after Peter Finch.
21. He received numerous posthumous awards of his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight (2008) including the Academy Award (2008) for Best Supporting Actor, Australian Film Institute Awards (2008) for Best Actor International, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award (2008) for Best Supporting Actor, Golden Globe Award (2009) for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, and BAFTA Award (2009) for Best Supporting Actor.
22. Heath Ledger was not on social media.

Featured Image by Howie Berlin / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0