On January 22nd, it’ll be a whole decade since the one, the only, Heath Ledger passed away and left a big wad of emptiness in our hearts and the film industry. It’s a death that still messes many of us up to this day, namely because he was (and look, always will be) one of acting’s greatest.
The man was legit – he bloody well owned every role that crossed his path and had an insane level of charisma to accompany it. From a Summer Bay heartthrob to The Joker to end all Jokers, the Aussie icon well and truly left a legacy in the art he helped create.
Because I take great pleasure in making people cry (usually by leading them on but that’s neither here nor there), strap yourself in for Heath’s finest movie roles below.
1O THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU
This 1999 rom-com really put Heath on the map in Hollywood – not even Nigel with the brie or Bianca‘s pearl necklace could outshine the disgustingly sexy misfit that was Patrick Verona. (Mind you, Mr. Stratford is a bloody close second and – no ifs, buts or maybes here – easily the most quotable.)
THE PATRIOT
This role was massive for Heath, who played Mel Gibson‘s son in the historical fiction war flick. It helped him divert from the love interest role that could’ve easily been carved for him after 10 Things, with The Patriot being released just one year afterwards.
CANDY
Even as he became a Hollywood heavyweight, Heath continued to lend his talent to Aussie productions. This included 2006 drama Candy alongside fellow homegrowns Abbie Cornish and Geoffrey Rush. The portrayal of a heroin addict named Dan, who drags his partner down a hole of drug dependency, is unparalleled.
Based on the 1997 book Candy: A Novel Of Love and Addiction, it goes down as one of his standout roles for making us examine the toxicity of relationships – drugs, love or otherwise – with a magnifying glass.
THE DARK KNIGHT
Heath’s performance as The Joker is a masterpiece on all fronts and was unlike anything he had ever done. It was only a few months after filming for The Dark Knight wrapped that the actor passed away, with many conspiring that the intensity of the villain role led to his death. It’s something that his sister, Kate Ledger, shut down in the recent documentary I Am Heath Ledger. She said:
“He had an amazing sense of humour and certainly playing the Joker, for him it was one big gag. He had so much fun doing that. It was actually the exact opposite. There was no doom and gloom. That was a shock to me that people even thought that, really.”
LORDS OF DOGTOWN
Hell, who can forget Heath as Skip Engblom in 2005 biographical drama Lords of Dogtown? Not me, mates. Playing a durry-punching, boozy mentor of skating up-and-comers Jay Adams, Stacy Peralta and Tony Alva, Heath’s likeness to the IRL Skip – from the mannerisms to the voice – is the best kind of cooked.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
There’s a reason Heath’s portrayal of closeted gay cowboy Ennis Del Mar was nominated for an Oscar, and there’s a reason the film itself won one. The heartbreaking love story, spanning 20 years, was unforgettable – and not because two of Hollywood’s hottest 20 somethings flipped their IRL sexuality to get hot and heavy. If you’ve seen it you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t? Do that immediately, please (and be fully prepared to start saying “I wish I knew how to quit you” in completely inappropriate situations).
Obviously Heath has many more films which he made his undeniable mark on, but this ain’t no iMDB page. Watch the below and weep – because if writing this article has broken me, then I may as well mess you up too.
